Lag - Lame

3. Last made; hence, made of refuse; inferior. [Obs.] “Lag souls.” Dryden.
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Lag (?), n. 1. One who lags; that which comes in last. [Obs.] “The lag of all the flock.” Pope.
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2. The fag-end; the rump; hence, the lowest class.
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The common lag of people. Shak.
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3. The amount of retardation of anything, as of a valve in a steam engine, in opening or closing.
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4. A stave of a cask, drum, etc.; especially: (Mach.), one of the narrow boards or staves forming the covering of a cylindrical object, as a boiler, or the cylinder of a carding machine or a steam engine.
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5. (Zoöl.) See .
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6. The failing behind or retardation of one phenomenon with respect to another to which it is closely related; as, the lag of magnetization compared with the magnetizing force (hysteresis); the lag of the current in an alternating circuit behind the impressed electro-motive force which produced it.
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Coloq. Lag of the tide , the interval by which the time of high water falls behind the mean time, in the first and third quarters of the moon; -- opposed to priming of the tide, or the acceleration of the time of high water, in the second and fourth quarters; depending on the relative positions of the sun and moon. -- Coloq. Lag screw , an iron bolt with a square head, a sharp-edged thread, and a sharp point, adapted for screwing into wood; a screw for fastening lags.
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Lag, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lagged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Lagging (?).] To walk or more slowly; to stay or fall behind; to linger or loiter. “I shall not lag behind.” Milton.

Syn. -- To loiter; linger; saunter; delay; be tardy.
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Lag, v. t. 1. To cause to lag; to slacken. [Obs.] “To lag his flight.” Heywood.
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2. (Mach.) To cover, as the cylinder of a steam engine, with lags. See , n., 4.
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Lag, n. One transported for a crime. [Slang, Eng.]
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Lag, v. t. To transport for crime. [Slang, Eng.]
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She lags us if we poach. De Quincey.
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Lagan (?), n. & v. See .
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Lagarto (?), n. [See .] An alligator. [Obs.] Sir W. Raleigh.
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Lagena (?), n.; pl. L. Lagenæ (#), E. Lagenas (#). [L., a flask; cf. Gr. �, �.] (Anat.) The terminal part of the cochlea in birds and most reptiles; an appendage of the sacculus, corresponding to the cochlea, in fishes and amphibians.
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Lagenian (?), a. [See .] (Zoöl.) Like, or pertaining to, Lagena, a genus of Foraminifera having a straight, chambered shell.
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Lageniform (?), a. [See , and .] (Bot.) Shaped like a bottle or flask; flag-shaped.
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Lagenophera prop. n. A small genus of herbs of Australia and South America having small solidary white or purple flowers similar to true daisies of genus Bellis.
Syn. -- genus Lagenophera.
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Lager (?), n. Lager beer.
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Lager beer (?) n. [G. lager bed, storehouse + bier beer. See , and .] Originally a German beer, but now also made in immense quantities in the United States; -- so called from its being laid up or stored for some months before use.
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Lager wine (?) n. Wine which has been kept for some time in the cellar. Simmonds.
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Laggard (?), a. [Lag + -ard.] Slow; sluggish; backward.
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Laggard, n. One who lags; a loiterer.
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Lagger (?), n. A laggard.
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Lagging (?), n. 1. (Mach.) The clothing (esp., an outer, wooden covering), as of a steam cylinder, applied to prevent the radiation of heat; a covering of lags; -- called also deading and cleading.
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2. Lags, collectively; narrow planks extending from one rib to another in the centering of arches.
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Laggingly, adv. In a lagging manner; loiteringly.
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Lagly (?), adv. Laggingly. [Prov. Eng.]
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{ Lagniappe (?), Lagnappe (?) }, n. [Also spelled lagnappe.][Etym. uncertain.] 1. In Louisiana, a trifling present given to customers by tradesmen; a gratuity.
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Lagniappe . . .is something thrown in, gratis, for good measure. Mark Twain.
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2. A tip or gratuity.
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3. Hence: Anything obtained gratuitously or unexpectedly.
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lagomorph (?), n. (Zoöl.) One of the Lagomorpha.
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Lagomorpha (lăg�môrfȧ), prop. n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. lagws a hare + morfh form.] (Zoöl.) an order of rodent-like mammals, comprising the hares, rabbits, and pikas. They have four incisors in the upper jaw. Called also Duplicidentata. They were formerly classified together with the rodents, but the Rodentia and Lagomorpha are now classed as separate orders.
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lagoon (lȧg�n), n. [It. or Sp. laguna, L. lacuna ditch, pool, pond, lacus lake. See , and cf. .] [Written also lagune.] 1. A shallow sound, channel, pond, or lake, especially one into which the sea flows; as, the lagoons of Venice.
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2. A lake in a coral island, often occupying a large portion of its area, and usually communicating with the sea. See .
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Coloq. Lagoon island , a coral island consisting of a narrow reef encircling a lagoon.
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{ Lagophthalmia (?), Lagophthalmos (?), } n. [NL. lagophtalmia, fr. Gr. lagws hare + 'ofqalmos eye; -- so called from the notion that a hare sleeps with his eyes open.] (Med.) A morbid condition in which the eye stands wide open, giving a peculiar staring appearance.
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Lagopous (?), a. [Gr. lagws a hare + poys, podos, foot.] (Bot.) Having a dense covering of long hair, like the foot of a hare.
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Lagorchestes prop. n. A mammal genus comprising the hare wallabies.
Syn. -- genus Lagorchestes.
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Lagostomus prop. n. A mammal genus comprising the viscachas.
Syn. -- genus Lagostomus.
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Lagothrix prop. n. A mammal genus comprising the woolly monkeys.
Syn. -- genus Lagothrix.
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Lagthing (?), n. [Norw. lagting, lagthing; lag company, society (akin to E. law, lay) + ting, thing, parliament. See .] See , below.
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Lagune (?), n. See .
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{ Laic (?), Laical (?), } a. [L. laicus: cf. F. laïque. See laic.] Of or pertaining to a layman or the laity. “Laical literature.” Lowell.
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An unprincipled, unedified, and laic rabble. Milton.
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Laic, n. A layman. Bp. Morton.
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Laicality (?), n. The state or quality of being laic; the state or condition of a layman.
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Laically (?), adv. As a layman; after the manner of a layman; as, to treat a matter laically.
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Laid (?), imp. & p. p. of .
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Coloq. Laid paper , paper marked with parallel lines or water marks, as if ribbed, from parallel wires in the mold. It is called blue laid, cream laid, etc., according to its color.
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Laidly, a. Ugly; loathsome. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]
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This laidly and loathsome worm. W. Howitt.
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Lain (?), p. p. of , v. i.
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Lainere (?), n. See . [Obs.] Chaucer.
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Lair (lâr), n. [OE. leir, AS. leger; akin to D. leger, G. lager couch, lair, OHG. legar, Goth. ligrs, and to E. lie. See to be prostrate, and cf. , .]
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1. A place in which to lie or rest; especially, the bed or couch of a wild beast.
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2. A burying place. [Scot.] Jamieson.
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3. A pasture; sometimes, food. [Obs.] Spenser.
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Laird (lârd), n. [See .] A lord; a landholder, esp. one who holds land directly of the crown. [Scot.]
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Lairdship, n. The state of being a laird; an estate; landed property. [Scot.] Ramsay.
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Laism (?), n. See . [R.]
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Laissez faire (?) n. [F., let alone.] Noninterference; -- an axiom of some political economists, deprecating interference of government by attempts to foster or regulate commerce, manufactures, etc., by bounty or by restriction; as, the doctrine of laissez faire; the laissez faire system of government.
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Laity (lāĭt�), n. [See , a.] 1. The people, as distinguished from the clergy; the body of the people not in orders.
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A rising up of the laity against the sacerdotal caste. Macaulay.
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2. The state of a layman. [Obs.] Ayliffe.
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3. Those who are not of a certain profession, as law or medicine, in distinction from those belonging to it.
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Lakao (?), n. Sap green. [China]
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Lake (lāk), n. [F. laque, fr. Per. See .] A pigment formed by combining some coloring matter, usually by precipitation, with a metallic oxide or earth, esp. with aluminium hydrate; as, madder lake; Florentine lake; yellow lake, etc.
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Lake, n. [Cf. G. laken.] A kind of fine white linen, formerly in use. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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Lake (lāk), v. i. [AS. lācan, læcan, to spring, jump, lāc play, sport, or fr. Icel. leika to play, sport; both akin to Goth. laikan to dance. √120. Cf. .] To play; to sport. [Prov. Eng.]
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Lake, n. [AS. lac, L. lacus; akin to AS. lagu lake, sea, Icel. lögr; OIr. loch; cf. Gr. lakkos pond, tank. Cf. , .] A large body of water contained in a depression of the earth's surface, and supplied from the drainage of a more or less extended area.
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☞ Lakes are for the most part of fresh water; the salt lakes, like the Great Salt Lake of Utah, have usually no outlet to the ocean.
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Coloq. Lake dwellers (Ethnol.), people of a prehistoric race, or races, which inhabited different parts of Europe. Their dwellings were built on piles in lakes, a short distance from the shore. Their relics are common in the lakes of Switzerland. -- Coloq. Lake dwellings (Archæol.), dwellings built over a lake, sometimes on piles, and sometimes on rude foundations kept in place by piles; specifically, such dwellings of prehistoric times. Lake dwellings are still used by many savage tribes. Called also lacustrine dwellings. See . -- Coloq. Lake fly (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of dipterous flies of the genus Chironomus. In form they resemble mosquitoes, but they do not bite. The larvæ live in lakes. -- Coloq. Lake herring (Zoöl.), the cisco (Coregonus Artedii). -- Coloq. Lake poets , Coloq. Lake school , a collective name originally applied in contempt, but now in honor, to Southey, Coleridge, and Wordsworth, who lived in the lake country of Cumberland, England, Lamb and a few others were classed with these by hostile critics. Called also lakers and lakists. -- Coloq. Lake sturgeon (Zoöl.), a sturgeon (Acipenser rubicundus), of moderate size, found in the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. It is used as food. -- Coloq. Lake trout (Zoöl.), any one of several species of trout and salmon; in Europe, esp. Salmo fario; in the United States, esp. Salvelinus namaycush of the Great Lakes, and of various lakes in New York, Eastern Maine, and Canada. A large variety of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), inhabiting many lakes in New England, is also called lake trout. See . -- Coloq. Lake whitefish . (Zoöl.) See . -- Coloq. Lake whiting (Zoöl.), an American whitefish (Coregonus Labradoricus), found in many lakes in the Northern United States and Canada. It is more slender than the common whitefish.
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Lake-dweller (?), n. See Lake dwellers, under .
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lakefront n. land bordering a lake.
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Lakelet (?), n. A little lake. Southey.
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Laker (?), n. One that is connected with a lake or lakes, as in habitation, toil, etc.: (a) One of the poets of the Lake school. See Lake poets, under , n. (b) (Zoöl.) A fish living in, or taken from, a lake, esp. the namaycush. (c) A lake steamer or canal boat.
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The bridge tender . . . thought the Cowies “a little mite” longer than that laker. The Century.
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lakeshore n. the shore of a lake.
Syn. -- lakeside.
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lakeside n. the shore of a lake.
Syn. -- lakeshore.
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Lakeweed (?), n. (Bot.) The water pepper (Polygonum Hydropiper), an aquatic plant of Europe and North America.
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Lakh (?), n. Same as , one hundred thousand.
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Lakin (?), n. See .
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Lakke (?), n. & v. See . [Obs.] Chaucer.
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Laky (?), a. Pertaining to a lake. Sir W. Scott.
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Laky, a. [From the pigment.] Transparent; -- said of blood rendered transparent by the action of some solvent agent on the red blood corpuscles.
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Lallation (?), n. [L. lallare to sing lalla, or lullaby: cf. F. lallation.] An imperfect enunciation of the letter r, in which it sounds like l.
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Lalo (?), n. The powdered leaves of the baobab tree, used by the Africans to mix in their soup, as the southern negroes use powdered sassafras. Cf. .
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Lam (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Lammed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Lamming.] [Icel. lemja to beat, or lama to bruise, both fr. lami, lama, lame. See .] To beat soundly; to thrash. [Obs. or Low] Beau. & Fl.
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Lama (?; 277), n. (Zoöl.) See .
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Lama, n. [Tibet. blama (pronounced läma) a chief, a high priest.] In Tibet, Mongolia, etc., a priest or monk of the belief called Lamaism.
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Coloq. The Grand Lama , or Coloq. Dalai Lama [lit., Ocean Lama], the supreme pontiff in the lamaistic hierarchy. Until the Chinese occupied Tibet he resided in Lhasa, but now (1998) is in exile. See .
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Lamaic (?), a. Of or pertaining to Lamaism.
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Lamaism (?), n. A modified form of Buddhism which prevails in Tibet, Mongolia, and some adjacent parts of Asia; -- so called from the name of its priests. See 2d .
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{ Lamaist (?), Lamaite (?) } n. One who believes in Lamaism.
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Lamaistic (?), a. Of or pertaining to Lamaism.
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Lamantin (?), n. [F. lamantin, lamentin, prob. from the name of the animal in the Antilles. Cf. .] (Zoöl.) The manatee. [Written also lamentin, and lamantine.]
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Lamarckian (?), a. Pertaining to, or involved in, the doctrines of Lamarckianism.
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Lamarckianism (?), n. (Biol.) Lamarckism.
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Lamarckism (?), n. [From Lamarck, a distinguished French naturalist.] (Biol.) The theory that structural variations, characteristic of species and genera, are produced in animals and plants by the direct influence of physical environments, and esp., in the case of animals, by effort, or by use or disuse of certain organs. It is a discredited theory, not believed by modern biologists.
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Lamasery (?), n. [See 2d .] A monastery or convent of lamas, in Tibet, Mongolia, etc.
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Lamb (?), n. [AS. lamb; akin to D. & Dan. lam, G. & Sw. lamm, OS., Goth., & Icel. lamb.] 1. (Zoöl.) The young of the sheep.
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2. Any person who is as innocent or gentle as a lamb.
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3. A simple, unsophisticated person; in the cant of the Stock Exchange, one who ignorantly speculates and is victimized.
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Coloq. Lamb of God , Coloq. The Lamb (Script.), the Jesus Christ, in allusion to the paschal lamb.
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The twelve apostles of the Lamb. Rev. xxi. 14.
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Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. John i. 29.
-- Coloq. Lamb's lettuce (Bot.), an annual plant with small obovate leaves (Valerianella olitoria), often used as a salad; corn salad. [Written also lamb lettuce.] -- Coloq. Lamb's tongue , a carpenter's plane with a deep narrow bit, for making curved grooves. Knight. -- Coloq. Lamb's wool . (a) The wool of a lamb. (b) Ale mixed with the pulp of roasted apples; -- probably from the resemblance of the pulp of roasted apples to lamb's wool. [Obs.] Goldsmith.
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Lamb (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lambed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Lambing.] To bring forth a lamb or lambs, as sheep.
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Lambale (?), n. A feast at the time of shearing lambs.
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lambast (?), v. t. Same as .
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Lambaste (?), v. t. [Lam + baste to beat.] To beat severely; specifically, to beat with a cane. [Low] Nares.
Syn. -- cane, flog, lambaste.
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2. to scold, reprimand, or berate harshly.
Syn. -- rebuke, rag, reproof, reprimand, jaw, dress down, scold, chide, berate, bawl out, jaw at, remonstrate with, chew out, chew up, have words with, lambast.
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Lambative (?), a. [L. lambere to lick. See .] Taken by licking with the tongue. “Sirups and lambative medicines.” Sir T. Browne.
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Lambative, n. A medicine taken by licking with the tongue; a lincture. Wiseman.
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Lambda (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. lambda.] 1. The name of the Greek letter Λ, λ, corresponding with the English letter L, l.
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2. (Anat.) The point of junction of the sagittal and lambdoid sutures of the skull.
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3. (Phys.) A subatomic particle carrying no charge, having a mass equal to 2183 times that of an electron; it decays rapidly, typically forming a nucleon and a pion. MW10
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Coloq. Lambda moth (Zoöl.), a moth so called from a mark on its wings, resembling the Greek letter lambda (Λ).
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Lambdacism (?), n. [L. lambdacismus, Gr. �, fr. lambda the letter lambda (Λ).] 1. A fault in speaking or in composition, which consists in too frequent use of the letter l, or in doubling it erroneously.
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2. A defect in pronunciation of the letter l when doubled, which consists in giving it a sound as if followed by y, similar to that of the letters lli in billion.
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3. The use of the sound of l for that of r in pronunciation; lallation; as, Amelican for American.
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Lambdoid (?), a. [Gr. �, lambda the letter lambda (Λ) + ei^dos shape.] Shaped like the Greek letter lambda (Λ); as, the lambdoid suture between the occipital and parietal bones of the skull.
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Lambdoidal (?), a. Same as .
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Lambent (?), a. [L. lambens, -enlis, p. pr. of lambere to lick; akin to lap. See to drink by licking.] 1. Playing on the surface; touching lightly; gliding over. “A lambent flame.” Dryden. “A lambent style.” Beaconsfield.
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2. Twinkling or gleaming; fickering. “The lambent purity of the stars.” W. Irving.
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Lambertia n. A small genus of Australian shrubs.
Syn. -- genus Lambertia.
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Lambert pine (?) n. [So called from Lambert, an English botanist.] (Bot.) The gigantic sugar pine of California and Oregon (Pinus Lambertiana). It has the leaves in fives, and cones a foot long. The timber is soft, and like that of the white pine of the Eastern States.
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Lambis n. A genus of scorpion shells of shallow tropical waters of eastern hemisphere.
Syn. -- genus Lambis.
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Lambkill (?), n. (Bot.) A small American ericaceous shrub (Kalmia angustifolia), resembling mountain laurel but having narrower leaves and small red flowers; -- called also calfkill, sheepkill, sheep laurel, etc. It is supposed to poison young sheep and other animals that eat it at times when the snow is deep and they cannot find other food.
Syn. -- sheep laurel, pig laurel, Kalmia angustifolia.
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Lambkin (?), n. A small lamb.
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Lamblike (?), a. Like a lamb; gentle; meek; inoffensive.
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Lamboys (?), n. pl. [Cf. F. lambeau. Cf. .] (Anc. Armor) Same as , n., 19.
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Lambrequin (?), n. [F. Cf. , .] 1. A kind of pendent scarf or covering attached to the helmet, to protect it from wet or heat.
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2. A leather flap hanging from a cuirass. Wilhelm.
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3. A piece of ornament drapery or short decorative hanging, pendent from a shelf or from the casing above a window, hiding the curtain fixtures, or the like.
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Lambskin (?), n. 1. The skin of a lamb; especially, a skin dressed with the wool on, and used as a mat. Also used adjectively.
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2. A kind of woolen.
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Lambskinnet (?), n. See .
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Lamb's-quarters (?), n. (Bot.) A name given to several common weedy European plants of the Goosefoot family, introduced into N. America, and sometimes used as pot herbs, as Chenopodium album and Atriplex patulsa. It is sometimes collected from the wild and eaten as a vegetable
Syn. -- lamb's quarters, pigweed, wild spinach, Chenopodium album.
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Lamdoidal (?), a. Lambdoid. [R.]
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Lame (lām), a. [Compar. Lamer (lāmẽr); superl. Lamest.] [OE. lame, AS. lama; akin to D. lam, G. lahm, OHG., Dan., & Sw. lam, Icel. lami, Russ. lomate to break, lomota rheumatism.] 1. (a) Moving with pain or difficulty on account of injury, defect, or temporary obstruction of a function; as, a lame leg, arm, or muscle. (b) To some degree disabled by reason of the imperfect action of a limb; crippled; as, a lame man. “Lame of one leg.” Arbuthnot. “Lame in both his feet.” 2 Sam. ix. 13. “He fell, and became lame.” 2 Sam. iv. 4.
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2. Hence, hobbling; limping; inefficient; imperfect; as, a lame answer. “A lame endeavor.” Barrow.
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O, most lame and impotent conclusion! Shak.
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Coloq. Lame duck (a) (Stock Exchange), a person who can not fulfill his contracts. [Cant] (b) An elected politician who is completing a term after having been defeated at an election; also, an office holder who cannot or chooses not to run again for the same office; -- So called from the presumed lack of political power of one who is soon to be out of office. (b) Any office holder who is serving out a term after a replacement has been selected.
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