📖 L — The English dictionary · page 34

lumber — Everyday, meaning 1: Lumber is timber, wood cut and ready for building.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Lumber is old, useless things stored away.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To lumber is to move heavily and clumsily.↗ Example: The men carried lumber to build the barn.↗ · The attic was full of old lumber.↗ · The bear lumbered off into the wood.↗

lumbering — Everyday, meaning 1: Moving slowly and heavily, in a clumsy way, like an elephant or a big tired bear.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (verb, -ing form) Walking or moving in a heavy, clumsy way: «the bear was lumbering along».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (North America) The work of cutting down trees and preparing wood (lumber) to sell.↗ Example: A lumbering giant stepped out of the forest.↗ · The old bus came lumbering up the hill.↗ · The bear was lumbering across the meadow.↗ · Dinosaurs like Brachiosaurus were huge, lumbering animals.↗ · The lumbering tractor held up all the traffic.↗ · My big dog came lumbering in, covered in mud.↗ · Lumbering was the main job in many Canadian towns in the 1800s.↗ · The robot moved with a lumbering, clanking walk.↗ · "Tan-ta-ra-ra, tan-ta-ra-ra," sounded the horn, and the mail-coach came lumbering up.↗

luminary — In Jewish tradition, meaning 1: A shining body in the sky, such as the sun, moon or a star.↗ Example: Thine is the day, Thine also the night; Thou hast established luminary and sun. (Writings PSA.74.16, JPS 1917)↗

luminescence — Everyday, meaning 1: Luminescence is light given off by something that is not hot, for example glow-in-the-dark stickers, fireflies or some deep-sea fish.↗ Example: The jellyfish glowed with a blue luminescence.↗ · Glow-in-the-dark stars show luminescence after you switch off the light.↗ · Fireflies make their own luminescence.↗ · The waves sparkled with luminescence at night.↗ · Scientists study luminescence in deep-sea animals.↗ · The watch hands shine by luminescence.↗

luminosity — Everyday, meaning 1: (science) How much light something gives out; its brightness.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (astronomy) The total amount of energy a star gives out each second, which is not the same as how bright it looks from Earth.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (formal) A shining or glowing quality.↗ Example: The Sun's luminosity keeps our planet warm.↗ · Some stars have much greater luminosity than the Sun.↗ · A distant star can have high luminosity but look dim.↗ · The luminosity of the screen was turned down at night.↗ · Glow-worms have a soft luminosity.↗ · Scientists measure the luminosity of stars with special tools.↗ · The painting had a strange luminosity, as if it glowed.↗

luminous — Everyday, meaning 1: Luminous means giving out light or glowing, especially in the dark («luminous paint», «a luminous watch»).↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Luminous means very bright and shining («luminous eyes»).↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (informal) Luminous colours are very bright, neon colours, like luminous yellow or green.↗ Example: The Sun is a luminous object.↗ · The Moon is not luminous; it reflects light.↗ · My watch has luminous hands.↗ · Wear a luminous jacket when cycling at night.↗ · The stars were luminous in the clear sky.↗ · Glow-worms are luminous insects.↗ · She painted her nails luminous pink.↗ · Then a bright falling star came down, leaving a broad, luminous streak behind it.↗

lump — Everyday, meaning 1: A lump is a small solid piece of something with no clear shape, like a lump of sugar, clay or coal.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A lump is a swelling on the body, like a bump after you hit your head.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A lump in your throat is a tight feeling when you want to cry.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To lump things together is to put them in one group.↗ Example: She puts 2 lumps of sugar in each cup.↗ · How many lumps for 5 cups?↗ · A lump of clay weighs 300 grams.↗ · He split the lump into 4 equal parts.↗ · Stir the sauce so there are no lumps.↗ · He got a lump on his head when he fell.↗ · I had a lump in my throat at the end of the film.↗ · The potter shaped a lump of clay into a bowl.↗ · Don't lump all dogs together; each one is different.↗ · I want another lump of sugar, then I’ll drink it.”↗

lumpy — Everyday, meaning 1: Lumpy means full of lumps, not smooth.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A lumpy surface has bumps on it.↗ Example: The custard went lumpy because I didn't stir it.↗ · This mattress is old and lumpy.↗ · Stir the flour into the milk so it doesn't get lumpy.↗ · The field was lumpy with molehills.↗ · I don't like lumpy mashed potatoes.↗ · Her bag was lumpy with toys.↗

lunacy — Everyday, meaning 1: Lunacy is great foolishness or madness, an act that makes no sense.↗ (Old-fashioned word for madness.).↗ Example: It was sheer lunacy to climb the cliff in the storm.↗ · His plan was pure lunacy.↗ · «Lunacy!» shouted the angry man.↗

lunar — Everyday, meaning 1: Lunar means to do with the Moon.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A lunar month is about 29 and a half days, from one new moon to the next.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A lunar eclipse is when the Earth's shadow falls on the Moon.↗ Example: The astronauts walked on the lunar surface.↗ · A lunar eclipse happens when Earth blocks sunlight from the Moon.↗ · We celebrated Lunar New Year with dumplings.↗ · The lunar module landed safely.↗ · Lunar rocks were brought back to Earth.↗ · A lunar cycle takes about 29 and a half days.↗ · Some calendars are lunar; they follow the Moon.↗ · A lunar eclipse is safe to look at.↗

lunatic — Everyday, meaning 1: (informal) A person who behaves in a wild, silly or dangerous way: «He drives like a lunatic».↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (adjective, informal) Very silly or crazy: «a lunatic idea».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (old, now offensive) An old word for a person with a serious mental illness; today it is hurtful to use it this way.↗ Example: Some lunatic was driving at 80 miles an hour past the school!↗ · Jumping off the shed roof was a lunatic idea.↗ · The crowd went lunatic when the goal went in.↗ · In Victorian times there were places called lunatic asylums.↗ · Grandma says the price of petrol is lunatic.↗ · He was running round the garden like a lunatic.↗ · Today we say «a person with a mental illness», not «a lunatic».↗ · Some people believed a full moon made people act like lunatics, but science has not shown this.↗

lunch — Everyday, meaning 1: Lunch is the meal you eat in the middle of the day.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Lunch is also the time when it is eaten: see you at lunch.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To lunch is to eat lunch (a formal word).↗ Everyday, meaning 4: A packed lunch is food you take from home in a box or bag.↗ Example: Lunch costs 4 dollars.↗ · She buys lunch 5 days a week.↗ · 20 children brought a packed lunch.↗ · After lunch he had 3 cookies left.↗ · What's in your lunchbox today?↗ · We play football at lunch.↗ · Lunch is at half past twelve.↗ · Grandpa took us out to lunch on Sunday.↗ · Wash your hands before lunch.↗ · For lunch the Country Mouse served wheat stalks, roots, and acorns, with a dash of cold water for drink.↗

luncheon — Everyday, meaning 1: (formal) A luncheon is a lunch, especially a formal one for a group or special event.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Luncheon meat is cooked, pressed meat sold in tins or slices, often called Spam.↗ Example: The mayor held a luncheon for the winners.↗ · A luncheon will be served in the hall at one o'clock.↗ · Grandma made sandwiches with luncheon meat.↗ · The ladies met for a charity luncheon.↗ · The luncheon had three courses.↗ · The queen invited guests to luncheon.↗ · ‘What has his highness ordered for luncheon?’ asked the head cook.↗

lunchroom — Everyday, meaning 1: A lunchroom is a room in a school or workplace where people eat lunch.↗ Example: We eat our sandwiches in the lunchroom.↗ · The lunchroom gets very noisy at twelve o'clock.↗ · Please put your tray back in the lunchroom.↗ · Mrs Jones is the lunchroom monitor today.↗ · The workers have a small lunchroom with a fridge.↗ · No running in the lunchroom!↗

lunchtime — Everyday, meaning 1: Lunchtime is the time in the middle of the day when people eat lunch.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: At school, lunchtime is the break in the middle of the day for eating and playing.↗ Example: See you at lunchtime!↗ · We play football at lunchtime.↗ · Wash your hands before lunchtime.↗ · The chess club meets at lunchtime.↗ · I'll finish my project by lunchtime.↗ · Lunchtime is from 12:15 to 1:15.↗ · The lunchtime supervisor blew the whistle.↗

lung — Everyday, meaning 1: The lungs are the two organs inside your chest that you breathe with; they take oxygen from the air into your blood and let carbon dioxide out.↗ Example: We have two lungs in our chest.↗ · Your lungs fill with air when you breathe in.↗ · The ribs protect the heart and lungs.↗ · Smoking harms your lungs.↗ · Running makes your lungs work hard.↗ · Fish use gills instead of lungs.↗ · She shouted at the top of her lungs.↗ · Smoke from fires is bad for the lungs.↗ · This resulted in inflammation of the lungs, which rapidly increased.↗ · the lungs for breathing air) in Man: the male with A.M.S., the female with S.M.A.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗

lunge — Everyday, meaning 1: To move forward suddenly and with force, often to grab or attack something.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (noun) A sudden forward movement: he made a lunge for the ball.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (noun, exercise) An exercise where you step one leg forward and bend both knees.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: (fencing) A forward attack with a sword.↗ Example: The dog lunged at the ball.↗ · The goalkeeper lunged to the left and saved the penalty.↗ · We did ten lunges in PE.↗ · He made a lunge for the last biscuit.↗ · The snake lunged forward to catch the mouse.↗ · Keep your back straight when you do lunges.↗ · The fencer lunged and touched her opponent.↗ · She lunged for the falling vase but missed.↗ · Wait for me!” and with that he gave a lunge into the air.↗

lungfish — Everyday, meaning 1: A lungfish is a freshwater fish that can breathe air with lungs as well as with gills.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Some lungfish can survive when their pond dries up by burying themselves in mud and breathing air for months.↗ Example: The lungfish swims up to gulp air.↗ · When the pond dries out, the lungfish hides in the mud.↗ · Lungfish have lungs and gills.↗ · The Australian lungfish lives in rivers in Queensland.↗ · A lungfish can live for many years.↗ · Scientists study lungfish to learn how animals moved onto land.↗

lunisolar — Everyday, meaning 1: Based on both the Moon and the Sun. A lunisolar calendar uses months that follow the Moon and adds extra months now and then to keep in step with the seasons and the Sun.↗ Example: The Chinese calendar is lunisolar.↗ · A lunisolar calendar adds an extra month now and then.↗ · Chinese New Year moves because the calendar is lunisolar.↗ · Our teacher explained lunar, solar and lunisolar calendars.↗ · In a lunisolar year, the months follow the Moon.↗ · Tides are lunisolar too: both the Moon and the Sun pull on the sea.↗

lunula — Everyday, meaning 1: (science) The white half-moon shape at the bottom of a fingernail or toenail.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (history) A flat gold neck ornament shaped like a crescent moon, made in Ireland and Britain in the Bronze Age.↗ Example: The lunula is the white half-moon on your nail.↗ · Your thumbnail has the biggest lunula.↗ · The museum has a shiny gold lunula from the Bronze Age.↗ · «Lunula» comes from the Latin word for «little moon».↗ · Some people's lunulae are hard to see.↗ · The Bronze Age lunula was worn around the neck.↗

lurch — Everyday, meaning 1: (verb) To move suddenly and unsteadily, like a bus that jolts or a person who nearly falls.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (noun) A sudden jerky movement.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (leave someone in the lurch) To leave someone alone when they need help.↗ Example: The bus lurched forward and I grabbed the rail.↗ · The ship lurched in the huge waves.↗ · My stomach lurched when I saw how high we were.↗ · The car stopped with a lurch.↗ · He lurched across the room half asleep.↗ · Don't leave your partner in the lurch — finish your part of the project.↗ · At that moment the ship gave a great lurch forward into the waves.↗

lure — Everyday, meaning 1: (verb) To persuade or trick a person or animal to come somewhere, usually by offering something they want.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (noun) Something used to attract animals, especially fake bait that looks like a fish or insect used in fishing.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (noun) The attraction or pull of something: «the lure of the sea».↗ Example: The witch lured Hansel and Gretel into her house with sweets.↗ · Never let anyone lure you into a car.↗ · We lured the cat out with some fish.↗ · The fisherman used a shiny lure to catch a trout.↗ · The anglerfish has a glowing lure on its head.↗ · Some websites try to lure children with free prizes.↗ · He could not resist the lure of the beach.↗ · Do not let him lure you into some cunning trap.↗ · Will a bird fall in a snare upon the earth, where there is no lure for it?↗ (Prophets AMO.3.5, JPS 1917)↗

lurk — Everyday, meaning 1: To lurk is to stay hidden, waiting quietly, often to attack or spy.↗ Example: A fox lurked in the bushes.↗ · Something was lurking behind the door.↗ · Danger may lurk in dark woods.↗ · And these lie in wait for their own blood, they lurk for their own lives.↗ (Writings PRO.1.18, JPS 1917)↗ · He is like a lion that is eager to tear in pieces, and like a young lion lurking in secret places.↗ (Writings PSA.17.12, JPS 1917)↗ · If they say: 'Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood, let us lurk for the innocent without cause; (Writings PRO.1.11, JPS 1917)↗