Laudableness - Lavatera
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Laudableness (l�dȧb'lnĕs), n. The quality of being laudable; praiseworthiness; commendableness.
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Laudably (?), adv. In a laudable manner.
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Laudanine (?), n. [From .] (Chem.) A white organic base, resembling morphine, and obtained from certain varieties of opium.
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Laudanum (?), n. [Orig. the same wort as ladanum, ladbdanum: cf. F. laudanum, It. laudano, ladano. See .] Tincture of opium, used for various medical purposes.
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☞ A fluid ounce of American laudanum should contain the soluble matter of one tenth of an ounce avoirdupois of powdered opium with equal parts of alcohol and water. English laudanum should have ten grains less of opium in the fluid ounce. U. S. Disp.
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Coloq. Dutchman's laudanum (Bot.) See under .
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Laudation (?), n. [L. laudatio: cf. OE. taudation. See , v. t.] The act of lauding; praise; high commendation.
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Laudative (?), a. [L. laudativus laudatory: cf. F. laudatif.] Laudatory.
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Laudative, n. A panegyric; a eulogy. [Obs.] Bacon.
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Laudator (?), n. [L.] 1. One who lauds.
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2. (Law) An arbitrator. [Obs.] Cowell.
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Laudatory (?), a. [L. laudatorius: cf. OF. laudatoire.] Of or pertaining praise, or to the expression of praise; as, laudatory verses; the laudatory powers of Dryden. Sir J. Stephen.
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Lauder (?), n. One who lauds.
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Laugh (läf), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Laughed (läft); p. pr. & vb. n. Laughing.] [OE. laughen, laghen, lauhen, AS. hlehhan, hlihhan, hlyhhan, hliehhan; akin to OS. hlahan, D. & G. lachen, OHG. hlahhan, lahhan, lahhēn, Icel. hlæja,W Dan. lee, Sw. le, Goth. hlahjan; perh. of imitative origin.] 1. To show mirth, satisfaction, or derision, by peculiar movement of the muscles of the face, particularly of the mouth, causing a lighting up of the face and eyes, and usually accompanied by the emission of explosive or chuckling sounds from the chest and throat; to indulge in laughter.
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Queen Hecuba laughed that her eyes ran o'er.
Shak.
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He laugheth that winneth.
Heywood's Prov.
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2. Fig.: To be or appear gay, cheerful, pleasant, mirthful, lively, or brilliant; to sparkle; to sport.
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Then laughs the childish year, with flowerets crowned.
Dryden.
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In Folly's cup still laughs the bubble Joy.
Pope.
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Coloq. To laugh at , to make an object of laughter or ridicule; to make fun of; to deride.
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No wit to flatter left of all his store,
No fool to laugh at, which he valued more.
Pope.
-- Coloq. To laugh in the sleeve , Coloq. To laugh up one's sleeve , to laugh secretly, or so as not to be observed, especially while apparently preserving a grave or serious demeanor toward the person or persons laughed at. -- Coloq. To laugh out , to laugh in spite of some restraining influence; to laugh aloud. -- Coloq. To laugh out of the other corner of the mouth or Coloq. To laugh out of the other side of the mouth , to weep or cry; to feel regret, vexation, or disappointment after hilarity or exaltation. [Slang]
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Laugh, v. t. 1. To affect or influence by means of laughter or ridicule.
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Will you laugh me asleep, for I am very heavy?
Shak.
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I shall laugh myself to death.
Shak.
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2. To express by, or utter with, laughter; -- with out.
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From his deep chest laughs out a loud applause.
Shak.
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Coloq. To laugh away . (a) To drive away by laughter; as, to laugh away regret. (b) To waste in hilarity. “Pompey doth this day laugh away his fortune.” Shak. -- Coloq. To laugh down . (a) To cause to cease or desist by laughter; as, to laugh down a speaker. (b) To cause to be given up on account of ridicule; as, to laugh down a reform. -- Coloq. To laugh one out of , to cause one by laughter or ridicule to abandon or give up; as, to laugh one out of a plan or purpose. -- Coloq. To laugh to scorn , to deride; to treat with mockery, contempt, and scorn; to despise.
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Laugh (?), n. An expression of mirth peculiar to the human species; the sound heard in laughing; laughter. See , v. i.
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And the loud laugh that spoke the vacant mind.
Goldsmith.
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That man is a bad man who has not within him the power of a hearty laugh.
F. W. Robertson.
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Laughable (?), a. Fitted to excite laughter; as, a laughable story; a laughable scene.
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Syn. -- Droll; ludicrous; mirthful; comical. See , and .
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-- Laughableness, n. -- Laughably, adv.
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Laugher (?), n. 1. One who laughs.
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2. A variety of the domestic pigeon.
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3. A contest in which one side wins easily; a lopsided victory. [Informal]
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4. A blatantly false statement, especially a self-serving one. [Slang]
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Laughing (?), a. & n. from , v. i.
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Coloq. Laughing falcon (Zoöl.), a South American hawk (Herpetotheres cachinnans); -- so called from its notes, which resemble a shrill laugh. -- Coloq. Laughing gas (Chem.), hyponitrous oxide, or protoxide of nitrogen; -- so called from the exhilaration and laughing which it sometimes produces when inhaled. It is much used as an anæsthetic agent. -- Coloq. Laughing goose (Zoöl.), the European white-fronted goose. -- Coloq. Laughing gull . (Zoöl.) (a) A common European gull (Xema ridibundus); -- called also pewit, black cap, red-legged gull, and sea crow. (b) An American gull (Larus atricilla). In summer the head is nearly black, the back slate color, and the five outer primaries black. -- Coloq. Laughing hyena (Zoöl.), the spotted hyena. See . -- Coloq. Laughing jackass (Zoöl.), the great brown kingfisher (Dacelo gigas), of Australia; -- called also giant kingfisher, and gogobera. -- Coloq. Laughing owl (Zoöl.), a peculiar owl (Sceloglaux albifacies) of New Zealand, said to be on the verge of extinction. The name alludes to its notes.
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Laughingly (?), adv. With laughter or merriment.
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Laughingstock (?), n. An object of ridicule; a butt of sport. Shak.
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When he talked, he talked nonsense, and made himself the laughingstock of his hearers.
Macaulay.
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Laughsome (?), a. Exciting laughter; also, addicted to laughter; merry. [R.]
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Laughter (?), n. [AS. hleahtor; akin to OHG. hlahtar, G. gelächter, Icel. hlātr, Dan. latter. See , v. i. ] A movement (usually involuntary) of the muscles of the face, particularly of the lips, with a peculiar expression of the eyes, indicating merriment, satisfaction, or derision, and usually attended by a sonorous and interrupted expulsion of air from the lungs. See , v. i.
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The act of laughter, which is a sweet contraction of the muscles of the face, and a pleasant agitation of the vocal organs, is not merely, or totally within the jurisdiction of ourselves.
Sir T. Browne.
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Archly the maiden smiled, and with eyes overrunning with laughter.
Longfellow.
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Laughterless, a. Not laughing; without laughter.
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Laughworthy (?), a. Deserving to be laughed at. [R.] B. Jonson.
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Laumontite (?), n. [From Dr. Laumont, the discoverer.] (Min.) A mineral, of a white color and vitreous luster. It is a hydrous silicate of alumina and lime. Exposed to the air, it loses water, becomes opaque, and crumbles. [Written also laumonite.]
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Launce (?), n. A lance. [Obs.]
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Launce, n. [It. lance, L. lanx, lancis, plate, scale of a balance. Cf. .] A balance. [Obs.]
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Fortune all in equal launce doth sway.
Spenser.
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Launce, n. (Zoöl.) See , the fish.
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Launcegaye (?), n. See . [Obs.]
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Launch (l�nch or länch), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Launched (l�ncht or läncht); p. pr. & vb. n. Launching.] [OE. launchen to throw as a lance, OF. lanchier, another form of lancier, F. lancer, fr. lance lance. See .] [Written also lanch.] 1. To throw, as a lance or dart; to hurl; to let fly.
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2. To strike with, or as with, a lance; to pierce. [Obs.]
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Launch your hearts with lamentable wounds.
Spenser.
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3. To cause to move or slide from the land into the water; to set afloat; as, to launch a ship.
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With stays and cordage last he rigged the ship,
And rolled on levers, launched her in the deep.
Pope.
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4. To send out; to start (one) on a career; to set going; to give a start to (something); to put in operation; as, to launch a son in the world; to launch a business project or enterprise.
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All art is used to sink episcopacy, and launch presbytery in England.
Eikon Basilike.
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Launch, v. i. To move with force and swiftness like a sliding from the stocks into the water; to plunge; to make a beginning; as, to launch into the current of a stream; to launch into an argument or discussion; to launch into lavish expenditures; -- often with out.
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Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
Luke v. 4.
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He [Spenser] launches out into very flowery paths.
Prior.
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Launch, n. 1. The act of launching.
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2. The movement of a vessel from land into the water; especially, the sliding on ways from the stocks on which it is built.
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3. [Cf. Sp. lancha.] (Naut.) The boat of the largest size belonging to a ship of war; also, an open boat of any size driven by steam, naphtha, electricity, or the like.
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Coloq. Launching ways . (Naut.) See , n. (Naut.).
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launcher n. 1. a device capable of launching a rocket.
Syn. -- rocket launcher.
[WordNet 1.5]
2. A device which launches aircraft from an aircraft carrier; -- it provides additional velocity to the airplane, to supplement that from the airplane's engines, so that the airplane rapidly achieves a velocity sufficient to sustain it in flight when taking off.
Syn. -- catapult.
[WordNet 1.5]
launching n. 1. the act of moving a newly-built vessel into the water for the first time.
[WordNet 1.5]
2. the act of beginning something new.
Syn. -- debut, first appearance, unveiling, introduction, entry.
[WordNet 1.5]
3. the act of propelling with force.
Syn. -- launch.
[WordNet 1.5]
launchpad n. (Rocketry) a platform from which rockets or space craft are launched.
Syn. -- launching pad, launch pad, launch area, pad.
[WordNet 1.5]
Laund (l�nd), n. [See of grass.] A plain sprinkled with trees or underbrush; a glade. [Obs.]
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In a laund upon an hill of flowers.
Chaucer.
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Through this laund anon the deer will come.
Shak.
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Launder (l�ndẽr or ländẽr), n. [Contracted fr. OE. lavender, F. lavandière, LL. lavandena, from L. lavare to wash. See .] 1. A washerwoman. [Obs.]
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2. (Mining) A trough used by miners to receive the powdered ore from the box where it is beaten, or for carrying water to the stamps, or other apparatus, for comminuting, or sorting, the ore.
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Launder, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Laundered (l�ndẽrd or ländẽrd); p. pr. & vb. n. Laundering.] 1. To wash, as clothes; to wash, and to smooth with a flatiron or mangle; to wash and iron; as, to launder shirts.
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2. To lave; to wet. [Obs.] Shak.
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Launderer (?), n. One who follows the business of laundering.
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Laundering, n. The act, or occupation, of one who launders; washing and ironing.
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Laundress (?), n. A woman whose employment is laundering.
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Laundress, v. i. To act as a laundress. [Obs.]
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Laundry (?), n.; pl. Laundries (#). [OE. lavendrie, OF. lavanderie. See .] 1. A laundering; a washing.
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2. A place or room where laundering is done; a laundry room.
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3. A business establishment where clothing is laundered for a fee.
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4. A collection of items such as articles of clothing or bed linens that need to be laundered, or have just been laundered; as, put the dirty laundry in the basket and take it downstairs; hang the laundry out to dry.
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Coloq. coin laundry A business establishment with washing and drying machines operated by coins, where items such as articles of clothing may be laundered and dried by the customer.
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Laundryman (?), n.; pl. Laundrymen (�). A man who follows the business of laundering.
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Laura (?), n. [LL., fr. Gr. (�) lane, defile, also, a kind of monastery.] (R. C. Ch.) A number of hermitages or cells in the same neighborhood occupied by anchorites who were under the same superior. C. Kingsley.
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Lauraceous (?), a. [From .] (Bot.) Belonging to, or resembling, a natural order (Lauraceæ) of trees and shrubs having aromatic bark and foliage, and including the laurel, sassafras, cinnamon tree, true camphor tree, etc.
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Laurate (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of lauric acid.
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Laureate (?), a. [L. laureatus, fr. laurea laurel tree, fr. laureus of laurel, fr. laurus laurel: cf. F. lauréat. Cf. .] Crowned, or decked, with laurel. Chaucer.
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To strew the laureate hearse where Lycid lies.
Milton.
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Soft on her lap her laureate son reclines.
Pope.
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Coloq. Poet laureate . (b) One who received an honorable degree in grammar, including poetry and rhetoric, at the English universities; -- so called as being presented with a wreath of laurel. [Obs.] (b) Formerly, an officer of the king's household, whose business was to compose an ode annually for the king's birthday, and other suitable occasions; now, a poet officially distinguished by such honorary title, the office being a sinecure. It is said this title was first given in the time of Edward IV. [Eng.] (c) A poet who has been publicly recognized as the most pre-eminent poet of a country or region; as, the poet laureate of the United States.
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Laureate, n. 1. One crowned with laurel; a poet laureate. “A learned laureate.” Cleveland.
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2. A person who has been presented with an award for some distinguished achievement; as, a Nobel laureate; the Pris de Rome laureate; the Music Director Laureate; the conductor laureate.
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Laureate (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Laureated (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Laureating (?).] To honor with a wreath of laurel, as formerly was done in bestowing a degree at the English universities.
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Laureateship, n. State, or office, of a laureate.
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Laureation (?), n. [Cf. F. lauréation.] The act of crowning with laurel; the act of conferring an academic degree, or honorary title.
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Laurel (?), n. [OE. lorel, laurer, lorer, OF. lorier, laurier, F. laurier, (assumed) LL. Laurarius, fr. L. laurus.] 1. (Bot.) An evergreen shrub, of the genus Laurus (Laurus nobilis), having aromatic leaves of a lanceolate shape, with clusters of small, yellowish white flowers in their axils; -- called also sweet bay. The fruit is a purple berry. It is found about the Mediterranean, and was early used by the ancient Greeks to crown the victor in the games of Apollo. At a later period, academic honors were indicated by a crown of laurel, with the fruit. The leaves and tree yield an aromatic oil, used to flavor the bay water of commerce.
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☞ The name is extended to other plants which in some respect resemble the true laurel. See Phrases, below.
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2. A crown of laurel; hence, honor; distinction; fame; -- especially in the plural; as, to win laurels.
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3. An English gold coin made in 1619, and so called because the king's head on it was crowned with laurel.
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Coloq. Laurel water , water distilled from the fresh leaves of the cherry laurel, and containing prussic acid and other products carried over in the process.
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Coloq. American laurel , or Coloq. Mountain laurel , Kalmia latifolia; called also calico bush. See under . -- Coloq. California laurel , Umbellularia Californica. -- Coloq. Cherry laurel (in England called laurel). See under . -- Coloq. Great laurel , the rosebay (Rhododendron maximum). -- Coloq. Ground laurel , trailing arbutus. -- Coloq. New Zealand laurel , the Laurelia Novæ Zelandiæ. -- Coloq. Portugal laurel , the Prunus Lusitanica. -- Coloq. Rose laurel , the oleander. See . -- Coloq. Sheep laurel , a poisonous shrub, Kalmia angustifolia, smaller than the mountain laurel, and with smaller and redder flowers. -- Coloq. Spurge laurel , Daphne Laureola. -- Coloq. West Indian laurel , Prunus occidentalis.
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Laureled (?), a. Crowned with laurel, or with a laurel wreath; laureate. [Written also laurelled.]
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laurels (?), n. pl. An honor or honors conferred for some notable achievement.
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Coloq. to rest on one's laurels [fig.] to be content with one's past achievements and not strive to continue to excel; as, he didn't rest on his laurels after receiving the Nobel Prize, but went on to made even more significant discoveries.
[PJC]
laurel-tree n. A small tree (Persea borbonia) of the Southern U. S. having dark red heartwood.
Syn. -- red bay, Persea borbonia.
[WordNet 1.5]
Laurentian (?), a. Pertaining to, or near, the St. Lawrence River; as, the Laurentian hills.
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Coloq. Laurentian period (Geol.), the lower of the two divisions of the Archæan age; -- called also the Laurentian.
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Laurer (?), n. Laurel. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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Laurestine (?), n. [NL. lautus tinus, fr. L. laurus the laurel + tinus laurestine. See .] (Bot.) The Viburnum Tinus, an evergreen shrub or tree of the south of Europe, which flowers during the winter months. [Written also laurustine and laurestina.]
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Lauric (?), a. 1. Pertaining to, or derived from, the European bay or laurel (Laurus nobilis).
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2. pertaining to or combined with , the 12-carbon member of the fatty acid series; combined with the acyl group of lauric acid.
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Lauric acid (Chem.), a white, crystalline substance, CH3.(CH2)10.COOH, resembling palmitic acid, and obtained from the fruit of the bay tree, and various other vegetable sources. The sodium salt ( ) is used as a detergent.
Syn. -- dodecanoic acid, laurostearic acid, dodecoic acid.
[ Webster + PJC]
Lauriferous (?), a. [L. laurifer; laurus + ferre to bear.] Producing, or bringing, laurel.
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Laurin (?), n. [Cf. F. laurine.] (Chem.) A white crystalline substance extracted from the fruit of the bay (Laurus nobilis), and consisting of a complex mixture of glycerin ethers of several organic acids.
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Laurinol (?), n. [Laurin + -ol.] (Chem.) Ordinary camphor; -- so called in allusion to the family name (Lauraceæ) of the camphor trees. See .
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Lauriol (?), n. Spurge laurel. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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Laurite (?), n. [Etymol. uncertain.] (Min.) A rare sulphide of osmium and ruthenium found with platinum in Borneo and Oregon.
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Laurone (?), n. [Lauric + -one.] (Chem.) The ketone of lauric acid.
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Laurus (?), n. [L., laurel.] (Bot.) A genus of trees including, according to modern authors, only the true laurel (Laurus nobilis), and the larger Laurus Canariensis of Madeira and the Canary Islands. Formerly the sassafras, the camphor tree, the cinnamon tree, and several other aromatic trees and shrubs, were also referred to the genus Laurus.
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Laus (?), a. Loose. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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Lautverschiebung (loutfĕrshēb�ng), n.; pl. Lautverschiebungen (loutfĕrshēb�ng�n). [G.; laut sound + verschiebung shifting.] (Philol.) (a) The regular changes which the primitive Indo-European stops, or mute consonants, underwent in the Teutonic languages, probably as early as the 3d century b. c. , often called the first Lautverschiebung, sound shifting, or consonant shifting. (b) A somewhat similar set of changes taking place in the High German dialects (less fully in modern literary German) from the 6th to the 8th century, known as the second Lautverschiebung, the results of which form the striking differences between High German and The Low German Languages. The statement of these changes is commonly regarded as forming part of , because included in it as originally framed.
[Webster Suppl.]
lav n. [by truncation of lavatory.] Same as {5}; -- a shortened form of the word. [informal]
Syn. -- toilet, lavatory, can, facility, john, privy, bathroom.
[WordNet 1.5]
Lava (lävȧ; 277), n. [It. lava lava, orig. in Naples, a torrent of rain overflowing the streets, fr. It. & L. lavare to wash. See .] The melted rock ejected by a volcano from its top or fissured sides. It flows out in streams sometimes miles in length. It also issues from fissures in the earth's surface, and forms beds covering many square miles, as in the Northwestern United States.
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☞ Lavas are classed, according to their structure, as scoriaceous or cellular, glassy, stony, etc., and according to the material of which they consist, as doleritic, trachytic, etc.
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Coloq. Lava millstone , a hard and coarse basaltic millstone from the neighborhood of the Rhine. -- Coloq. Lava ware , a kind of cheap pottery made of iron slag cast into tiles, urns, table tops, etc., resembling lava in appearance.
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lavalava (lävȧlävȧ), n. A printed cloth garment resembling a skirt or kilt, worn as the principle garment by both men and women in Polynesia, especialy in Samoa; called also pareu.
[PJC]
{ lavaliere, lavallier, or La valliere } (?), n. [after the Duchesse de La Valliere, a mistress of Louis XI. RHUD.] A neck ornament consisting of a chain and single jewelled pendant, or drop; also, the pendant itself.
[Webster Suppl. +PJC]
lavaliere microphone n. A small microphone worn around the neck on a supporting string or chain.
[PJC]
Lavandula n. A genus of plants of the mint family including the lavender{1}.
Syn. -- genus Lavandula.
[WordNet 1.5]
Lavaret (?), n. [F.] (Zoöl.) A European whitefish (Coregonus laveretus), found in the mountain lakes of Sweden, Germany, and Switzerland.
[ Webster]
Lavatera n. A widespread genus of herbs or soft-wooded arborescent shrubs cultivated for their showy flowers.
Syn. -- genus Lavatera.
[WordNet 1.5]
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