Lawmaking - Lazy

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Lawmaking (l�mākĭng), a. Enacting laws; legislative. -- n. The enacting of laws; legislation.
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Lawmonger (?), n. A trader in law; one who practices law as if it were a trade. Milton.
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Lawn (l�n), n. [OE. laund, launde, F. lande heath, moor; of Celtic origin; cf. W. llan an open, clear place, llawnt a smooth rising hill, lawn, Armor. lann or lan territory, country, lann a prickly plant, pl. lannou heath, moor.] 1. An open space between woods. Milton.
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“Orchard lawns and bowery hollows.” Tennyson.
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2. Ground (generally in front of or around a house) covered with grass kept closely mown.
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Coloq. Lawn mower , a machine for clipping the short grass of lawns. -- Coloq. Lawn tennis , a variety of the game of tennis, played in the open air, sometimes upon a lawn, instead of in a tennis court. See .
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Lawn, n. [Earlier laune lynen, i. e., lawn linen; prob. from the town Laon in France.] A very fine linen (or sometimes cotton) fabric with a rather open texture. Lawn is used for the sleeves of a bishop's official dress in the English Church, and, figuratively, stands for the office itself.
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A saint in crape is twice a saint in lawn. Pope.
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Lawnd (l�nd), n. [Obs.] See .
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Lawny (l�n�), a. Having a lawn; characterized by a lawn or by lawns; like a lawn.
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Musing through the lawny park. T. Warton.
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Lawny, a. Made of lawn or fine linen. Bp. Hall.
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lawrencium n. [from Ernest O. Lawrence, inventer of the cyclotron.] A transuranic element of atomic number 103. It was discovered in 1961 by bombardment of californium in a cyclotron with boron nuclei. Other isotopes were prepared in 1965 at Dubna. The atomic weight of the most stable isotope is 256, having a half-life of 35 seconds. Symbol Lr. HCP61
Syn. -- Lr.
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Laws n. the first five books of the Old Testament, also called The Law and Torah.
Syn. -- Pentateuch, Law of Moses, Torah.
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Lawsonia (?), n. (Bot.) An Asiatic and North African shrub (Lawsonia inermis), with smooth oval leaves, and fragrant white flowers. Henna is prepared from the leaves and twigs. In England the shrub is called Egyptian privet, and in the West Indies, Jamaica mignonette.
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Lawsuit (?), n. An action at law; a suit in equity or admiralty; any legal proceeding before a court for the enforcement of a claim.
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Lawyer (?), n. [From , like bowyer, fr. bow.] 1. One versed in the laws, or a practitioner of law; one whose profession is to conduct lawsuits for clients, or to advise as to prosecution or defence of lawsuits, or as to legal rights and obligations in other matters. It is a general term, comprehending attorneys, counselors, solicitors, barristers, sergeants, and advocates.
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2. (Zoöl.) (a) The black-necked stilt. See . (b) The bowfin (Amia calva). (c) The burbot (Lota maculosa).
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Coloq. Philadelphia lawyer , A lawyer knowledgeable about the most detailed and minute points of law, especially one with an exceptional propensity and ability to exploit fine technical points of law for the client's advantage.
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lawyerbush n. A stout-stemmed trailing shrub (Rubus cissoides) of New Zealand that scrambles over other growth.
Syn. -- lawyer bush, bush lawyer, Rubus cissoides, Rubus australis.
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{ Lawyerlike (?), Lawyerly (?), } a. Like, or becoming, a lawyer; as, lawyerlike sagacity. “Lawyerly mooting of this point.” Milton.
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Lax (lăks), a. [Compar. Laxer (lăksẽr); superl. Laxest.] [L. laxus Cf. , , , v. t., .] 1. Not tense, firm, or rigid; loose; slack; as, a lax bandage; lax fiber.
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The flesh of that sort of fish being lax and spongy. Ray.
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2. Not strict or stringent; not exact; loose; weak; vague; equivocal.
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The discipline was lax. Macaulay.
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Society at that epoch was lenient, if not lax, in matters of the passions. J. A. Symonds.
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The word “æternus” itself is sometimes of a lax signification. Jortin.
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3. Having a looseness of the bowels; diarrheal.
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Syn. -- Loose; slack; vague; unconfined; unrestrained; dissolute; licentious.
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Lax, n. A looseness; diarrhea.
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Laxation (?), n. [L. laxatio, fr. laxare to loosen, fr. laxus loose, slack.] The act of loosening or slackening, or the state of being loosened or slackened.
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Laxative (?), a. [L. laxativus mitigating, assuaging: cf. F. laxatif. See , a.] 1. Having a tendency to loosen or relax. Milton.
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2. (Med.) Having the effect of loosening or opening the intestines, and relieving from constipation; -- opposed to astringent. -- n. (Med.) A laxative medicine. See the Note under .
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Laxativeness, n. The quality of being laxative.
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Laxator (?), n. [NL., fr. L. laxare, laxatum, to loosen.] (Anat.) That which loosens; -- esp., a muscle which by its contraction loosens some part.
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Laxity (lăksĭt�), n. [L. laxitas, fr. laxus loose, slack: cf. F. laxité, See , a.] The state or quality of being lax; lack of tenseness, strictness, or exactness.
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Laxly, adv. In a lax manner.
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Laxness, n. The state of being lax; laxity.
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Lay (?), imp. of , to recline.
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Lay, a. [F. lai, L. laicus, Gr. � of or from the people, lay, from �, �, people. Cf. .] 1. Of or pertaining to the laity, as distinct from the clergy; as, a lay person; a lay preacher; a lay brother.
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2. Not educated or cultivated; ignorant. [Obs.]
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3. Not belonging to, or emanating from, a particular profession; unprofessional; as, a lay opinion regarding the nature of a disease.
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Coloq. Lay baptism (Eccl.), baptism administered by a lay person. F. G. Lee. -- Coloq. Lay brother (R. C. Ch.), one received into a convent of monks under the three vows, but not in holy orders. -- Coloq. Lay clerk (Eccl.), a layman who leads the responses of the congregation, etc., in the church service. Hook. -- Coloq. Lay days (Com.), time allowed in a charter party for taking in and discharging cargo. McElrath. -- Coloq. Lay elder . See 2d , 3, note.
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Lay (?), n. The laity; the common people. [Obs.]
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The learned have no more privilege than the lay. B. Jonson.
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Lay, n. A meadow. See . [Obs.] Dryden.
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Lay, n. [OF. lei faith, law, F. loi law. See .] 1. Faith; creed; religious profession. [Obs.]
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Of the sect to which that he was born
He kept his lay, to which that he was sworn. Chaucer.
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2. A law. [Obs.] “Many goodly lays.” Spenser.
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3. An obligation; a vow. [Obs.]
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They bound themselves by a sacred lay and oath. Holland.
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Lay (?), a. [OF. lai, lais, prob. of Celtic origin; cf. Ir. laoi, laoidh, song, poem, OIr. laoidh poem, verse; but cf. also AS. lāc play, sport, G. leich a sort of poem (cf. to sport). �.] 1. A song; a simple lyrical poem; a ballad. Spenser. Sir W. Scott.
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2. A melody; any musical utterance.
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The throstle cock made eke his lay. Chaucer.
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Lay (lā), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Laid (lād); p. pr. & vb. n. Laying.] [OE. leggen, AS. lecgan, causative, fr. licgan to lie; akin to D. leggen, G. legen, Icel. leggja, Goth. lagjan. See to be prostrate.] 1. To cause to lie down, to be prostrate, or to lie against something; to put or set down; to deposit; as, to lay a book on the table; to lay a body in the grave; a shower lays the dust.
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A stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den. Dan. vi. 17.
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Soft on the flowery herb I found me laid. Milton.
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2. To place in position; to establish firmly; to arrange with regularity; to dispose in ranks or tiers; as, to lay a corner stone; to lay bricks in a wall; to lay the covers on a table.
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3. To prepare; to make ready; to contrive; to provide; as, to lay a snare, an ambush, or a plan.
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4. To spread on a surface; as, to lay plaster or paint.
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5. To cause to be still; to calm; to allay; to suppress; to exorcise, as an evil spirit.
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After a tempest when the winds are laid. Waller.
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6. To cause to lie dead or dying.
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Brave Cæneus laid Ortygius on the plain,
The victor Cæneus was by Turnus slain. Dryden.
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7. To deposit, as a wager; to stake; to risk.
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I dare lay mine honor
He will remain so. Shak.
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8. To bring forth and deposit; as, to lay eggs.
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9. To apply; to put.
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She layeth her hands to the spindle. Prov. xxxi. 19.
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10. To impose, as a burden, suffering, or punishment; to assess, as a tax; as, to lay a tax on land.
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The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Is. liii. 6.
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11. To impute; to charge; to allege.
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God layeth not folly to them. Job xxiv. 12.
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Lay the fault on us. Shak.
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12. To impose, as a command or a duty; as, to lay commands on one.
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13. To present or offer; as, to lay an indictment in a particular county; to lay a scheme before one.
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14. (Law) To state; to allege; as, to lay the venue. Bouvier.
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15. (Mil.) To point; to aim; as, to lay a gun.
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16. (Rope Making) To put the strands of (a rope, a cable, etc.) in their proper places and twist or unite them; as, to lay a cable or rope.
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17. (Print.) (a) To place and arrange (pages) for a form upon the imposing stone. (b) To place (new type) properly in the cases.
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Coloq. To lay asleep , to put sleep; to make unobservant or careless. Bacon. -- Coloq. To lay bare , to make bare; to strip.
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And laid those proud roofs bare to summer's rain. Byron.
-- Coloq. To lay before , to present to; to submit for consideration; as, the papers are laid before Congress. -- Coloq. To lay by . (a) To save. (b) To discard.
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Let brave spirits . . . not be laid by. Bacon.
-- Coloq. To lay by the heels , to put in the stocks. Shak. -- Coloq. To lay down . (a) To stake as a wager. (b) To yield; to relinquish; to surrender; as, to lay down one's life; to lay down one's arms. (c) To assert or advance, as a proposition or principle. -- Coloq. To lay forth . (a) To extend at length; (reflexively) to exert one's self; to expatiate. [Obs.] (b) To lay out (as a corpse). [Obs.] Shak. -- Coloq. To lay hands on , to seize. -- Coloq. To lay hands on one's self , or Coloq. To lay violent hands on one's self , to injure one's self; specif., to commit suicide. -- Coloq. To lay heads together , to consult. -- Coloq. To lay hold of , or Coloq. To lay hold on , to seize; to catch. -- Coloq. To lay in , to store; to provide. -- Coloq. To lay it on , to apply without stint. Shak. -- Coloq. To lay it on thick , to flatter excessively. -- Coloq. To lay on , to apply with force; to inflict; as, to lay on blows. -- Coloq. To lay on load , to lay on blows; to strike violently. [Obs. or Archaic] -- Coloq. To lay one's self out , to strive earnestly.
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No selfish man will be concerned to lay out himself for the good of his country. Smalridge.
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-- Coloq. To lay one's self open to , to expose one's self to, as to an accusation. -- Coloq. To lay open , to open; to uncover; to expose; to reveal. -- Coloq. To lay over , to spread over; to cover. -- Coloq. To lay out . (a) To expend. Macaulay. (b) To display; to discover. (c) To plan in detail; to arrange; as, to lay out a garden. (d) To prepare for burial; as, to lay out a corpse. (e) To exert; as, to lay out all one's strength. -- Coloq. To lay siege to . (a) To besiege; to encompass with an army. (b) To beset pertinaciously. -- Coloq. To lay the course (Naut.), to sail toward the port intended without jibing. -- Coloq. To lay the land (Naut.), to cause it to disappear below the horizon, by sailing away from it. -- Coloq. To lay to (a) To charge upon; to impute. (b) To apply with vigor. (c) To attack or harass. [Obs.] Knolles. (d) (Naut.) To check the motion of (a vessel) and cause it to be stationary. -- Coloq. To lay to heart , to feel deeply; to consider earnestly. -- Coloq. To lay under , to subject to; as, to lay under obligation or restraint. -- Coloq. To lay unto . (a) Same as To lay to (above). (b) To put before. Hos. xi. 4. -- Coloq. To lay up . (a) To store; to reposit for future use. (b) To confine; to disable. (c) To dismantle, and retire from active service, as a ship. -- Coloq. To lay wait for , to lie in ambush for. -- Coloq. To lay waste , to destroy; to make desolate; as, to lay waste the land.
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Syn. -- See , v. t., and the Note under 4th .
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Lay, v. i. 1. To produce and deposit eggs.
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2. (Naut.) To take a position; to come or go; as, to lay forward; to lay aloft.
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3. To lay a wager; to bet.
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Coloq. To lay about , or Coloq. To lay about one , to strike vigorously in all directions. J. H. Newman. -- Coloq. To lay at , to strike or strike at. Spenser. -- Coloq. To lay for , to prepare to capture or assault; to lay wait for. [Colloq.] Bp Hall. -- Coloq. To lay in for , to make overtures for; to engage or secure the possession of. [Obs.] “I have laid in for these.” Dryden. -- Coloq. To lay on , to strike; to beat; to attack. Shak. -- Coloq. To lay out , to purpose; to plan; as, he lays out to make a journey.
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Lay (?), n. 1. That which lies or is laid or is conceived of as having been laid or placed in its position; a row; a stratum; a layer; as, a lay of stone or wood. Addison.
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A viol should have a lay of wire strings below. Bacon.
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☞ The lay of a rope is right-handed or left-handed according to the hemp or strands are laid up. See , v. t., 16. The lay of land is its topographical situation, esp. its slope and its surface features.
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2. A wager. “My fortunes against any lay worth naming.”
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3. (a) A job, price, or profit. [Prov. Eng.] Wright. (b) A share of the proceeds or profits of an enterprise; as, when a man ships for a whaling voyage, he agrees for a certain lay. [U. S.]
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4. (Textile Manuf.) (a) A measure of yarn; a lea. See 1st (a). (b) The lathe of a loom. See , 3.
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5. A plan; a scheme. [Slang] Dickens.
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Coloq. Lay figure . (a) A jointed model of the human body that may be put in any attitude; -- used for showing the disposition of drapery, etc. (b) A mere puppet; one who serves the will of others without independent volition. -- Coloq. Lay race , that part of a lay on which the shuttle travels in weaving; -- called also shuttle race. -- Coloq. the lay of the land , the general situation or state of affairs. -- Coloq. to get the lay of the land , to learn the general situation or state of affairs, especially in preparation for action.
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layabout n. A person who does no work.
Syn. -- idler, loafer, do-nothing, bum.
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layby n. A paved area beside a main road where cars can stop temporarily. [Chiefly Brit.]
Syn. -- pull-off, turnout.
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Layer (?), n. [See to cause to lie flat.] 1. One who, or that which, lays.
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2. [Prob. a corruption of lair.] That which is laid; a stratum; a bed; one thickness, course, or fold laid over another; as, a layer of clay or of sand in the earth; a layer of bricks, or of plaster; the layers of an onion.
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3. A shoot or twig of a plant, not detached from the stock, laid under ground for growth or propagation.
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4. An artificial oyster bed.
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layered adj. arranged in layers.
Syn. -- superimposed.
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Layering, n. A propagating by layers. Gardner.
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Layette (?), n. [F.] (Med.) The outfit of clothing, blankets, etc., prepared for a newborn infant, and placed ready for use.
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Layia n. A genus of Western U. S. annuals with showy yellow or white flowers.
Syn. -- genus Layia.
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Laying (?), n.
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1. The act of one who, or that which, lays.
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2. The act or period of laying eggs; the eggs laid for one incubation; a clutch.
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3. The first coat on laths of plasterer's two-coat work.
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Layland (?), n. [Lay a meadow + land.] Land lying untilled; fallow ground. [Obs.] Blount.
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Layman (?) n.; pl. Laymen (�). [Lay, adj. + man.] 1. One of the people, in distinction from the clergy; one of the laity; sometimes, a man not belonging to some particular profession, in distinction from those who do.
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Being a layman, I ought not to have concerned myself with speculations which belong to the profession. Dryden.
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2. A lay figure. See under , n. (above). Dryden
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Layner (?), n. [See .] A whiplash. [Obs.]
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layperson n. someone who is not a clergyman or a professional person; a .
Syn. -- layman.
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Lay reader. (Eccl.) A layman authorized to read parts of the public service of the church.
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{ Lay shaft, or Layshaft } (?), n. (Mach.) A secondary shaft, as in a sliding change gear for an automobile; a cam shaft operated by a two-to-one gear in an internal-combustion engine. It is generally a shaft moving more or less independently of the other parts of a machine, as, in some marine engines, a shaft, driven by a small auxiliary engine, for independently operating the valves of the main engine to insure uniform motion.
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Layship (?), n. The condition of being a layman. [Obs.] Milton.
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Laystall (?), n. 1. A place where rubbish, dung, etc., are laid or deposited. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
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Smithfield was a laystall of all ordure and filth. Bacon.
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2. A place where milch cows are kept, or cattle on the way to market are lodged. [Obs.]
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Lazar (?), n. [OF. lazare, fr. Lazarus the beggar. Luke xvi. 20.] A person infected with a filthy or pestilential disease; a leper. Chaucer.
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Like loathsome lazars, by the hedges lay. Spenser.
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Coloq. Lazar house a lazaretto; also, a hospital for quarantine.
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{ Lazaret (lăzȧrĕt), Lazaretto (lăzȧrĕtt�), } n. [F. lazaret, or It. lazzeretto, fr. Lazarus. See .] 1. A public building, hospital, or pesthouse for the reception of diseased persons, particularly those affected with contagious diseases.
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2. (Naut.) (Pronounced by seamen lăzȧrēt) A low space under the after part of the main deck, used as a storeroom.
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Lazaret fever. (Med.) Typhus fever.
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{ Lazarist (?), Lazarite (?), } n. (R. C. Ch.) One of the Congregation of the Priests of the Mission, a religious institute founded by Vincent de Paul in 1624, and popularly called Lazarists or Lazarites from the College of St. Lazare in Paris, which was occupied by them until 1792.
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{ Lazarlike (?), Lazarly (?), } a. Full of sores; leprous. Shak. Bp. Hall.
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Lazaroni (?), n. pl. See .
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Lazarwort (?), n. (Bot.) Laserwort.
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Laze (lāz), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lazed (lāzd); p. pr. & vb. n. Lazing.] [See .] To be lazy or idle. [Colloq.] Middleton.
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Laze, v. t. To waste in sloth; to spend, as time, in idleness; as, to laze away whole days. [Colloq.]
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Lazily (?), adv. In a lazy manner. Locke.
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Laziness, n. The state or quality of being lazy.
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Laziness travels so slowly, that Poverty soon overtakes him. Franklin.
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Lazuli (?), n. [F. & NL. lapis lazuli, LL. lazulus, lazurius, lazur from the same Oriental source as E. azure. See .] (Min.) A mineral of a fine azure-blue color, usually in small rounded masses. It is essentially a silicate of alumina, lime, and soda, with some sodium sulphide, is often marked by yellow spots or veins of sulphide of iron, and is much valued for ornamental work. Called also lapis lazuli, and Armenian stone.
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Lazulite (?), n. [From lazuli : cf. F. lazulite, G. lazulith.] (Min.) A mineral of a light indigo-blue color, occurring in small masses, or in monoclinic crystals; blue spar. It is a hydrous phosphate of alumina and magnesia.
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Lazy (?), a. [Compar. Lazier (?); superl. Laziest.] [OE. lasie, laesic, of uncertain origin; cf. F. las tired, L. lassus, akin to E. late; or cf. LG. losig, lesig.] 1. Disinclined to action or exertion; averse to labor; idle; shirking work. Bacon.
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2. Inactive; slothful; slow; sluggish; as, a lazy stream. “The night owl's lazy flight.” Shak.
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3. Wicked; vicious. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] B. Jonson.
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