📖 L — The English dictionary · page 3

lagging — Everyday, meaning 1: Lagging means falling behind, moving more slowly than others.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Lagging is material wrapped around pipes, tanks or boilers to keep heat in and stop them freezing.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (computing, informal) A lagging game or video call is slow and jerky because the connection or computer cannot keep up.↗ Example: My little brother was lagging behind on the walk.↗ · Put lagging on the pipes so they don't freeze in winter.↗ · The game is lagging because the Wi-Fi is slow.↗ · Our team is lagging in the league this season.↗ · The lagging around the hot water tank keeps the heat in.↗ · Stop lagging and hurry up!↗ · The video call was lagging, so her face froze.↗ · It always went too fast, but that is better than to be lagging behind.↗

lagomorph — Everyday, meaning 1: A lagomorph is a member of the group of mammals that includes rabbits, hares and pikas.↗ Example: A rabbit is a lagomorph, not a rodent.↗ · Hares, rabbits and pikas are all lagomorphs.↗ · Lagomorphs have a tiny second pair of upper front teeth.↗ · The pika is a small lagomorph that lives on rocky mountains.↗ · Scientists sorted the animals into rodents and lagomorphs.↗ · Lagomorphs eat grass, leaves and bark.↗

lagoon — Everyday, meaning 1: A lagoon is a stretch of salty or brackish water separated from the sea by a sandbank, a reef or a strip of land.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A lagoon can also be the calm water inside a ring-shaped coral island (an atoll).↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A lagoon can be a pond or pool made by people, for example to hold waste water.↗ Example: The children swam in the calm lagoon.↗ · A coral reef protects the lagoon from big waves.↗ · Venice is built on islands in a lagoon.↗ · Flamingos fed in the shallow lagoon.↗ · The lagoon is separated from the sea by a sandbank.↗ · We paddled a canoe across the lagoon.↗ · Peter was alone on the lagoon.↗

lah — Everyday, meaning 1: Lah (also la) is the sixth note of the singing scale do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (Singapore, Malaysia — slang) «Lah» is a word added at the end of a sentence to make it sound friendly, firm or relaxed: «Come on lah!»↗ It is not standard English.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: «La-di-dah» (also lah-di-dah) means posh in a showy way (UK, informal).↗ Example: Doh, ray, me, fah, soh, lah, te, doh!↗ · «Lah» is the note just after «soh».↗ · «Don't worry lah, it's okay,» said my friend from Singapore.↗ · «Hurry up lah!» shouted his cousin.↗ · She talks all lah-di-dah since her trip.↗ · We sang «lah» on a long high note.↗

laid — Everyday, meaning 1: Laid is the past of lay: to put something down carefully, often flat.↗ e.g. She laid the baby in the cot.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Laid is used when a hen or another animal made an egg.↗ e.g. The hen laid an egg.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Laid the table means put plates and cutlery on it.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: Laid back (informal) means calm and relaxed.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: Laid can also mean arranged or prepared in advance, as when you lay plans for a trip.↗ Example: The hens laid 24 eggs.↗ · He laid 5 rows of 10 bricks.↗ · She laid 3 books on the table.↗ · How many eggs were laid in a week?↗ · The goose laid a golden egg.↗ · I laid the table for dinner.↗ · The turtle laid her eggs in the sand.↗ · He laid his coat over the chair.↗ · Uncle Pete is very laid back.↗ · Nigel and the Princess laid their plans.↗ · And she laid up his garment by her, until his master came home.↗ (Torah GEN.39.16, JPS 1917)↗ · 'Is not this laid up in store with Me, sealed up in My treasuries?↗ (Torah DEU.32.34, JPS 1917)↗ · And Moses laid up the rods before the LORD in the tent of the testimony.↗ (Torah NUM.17.7, JPS 1917)↗ · Or who laid the corner-stone thereof, (Writings JOB.38.6, JPS 1917)↗ · And Elisha laid his hands upon the king's hands.↗ (Prophets 2KI.13.16, JPS 1917)↗ · Why are times not laid up by the Almighty?↗ (Writings JOB.24.1, JPS 1917)↗

lair — Everyday, meaning 1: A lair is the den or hiding place of a wild animal.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A lair is any secret place where a villain hides.↗ Example: The wolf left his lair at dusk.↗ · The fox crept back to its lair.↗ · The robbers' lair was hidden in the hills.↗ · And I will make Jerusalem heaps, a lair of jackals; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without an inhabitant.↗ (Prophets JER.9.10, JPS 1917)↗ · He lieth in wait in a secret place as a lion in his lair, he lieth in wait to catch the poor; he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him up in his net.↗ (Writings PSA.10.9, JPS 1917)↗

laird — Everyday, meaning 1: A laird is a Scottish man who owns a large estate of land, like a lord of the land.↗ Example: The laird rode out to the hills.↗ · The laird lived in a castle.↗ · Every laird had many tenants.↗

laity — Everyday, meaning 1: (church) The ordinary members of a church who are not priests, ministers or clergy.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: People who are not experts in a subject.↗ Example: The bishop met with the clergy and the laity.↗ · Members of the laity read the Bible readings on Sunday.↗ · My grandmother is a lay reader, one of the laity who helps lead services.↗ · The laity helped organise the church fete.↗ · Science books for the laity explain things simply.↗ · Both clergy and laity sang in the choir.↗

lake — Everyday, meaning 1: A lake is a big area of water with land all around it.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Most lakes have fresh water, not salty sea water.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A lake can also be a pool of something else, like «a lake of lava».↗ Example: There are 20 ducks on the lake.↗ · The path around the lake is 3 km.↗ · They walked to the lake.↗ · 8 boats are on the lake.↗ · We swam in the lake in summer.↗ · The Great Lakes are between Canada and the USA.↗ · Never walk on a frozen lake unless an adult says the ice is safe.↗ · Fish and frogs live in the lake.↗

lakh — Everyday, meaning 1: (numbers) In India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, a lakh is one hundred thousand (100,000).↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Ten lakh make one million; a hundred lakh make one crore (10,000,000).↗ Example: One lakh is the same as one hundred thousand.↗ · The car cost five lakh rupees.↗ · Lakhs of people came to the festival.↗ · In India, 100,000 is written 1,00,000.↗ · Ten lakh is one million.↗ · My aunt in Delhi says prices are «in lakhs».↗ · A crore is a hundred lakh.↗

lakota — Everyday, meaning 1: A Native American people of the Great Plains, part of the Sioux nation, living mostly in North and South Dakota.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: The language of the Lakota people.↗ Example: The Lakota lived on the Great Plains and hunted buffalo.↗ · Sitting Bull was a Lakota leader.↗ · The Black Hills are sacred to the Lakota people.↗ · Some schools teach the Lakota language.↗ · Lakota children learn the stories of their elders.↗

lam — Everyday, meaning 1: (slang, US) To be «on the lam» is to be running away and hiding, usually from the police.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal, UK) To lam someone is to hit them hard.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (a name) Lam is also a family name, for example in Chinese and Vietnamese families.↗ Example: The robber has been on the lam for three weeks.↗ · The detective found the thief who was on the lam.↗ · The escaped prisoners went on the lam in the hills.↗ · «Lam into him!» shouted the pirate in the old story.↗ · Mr Lam is our new maths teacher.↗ · After the jewel heist, the gang went on the lam.↗

lama — Everyday, meaning 1: (religion) A lama is a teacher or monk in Tibetan Buddhism.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (a name) The Dalai Lama is the most famous lama, a spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists.↗ Example: The lama taught the young monks.↗ · The Dalai Lama is a well-known Buddhist leader.↗ · Lamas live and study in monasteries in Tibet.↗ · The lama spoke about kindness and peace.↗ · Visitors bowed to the old lama.↗ · A lama may wear red and yellow robes.↗

lamb — Everyday, meaning 1: A lamb is a young sheep.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Lamb is the meat of a young sheep.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A lamb is a gentle, kind person, often a child: «you're a lamb».↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To lamb is for a sheep to give birth.↗ Example: The farm has 20 sheep and 9 lambs.↗ · Each sheep had 2 lambs.↗ · 5 lambs were born this week.↗ · How many legs do 6 lambs have?↗ · Lambs are born in spring.↗ · Mary had a little lamb.↗ · The lamb drank milk from its mother.↗ · We had roast lamb for Sunday lunch.↗ · He went to bed as gentle as a lamb.↗ · "Baa!" there he stood like a baa-lamb.↗ · And Abraham set seven ewe-lambs of the flock by themselves.↗ (Torah GEN.21.28, JPS 1917)↗ · a several tenth part for every lamb of the seven lambs; (Torah NUM.28.29, JPS 1917)↗ · and one tenth part for every lamb of the seven lambs; (Torah NUM.29.4, JPS 1917)↗ · I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with he-goats.↗ (Prophets JER.51.40, JPS 1917)↗ · The lambs will be for thy clothing, and the goats the price for a field.↗ (Writings PRO.27.26, JPS 1917)↗ · and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.'↗ (Prophets 2SA.12.6, JPS 1917)↗

lambert — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: A person's surname.↗ Here it is the name of a scholar who is cited as a source.↗ Example: Lambert, in Paris, in J 891.↗ (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗

lambskin — Everyday, meaning 1: A lambskin is the skin of a young sheep, dressed and used as leather or a cover.↗ Example: The dog's dress was made of lambskin.↗ · She hung the lambskin on the wall.↗ · The gloves were lined with soft lambskin.↗

lame — Everyday, meaning 1: Unable to walk normally because of a hurt leg or foot (used mostly about animals, especially horses).↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (informal, slang) Boring, weak or not cool: «That joke is lame».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A lame excuse is a weak one that no one believes.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (Bible) Old word for people who cannot walk; Jesus healed the lame.↗ Example: The horse went lame after it hurt its hoof.↗ · «The dog ate my homework» is a lame excuse.↗ · That film was so lame!↗ (slang)↗ · In the Bible story, Jesus made the lame man walk.↗ · The President was a lame duck in his last months.↗ · His jokes are lame but we laugh anyway.↗ · Now I am lame for life!↗ · For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath any thing maimed, or anything too long, (Torah LEV.21.18, JPS 1917)↗ · And when ye offer the lame and sick, is it no evil!↗ (Prophets MAL.1.8, JPS 1917)↗ · Now Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son that was lame of his feet.↗ (Prophets 2SA.4.4, JPS 1917)↗ · I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame.↗ (Writings JOB.29.15, JPS 1917)↗

lameness — Everyday, meaning 1: Lameness is the state of being unable to walk well because a leg or foot is hurt.↗ Example: The wolf asked the cause of his lameness.↗ · His lameness made him slow.↗ · The vet treated the horse's lameness.↗ · And if there be any blemish therein, lameness, or blindness, any ill blemish whatsoever, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the LORD thy God.↗ (Torah DEU.15.21, JPS 1917)↗

lament — Everyday, meaning 1: To lament is to show or say strongly that you are very sad or sorry about something, often someone's death.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A lament is a sad song, poem or piece of music about loss or death.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To lament something is to complain or regret that it happened or is missing.↗ Example: The villagers lamented the death of their kind old doctor.↗ · A piper played a lament at the funeral.↗ · David sang a lament for his friend Jonathan.↗ · Grandad laments that children don't play outside anymore.↗ · The poem is a lament for the lost forests.↗ · Many readers lamented the end of the series.↗ · All night Charming sighed and lamented.↗ · And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son, (Prophets 2SA.1.17, JPS 1917)↗ · Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.↗ (Prophets JOL.1.8, JPS 1917)↗ · And the king lamented for Abner, and said: Should Abner die as a churl dieth?↗ (Prophets 2SA.3.33, JPS 1917)↗

lamentable — Everyday, meaning 1: Lamentable means very bad, sad or shameful, so bad that it makes people sorry or ashamed.↗ Example: «Here is a lamentable matter,» said the king.↗ · The result was lamentable.↗ · It was a lamentable tragedy.↗

lamentably — Everyday, meaning 1: In a sad, mournful or shameful way; in a poor or whining way.↗ Example: «He is welcome indeed,» said Mongan lamentably.↗ · The foot turned lamentably in.↗ · The team played lamentably.↗