COLLEGE
OF THE PACIFIC
A NEW
ENGLISH DICTIONARY
ON HISTORICAL
FOUNDED MAINLY ON THE MATERIALS COLLECTED BY<>
$ijilol0gical Society
EDITED BY
SIR JAMES A. H. MURRAY,
,..1. ,OND., M!A. CttONV LI..D. F.DINB., LI..D. G..ASO., D.C.L. DfRHAM, 1. ...IT. . N,V. WAT.FS, PM.r, rKll,fRr. 1M BHEtSBAU
CORKF-SrONDINf, MKMBKR ". IMI KKIAL ACADF.MY OF S. IKSCF.S, Vlt.XNA, ETC.
WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF MANY SCHOLARS AND MEN OF SCIENCE.
VOLUME VI.
L k
BY HENRY BRADLEY,
HO*. M.A. OXON., HON. PH.D. HEIDELBERG ; FEI.I.OW OF THE BRITISH ACADEMY.
BY W. A. CRAIGIE,
M.A. OXON. ; M.A., Ll.n. ST. ANDREWS.
OXFORD:
AT THE CLARENDON PRESS.
1908
[All rig/its resented.}
PREFACE TO VOLUME VI. c a
I-
>
^ HIS volume, of which a large part of the cost of production has been defrayed by the ^**
Goldsmiths Company, contains L and M, edited by Henry Bra dley, and N, edited by \\
It ma } be rTkedTh P at I severa. recent Dictionaries the space occupied by the part of the English
vocabulary here treated amounts almost exactly to one-tenth of the whole.
For observations on the etymological and other characteristics
of this volume, and for detailed statistics relating to
quotations, the reader is referred to the separate _
of some of the figures there given may be found convenient :-
ie ui me ugui>-.-.
L (528 pages)
M(82o )
N(2 77 )
Main
words.
7.049
12,988
3,484
Subordinate
words.
2,669
6,422
2,298
Special
combinations.
2,34 2
2,986
440
Obvious
combination*.
2,929
3, 6 3 fi
i,57
Total ot
words.
14,989
26,032
7,792
Xo. 01"
quotations.
65,44
99,255
36,859
23,52!
5,768
48,8 3
The aggregate numbers for the first six volumes of the Dictionary arc as follows :-
M! word, S^ordinate word. Special combination, Obvious combinations. Total number of -Ms.
130,219 34,047 *5, 6 5 -"-H9
PREFACE TO THE LETTER L.
THIS half-volume, containing the words with initial L, includes 7,049 Main words, 2,342 Special
Combinations explained and illustrated under these, 2,669 Subordinate entries, and 2,929 Obvious Com
binations ; in all 14,9^9 words. Of the Main words, 1,94/5 are marked f -is obsolete, and 330 arc marked
|| as alien or not completely naturalized *.
In the prefatory note to G it was pointed out that the portion of the English vocabulary under that
initial letter was characterized by the entire absence of the words with Greek, Latin, French, and English pre
fixes, which under nearly all the other letters of the alphabet arc abundant, and by the unusually large number
of words (chiefly of Old English, Scandinavian, or early French origin) expressing notions of extreme gener
ality, which have branched out into a great variety of special senses. The L portion of the vocabulary is
also distinguished by both these characteristics, and the consequence is that the L words, like the G words,
have in this work a proportionately much larger space than is allotted to them in dictionaries which do not
follow the historical method of treatment.
The proportions in which the component linguistic elements of the English language are represented in
the words with initial L are probably not far from the average. The native English element has numerically
only the second place ; but it comes unquestionably first with regard to the importance of the words belonging
to it, and the amount of space which they occupy in the Dictionary. Typical examples of the wide and often
interesting ramification of meaning characteristic of this oldest portion of the language may be seen under lady,
land, layvb. 1 , let vb. 1 . lie vb.\/ifi; light sb., adjs. and vbs., long adj.. look, lord Jose vb. 1 , lot, love sb. 1 , vb. 1 , lust,
lusty. The Scandinavian words are perhaps somewhat less numerous than in some other letters, but several of
them, as law, leg, loft (whence lofty), loose adj. and vb.,/ow adj., arc more than ordinarily frequent in use, and rich
in variety of senses and applications. The Romanic and Latin words outnumber those from all other sources
together. Many of them, as usual, are of rare occurrence ; but the great importance of this element may
be seen from such examples as label, labour, language, large, letter, liberty, library, line, liquid, literature,
locomotive, lodge to mention only a few of the most prominent. The Greek derivatives are mainly scientific
terms of modern formation ; among those of earlier introduction and wider currency are lexicon, lexicography,
logarithm, logic. The quasi-suffixes -loger, -logian, -logic, -logical, -lognc, -logy, representing the terminal
elements in certain Greek compounds of Aoyoy, and in derivatives of these, arc so common in English that
it has been found convenient to treat them in .special articles. From Dutch or Low German we have the
important words luck and loiter, besides several others little used or obsolete. The list of Celtic words is
even shorter than usual ; whether it should include Icop sb. 1 is doubtful ; the only other L words of Celtic
origin that are at all widely known are loch T (lough), leprechaun, and lymphad. Of words from extra-European
languages there are the Hebrew leviathan, Lcvitc, log sb. 2 , the Arabic latic, Icban, lohock, the Indian lac^, lac-,
langooty, langitr, lascar, lat, lathee, lingain, lodh, loot, lootie, lota, lungi, luukah, the Chinese langshan, li\ li*,
Hang, likin, ling sb. 3 , litchi, longan, loqnat, the Malay lanchara, lat a, lorikeet, lory, the African lamba, leche,
Ihiamba, limbo ~, loa, lobola, and the South American llama and htcuma.
In a very large number of instances the etymology of words will be found to be more correctly stated
or more fully discussed than in any previous English dictionary. Attention may be specially called to the
etymological notes on lad, larch, lass, laudanum, lavendar, law-abiding, lawn sb. 1 , lectern, Lenten, leprechaun,
less, lewd, ligure, like adj., lobby, lobe, lobster, locomotive, lodge, lose vb. 1 , louver, lozenge, lucern^ , lymph. In the
articles on the suffixes -let, -lewe, -like, -ling 1 , ling z , -/j/ 1 , -ly z , the history and functions of these forma-
tives are explained with greater fullness than has been attempted elsewhere.
The material originally collected for the letter L was laboriously and efficiently sub-edited, about twenty-
five years ago, by Mr. W. M. Rossetti, whose work was continued by the Rev. C. Y. Potts, of Ledbury.
Subsequently the portion from L to Lusus was taken in hand, for the incorporation of the new quotations,
by the late Mr. E. C. Hulme, and that from Lut- to the end of the letter by Mr. E. Warner, of Eltham. The
work of these gentlemen was completed in 1885-6, since which time a large mass of additional material has
been accumulated.
* The following table illustrates the scale of this work as compared with that of certain other Dictionaries :
Cassell s
Johnson. (hicfudlngl iip- Century Diet. Funk s Standard. Here.
plement 1902).
Total words recorded in L 1,286 7,32 7,7 9 8 , OI 7 4,989
Words illustrated by quotations 1,068 2,211 2 -53 7*> 2 1,469
Number of illustrative quotations 4- 7 2 ,7^7 6,279 999 65,440
The number of quotations in the L portion of Richardson s Dictionary is 3,3- .
PREFACE TO THE LETTER L.
Amongst those who have rendered assistance in the preparation of the articles in this half-volume,
especial thanks are due to Prof. Sievers, of Leipzig, M. Paul Meyer, of Paris, Prof. Napier, of Oxford, Prof.
Klugc, of Freiburg-im-Breisgau, and Prof. Morsbach, of Gottingen, for help in the treatment of etymological
questions ; to Mr. James Platt, jun., for information relating to the origin and history of words from American
and other little-known languages; to Dr. W. Besant, of Cambridge, and Prof. Love, of Oxford, for help with
terms of mathematical and physical science ; to Prof. J. K. Laughton, for much information on the nautical
uses of words; to Prof. J. Cook Wilson, of Oxford, for important suggestions relating to the article Logic ;
and to Sir Howard Elphinstone, Bart , and Sir W. R. Anson, Bart., M.P., for information on the legal sense
of Lien. The verification, in the British Museum Library, of references to books not accessible at Oxford
has been done, at no small cost of time and labour, by Mr. E. L. Brandrcth. Mr. R. J. Whitwell, of
Oxford, has frequently rendered help of various kinds. Dr. Furnivall s multifarious services to the Dictionary
have been no less abundant than in the former volumes.
The proofs have been regularly read, and many valuable suggestions furnished, by Lord Aldenham,
the Rev. Canon Fowler, of Durham, Dr. W. Sykcs, F.S.A., of Exeter, Mr. W. H. Stevenson, M.A., the
Rev. Prof. Skeat, the Rev. W. B. R. Wilson, of Dollar, Mr. A. Caland, of Wageningen, Holland, and latterly
by Mr. H. Chichester Hart, who has supplied many important additional quotations. The first 64 pages
had the advantage of being read in proof by the late Dr. Fitzedward Hall, whose invaluable services have
been acknowledged in all the foregoing instalments of the work.
The assistants who have worked with me in the preparation of this half-volume are Mr. G. F. H.
Sykes, B.A., Mr. Walter Worrall, B.A., Mr. C. T. Onions, M.A., Mr. W. J-. Lewis, Mr. H. J. Bayliss,
Miss E. S. Bradley, and (in the later portions) Mr. James Dallas.
OXFORD, JULY, 1903. HENRY BRADLEY.
ADDITIONS AND EMENDATIONS.
liability. Earlier example : 1554 in Maill. Cln/>. i\Iisc. III. (1855
65 The labilitc and bieuiue ot tynics maneris and of men in this wale ot
teiris beand considerit.
labyrinthine, a. Earlier example : 1632 LITHGOW Trav. III. 99
These Laborinthing Seas.
Iiachrymous, a. Earlier example : 1-190 CAXTON Eneydos viii. 3-;
Lacrymous and playnynge sorowes.
L : ,. . sb?- The reference to LETCH r. in the etymology should be
to LEACH r. 2
Lamantin. Earlier example: 1666 J. DAVIES tr. Rochtfort s
Caribby Jsl. I. xvii. 103 A certain fish by the French called Lamantin,
by the Spaniards Namantin and Manaty. Ibid. 300 Their not eating of
salt, S\vines- flesh, Tortoises, and Lamantin.
Lamba. Earlier example : 1/29 DKIKY Madagascar, Journal 234
The Corps being . . wrapped up in a Laniber, or perhaps two Lambers.
Landaulct. Earlier example: 1771 Patent Specif. No. 997 The
fore part of the head of a landawlet is constructed with a hinge [etc.],
Land-tax. Delete the first quot.
Lantern, v? Example : 1815 Paris Chil-Chat (1816) II. 184 He
was himself very near being lanterned in the streets of Paris by a group
of \\izfanxboiirg Saint Antoine.
Lark, sli.^ Phrase, To make a lark of = to make game of : 1850
THACKERAY Pcndennis xxxix. (1885) 385 Don t make a lark of me,
hang it !
Lathe, sb.^ The Ger. lade is used in the same sense, and should
have been cited as cognate.
Lawn, J/-.1 3 b. 1 or an explanation of the torture of the lawn , see
1569 JEWKI. Expos. I T/irss. Wks. 1848 VII. 42-3. ((^(.linen-ball,
LIN- EN B 5.)
Ledger, sb. i b. Earlier examples : 1401 in Wylie Ilia. IV, IV.
198 [Items of expenditure] igportos, 3 liggcrs. iq^^ mDiigda/e s Man.
VI. 1427 Duo portiphoria . . alias nunctipata lyggers.
Leetle, a. Earlier example :- 1687 Pim.urs Don Quixote 496 The
Taylour . . held up five leetle Cloaks.
Legitimate, a. Earlier example of legitimate drama : 1821 BYRON
M. Falieio Prcf. 18 note, While I was in the sub-committee of Drury
Lane Theatre . . we did our best to bring back the legitimate drama.
Let, rf. 1 2. Earlier instance (attrili. ): 1819 Examiner 7 Feb. in
Haslitt s Table Tatt(i8jo) 118 His [Cavanagh the fives-player s] blows
were rot . . let balls like the Edinburgh Review.
Lettice. See also LlTUlT.
Liberty 2 b. Earlier instance of liberty of conscience: a 1572
KNOX Jlist. Kef. \Vks. 1846 I. 364 To suffer euerie man to leaf ui
libertie of conscience.
Lieutenant-general 2. Earlier example: 1589 [T. GATES] Sirl\
Drakes II . Ind. Voy. 5 We descried another tall ship. . vpon whom
Maister Carleill, the Lieutenant General!, being in the Tiger, vndertooke
the chase. [C. commanded the land forces against the Spanish West
Indies (Diet. Nat. Biog.).]
Lifehood. Delete quot. 1484 : lynehode is an error in the modern
reprint for lyuehde.
Lift, sb.1 n. Add to the definition: Also --- LOCK sl>." 9 c. For
the quotation read as follows: 1825 [see LOCK si .* 9 c]. 1875 ia
KNIGHT Diet. Meek.
Lighthouse. Earlier example: \f>22 BACOX Hist. Hen. VII 142
They . . were executed . . at diners places vpon the S -a-Coast . . for Sea-
markes or Light-houses, to teach Perkins People to auoicl the Coast.
-lock, suffix, in mod. Eng. occurring only in wedlock, represents
OF. -lac, the second element of numerous compounds ^usually neuter:
rarely masc.) in which the first element is a sb. OE. had about a dozen
of these compounds (those in which -h u means offering , LAKE rf.l,
are not counted) ; in all these the second element may be rendered
actions or proceedings, practice , as brydlac nuptials, bcadoltic.JcohtlAc,
iieaSoldc, warfare, hiemedldc, wijldc, carnal intercourse, reajliic robbery,
-uedlac pledge-giving, also espousals, nuptials, wlteldc punishment,
-i lMtlfic calumny. The -Icic of these compounds should probably be
identified with lac play, sport, LAKE sb.% the words meaning warfare .
\\hich may have been the earliest examples of this use, m.ny be compared
with the synonymous compounds in -p/<- ga play. Of the OE. compounds
of lot three (liryJlac, fcohtldc, reajlae\ survived into early ME., and
wtdldt still survives with altered meaning. In ME. the suffix was
sometimes assimilated in form to the rtymologically equivalent but
functionally distinct Scandinavian-!, A IK. A few examples, not recorded
in OE., appear in early ME. : dweomcrlak (I)EMEKLAYKE\ F ERLAC,
SCHENDI.AC, TREWI.AC, WOHI.AC (the last from a vb.-stem, tvoj- to
woo) ; but none of these survived later than the 141(1 centuiy.
Longstanding. The origin of this phrase seems to be illustrated
by the following passage: a 1-568 ASCIIAM Scholem. i. i v Aib.) 34
Except a very fewe, to whom peraduenture blood and happie parentage,
may perchance purchase a long standing vpon the stage.
Look, v. The synonymous MDu. loeken should have been cited as
cognate.
Loot, rf. 1 See LUTE sb.*, which is etymologically identical.
KEY TO THE PRONUNCIATION.
I. CONSONANTS.
b, d, f, k, 1, m, n, p, t, v, z have thtir usual values.
g .is in go (go").
h ... ho\ (hou).
r ... ma (rn), terrier ;te riaj).
i ... her (hsj), farther (fa ito)
s ... sue (sfl, fess ises).
w ... wen (wen).
h\v ... Tc/<en (hwcn).
Y ... J cs (yes).
Jj as in //(in (l>in), baA4 (ba)>).
tf ... Men (Sen), ba/>5e (Ivifl).
{ ... j/;op (J. p), dls/i ,dij).
t| ... r^op (tffp), tli/r// (ditj).
; ... viw on (vi gsn), de/euner
(1.-; ... /urfji; (d.5ds).
ij ... sii r i;/y (si nirj), thik
rjg ... lijer (firjgai).
(, FOREIGN.)
n as in French nasal, environ (anvjron).
I y ... It. scrnj/j o (s.-a-l*o .
n v ... It. siyv/ore (s/n s J re .
X ... Ger. ac/i (a x } ; Si-. loc/i
X y ... Ger. \ck (ix y ), So. nic/H
7 ... Ger. sa^icn (za-ycn).
7 V ... Ger.
ORDINARY.
a as in 1 r. it la mode (a la mad ) .
ai ... aye=} es (ai), Tsa/ali (sizai a).
x ... man (mcen).
a ... pass (pas), chant (tjunt).
.HI ... loud (laud), now (nau).
v ... ct (kt), sun (SOTI).
e ... yt-t (yet), t<m (ten).
e ... sum;;/ j/. (SD-JV.;), Fr. attaelu (ataji).
\\{ ... V r. chf (Jjf).
3 ... evirr (evaj), nat/<m (n^ "Jon).
si ... /, eye, (oi), bznd (baind),
|? ... l r. eau d^ vie (p d? v/~ ).
i ... s/t (sit), m_yst/c (mistik).
... Psyche (ssi kz), r^act (r/|!e kt).
... achor (?! koj), morality (mor^ liti).
01 ... oil (oil), boy (boi).
o ... hero (htTo), zoology (zoiplodji).
o ... what (hwgt), watch (wotj).
( , t* g^ fe t), soft (s^ft).
|| 6 ... Ger. Ko ln (koln).
\\ii ... Fr. pen (po).
u ... fall (ful), book (buk).
iu ... deration (diur^ Jan).
... unto (-nt), fragality (1V-).
iu .. Matth^rc; (mae )>i), virt<! (va aliz*).
j,ii ... Ger. Mller (mii lerl.
li ... Fr. dne (dn).
o (see i-, eo ,_&,, .)
, u (see f 1 , o")
as in able (<- b l), eaten (/t n) = voice-glide.
.
II. VOWELS.
LONG,
ii as in alms (amz), bar (baj).
v ... trl (ki)jl), fr (fw).
e (c 1 )... tlu rc (Ne-u\ pc ar, pare v pe*Jj.
^ ^ )... iv/n, ra/n (rc 7l n), th^y ("S^O-
L T ... Fr. fa/re (f t V;.
d ... f/r (foj), fern (fsan), twrth (3Jj
1 (i )... b/er (bij N , clenr (klijj).
t ... tli/ef (h/T), see (s<).
6(00)... boar, bore (boa , glory i^glo-fri).
o(o)... so. sow (s<i i), sol (s(>l .
2 ... wa/k i wk), wart ^w^Jt".
( ... short (Ji Jt), thorn (lip.in).
II 6 ... Fr. coer (kbr).
||J ... Ger. Go the (gote), Fr. je/nie (,^(i n).
u (u->) . . poor (pu- j), moorish (niuo rij).
iu, u... pwre (piui), lre (l ua).
ft ... tu moons (t m/nz).
i/~t, //... few (fi/7), lte (l /7t).
|| ... Ger. grn (grn), Fr. js (i)-
OBSCURE.
a as in amoeba (amTba).
& ... accept (nukse pt), nianidc (nn. Tl ni;vk).
... datm (d.- -t/ m).
... niuincnt in<i" mcnt), several (sc veral)
... separate ^tuf/. se pir<"t\
... van/ ty (vas mti).
... rt main rnn<7 n , believe (b/l^ v).
... theory (J)/ 6ri).
... violet (v^i i let). partly (pw rJdi).
... authority (yj>oriti v i.
... connect (kjme kt), ania/oii (x maa
iii, ii vcrdwre (vaudiiu), meas//re (nie ^
it ... altogether (g!t/?ge tSai).
ifi ... circlar (s5ukiIaj).
* ^ the o in soft, of medial or doubtful length.
Only in foreign ^or earlier English) words.
In the ETYMOLOGY,
OE. e, o, representing an earlier a, are distinguished as g, f having Ihe phonetic value of ( and t >, or o, above) ; as in yide from andi V OIIG. anti.
Gotli. andei-s), 111(1111 from niaiin, (> from an.
\
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS, SIGNS, &c.
a. [in Etymol.] ... =
adoption of, adopted from.
ante, before,
adjective,
absolutely,
abstract,
accusative,
adaptation of.
adverb,
adverbial, -ly.
Anglo-French,
in Anatomy,
in Antiquities,
aphetic, aphetized.
apparently.
Arabic,
in Architecture,
archaic,
in Archaeology,
association,
in Astronomy,
in Astrology,
attributive, -ly.
before,
in Biology.
Bohemian,
in Botany,
in Building.
circa, about,
century.
Catalan,
catachrestically.
confer, compare,
in Chemistry,
classical Latin.
cognate with,
collective, -ly.
colloquially,
combined, -ing.
Combinations,
in commercial usage,
compound, composition,
complement,
in Conchology.
concretely,
conjunction.
coroonant.
Construction, construed
with,
in Crystallography,
in Davies (Supp. Eng
Glossary).
Danish,
dative,
definite,
derivative, -ation.
dialect, -al.
Dictionary,
diminutive.
Dutch,
in ecclesiastical usage,
elliptical, -ly.
east midland (dialect).
English,
in Entomology,
erroneous, -ly.
especially,
etymology,
euphemistically,
except,
formed on.
form of.
feminine,
figurative, -ly.
French
frequently.
Frisian.
German.
Gaelic.
genitive,
general, -ly.
general signification,
in Geology,
in Geometry.
Gothic ( = Mceso-Gothic).
Greek,
in Grammar.
I lebrew.
in Heraldry,
with herbalists,
in Horticulture.
Imperative,
impersonal,
imperfect.
Indicative,
indefinite.
Infinitive,
influenced,
interjection,
intransitive.
Italian.
Johnson (quotation from),
in Jamicson, Scottish Diet.
Jodrell (quoted from).
Latin.
Latham s edn. of Todd s
language. [Johnson.
Low German.
literal, -ly.
Lithuanian.
Septuagint.
Malay,
masculine,
in Mathematics.
Middle English,
in Medicine,
mediaeval Latin.
in Mechanics,
in Metaphysics.
Middle High German,
midland (dialect),
in military usage,
in Mineralogy,
modern,
in Music.
Nares (quoted from),
noun of action,
noun of agent,
in Natural History,
in nautical language,
neuter.
Northern French.
Natural Order,
nominative,
northern (dialect).
New Testament,
in Numismatics,
object,
obsolete,
occasional, -ly.
Old English ( = Anglo-
Saxon).
Old French.
Old Frisian.
Old High German.
Old Irish.
Old Norse (Old Icelandic).
Old Northern French,
in Optics,
in Ornithology.
Old Saxon.
Old Slavonic.
Old Testament.
Original Teutonic,
original, -ly.
in Paleontology.
passive or past participle,
passive, -ly.
pa. t
=
Path
n., ad/., adj =
aksol., absol
abst =
perh
Geol -
Pers
Geom =
Goth
pers
pf.
,ad. [in Etymol.]... =
Gr -
Gra.ni =
Pg
Philol.
, , _
Heb =
phonet
A K AFr
Her. =
phr......
Herb
Phren
Hart =
1 iiys
imp =
pi-,//.
poet
a PP
\rab
impf. =
pop
Irch
iiid. =
-ppl. a., ppl. adj. . .
pple
I
indef. =
inf. .
Pr
=
inli
prec
_
int =
pref.
Astral. =
intr
pp
=
attrib =
bef
It. -
J., (J.) -
/ rim. sign.
priv
. -
lyiol
(Jam.) -
Boh -
(Jod.) -
prob
=
Bot
pron
Build
(L.)(in quotations) =
pronunc
c (as 1:1300) =
prop.
LG.
Pros
_
Cat -
lit =
pr. pple
=
Lith.
J sych
Cf., cf. =
LXX
n.v. ..
Mai. -
(R.)
_
cl. L.
masc. (rarely m.) =
Math =-
R.C. Ch
=
refash
collect =
ME =
refi., rell
reg
. =
Med.
mcd.L.
repr
Comb
Mech -
Khet
^
Hfetap/i =
Rom
MHG =
*\>.,sl> =
Sc =
midl =
Cott h
Mil. . . ...--=
sc
Mitt. . -
Sltlg.
-
mod. ... =
Skr
AIus
Slav
Const., Const. ... =
(N )
Sp. ..
- =
\" l ;
sp. . ,
spec.
(D.)
Nat. Hist
*i .
subj
m
Da.
snbord. cl.
neut. (rarely n.) =
NF., NFr.
suhseq
dat.
subst.
def.
N. O =
snff.
_
deriv. =
sunerl.
dial., dial.
north. ,. .. =
/>";.
Diet
N. T.
Sw
dim. ..
s. w
Du -
T. (T.) .
_
Eccl. . w --=
Obs. obs. obs.
cllipt. ... =
ThcoL
e. midl =
OE.
tr
Eng =
OF., OFr -
trans.
Eat -
transf.
erron =
OFrK
Trig.
.
"/-, csp =
etym
OHG -
Typog. ..:
Olr. ... -
ult.
eitphem =
ON.
unkn
U.S
exc
ONF.
=
I. [in Etymol.] ... =
. f. (in subordinate
entries) =
Op/. . . . -
"V.. vb.
Ornith =
v. str., or ;
vbL sb
=
OS =
fern, (rarely f.) ... =
fig. .. -
OS1.
var
O. T.
\vd. ^
F,Fr -
OTeut. -
\VGer
freq
Kris.
Palxont =
ws
G., Ger =
(Y.)
Gael -
7ool.
In I
or
exis
esen
Before a word or sense,
f = obsolete.
|| not naturalized.
In the quotations.
In the
I - before 1 1 oo.
2 = I 2th C. ( I I OO to
3 - 1 3th c. (1200 to
list of Forms.
I - OO\
1 300).
* indicates a wort
of which the
: extant repi
past tense.
in Pathology,
perhaps.
= Persian.
= person, -al.
= perfect.
Portuguese.
= in Philology.
phonetic, -ally.
= phrase.
in Phrenology.
= in Physiology.
= plural.
poetic.
popular, -ly.
-= participial adjective.
participle.
= Proven cal.
= preceding (word or article)
= prefix.
preposition.
present.
- Primary signihcation.
- privative.
= probably.
- pronoun.
pronunciation,
properly.
= in Prosody.
present participle.
in Psychology.
= quod vide, which see.
= in Richardson s Diet.
= Koman Catholic Church.
refashioned, -ing.
reflexive.
= regular.
representative, representing.
in Rhetoric.
Romanic, Romance.
= substantive.
Scotch.
- scilicet, understand or supply.
- singular.
- Sanskrit.
Slavonic.
Spanish,
spelling,
specifically.
subject, subjunctive.
= subordinate clause.
subsequently.
substantively.
-= suffix.
superlative.
= in Surge! } .
= Swedish.
south western (dialect).
in Todd s Johnson.
technical, -ly.
in Theology.
translation of.
transitive.
- transferred sense,
in Trigonometry,
in Typography.
- ultimate, -ly.
- unknown.
United States.
- verb.
= verb strong, or weak.
= verbal substantive.
variant of.
word. i.
-* West Germanic.
west midland (dialect).
West Saxon.
= in Col. Yule s Glossary.
- in Zoology.
found, but
5-7- ijth to 1 7th century. (See General Explan
ations, Vol. I, p. xx.)
In Ihc Ktymol.
or form not ac
existence is iniei
representative, or regular phonetic
descendant of.
The printing of a word in SMALL CAPITALS indicates that further information will be found under the word so referred to.
L.
L(el), the twelfth letter of the modern and the
eleventh of the ancient Roman alphabet,
represents historically the Gr. lambda and ulti
mately the Semitic lamed. The earliest known
Semitic forms of the character are 2 and I- ; both
these occur in early Greek inscriptions ; the latter
was adopted from the Greek into the Latin alpha
bet, and is the ancestor of the modern Roman
forms, but in Greece itself was superseded by the
inverted form [", which eventually became A.
The sound normally expressed by the letter is the
point-side consonant, i.e. a sound produced by
the emission of breath at the sides, or one side, of the
oral passage when it is partially closed by contact 01
the point of the tongue with the gums or palate.
In phonetic treatises / is used as a general name for con
sonants produced by lateral emission of breath, whether the
stoppage is produced (as above) by the point , or by some
other part of the tongue ; thus we speak of a guttural /
and a palatal i as occurring in various foreign languages.
The point-side consonant admits of considerable diver,
sity in mode of articulation and consequently in acoustic
quality. The Eng. / differs from that of Fr. and Ger. in
being uttered with the front of the tongue more concave ;
hence its sound is duller or thicker . Its precise place
of articulation varies according to the nature of the adjacent
sounds. In Eng. it is normally voiced; an unvoiced /
occurring only as a glide connecting the voiced / with a
preceding or following unvoiced consonant. Like r and
the nasals, / may be used as a sonant or vowel (in the
phonetic notation of this Dictionary indicated by !) ; but
this occurs only in unstressed syllables, as in little (li t ll,
buckled (bfk ld).
The mod. Eng. / represents not only the OE. /, but the
OE. hi (early ME. Hi) and ml.
In certain combinations an original / has regularly become
silent, after having modified the sound of the preceding
vowel. In most of these cases the / is still written, and
serves to indicate the pronunciation of the preceding vowel.
The following combinations of letters (when occurring in
the same syllable, or in derivatives of words in which they
were tautosyllabic) may be regarded as compound phonetic
symbols of almost unvarying value : a!/(z(), alve (av), aim
(im), alk, aulk (5k), aulm ({m), oik (3"k). In many dia
lects, esp. in Sc., the instances in which an original I regu
larly disappears are much more numerous than in standard
Eng. ; cf. Sc. aw/u ,/an, ca\ etc. ; in Sc.the regular repre
sentative of ol(l is <nu, as \nfo~.vk, poiu,
I. 1. Illustrations of the literary use of the letter.
c looo /ELFRIC Gram. iii. (Z.) 6 Semivocalei syndon seofan :
/, /, m, n, r, s, x. 1530 PALSGR. 32 The soundyng of this
consonant L. Ibid. 46 So often as I cometh before h. havyng
his aspiracion . . it is the errour of the printers whiche knowe
nat their owne tonge. 1588 SHAKS. L. L. L. iv. ii. 60 If
Sore be sore, then ell to Sore, makes fiftie sores O sorell t
Of one sore I an hundred make by adding but one more L.
1597 A. M. tr. G.iiilemiait s Fr. Chirurg. 24/1 Wordes in
the which manye R. R. R. and L. L. L. come. 15.. Gude
4- Godl. B. Calendar (S. T. S.), Where ye shal finde a
Capital L there begine for the finding of Lent. 1727-52
CHAMBERS Cycl. s.v. L, The French louis d ors have a cross
on them consisting of eight L s interwoven, and disposed in
form of a cross. 1892 Daily Nems 5 Sept. 5/2 There are
pedantic persons who would bid us pronounce the 1 in
salmon . 1897 Spectator 2 Jan. 13/1 For the sake of
Learning, with a capital L .
2. An object shaped like the letter L. (Also
written ell.} a. An extension of a building at right
angles to the main block, giving the whole the shape
of the letter L.
1879 WEBSTER, Suppl. s.v., L (of a house). 1883 Harper s
Mag. Feb. 358/2 An L of the house where she was born is
still standing.
b. A pipe-joint connecting two pipes at right
angles ; an elbow-joint (Knight Diet. Meek. Snppl.
1884).
3. atirib. and Comb., as L-shaped adj. ; L desk,
a reading-desk of which the ground-plan is of the
form of the letter L.
VOL. VI.
1874 MICKLETHWAITE Mod. Par. Cli. ix. 57 That glorious
compromise called an L desk. 1882 Macin. Mag. XLVI.
132/2 It is. .an L-shaped room. 1897 AHbutt s Syst. Med.
lV. 347 An L-shaped pad.
II. Symbolical uses.
4. Used like the other letters of the alphabet to
denote serial order ; applied e.g. to the twelfth (or
more usually the eleventh, either I or J being often
omitted) group or section in classification, the
eleventh sheet of a book or quire of a MS., etc.
1850 FORSHALL & MADDEN Wyclifs BiUe Pref. xxxi.
[Manuscripts] E, L, and P frequently agree together in
differing from the other copies. 1899 ^V. . Daily Mail
16 Feb. 5, Companies L, D, and H of the Californian Volun
teers. 1899 SIR A. WKST Recoil. I. iv. 104 He had carefully-
put it [an umbrella] away under the letter L.
5. In Cry St., h, k, /are used to denote the quan
tities which determine the position of a plane.
1868 DANA Min. Introd. 28. 1895 STORY-MASKELVNE
Crystallogr. ii. 19.
6. The Roman numeral symbol for Fifty.
As in the case of the other Roman numeral symbols, this
was originally not the letter, but was identified with it owing
to coincidence of form. In the ancient Roman notation L
(with a stroke above) represented 50,000.
1484 CAXTON Fables of 1 oge iv, xl or 1 crownes.
III. 7. Abbreviations.
L. = various proper names as Lionel, Lucy, etc. L. = t Lord,
Lordship (pi. LL.) ; t lawful i money i ; in Bat., Linnzus;
Latin; in Stage directions, left ; in abbreviations of degrees,
Licentiate, as L. D. S. = Licentiate of Dental Surgery ;
(Chem.) Lithium. L or 1 [L. // ra} = pound of money (t for
merly also in weight, now lb.), now often repr, by the
conventional sign ; e.g. loo/, or^ioo; see also L. s. n.
The three L s (see quot. 1867). I = in _ ship s log-book,
lightning ; in references, line, as bk. 4, 1. 8 ; in solmization, la.
1. b. w. (Cricket), leg before wicket ; l.c. (Printing}, lower
case. L. C. M. (Arith.), least common multiple. L. M.
(Prosody), long metre. See also LL., LXX.
1527 Extracts Aberd. Reg. (184^4) 1. 117 My lord, we your
seruandis . . hes ressauit your 1. guid mynd . . touching your 1.
brig of Dee. 1534 in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Ox/<-d-iit It
was. .ordered by the L. L. 1577 laid. 389 Appointed byorder
from their LLs. 1601 R. JOHNSON Kingd. <y Commiv. (1603)
A b, If your L. vouchsafe to receive it. 1637 HEVLVN Answ.
Burtondi Your dealing with my LL. the Bishops. iQb+Acts
Tonnage fy 1 onndage 86 Alabaster the Load. .02/. oof. ocwr".
1684 R. WALLER Ess. Nat. Exfer. 103 A mass of soo/.
of Ice. 1701 DR. WALLIS in Collect. (O. H. S.) I. 329 An
allowance of 20 a year, a 1715 BURNET O:un Time (1724)
I. 591 An 100000 I. was given. 1774 Connect. Col. Kec.
(1887) XIV. 299 To pay said sum of 54 14 o, L. money.
1795 in Lillywhite Cricket Scores (1862) I. 100 Hon. J.
Tufton, Ibw, b Wells ... 3. 1858 SIMMONDS Diet. Trade,
L. A. C., an abbreviation used by the dispensing surgeon
or chemist, implying that he is a licentiate of the Apothe
caries Company . 1865 Derby Mercury 26 Apr., A ._ divi
dend of -is. in the ,. 1867 SMYTH Sailors Word-bk., L.
The three L s were formerly vaunted by seamen who
despised the use of nautical astronomy ; viz. lead, latitude,
and look-out. . . Dr. or Captain Halley added the fourth L
the greatly-desired longitude. 1870 HOOKER Stud. Flora
127 Crataigus, L. Hawthorn, Whitethorn. 1885 Law Jrnl.
17 Jan. 38/2 A salary of 4/. a week. 1891 W. G. GRACE
Cricket \. in Out-door Games 17 You should all know how
difficult it is to get any one l.b.w. when [etc.].
La (la), sb. Mas. [Orig. the first syllable of L.
labii: see GAMUT.] The name given by Guido
d Arezzo to the sixth note in his hexachords, and
since retained in solmization as the sixth note of
the octave ; also (now rarely) used as in Fr. and
It. as a name of the note A, the sixth note of the
natural scale of C major.
c 1325 in Rel. Ant. I. 292 Sol and ut and la. 1597 MORLEY
Introd. Mas. (1771) 4 There be in Musicke but vi. Notes,
which are called vt, re, mi, fa, sol, la. 1605 SHAKS. Lean.
ii. 149 O these Eclipses do portend these divisions. Fa, Sol,
La, Me. c 1*45 HOWELL Lett. (1650) II. Iv. 77 The other. .
wHl drink often musically a health to every one of these
6 notes, Ut, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La ; which, with his reason,
are all comprehended in this exameter, Ut Kclevet Miserum
Fatum Solitosqtte I.abores. 1811 BUSBY Diet. Mas. (ed. 3)
s.v. Solmization, Of the seven notes in the French scale,
only four were for a while used by us, as mi, fa, sol, la.
La (la, la), int. [Cf. Lo (OK. Id and early
ME. la).] An exclamation formerly used to in
troduce or accompany a conventional phrase or an
address, or to call attention to an emphatic state
ment ; f also la you. In recent use, a mere ex
pression of surprise. Now only dial., vulgar, and
arch.
1598 SHAKS. Merry II . i. i. 86, I thank you alwaies
with my heart, la : with my heart. Ibid. 324 You doe
your selfe wrong indeede la. 1601 Twel. A", in. iv.
in La you, and you speake ill of the diutl), how he
takes it at heart. 1694 CONGRF.VE Double Dealtr iv. ii,
O la now ! I swear and declare, it shan t be so. 1749
FIELDING Tom Jvnes IV. xii, La, ma am, what doth yuur
la yship think. 1839 DICKENS Nich. A i\fc. x, La, Miss La
Creevy, how veiy smirking. 1844 WILLIS Ludy Jane
Ii. 311 He d a caressing way but, la ! you know it s A sort
of manner natural to poets! 1881 BESANT & RICE (, ltapl.
FUft III. 2^9 La, sir, she asked, Is it the voice of your
sweetheart?"
t b. Repeated (a) as a refrain ; (<5) as an ex
pression of derision. Obs. (Hence LA-LA adj.,
= so-so , poor.)
1578 Gude <$ Godl. Ii. (S. T. S.) 138 Christ .. Quhiik
meiklie for mankynde, Tholit to be pynde, On Croce Cruel-
lie. La. La. Ibid. 83 La Lay La. 1607 SHAKS. Timon m.
i. 22 [He]hath sent to yuur Lorship to furnish him : nothing
doubting your present assistance therein. Luc. La, la, la,
la: Nothing doubting sayes hee?
La, obs. form of LAW, LAY v., Lo int.
Laace, obs. form of LACE.
Laache, obs. f. LATCH v. ; var. LASHE Obs., lax.
Laad, Laade, obs. forms of LOAD, LADE.
II Laager (la-gaj), sb. Also lager. [S. African
I)u. lag cr = G. lager, Du. leger (see LEAGUER). ] A
camp, encampment ; among the S. African Boers,
a temporary lodgement in the open marked out by
an encircling line of wagons.
1850 R. G. CUMMINO Hunters Life S. Afr. (ed. 2) I. 202
Their tents and waggons were drawn up on every side of
the farm-house. . . The Boers informed me that all their
5 Capta - , -
obliged to go into laager at Ekowe for safety. 1891 R. W.
MURRAY .T. Africa 177 Laager was formed that same even
ing about five o clock. 1899 Times 25 Oct. 5/2 Our men
dashed fcrward to carry the laager with bayonets.
II Laager (la-gai), v. [f. LAAGEH sb.] tram. To
form (wagons) into a laager ; to encamp (persons)
in a laager; also with up. Also absol. or intr.
Hence Laa gered ///. a., Laa-gering vbh sb.
1879 Daily Ntivs i M ar., The waggons were not laagered
or drawn up so close as to make it difficult to force the
camp. 1881 Contemf. Rev. Feb. 222 The laagered waggon
their sole protection. 1883 Standard 17 May 5/4 Four
hundred Boers, laagered in Stilleland, have threatened to
attack Mankoroane. 1894 Daily A eius 14 Sept. 5/2 The
Army Service Corps were drilled in laagering. 1896 Tabltl
2z Feb. 290 We stopped firing at about seven o clock, and
laagered up for the night.
Laak, obs. form of LACK, LAKE.
Laan, Laar, obs. forms of LAWN, LORE.
Laard, Laas, obs. forms of LAHD, LACE.
Laat, LaaS, obs. forms of LATE, LOATH.
Lab (teb), sb. Obs. or dial. Also 4-5 labbe,
8 labb. [Belongs to LAB v.] A blab, tell-tale.
thenk tha had st a be zich a Labb o tha Tongue. 1847
HALLIWKLL, Lai, a tittle-tattle ; a blab. Also called a lab-
o-the-tongue. West.
LAB.
LABEL.
t Lab (lcel>), v. Obs. [? Onomatopoeic ; cf.
Du. labben = klappen garrire, blaterare, fabulari
(Kilian).] trans, and intr. To blab. Hence
La bbing///. a.
1377 I.ANGU P. PI. B. xi. loa No Jwnge J?at is pryue publice
|jow it neuere, Neyther f,-i L>uc !f*ude [^AV. B. lab] it noujt
ne lakke it for enuye. 1393 li>:ii. ( . vn. 39 NoJ>er for loue
labhe hit out ne lackc hi f 1386 CHAUCER
EpiJ. Rferch. T. lo Of \\. yng shrewe is she.
CI475 Fartentiy ?-; . : nges iongling.
Labadist buvlnl . f:ta. tJ^st. [ad. F. Laba-
disle,i.Labadie: sec i^T.] A follower of Jean de
Labadie (1610 74"), who seceded from the Roman
Church and founded a sect holding Quietist views.
So La badiTu , . js or practice of Labad-
ists.
1753 CHAMBERS O" -V/</>., Labadists. 1882-3 SCHAFF
i:i . 1604.
T La bant, . Ois.~ a [ad. L. labant-em, \a.
.jf labare. \
i?*-; I:\K i vo I Labant, sliding, falling down, wavering.
tabard j, ols. form of LEOPARD.
Itabtwinth, obs. form of LABYEINTH.
II Labarum (lae-barcm). [L. ; = Gr. \afiapov, of
origin.] The imperial standard adopted
lantine the Great (306-337 A.D.), being
the J. .man military standard of the late Empire
modified by the addition of Christian symbols ;
.ce gen., a symbolical standard or banner.
.658 PHILLIPS, Labartim, a military* streamer, or flag,
.ilso a Church Banner, or Ensign. i68a WHELER J0urn.
Greece H. 189 On the South-side, .is the Labarum; which is a
Knot, consisting of the first Letters of Xpiarbs, which the
Christian Emperours, from Constantine, placed in their
Manners. 1835 I iKOWXiKG/ aracthus 54 A iabarum was not
deem d Too much for the old founder of these walls. 1850
SIR J. STEPHEN Ess. Eccl. Biog. (ed. 2) I. 347 The Labarum
of Luther was a banner inscribed with the legend, Justifi
cation by Faith . 1850 LEITCH tr. C. O. Mailer s Anc.Art
213. 206 Cunstantine wears the Iabarum and the phoenix.
1869 FARRAR Fan:. Sf. (1873) iii. 106 That body of sacred
truth.. should now be inscribed upon the common Iabarum.
fLaba-seate, v. Obs.~" [en on. f. L. laba-
scere, inceptive f. labare to toiler.] intr. To
begin to fall or slide (Bailey vol. II, 1727).
t Labasceiicy. 06s. rare 1 , [ad. L. *laba-
scentia, noun of state f. labasclre to totter : see
-KNi.Y.] Tottering state or condition.
a 1637 1} LOVEDAY Lett. (1663) 174 He that can take
from his own sloth, to let fall the thred of a
-rcourse, betrayes a labascency and a languor in
e resentments.
: Labba (U-e-ba). [? Native name.] One of the
logenys paca, native to Guiana.
1825 V ERTOU Wanderings i. (1870) 92 The Tapir, the
Deer, afford excellent food. 1876 C. B. UKOWN
a ii. 25 [He] went . . to procure some game for
. .--rued with three fine labba (Ctxlogenis paca).
X.abbe, obs. form of let be : see LET v.
> ism: see LAMBDACISM.
LabcUnnm (la:-bdaiim). Also 6, 8 lapda-
j. [m<*l.L. ; form of L. ladanum. ] =LADAXUM.
. -if raw? t Cirurg. v. ii. 334 Lapdanum.] 1301
.ran. (i8n) 234 [In list of spices] Lapdanum
ast. Helthe 1 1541) n a, Thinges good for a colde
: Oalmgale : . . Labdanum. 1611 COTCR.,
.abdanum ; a fat, clammie, transparent and
:ig Gumme. 1714 Fr. Bk. of Rates 93 Lapdanum
per nxj v. eight 02 60. 1773 R. CHANDLER Trail. Asia .!/.
(1825) I. 307 Hills green with flowering shrubs, and in parti
cular with labdanum. 1830 LINDLEY Nat. Sy*t. Bat. 152
The resinous balsamic substance called Labdanum. 1835
BROWNIXG Paracelsus 101 Heap cassia, sandal-buds, and
stripes Of labdanum.
La-bee, obs. form of let be : see LET v.
Labefact (larbtfsekO, ///. a. rare. [ad. L.
labefact-us, pa. pple. of labefactre : see LABEFY.
Cf. It. labefalto (Florio).] Shaken, tottering.
1874 BUSHSELI. Forgiveness $ Law i. 86 The integrity of
the heathen world in general is just so far labefact, prosti
tute, and^morally rotted away, as it has religiously abounded
in expiations.
t La befact, v. Obs. [f. ppl. stem of L. la.be-
fadre : see LABEFY.] trans. To shake, weaken.
(-1540 ABP. PARKED Cirrrssf. (1853) 11 Not with covert
inventions to labefact the credence of the people.
t Labefa Ctate, v. Obs. rare. [L L. labefac-
tat-, ppl. stem of labefactdre, freq. of labefacire :
see LABEFY.] trans. To cause to totter or fall.
1657 TO.MLINSON tr. Remm s Disp. 428 It labefactates
houses by its weight.
Labefactation (l&bifxkte -fen). rare. [ad.
L. labefactation-em, n. of action f. labefactdre (see
prec.).] =next.
1775 JOHNSON in Boswell, There is in it [the Beggars
Opera ] such a labefactation of all principles as may be
injurious to morality.
Labefaction (Ixbflse-kfan). [n. of action
corresp. to LABEFY : see -FACTION.] A shaking,
weakening ; overthrow, downfall.
1620 VENNEH Via Recta ii. 4I A suddaine labefaction of
the liuer. Hid. vii. 123 It . . resisteth the corruption of
humors, and labefaction of the vitall and natural! parts.
1793 W. ROBERTS Looker-on No. 36 (1794) II. 41 We should
..join them in promoting the labefaction of all human
fovernment. 1834 GLAIJSTONE in Liddon Life Pusey (1893)
. xiii. 309 Until the whole body of Churchmen is in such
a state that all will be . . secure against labefaction. 1878
R. W. DIXON Hist. Ch. F.ng. I. v. 321 To private difficulties
and causes of labefaction such as these, must be added
several notable measures of confiscation which took place
within the same limits of time.
t La befy, v. Obs. rare. [ad. L. labefacire (f.
root of labare to fall, totter +faci-re to make) : see
-FY.] trans. To weaken, impair.
1620 VENNER Via Recta viii. 178 Not . . to pppresse and
labefie the digestiue faculty, .with too great variety of meats.
Label (.U -bel), rf.l Forms: 4 lable, 4-6
labelle, 5-7 labell, 6 labil, 4- label, [a. OF.
label (also lable!) ribbon, fillet, file (in Her.**; of
obscure etymology ; by some scholars thought to
be of Teut. origin (cf. OHG. lappa : see LAP sb\).
The synonymous OF. lambel, lembel is app. a
variant : see LAMBEAU.]
1. A narrow band or strip of linen, cloth, etc. ; a
fillet, ribbon, tassel; the infula of a mitre.
c 1320 Sir Beues 074 King Ermin . . Jaf him a scheld gode
& sur Wi(j bre eglen of asur, pe champe of gold ful wel
i-dijt Wijj fif lables [MS. S. labelles, MS. N. lambels] of
seluer bri}t. 1519 HORMAN Vitlg. 129, I wyll recompense
the with a labell, reponim apprndice quadattt. 1530 PALSGR.
237/1 Labell, hffvppe. 1552 HULOET, A labell hanging on
each side of a miter, infitla. Labelles hanging down on
firlands, or crownes, leinnisci. 1564 tr. Jwefs Apol. Ch.
ng. Pvjb, Peter., sytting in his Chaire, with his triple
Crowne full of labelles. 1577 tr. liullingers Decades (1592)
5 Broade beneath and sharpe aboue, in fashion somewhat
like to the label of a bishops Miter. 1597-8 Bp. HALL
Sat. iv. ii. 24 A knit night-cap . . With two long labels
button d to his chin. 1649 JER. TAYLOR Gt. Exeinp. nr. xv.
79 Persons . . whose outside seemed to have appropriated
religion to the labels of their frontlets. 1872 SHIPLEY Ghss.
Eccl. Terms 199 s.v. Fillet, The labels of a bishop s mitre.
1 2. A small strip of paper or parchment attached
to a document by way of supplement to the matter
contained therein ; hence, a supplementary note,
comment, or clause, a codicil. Also Jig. Obs.
c 1380 WYCLIF Wks. (1880) 331 Certis if bise popis bulles
shulen be undurstonden wib sich a label, ben-ne pei weren
not profitable to be purchasour ne to be churche. Set.
HSfo. II. 399 And so sich cursing of popis is tokene of
blessing of God. And if \>e Chirche were wel enformed of
bis sentence, wib hise labellis, men shulden not drede
eyned cursingis, ne lette for hem to sue Cristis lawe. 1562
dy^ that shall be delivered for you > is the root and the
original of all such labels as we teach. 1593 SHAKS. Roni.
ffjul. iv. i. 57 Ere this hand by thee to Romeo seal d, Shall be
the Labell to another Deede . . this shall slay them both. 161 1
Cymb. v. v. 430 When I wak d, I found This Labell on my
bosome. 1649 JF.R. TAYLOR 6V. Exemp. nr. 75 Make us. .read
our duty in the pages of revelation, not in the labels of
accidentall effects. 1654 H. L ESTRANGE Chas. I 80 It was
presented to the King without any such saving label. 1658-
1706 PHILLIPS, Labels .. little pieces of parchment cut out
long- wayes, and hanging upon Indentures, or other kinde
of writings.
f3. Astron. and Surveying. In an astrolabe or
a circumferentor, a narrow thin brass rule used
chiefly in taking altitudes. Obs.
c 1391 CHAUCER Astral, i. 22 Thanne hastow a label, that
is schapen lik a rewle, save that it is streit & hath no plates
on either ende with holes. 1594 BI.UNDEVIL Exerc. vi.
Introd. (1636) 607 This Labell is divided into oo degrees
twice set doune therein with Arithmeticall figures. 1674
MOXON Tutor Astron. (ed. 3) ir. xiii. 50 The Astrolabe is a
round Instrument flat on either side. . . Upon the Center is
a^moveable Label or Ruler .. whereupon Is placed two
Sights. Ibid, 51 The degree and part of degree that the
Label lies on is the height of the Sun above the Horizon.
t4. gen. A slip or strip of anything; a narrow
piece (of land) ; a clamp (of iron) ; etc. Obs.
^1440 Promp. Parv. 282 2 Labelle, labellum. 1577-87
HARRISON England i. x. in Holinshed I. 34 By north of
the Brier, lieth the Rusco, which hath a Labell or Byland,
stretching out towards the southwest, 1649 JER. TAYLOR
Gt. Exctnp. xv. 39 They .. sealed the grave, and rolled a
great stone at the mouth of it and as an ancient tradition
says, bound it about with labels of Iron. 1650 FULLER Pisgak
iv. L 25 Where Balak met Balaam, standing as it were on
his tiptoes on the very last labell of his land, to reach forth
welcome to that false prophet. 1679 Hist, ofjetztr 5 The
flesh and skin hung down in long Collops and Labels. i68a
WHELER Journ. Greece in. 249 Its Lungs . . consisting of a
thin, skinny Substance, .divided into two Labels, placed on
each side, and filled with Air ; which being let out, those
Label* shrunk together. 1686 PLOT Staffprdsh. 335 Nine
fryingpan-plates .. claspt together by turning up 4 Labclls
which are ordinarily fixt to the lower plate.
5. Her. A mark of cadency distinguishing the
eldest son of a family and consisting in a band
drawn across the upper part of the shield having
(usually three) dependent points (label of three
points] ; cf. FILE sb? 5. f Also, one of the depen
dent points (or lambeaux).
[1394 in Rymer Fadera (1709) VII. 763 Habeat justum
Titulum hxreditarium ad portandum, pro Cresta sua, unum
Leopardum de Auro, cum uno Labello Albo.] la 1412 LYDG.
Two Merchants 868 For now of trowthe no man can contry ve
A verray seel or thenpreent i-grave Withoute a label his
armes hool to save. 1463 in Bury Wills tCamden) 35 My
best hertepfgold with aungellys and a ruby with iiij. labellys
of white innamyl. 1486 Bk. St. Albans^ Her. f vii b, Off
arnys barrit and of labellis borne in armys. c 1500 Sc,
poem on Heraldry 44 in Q. Eliz. Acad., etc. 95 Nobillis bere
merkis, to mak be knawin, ther douchtynes..The fader the
hole, the eldas son defler[e]nt, quhiche a labelle ; a cressent
the secound. 1569 LEIGH Armorit (1597) 107 [see FILE
sb? 5]. 16x0 GUILLIM Heraldry \. vi. (1660) 33 The Labell
of the Heire apparent (saith Wyrley) is seldom trans
ferred unto the second brother. 1611 COTGH., Lambel,
..a File with three Labells pendant. Ibid., Pendante, a
labell pendant. -1640, 1787 [see FILE sb* 5]. 1708 CHAM.
BKRLAYNE State Gt. Brit. i. n. v. (1743) 58 The Arms of the
Prince of Wales at this Day differ from those of the King
only by addition of a Label of three points. 1863 BOUTELL
Heraldry Hist. $ Pop. ix. 46 A Label is sometimes borne as
a sole Charge. Ibid. xiv. 153 A silver label of five points.
6. A narrow strip of material attached to a docu
ment to carry the seal.
1494 FABYAN Chron. vii, 344 An instrument or wrytynge, at
y e which hynge many labellys with sealys. 1679-88 Seer.
Serv. Money Chns. $ Jas. (Camd.) 64 For writing, flourishing,
and embellishing and guilding the subscripc on and labells
of a 1 re sent to the Czars of Russia, a. 1680 BUTLER Licen
tious Age Ckas. II 142 Until the subtlest of their conjurers
Seal d up the labels to his soul, his ears. 1726 AYLIFFE
Parerg, 131 On this Label of Lead, the Heads of the two
Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul are impressed from the
Papal Seal. 1738 BIRCH App. t* Life Milton M. s Wks. I.
88 He did stitch the silk Cord or Label of that Seal with
silk of the Colours of the said Label, and so fixed the Label
and Seal to the said Commission.
7. A slip oi paper, cardboard, metal, etc. attached
or intended to be attached to an object and bearing
its name, description, or destination. (The chief
current sense.) Also_/f^.
1679 Roxb. Ball. (1883) IV. 549 Let several Labels from
their mouths proceed, To note the different Tribes o the Holy
Seed : Here, * Root and Branch ; there, Down with Babel,
down ! * 1680 DRYDEN Sp. Friar i. i, About his Neck There
hung a Wench ; the Label of his Function. 1702 C. MATHEK
Magn. C/iristim. m. (1852) 556 A poor Indian having a
label going from his mouth, with a come over and help us.
1722 DE FOE Moll Flanders (1840) 261 The hamper was
directed by a lable on the cording. 1765 H. WALPOLE
I crtne s Anted. Paint. (17891 IV. 155 Sometimes a short
label [in or on Hogarth s figures) is an epigram, and is
never introduced without improving the subject. 1773 Lond.
Chron. 7 Sept. 248/3 Labels for bottles. 1797 GODWIN
Enquirer i. xv. 129 A collection of books, .is viewed through
glass doors, their outsides and labels are visible to the child,
but the key is carefully kept. 1837 I^ICKENS Pickw. ii, With
a brass label and number round his neck. 1841 FORBES
Eleven Yrs. Ceylon I. 131 Fine cold-drawn castor-oil was
found printed on the label. 1871 MORLEY Voltaire (1886) 4
To the critic of the schools, ever ready with the compendious
label, he is the revolutionary destructive. 1888 A. K. GREEN
Behind Closed Doors vii, Poison that is bought at a drug
store usually has a label on the bottle.
b. An adhesive postage- stamp, bill-stamp, or
the like. (Now only in official language.)
1840 in Philbrick & Westoby Postage^ Stamps Gt. Brit.
(1881) 46, I beg enclose you two specimens of the Penny
and Twopenny stamped Covers and Envelopes, and two of
the Penny adhesive Labels. Ibid. 47 Sheets of id. Labels
containing 240 Stamps. 1861 Brit. Postal Guide Jan. 14
Postage Stamps. Every Postmaster is required to have
on hand a sufficient stock of postage labels and embossed
penny envelopes.
8. Arch. A moulding over a door, window, or
other opening; a dripstone,
1823 in NICHOLSON Pract. Builder 587. 1850 Parker*:
Gloss. Archil, (ed. 5) s.v. Dripstone^ The term Label is
borrowed from heraldry-, and therefore in strictness is only
applicable to the straight form which is used in Perpendicu
lar work, which resembles the heraldic label. 1851 Turner s
Dom. Arc/tit. II. ii. 30 The arches have no projecting label.
1879 SIR G. G. SCOTT Led. Med. Archit. I. vi. 225 As the
junction of the arch with the wall above was but slightly
marked a small projecting moulding was introduced which
we call the drip-stone or label.
9. attrib. and Comb., as (sense 7) label-licking ;
paster; label-cloth, cloth used for the making
of labels for books ; label-ink, ink used in the
marking of labels; f label-lolling a. t projecting
like a label (sense 7); label-mould, -moulding
= sense 8 ; f label-seal, a seal attached to a docu
ment by a Mabel ; label-stop Arch., a boss or
torbel supporting the end of a label or dripstone.
1801 Daily News i Pec, 2 3 The manufacture of book
cloth, tracing cloth, * label cloth, and grey clolh. 1863
Fowncs Man. Elem. Chem. (ed. 9) in. 683 [It] forms a most
excellent *label-ink for the laboratory, as it is unaffected by
acid vapours. 1899 Daily News 9 Sept. 3/4 * Label-licking,
which, is practised largely in thread mills and aerated water
factories. 1615 SIR K. HOBY Cnny-combe v. 237 These
mushrumps (grounded vpon a lesse motiue) may not bee
questioned, though nothing so euident as a blareing Mabel-
lolling tongue, which without the helpe of a Muffler, could
not be so well concealed. 1878 M VnriE Ch. Ch. Cath. 67
Over the large pointed arch is a *label-mould. 1830 MRS.
BRAY Fitz ofFitz-ford iv. (1884) 33 A well-turned archway,
ornamented with the oak-branch and the *label-moulding.
1889 PASK Eyes Thames 172 They have been book-binders,
boot-closers, * label-pasters, and such like. 1679 WILLOI-GHBY
in ManseWs Narr. Pop. Plot 21 A Commission, with thir
teen *Label-seals, and as many Names thereto. 1894 C. G.
HARPER Marches of Wales 132 A carefully rendered little
head .. carved on the *label-stop of the canopy.
Label (l^ -bel), sb* Bot. [ad. L. LABELLUM.]
fa. ? A segment of a leaf (obs.}. b. The lip of
a ringent corolla.
1671 GREW Anat. Plants iv. 16 If the Leaves be much
indented or jagg d, now we have the Duplicature; wherein
there are divers plaits in one Leaf, or Labels of a Leaf.
1707 SLOANE Jamaica I. i6a The flower stands on a three
inches long foot-stalk, is made like the flowers of the Aris-
tolochia . . the label being covered with a yellowish farina.
1888 Syd. Soc. Lex.) LaM, same as Labellum.
Label (l^ bel), v. Also 9 lable. [f. LABEL
sb.^] trans. To affix a label to, mark with a labeh
LABELLATE.
1601 SHAKS. Ttuel. .V. i. v. 265, I will giue out diners
schedules of my beautie. It shalbe Inuentoried and euery
particle and vtensile labell d to my will : As, Item two lippes
indifferent redde [etc.]. 1786 MAD. D ARBLAYZV<xry2 Aug.,
The Queen .. employed the Princess Royal to label them
[books]. 1790 W. HASTINGS Let. 2 Dec. in Boswell John
son (1793! III. 315 A parcel containing other select papers,
and labelled with the titles appertaining to them. 1831
CARLYLE Misc. 1 1. 309 Common ashes are solemnly labelled as
fell poison, c 1865 J. WVLDE in Circ. Sci. I. 313/2 This may
be labled oxygen mixture . 1885 Law Times LXXVII1.
385/2 The due diligence of the consignors in labelling and
delivering the goods to the carriers. 1893 MATHESON About
Holland 22 A carriage labelled Niet rooken.
b. fig. To describe or designate as with a label ;
to set down in a category (as so and so).
(11853 ROBERTSON Lect. ii. (1858) 59 This foolish and
wicked system of labelling men with names. 1871 MORI.EY
l- oltairc (1872) 277 We cannot label Voltaire either spiri
tualist or materialist. 1875 JOWETT Plato (ed. 2) II. 293 He
despatches the bad to Tartarus, labelled either as curable
or incurable. 1881 M. ARNOLD Byron in Macm. Mag:
XLIII. 376 It would be most unjust to label Byron .. as
a rhetorician only.
Hence La balling vbl. sb. Also La beller.
1871 Echo 8 Feb., The public . . condemn us for labelling
the Poison. . . By inserting this in your next issue you will
greatly oblige one of the labellers. OuAtAfnfum 17 Aug.
219/3 A la em n S of Welsh names. 1896 Westm. Gaz.
26 Mar. 2/1 Bottle fillers, washers, and labellers.
Labellate (lahe-l/t), a. Zool. [f. L. LABELL-
UM + -ATE 3.] (See quot.)
1846 DANA Zooph. (1848) 432 Labellate .. Long-lipped, or
in shape nearly like the blade of a shovel . . It passes into
the dimidiate form.
Labelled (1^ beld), a. [f. LABEL sb.^ and v.
+ -ED.] a. Her. Of a mitre : Having labels or
infulse (of a particular tincture). Labelled line (see
quot. 1753). b. Arch. Having a label or drip- j
stone. C. Marked with a ticket bearing the name,
description of contents, etc. of the article.
1570 LEVINS Manip. 49/37 Labelled, infulatus. 1753 CHAM
BERS Cycl. Sitpp., Labelled line, in heraldry, a term used
by some to express the line in certain old arms, called more
usually urdee or champagne. Others apply the same word
to express the patee or dovetail line, called also the inclave
line by Morgan. 1841 R. P. WARD l)e Clifford II. x. 115
A castle .. with . . its towers, and labelled windows. 1863
BOUTELL Heraldry Hist, ff Pop. xxi. 358 Arg., on a cross sa.,
a mitre labelled or. 1895 Bookseller s Calal., Leech him
self in a nightcap sitting by the fire with a labelled bottle on
the mantelshelf.
Labelloid (labe-loid), a. Bot. [f. next + -DID.]
Lip-like, lip-shaped.
1830 LINDLEY Nat. Syst. Bot. 275 Perianthium minute,
either a single labelloid lobe, or an urceolate 6-toothed body.
II Labellum (,labe-l#m). [L. little lip , dim.
of labrum lip.]
1. Bot. The lower division or lip of an orchida
ceous corolla, often enlarged or curiously shaped.
1830 LINDLEY Nat. Syst. Bot. 263 Sometimes it [sc. the
anther] stands erect, the line of dehiscence of its lobes being
turned towards the labellum. 1839 DARWIN Orig. Spec.
vi. (1873) 154 This orchid has part of its labellum or lower
lip hollowed out into a great bucket. 1881 VINES Sac/is
Bot. 882 The labellum of .Vegaclinium falcatum.
2. Ent. One of a pair of tumid lobes terminating
the proboscis of certain insects.
1816 KIRBY & SP. Entmnol. III. 361.
t La-bent, a. Obs. [ad. L. labent-, pr. pple.
of Idbt to fall.] Falling, sliding, fleeting, run
ning, or passing away (Bailey 1727 vol. II).
t Labeon, labioil. 06s. rare. [ad. L. labcon-
em, labion-em, augmentative, f. labiutn lip.] One
who has large lips.
1650 BULWER AntJiropomet. (1653) 175 The same or worse
must befall these artificiall Labions, for their Lips must need
hang in their light, and their words stick in the birth. 1658
PHILLIPS, Labeons, blaber-lipped persons.
Laberinth, -ynth, obs. forms of LABYRINTH.
Labey (,lae-bi). Sc. Also 9 laby, lebbie.
[Of obscure origin ; cf. Gael, lebbag little shred or
fragment (M C L. & D.) ; also LAP rf.l] A loose
garment or wrap ; the lappet or skirt of a coat.
a 1597 Satir. Poems Reform, xliii. rgo The hirdis and
hinde men in their labeis lay. 1811 A. SCOTT Poems, Conn- j
try S middy 68 (Jam.) His new coat labey. 1823-80 JAMIE-
SON, Lebbie, the lap or fore-skirt of a man s coat. 1890 J.
SERVICE Thir Notandums iv. 20 The labies o his Sark.
Labia : see LABIUM.
Labial (li? bial), a. and sb. [ad. med.L. labial-
is, f. labi-um lip. Cf. F. labial (1690 in Furetiere).]
A. adj.
1. Of or pertaining to the lips.
1650 BULWER A ntkropomet. xi, 107 Lip-Gallantry, or certain
labial Fashions invented by diverse Nations. 1837 MARRY AT
Dog-Fiend xix, The olfactory examination was favourable,
so he put his mouth to it the labial essay still more so.
1848 CLOUGH Amours de Voy. ii. 157 The labial muscles
that swelled with Vehement evolution of yesterday Mar
seillaises. 1867 JEAN! NGELOW Lify <y L ute ii. 108 More than
I can make you view, With my paintings labial. 1867 A. J.
ELLIS E. E. Pronunc. I. iii. 3. 161 The volume of the
mouth is divided into two bent tubes of which the first may
be termed the lingual passage as its front extremity is
formed by the tongue, and the second, the labial passage.
b. spec, in Anat., Zool., etc. Pertaining to a lip,
lip-like part, or LABIUM ; having the character or
functions of a lip.
1656 BLOUNT Glossogr. s.v. Vein, Labial veins, the lip
veines, whereof there are two on each inner side, both of
the upper and under lip. 1731 QUINCY Lex. Physico-Mtd.
ted. 2) 227 Labial Glands. 18*6 KIRUY & SP. Entomol. III.
356 Palpi Labiates (the Labial Feelers). 1851-6 WOODWARD
Mollusca.-2i\ The lips and labial tentacles of the ordinary
bivalves. 1879 T. BRYANT Fract.Surg. II. 230 Labial cysts
are very common, and are usually met with on the inner side
of the labia. 1881 MivARrCVi/ 27 The membrane lining the
mouth abounds in small glands, those within tbe cheeks
and lips being termed buccal and labial respectively.
c. Labial pipe : an organ-pipe furnished with i
lips, a flue-pipe.
1852 SEIDEL Organ 21 An organ .. which contained the
following labial or languet registers. 1863 TYNDALI. Heat i
viii. App. 280 The flame is also affected by various D s of an j
adjustable labial pipe. 1876 HILES Catecli. Organ iv. (1878)
23 Flue-pipes are also called Labial, or lip-pipes.
2. J honetics. The distinctive epithet of those
sounds which require complete or partial closure
of the lips for their formation, as the consonants
p, b, m, f, v, w, and the rounded vowels.
1594 T. B. La Primaud. Fr. Acatl. II. 87 The Hebrewes
name their letters, some gutturall . . ; others dentall . . ; &
so they call others, labiall, that is letters of the lips. clSzo
A, HUME Brit. Tongiie\, vii, I beginning to lay my grundes
of labial, dental, and guttural soundes and symboles. Ihid. \
A labial letter can not symboliz a guttural syllab. 1668
WILKINS RealCkar. 111. xiv. 379 The Vowels, as they are
distinguished into Labial , being framed by an emission of ,
the Breath through the Lips [etc.]. 1865 TYLOR Hist. Man. \
iv. 73 Words containing labial and dental letters.
B. sb.
1. A labial sound.
1668 WILKINS Real Char. ill. xiv. 380 The Labials are
represented by two curve Figures for the Lips, a 1709
W. BAXTER Let. in Gloss. Antiy. Rom. (1731) 409 The
third Sort are Labials formed by the Lips alone. 1849-50
THACKERAY 1 exdemtit xlvi, You have but the same four
letters to describe the salute which . . you bestow on tbe
sacred cheek of your mistress but the same four letters and
not one of them a labial. 1864 MAX MULLER Sci. Lang.
Ser. n. iv. 162 It is a fact, .that the Mohawks. .have no p, b,
m, f, v, w no labials of any kind.
2. A labial part or organ, e.g. one of the plates
or scales which border the mouth of a fish or rep
tile, one of the labial palpi of insects.
1885 W. K. PARKER Mammalian Desc. 11.46 The finished
labials (lip-cartilages) of the types just referred to.
Hence La bially adv., with a labial sound or
utterance.
1798 H. T. COLEBROOKE tr. Dig. Hindu Law (iSor) I. ,
xxvii, Sometimes pronounced gutturally, sometimes labially.
Labialism (U T -bializ m). rhonelics. [f.LABiAL
-f -ISM.] Tendency to labialize sounds ; labial
pronunciation.
1881 Encycl. Brit. XIII. 810/2 In one set_[of cognate ;
words] we see the phenomenon of labialism, in the other
assibilation, but no touch of labialism.
Labialize (l^ biabiz),^. Phonetics, [f. LABIAL
+ -IZE.] trans. To render (a sound) labial in
character ; to round (a vowel). Also absol.
Hence La-bialized///. a.
1867 A. J. ELLIS /;. E. Pronunc. i. iii. 3. 160 Round or
Labialised Vowels. Ibid. 162 That (u) is almost (3) labialized
or rounded. Ibid. 163 By merely neglecting to labialise,
(u, it) are converted into (<r, E). 1874 SWEET Hist. Eng.
Sounds 74 The i has been gutturalized and labialized into u
by /. 1876 DOUSE Grimm s Law 57. 140 The labialized A"s.
Hence Labializa tion, the action of labializing
or the condition of being labialized ; rounding (of
a vowel).
1867 A. J. ELLIS E.E.Proimnc. i. iii. 74 The vowels differ
by the important distinction of labialisation. 1877 SWEET
Primer Phonetics 36. 13 Rounding,, .a contraction of the
mouth cavity by lateral compression of the cheek passage
and narrowing of the lip aperture, whence the older name
labialization.
Labiate (1^ biiA), a. and sb. [ad. mod.L.
labiat-us, f. LABI-UH : see -ATE a.] A. adj.
1. Bot. a. Lipped : applied to flowers which
have the corolla or calyx divided into two parts
opposed in such a way as to suggest lips ; bila
biate. b. Belonging to the N.O. Labiate, con
sisting of herbaceous plants and under-shrubs,
characterized by flowers of the form above de
scribed, opposite leaves, and usually square stalks,
e.g. the mints, ground-ivy, the dead nettles, etc.
1706 PHILLIPS (ed. Kersey), Labiate Flmvers (among Her.
balistsi are those that have one or two Lips ; some of which
represent a kind of Helmet, or Monk s Hood. 1785 MAR-
TYN Roitsseau s Bot. iv. 46 The white Dead-nettle bears a
monopetalous labiate flower. 1835 LINDLEY Introd. Bot.
(1848) I. 334 When the two lips are separated from each
other by a wide regular orifice, . . the corolla is said to be
labiate or ringent. 1862 BELLEW Miss. Afghanistan 451
The greensward . . was covered with a variety of labiate
herbs, amongst which the wild thyme, mint, basil, sage, and
lavender were recognized. 1881 Sci. Gossip 254 The black
horehound and other labiate plants.
2. a. Anat. and Zool. Formed like or resembling
in shape, function, etc. a lip or labium. b. Ent.
Of an orifice : Having thickened, fleshy margins.
In recent Diets.
B. sb. Bot. A labiate plant.
1845 LINDLEY .SV/*. Bot.v\. (1862) 95 Order XLIV. Lamiacese
Labiates. 1861 S. THOMSON Wild Flffmers in. (ed. 4! 196
The common bugle, . . one of the labiates. 1879 LUBBOCK
Sci. Lect. i. 19 Generally in the Labiates, the corolla has
the lower lip adapted as an alighting board for insects.
LABIO-.
Labiated (l<? bi|<; ted),. Bot. and Zool. 1
[Formed as prec. -I- -ED.] Lipped, labiate.
1707 SLOANE Jamaica L 173 Small stalks, having . . many
white labiated flowers. 1776 WITHERING Brit. /Yrt/jf 17961
III. 26 The labiated shape of the calyx. 1835 KIRBY//*. -y
hist. Anim. I. xii. 333 In some [Annelidans] it [the mouth]
is simple, orbicular or labiated.
Labiatiflorous (J/ 1 bi|< l tifl5T3s), a. Bot. [f.
mod.L. labidtus LABIATE + -flor-us (f. fior-, flos
F LOWER) + -ous.] Having a labiate corolla. Also
La biatiflo-ral a. (in recent Diets.).
1855 MAYNE Expos. ir., Labiatijloriis . . labiatiflorous.
1880 GRAY Struct. Bot. 417 Labiatiflorous. Said of certain
Compositae with bilabiate corollas.
Labidometer (IsebidfmAsa). Surg. [f. Gr.
Aa/3i5o-, Aa/3is forceps + nirpoy -METER. Cf. F.
labidotnelre.] An instrument consisting of a pair
of obstetric forceps with a graduated scale attached
for measuring the size of the fcetal head.
1853 in DUNGLISON Med. Lex. led. 9).
t Labies, sb.pl. Obs. [Plural ol*labie, *laly, ad.
LABI-L-M. Cf. obs. F. labie (Cotgr.).] Lips.
1541 R. COPLAND Galyen s Tlierap. 2 C iv, Yf a shepeherde
sawe the labies of a sore harde, flynty, wan, and blacke. -he
wold haue no dowbte for to cut it.
Labile (U -bil, Ise-bil), a. Also 5 labyl, 7 labil.
fad. L. labil-is, f. lain to slip, fall, LAPSE : see -ILK.
Cf. F. labile.}
1. Liable or prone to lapse, fa. Prone to fall
into error or sin ; T/ieol. liable to fall from inno
cence (obs.). b. Of a fund, etc. : Lapsable.
1447 BOKKNHAM Seyntys (Roxb.) 147 My labyl mynde and
the dulnesse Of my wyt. 1678 GALE Crl. Gentiles III. 109
The supralapsarian Divines, who make man as labile the
object of reprobation. 1740 CIIEYNE Regimen iv. 140 AM
Creatures being finite and free, must necessarily, by their
Nature, be labile, fallible and peccable. 1894 Forum June
449 These funds are no more labile than any other form of
trust or mortmain.
f2. Apt to slip away, slippery, lit. and_/?y. Obs.
1613 COCKERAM, Labile, slipperie, unstable. 1654 Jm.
TAYLOR Reat Pres. 14 Now a man would think we had him
sure ; but his nature is labile and slippery.
3. Prone to undergo displacement in position or
change in nature, form, chemical composition, etc. ;
unstable. Now only in Physics and Chemistry.
1603 FLORIO Montaigne II. xii. (1632) 340 Pithagoras [said]
that each thing or matter was ever gliding and labile. 1654
JEK. TAYLOR Real Pres. i Wood .. can .. be made thin,
labile and inconsistent. 1878 FOSTER Physiol. II. v. ^3
More labile than tissue proteid and yet more stable than
the circulating proteid. 1889 BURDON-SANDERSON in Xature
Sept. 26 Protoplasm . . conies to consist of two things . . of
acting part which lives and is stable, and of acted-on part
which has never lived and is labile, that is, in a state of
metabolism. 1894 LD. SALISBURY in Pop. .SV/. Monthly Nov.
40 The genius of Lord Kelvin has recently discoveitd what
he terms a labile state of equilibrium.
4. Electr. Said of the application of a current
by moving an electrode over an affected region
instead of holding it firmly at one part.
1888 in Syd. Sot. Lex. 1893 A. S. ECCI.ES Sciatica vi. 65
With the anode labile over the foot, leg, and thigh. 1896
Atlbntfs Syst. Med. I. 369 The battery current labile over
the affected muscles.
Hence Labi lity, proneness to lapse, instability
of form or nature.
wood and water. 1740 CHEYNE Regimen v. (1790) 218 But
Sensibility and Intelligence, being by their Nature and
Essence free must be labile, and by their Lability may
actually lapse, degenerat [etc.].
Labi-meter. Surg. [ad. F. labimetre, in
correctly f. Gr. \a/3i s (nom.) : see LABIDOMETER.]
\ = LABIDOMETER.
1853 in DUNGLISON Med. Lex. (ed. 9).
Labio- (I<? bi0), taken as comb, form of L.
labiuni lip. (a) in Phonetics, with the sense formed
with lips and (some other organ) , as labio-dental
\ adj. and sb., labio-guttural, -lingual, -nasal,
, -palatal (hence labio-palatalize vb.), -velar adjs. ;
(nonce-wd.) labio-palato-nasal adj.; (/>) Path.,
affecting or having to do with the lips and (some
other part) , as labio-alveolar, labio-glosso-laryn-
geal,-pharyngeal, labio-mental [L. mentum chin],
etc. (Syd. Soc. Lex. 1888). Also la biomancy
[Gr. pavrda divination], lip-reading.
1660 HOLDER Elem. Speech 71 P. and B. are Labial : Ph.
I and Bh. are *Labio-dental. Ibid. 138 The Labiodentals.
1748 Phil. Trans. XLV. 405 The labial and labio-dental Con
sonants. 1887 COOK tr. Silvers O. E. Gram.iao A sonant
spirant, either labial or labio-dental. 1874 A. J. ELLIS . h.
Pronunc. iv. xi. 2 No. 7. 1353 Labials .. Labio-dentals . .
Labio-linguals. 1876 Clin. Sac. Trans. IX. 82 Progressive
labio-glosso-laryngeal paralysis. 1897 AUMt sSyst. Mcd.
IV. 862 In labio-glosso-laryngeal paralysis anaesthesia of the
I larynx has been observed. 1879 H. NICOL in Eacycl. Brit.
bed if she might lay but her hand on their lipps so as to
feel the motion of them, she could perfectly understand
what her bedfellows said. 1812 Eurof. Mag: LXII. 287
[Title of article.] Labiomancy* 1874 A. J. ELLIS E. h. Pro-
nunc. iv. xi. 3 No. 7. 133^ Granting that consonants may
be labialised, or palatalised", or "labio-palataltsed. 1867
LABIOSE.
LABOROTJS.
0. W. HOLMES Guardian Angel \\, (1891) 16 A sort of half-
suppressed *labio- pal ato- nasal utterance. 1894 LINDSAY
Latin Lang. Index, *Labiovelar Gutt[urals],
Labion, variant of LABEON.
Labiose (l^-bi^s), a. Bot. [f. LABI-ATE, with
substitution of suffix.] (See quot.)
1832 LINDLEV Introd. Bot. \. ii. 7. 119 If the [polypetalous]
corolla . . resembles what is called labiate in gamopetalous
corollas, it is termed labiose.
Labirinth, -ynth, obs. forms of LABYKINTH.
II Labium (l^-bimn). [L. r= lip .] A lip or
lip-like part. (Cf. LABRUM.)
1. Anat. f a. One of the sides of the aperture of
a vein. Obs.
1597 A. M. tr. Gnillemeaus Fr. Chirurg. 28/4 When we
bende the elbowe, both the labia or lippes of the vayn do
separate themselves.
b. Chiefly in pi. labia, in full labia pitdendi :
The lips of the female pudendum ; the folds of in
tegument on either side of the vulva.
17*2 QUINCY Lex. Physico-Med. (ed. 2) 174 The Labia, or
Lips of the great Chink. 1806 Med. Jrnl. XV. 21 When the
uterus remains within the labia. 1872 THOMAS Dis. Women
lot An ichorous, fetid, nauseating fluid bathes the labia
majora. 1879 T. HRYANT Pract. Surg. II. 229 In women,
the labium may be the seat of an inguinal hernia.
2. In insects, crustaceans, etc., the organ which
constitutes the lower covering or floor of the
mouth and serves as an tinder lip. (Cf. LABUUM.)
i8z8 STARK Elem. Nat. Hist. II. 209 They [Myriapoda]
have .. a labium or lip without palpi, formed of united por
tions. 1862 in GoldsmitJCs Nat. Hist. II. 575 The mouth
has usually two mandibles, a labium, or lip below, and from
three to five pairs of jaws. 1878 UKLL Gegcnbanr s Contp. \
Anat. 245 When those gnathites are fused in the middle
line the so-called labium is formed.
b. Conch. The inner lip of a univalve shell.
1839 SOWKRBY Conch, Man. 54 Labium^ or inner lip. Is
used to express that side of the aperture which is nearest the
axis, and generally contiguous to the body whorl, the lower
part of this, when sufficiently distinct from the part which
overwraps the body whorl, is called the Columella. 1851
RICHARDSON Geol. viii. 240 The labiitttt t or columellar lip.
3. Bot. The lip, esp. the lower or anterior lip,
of a labiate corolla. (Cf. GALEA.)
1823 CRABIJ Technol. Dicf. t Labium, the Lip, the exterior
part of a labiate or ringent corolla. It is distinguished into
upper and lower; but sometimes the upper lip is culled the
labinin* and the lower galca. 1880 GRAY Struct. Bot. 419
A bilabiate corolla or calyx, .is cleft into an upper (superior
or posterior) and a lower (inferior or anterior) portion or lip
(labium).
4. The lip of an organ pipe (Stainer & Barrett
Diet. Mus. Terms],
HLablab ,lce-blaeb). [Arab. LjLLJ lablab.}
The Egyptian or black bean, a native of India,
but naturalized in most warm countries.
1823 CRABB Technol. Diet., Lablab t the Dolichos Lablab
of Linnaeus. 1866 Treas. Bot., Lablab, a genus of tropical
pulse formerly included in Dolichos, The two recognised
species are natives of India, but . . they are now found
naturalised in most tropical countries. 1886 A- H. CHURCH
FoodGrains India 161 Of the numerous forms of Lablab the
majority are eaten as a green vegetable.
Labor: see LABOUR.
t Laborant. Obs. [ad. L. laborant-em^ pr.
pple. of laborare to LABOUR.] A laboratory work
man; chemist s assistant; a working chemist.
1665 BOYLE Occas. Reft. \\. iii. (1848) 105 As I am wont to
reverence vulgar Chymists, I then envy a their Laborants,
whose imployment requires them to attend the Fire. 1680
Exper. Chem. Princ. i. 39 ^Ve caused the I^aborant with
an iron rod dexterously to stirr the kindled part of the
Nitre. 1694 Phil. Trans. XVIII. 203 Glauber .. a very
Chymist or Laborant, and nothing at all of a clear Philo
sopher.
tlia borate, v, Obs. rare. In 7 labourate.
[f. ppl. stem of L. laborare to LABOUR.] trans.
To elaborate.
1662 J. CHANDLER tr. Van Helmont s Oriat. 298 The tran
spiring or breathing thorow of Spirits labourated in the heart.
t Labora-tion. Obs. rare- 1 . Also 5 -aoion.
[ad. L. laboration-em, n. of action f. laborare to
LABOUR.] Working, work, labour.
(.1460 ASHBY Poems 77 Wjsdam must haue grete appli-
cacion In meche redyng and other laboracion. 17*7 BAILEY
vol. II, LaboratioH) a labouring.
Laboratorial (Ise-boratoo-rial), a. [f. LABO
RATORY + -AL.] Pertaining to the laboratory.
1862 H. MAHKYAT Yr. in Sweden II. 368 A large glass
bowl, with a laboratorial spout. 1881 Nature XXIII. 509
Their courses of instruction whether lectures or laboratorial.
Laborato rian, a. and sb. rare. [f. LABORA
TORY + -AN.] A. adj. =prec. B. sb. A chemist
who works in a laboratory.
1860 PIESSE Lab. Chem. Wonders 155 Young laboratorians
at home . . will not be slow to show their dexterity. Ibid,
173 The laboratorian chemists can liquify this metal.
Laboratory (lae boratsri). Also 7 laboritary,
labratory. [ad. med.L. laboratdri-um^ f. L. labo-
rare to LABOUR : see -ORY. Cf. F. laboratoire, It.,
Sp., Pg. taboratwio ; also ELABORATORY.]
1. A building set apart for conducting practical
investigations in natural science, orig. and esp. in
chemistry, and for the elaboration or manufacture
of chemical, medicinal, and like products.
*6o$ TIHME Quersit. in. 191 Wee commonly prouide that
they bee prepared in our laboratorie. a 1637 B. JONSON Mer
cury Vind. Induction, A Laboratory or Alchemist s work
house. 1683 WILDING in Collect. (O. H. S.) I. 258 For seeing
y Labratory .. oo 0006. 1691 WOOD A th. Oxon, II. 392 He
had a Laboratory to prepare all Medicines that he used
on his Patients. 1765 H. WALPOLE Vertne s Anecd. Paint.
(1786) III. 248 His best pieces were representations of
chymists and their laboratories. 1802 Med. Jrnl. VIII. 87
To establish in London a lalxjratory, or manufacture of
artificial mineral waters, 1812 SIR H. DAVY Chem. Philos.
Introd. 9 The greater number of the experiments were .
made in the laboratory of the Royal Institution. 1881 SIR
W. THOMSON in Nature 435 The electro-magnetic machine
has been brought from the physical laboratory into the pro
vince of engineering.
b. transf. and^f^.
1664 POWER Exper. Philos. i. 65 The Soul (like an
excellent Chymist) in this internal Laboratory of Man, by
a fermentation of our nourishment in the Stomach [etc.].
1794 SULLIVAN View Nat. I. 461 Fissures and caverns
of rocks are the laboratories, where such operations are
carried on. 1814 SIR H. DAVY Agric. Chem. 15 The soil is
the laboratory in which the food is prepared. 1860 MAURY
Phys. Creflg". Sea xviii. 740 Like the atmosphere it [the sea]
is a laboratory in which wonders by processes the most
exquisite are continually going on. 1870 J. H. NEWMAN
Gram. Assent \\. vui. 260 A notion neatly turned out of the
laboratory of the mind.
2. Mil. ( A department of an arsenal for the
manufacture and examination of ammunition and
combustible stores (Voyle Milit. Did. 1876).
1716 Loud. Caz. No. 5439/3 The Ammunition Laboratory
..was. .set on Fire. 1804 WELLINGTON Let. in Gurw. Desp.
(1837) III. 528 The arsenal, the laboratory fete.] ..are under
his immediate superintendence. 1846 GREENER Gunnery 85
A fuse, invented . . by . . a person employed in the laboratory
at Woolwich.
3. Metallurgy. * The space between the fire and
flue-bridges of a reverberatory furnace in which the
work is performed ; also called the kitchen and the
hearth (Raymond Mining Gloss. 1881).
1839 URE Diet. Arfs, etc. 822 The flame and the smoke
which escape from the sole or laboratory pass into con
densing chambers. 1877 RAYMOND Statist. Mines $ Mining
393 The laboratory is 9 feet long, 6 feet 9 inches wide, and
connects with the chimney, 2 feet 6 inches square, by a flue.
4. attrib.) as laboratory apparatus., chemist, ex
periment, fire, forge, furnace, machinery, man,
(sense 2) stores, work ; laboratory-chest, a chest
containing ammunition and explosive stores.
1860 PIESSE Lab. Chem. Wonders 145 As the botanist
does with plants so does the * laboratory-chemist with the
salts. 1769 FALCONER Diet. Marine (1780) Dd, A labora
tory-chest is to be on board each bomb-vessel, in the captain s
cabin, in which all the small stores are to be kept. 1898
Daily Neius 8 Feb. 5/2 Most of this evidence has had to be
tested by laboratory experiments. 1870 TYNDALL Heat v.
185. 148 My assistant dissolved the substance in a pan over
our Mac-oratory fire. 1866 ODLING A nim.Chem. iv.7 8 Whether
the chemist may not effect in his ""laboratory-machinery a
similar intercombination of deoxidised carbonic acid and
water. 1822-34 Good s Study Med. (ed. 4) IV. 449 Coal
heavers, dustmen, *laboratory-men, and others who work
among dry powdery substances. 1828 SPEARMAN Brit,
Gunner 8 Ammunition and *Laboratory Stores. 1881
LOCKYER in Nature 318 Whether we passed from low to
high temperatures in ^laboratory work.
t Labori ferous, a. Obs. rare- . [f. L.
laborifer (f. labdr(i}~ LABOUR + -fer bearing) +
-ous : see -FERGUS.] (See quot.)
1656 BLOUNT Glossogr.^ Laboriferous t that takes pains,
that endures labour, painfull, difficult.
Laborinth, -ynth, obs. forms of LABYRINTH.
t Laboriose, a. Obs. [ad. L. labdnos-us (see ,
LABOHIOUS).] Laborious, pains-taking (1727
Bailey vol. II).
Laboriosity (labo-Ti^-siti). rare. [f. L.
laborios-us (see next) + -ITY. Cf. F. laboriosity.] \
Laboriousness.
1656 BLOUNT Glossogr,, Laboriosity^ painfulness, labor!-
ousness, or laborosity. 1840 Blackw. Mag. XLVIII. 132 i
Numberless folio and quarto dissertations . . attest their i
invincible laboriosity. 1842 BLACKIE in Tait s Mag. IX. ,
749 The lumbering laboriosity of dead grammars and J
dictionaries.
Laborious (laboVrias), a. Also 6 -yous(e.
[ad. F. laborieux (12-131!! c. in Hatz.-Darm.) or
ad. L. laborios-tts, f. labor LABOUR : see -ious.]
1. Given to labour or toil ; doing much work ;
assiduous in work, hard-working.
1300 GOWER Con/. II. 90 If thou wolt here Of hem that
whilom vertuous Were and therto laborious, c 1407 SCOGAN
Moral Balade 69 Therefore laborious Ought ye to be,
beseeching god . . To yeve you might for to be vertuous.
555 EDEN Decades 318 Thinhabitauntes are men of good
corporature. .and laborious. 1634 RAINBOW Labour (1635) 5
The limbs of your industry are so strong and laborious.
(11648 LD. HERBERT Aittobiog. Life (1886) 192 He .. was
observed seldom or never . . to sweat much, though he
were very laborious. 1697 DRYDEN Virg. Georg. iv. 242
All.. combine to drive The lazy Drones from the laborious
Hive. 1709 STEELE Tatler No. 21 p 5 Laborious Ben s
Works will bear this Sort of Inquisition. 175* HUME Pol.
Disc. i. 17 Their own steel and iron, in such laborious
hands, become equal to the gold and rubies of the Indies.
1857 LD. DUIKERIN Lett. fr. High Latitudes 11867} 78
Those calm laborious minds .. pursuing day by day with
single-minded energy some special object, 1871 NIORLEY
Voltaire (1886) 9 He was always serious in meaning and
laborious in matter.
b. = LABOURING ///. a. i.
1777 HUME Ess. <$ Treat. I. 280 By this mean*, .a greater
number of laborious men are maintained, who may be
diverted to the public service. 1795 BURKE Th. Scarcity
Wks. VII. 378 The moral or philosophical happiness of the
laborious classes.
2. Of actions, conditions, etc. : Characterized by
or involving labour or much work ; toilsome, t Of
wages: Hardly earned. Obs.
14. . Chaucer s Friar s T. 130 (Corpus MS.) My office [is] ful
laborious. 1526 Piigr. Per/. (W. de W, 1531) 83 Nothynge
is more. .laboryous to kepe, than is virginite. 1549 LELAND
(title} The laboryouse Journey and Serche of Johan Ley-
lande for Englandes Antiquitees. 1607 TOPSELL Hist,
four-/. Beasts (1658) Pref., I have not any accesse of main
tenance, but by voluntary benevolence for personal pains,
receiving no more but a laborious wages. 1611 BIBLE
Ecclus. vii. 15 Hate not laborious worke, neither husbandrie.
1637 MILTON Lycidas 72 To scorn delights, and live laborious
dayes. 1725 POPE Odyss. m. 127 Shall I the long laborious
scene review, And open all the wounds of Greece anew?
1752 JOHNSON Rambler No. 204 F n Forced jests, and
laborious laughter. 1781 GIBBON Decl. $ F. III. 202 The
subject of minute and laborious disquisition. 1845 M.
PATTISON Ess. (1889) I. 7 In a laborious anxiety lobe correct,
they have evaporated away all the spirit of their book. 1860
TYNDALL Glac. \. iv. 33 These days were laborious and in
structive. 1878 JEVONS Primer Pol. Econ. 43 The great
advantage of capital is that it enables us to do work in the
least laborious way.
b. Of concrete objects : Entailing labour in con
struction or execution ; involving much elaboration,
f Also (rare~ l ), Causing wearisome toil.
i555EDKN/}coxrfTo Rdr. (Arb. 49 The laborious Taber
nacle whiche Moises buylded. 1666 PEPYS Diary 14 July, Up
betimes to the office to write fair a laborious letter. 1705
ADDISON Italy (1733) 105 The long laborious Pavement here
he treads. 1824 Miss FERRIER Inker, xlvii, A most laborious
and long-winded letter. 1847 TENNYSON Princess Prol. 20
Laborious orient ivory sphere in sphere. 1856 KANE A ret.
Expl. II. iii. 45 We have a large and laborious outfit to
arrange.
3. AHdwifery. Attended with severe labour.
1637 1 - MORTON New Eng. Canaan (1883) 148 Very apt
are they to be with childe, and very laborious when they beare
children. 1753 N. TORRIANO Gangr. Sore Throat 23 Labours
in such Circumstances are generally laborious. 1754-64
SMELLIE Mid-wi/ery I. 242 Laborious births. 1855 MAYNE
Expos. Lex., Labour, Laborious^ or Instrumental . . that
requiring the use of extracting instruments for its com
pletion . . also called Difficult Labour,
t4. Pertaining to labour. Obs. rare~ l .
1632 QUARLES Div. Fancies n. Ixxvi. (1660) 89 Me thinks
that they should change their trade [sc. that of the theatre]
for shame Or honour t with a more laborious name.
Laboriously (Iab6 riasli), adv. [f. prec. +
-LY*.] In a laborious manner; with labour or
assiduous toil.
c 1510 MORE Pt cus Wks. 16 Thei, that . . in the space of
this temporall death laboriously purchase themself eternall
death. 1660 BOYLE New Exp. Phys. Mech. viii. 65 The
Experiment was laboriously try d. 1715 POPE Odyss. xi.
597, I chuse laboriously to bear A weight of woes. i88
D JSRAELI Chas. I (1830) III. i. 12 Never was there a
Monarch who employed his pen so laboriously. 1856 KANE
Arct. Expl. II. xvii. 180 The laboriously-earned results
of the expedition. 1883 J. HAWTHORNE in Harper s Mag.
Nov. Q34/2 The . . beams of the .. ceiling, .were laboriously
carved.
Laboriousness (laboo rUsnes). [f. as prec.
+ -NESS.] Laborious character or condition ; as
siduity in work ; toilsomeness.
1634 W. TIRWHVT tr. Balzac s Lett. (vol. I.) 89 That great
labonousnesse they so much frame to themselves. x68>
SIR T. BROWNE Chr. Mor. 38 To strenuous minds there is
an inquietude in overquietness, and no laboriousness in
labour. 1719 DE FOE Crusoe I. 135 The exceeding
Laboriousness of my Work. 1818 HALL AM Middle Ages
(1853) II. 62 Masdeu, in learning and laboriousness, the
first Spanish antiquary. 1861 LYTTON & FANE Tannhauser
32 Leaf and stem disintert wined itself With infinite
laboriousness.
t Laboro Sity. Obs. rare ~. [f. L. *laboros-us
(see next) + -ITY.] Laboriousness.
1656 [see LABORIOSITY].
t La borous, a. Obs. Forms : 4-7 laborous,
5 -ose, 5-8 labourous, 6 -orouse. -orus, 5-6
erous, iv. laubo(u)r o)us. [a. QY.laboros, -us t
laboureitx : L. *labords-its t f. labor LABOTJK (cf.
dolorostis, f. dolor} >: sec -ous.] = LABORIOUS.
c 1386 CHAUCER Friar s T. 130 Myn offyce is ful laborous
[Corf us MS. laborious], a 1450 Fysshyngc it>. angle (1883)
4 Huntyng haukyng and fowlyng be so laborous & greuous
bat [etc.]. 1450 tr. De Imitationc in. Iii. 125 Whejr all
laborose binges be not to be suffrid for euerlasting lif?
c 1460 ASHBY Poems 87 Be ye therin right laberous. c 1470
HKXHY Wallace xi. 958 His laubourous mynd on othir
materis wrocht. 1513 DOUGLAS &neis in. vi. 199 Quhow
thow may all laubourus pane snstene. 1561 T. NORTON
Calvin s [nst. \\. 72 We nede not a longer or more laborous
profe. 1591 SPENSER M. Hubberd 266 For husbands life is
labourous and hard. 1593 T. HYLL Gardening 3 Then
must you dig a pit (although y* same wil be very labourous).
1656 EARL MONM. Advt./r. Parnass. 153 Why should we
undertake the laborous business of dividing the world into
equal partitions? 1704 Lond. Gaz. No. 4057/3 After a
labourous. .March. 178* T. VAUGHAN Fash. Follies I. 67
Reading and writing .. were too laborous [ed. 2 (1810)
laborious] for the nerves of a man of fashion.
Hence t La borously adv., f La borousness.
f 1450 tr. De Imitatione in. v. 69 Obir, bat . . desiren la*
borously Binges euerlasting. /bid. in. xxxvi. 106 pat bat is
laboresly gofen by mannys witte. 1530 PALSGR. 237/1 La-
bourousnesse, laboriositt. 1531 ELYOT&W. in. x. (1880) II.
275 He laborousely and studiousely discussed controuersics.
LABOUR.
LABOUR.
Labour, labor (l^ bai), sb. Forms: 4-5 la-
bore, 4-6 -ur, -oure, 5-6 Sc. laubour, 4- labour,
5- labor, [a. OF. labor, labour (mod.F. labeur),
ad. L. labdrem labour, toil, distress, trouble. Cf.
Pr. labor, /oar, Sp. labor, Pg. lavor, It. labore.
As in favour, etc., the spelling with -our is preferred in
the British Isles, while in the U.S. -or is more common.]
1. Exertion of the faculties of the body or mind,
esp. when painful or compulsory ; bodily or mental
toil. Hard labour: see HARD a. iSb. t To do
ones labour : to exert oneself, make efforts (to do
something).
a 1300 Cursor M. 23699 pan sal it [be erth] blisced be
and quit o labur, and o soru, and sit. 13.. E. E. Allit. P.
A. 633 Why schulde he not her [i.e. innocents ] labour
alow? ^1386 CHAUCER Prioress T. ii To telle a storie
I wol do my labour, c 1400 Destr. Troy 10770 Hit were
labur to long hir lotis to tell. 1484 CAXTON Fables of
Aaian (1889) 2 He that wylle haue .. worship and glorye
may not haue hit withoute grete laboure. 1533 GAU
Rickt Vay (1888) 93 O heuinlie fader giff vsz alsua necessar
thingis to our corporal sustentatione be our aune richtus
laubour. 1535 COVERDALE Eccl. ii. 18, I was weery of all my
laboure, Which I had taken vnder the Sonne. 1611 BIBLE
Ps. civ. 23 Man goeth forth vnto his worke : and to his
labour, vntill the euening. 1619 DRAYTON Idea, lix, Labour
is light where Loue . . doth pay. 1667 MILTON P. L. ii.
1021 So he with difficulty and labour hard Mov d on,
with difficulty and labour hee. 1752 HUME Pol. Disc.
i. 12 Everything in the world is purchas d by labour, and
our passions are the only causes of labour. 1781 COWPER
Hope 20 Pleasure is labour too, and tires as much. 1827
LYTTON Falkland 15 Nothing seemed to me worth the
labour of success. 1833 TENNYSON Lotos-Eaters 87 Ah,
why Should life all labour be ?
personified, c 1400 Rom, Rose 4994 With hir Labour and
Travaile Logged been. 1764 GOLDSM. Trav. 82 Nature . .
Still grants her bliss at Labour s earnest call. 1804 GRAHAME
Sabbath 2 Mute is the voice of rural labour.
transf. 184* COMBE Digest. 267 The stomach, having less
labour imposed upon it, will require less blood.
b. Phr. Labour in vain, lost labour.
[1377 LANGL. P. PI. B. Prol. 181 [They] helden hem vn-
hardy and here conseille feble, And leten here labowre lost
& alle here longe studye. 1390 GOWER Conf. III. 293 Whan
he sigh .. that his labour was in veine.] 1500-10 DUNBAR
Poems Ixvi. 13 The leill labour lost, and leilT seruice. 1535
COVERDALE Ps. cxxvii. 2 It is but lost labour that ye ryse
vp early. 1613 T. ADAMS England s Sickn. 10 Let Nature
doe her best, we dwelt at the Signe of the Labour-in-vaine.
Onely Christ hath washed vs. a 1670 HACKET Abp. Wil
liams ii. (1693) 67 That Commission ended at Labour in
vain , not, as the old Emblem is, to go about to make a
Black-moor while, but to make him that was White to
appear like a Black-moor. 1679 DRYDEN Tr. A> Cr. n. ii,
The sign-post for the labour in vain. 1747 WESLEY Prim.
Physick (1762) p. xviii, Add to the rest (for it is not labour
lost) that old unfashionable medicine, Prayer,
f C. Bodily exercise. (Cf. Gr. ir^i/os.)
1584 COGAN Haven Health i. (1612) i Labour then, or
exercise is a vehement moouing, the end whereof is altera
tion of the breath or winde of man. 1666 HARVEY Morb.
Angl. x. (1672) 28 Moderate labour of the body is univer
sally experienced to conduce to the preservation of health,
f d. An alleged term for a company of moles.
1486 Bk. St. A /Pans f vj b, A Labor of Mollis.
2. spec, in modern use : Physical exertion directed
to the supply of the material wants of the com
munity ; the specific service rendered to production
by the labourer and artisan.
1776 ADAM SMITH W. N. I. Introd. i The annual labour of
every nation is the fund which originally supplies it with
all the necessaries and conveniencies of life, whicli it annually
consumes. Ibid. I. i. v. 35 Labour, therefore, is the real
measure of the exchangeable value of all commodities.
1798 MALTHUS Popitl. iv. iv. (1806) II. 348 If the popu
lation of this country were better proportioned to its
food, the nominal price of labour might be lower than it
is now. 1825 Edin. Rev. XLIIL 14 The .. remedy is to
diminish the supply of labour. 1841-59 GWILT Arc/lit.
Gloss., Labour, a term in masonry employed to denote
the value of a piece of work in consideration of the time
bestowed upon it. 1848 MILL Pol. Econ. i. iii. i (18761 28
Labour is indispensable to production, but has not always
production for its effect. 1863 BARRY Dockyard Econ. 45
The difficulty of organising labour, particularly in masses, is
well known. 1885 Act 48 <fr 49 Viet. c. 56 Preamble, Doubts
have arisen as to whether or not it be lawful for an employer
of labour to permit electors in his regular employ to absent
themselves.
b. The general body of labourers and operatives,
viewed in its relation to the body of capitalists, or
with regard to its political interests and claims.
Chiefly attrib. (see 8).
1880 S. WALPOLE Hist. Eng. III. xiii. 228 Labour .. was
gradually discovering the truth of the old saying, that God
helps those who help themselves. Mod. The parliamentary
representation of labour.
3. An instance of bodily or mental exertion ; a
work or task performed or to be performed. A
labour of Hercules, a Herculean labour : a task
requiring enormous strength. Labour of love (see
LOVE so.}.
a 1300 Cursor M, 2229, I rede we bigin a laboure.. and
make a toure. 1432-50 tr. Higdcn (Rolls) I. n If that a
pjgmei scholde make him redy to conflicte after the labores
of Hercules .. plenerly fmiscnede. 1535 COVERDALE Rev.
xiv. 13 Yee the sprete sayeth, that they rest from their
laboures. 1539 TAVEKNER Prov. 34 Laboures ones done, be
swete. 1596 SHAKS. Tata. Skr. i. ii. 257. 1599 Much
Ado ii. i. 380. 1604 E. G[RIMSTONE) D^Acosta s Hist.
Indies iv. vii. 226 They are two insupportable labours
in searching of the mettall ; first to digge and breake the
rockes, and then to drawe out the water all together. 1617,
1732 [see HERCULEAN a. 3], 1702 ROWE Tamerl. Ded.,
When they shall reckon up his Labours from the Battle of
Seneff. 1732 LAW Serious C. iii. (ed. 2) 32 Whose lives have
been a careful labour to exercise these virtues. 1835 LYTTON
Rtenzi i. i. 4 My labours of the body, at least, nave been
light enough. 1871 DAVIES Metric Syst. n. 29 The rich
treasures of their labors.
4. The outcome, product, or result of toil. Also
pi. Obs. exc. arch. [Cf. L. hominumque boumqtte
labores, Virgil.]
a 1300 Cursor M. 1986 ^elides til your creatur be tend
part o your labour. 1432-50 tr. Higden t Rolls) I. 7 Y ..
mtende to compile a tretys . . excerpte of diuerse labores of
auctores. 1535 COVERDALE Ps. civ. 44 They toke the labours
of the people in possession. 1550 CROWLEY Epigr. 307 To
worke what they can, and lyue on theyr laboures. 1611
BIBLE Transl. Pref. 12 Others haue laboured, and you may
enter into their labours. 1697 DRYDEN Virg^. Georg. ill. 688
Thewaxen Labour of the Bees. T joQ &wiFiVind.Bicktrstaff
Wks. 1755 II. i. 174, 1 saw my labours, which cost me so much
thought and watching, bawled about by common hawkers.
1720 POPE Iliad xvin. 556 Five ample plates the broad
expanse [of the shield] compose, And godlike labours on the
surface rose. 1736 Col. Rec. Pennsylv. IV. 176 The Thing
they want is the peaceable Possession of their Labours.
f5. Trouble or pains taken. (Occas. //.) Obs.
14. . Sir Beues (MS. O.) 028 Haue this , he sayde, for
thy labour ! 1520 in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxford 27
The auditors .. be diligent and take labors herapon. 1591
SHAKS. Two Gent. n. i. 139 If it please you, take it for your
labour; And so good-morrow Seruant. 1611 BIBLE Transl.
Pref. 2 The Emperour got for his labour the name Pupillus.
a 1656 USSHER Power of Princes n. (16831 M 1 He caused the
Fellow to be soundly whipped for his labour.
t b. esp. The exertion of influence in furthering
a matter or obtaining a favour. To make labour:
LABOUR v. 13. Obs.
1454 T. DENYES in Paston Lett. No. 199 (1897) I. 274
. Aftirward my wif was sum dele easid bi the labour of
j the Wardeyn of Flete. for the cursid Cardenale had sent
hir to Newgate. 1461 J. PASTON ibid. No. 408 II. 35, I
| undirstand ther shall be labour for a coroner that day, for
ther is labour made to me for my good wyll here. 1482
CAXTON Chron. Eng. ccxlviii. 315 By labour of lorde* that
wente bytwene ther was a poyntement taken that ther was
no harme done. 1491 Act 7 Hen. VII, c. 22 Preamble,
I pray you make laboure unto my Lady Warwyk to write to
the King of Fraunce. 1540 Act 32 Hen. nil, c. 42 2
Without any further sute or labour to be made to kyngs
highnes .. for the same. 1542 UHALL in Lett. Lit. Men
(Camd.) 2 Your labour for my restitution to the roume of
Scholemaister in Eton. 1565 STOW in Three \$th f. Chron.
(Camd.) 136 Y e paryshe of S. Marie Magdalyn in Mylke-
stret, makynge labour to y* byshope, had by hym a mynister
apoyntyd to serve them with communion that day.
6. The pains and efforts of childbirth ; travail.
Phr. in labour.
1595 SPENSER Epithal. 383 Sith of wemens labours thou
hast charge, And generation goodly dost enlarge. 1611
BIBLE Gen. xxxv. 16 Rachel traueiled, and she had hard
labour [COVERUALE ; the byrth came harde vpon hir]. 1613
SHAKS. Hen. l^f/f, v. i. 18 The Queens in Labor They say
in great Extremity, and fear d Shee l with the Labour, end.
1799 Med. Jrnl. 11.477 [She] had then been in labour about
two hours. .. Interrogating her afterwards respecting her
former labours [etc.]. iSigSHKLLEvin Dowden Ltfe(i%%j) II.
308 She has. .brought me a fine little boy, after a labour of
the very, very mildest character. 1889 J. M. DUNCAN Lect.
Dis. Women vi. (ed. 4) 34 In the first labour the woman s
power and especially the labour, including the uterine,
power is the greatest.
1606 SHAKS. Ant. <$ Cl. HI. vii. 81 With Newes the times
with Labour, And throwes forth each minute, some. 1612
BACON Ess., Beauty (Arb.) 208 As if nature were rather busie
not to erre, then in labour to produce excellency. 1634
HEYWOOD Maydenlid. well lost i. B 3 b, My brain s in labour,
and must be deliuered Of some new mischeife. 1665 MANLEY
tr. Gro tilts Lmv C. \Varres 121 And now that sentence is
brought forth, wherewith . . the Warre had now been in
labour for the space of nine years. 1797 T. HOLCROFT tr.
Stolbcrg s Trav. (ed. 2) II. Ixvi. 29 We beheld., the mountain
incessantly in labour.
f7. Eclipse. [A Latinism.] Obs."-
1697 DRYDEN Virg. Georg. \\. 679 Teach me the various
Labours of the Moon, And whence proceed th Eclipses of
the Sun [Lt defect us solis varios, lunstque labores].
8. attrib. and Comb. : simple attrib., as labour-
sphere ; (sense 2 b) labour hank, leader , member,
party, question , objective and objective gen., as
labour-easing, -saving, -worthy a&ys. ; instrumental,
as labour-bent, coarsened, dimmed adjs. ; also
labour book, a book containing accounts of labour
employed ; f labour - fellow, fellow - labourer ;
f labour-house, a laboratory ; labour-market,
the supply of unemployed labour considered with
reference to the demand for it ; labour-pains,
pains of childbirth ; labour-show Obstetrics, the
| mucous discharge streaked with blood which imme
diately precedes the occurrence of labour ; labour-
starve v. trans., to impoverish (land) by expending
too little labour upon it ; labour-time (see quot.) ;
labour-yard, a yard in a workhouse or prison,
where enforced labour is done by the inmates.
1847 Hlustr. Land. News 28 Aug. 135/3 The Chartists are
j raising subscriptions to establish a bank, to be called the
^Labour Bank . 1883 Fortn. Rev. i Nov. 609 The . .
I *labour-bent back of the labourer. 1893 J^nl. A . Agric.
I Soc. Dec. 665 Taking notes from farmers labour-books.
I 1866 HOWELL Venet. Life xx. 345 Her *labour-coarsened
! hands. 1867 M. ARNOLD Heine s Grave 89 The weary Titan !
with deaf Ears, and *labour-dimm d eye?. 1837 WHEEL.
WRIGHT tr. Aristoph. \. 196 The fertile vine, whose tendrils
bear The *labour-easing grape. 1549 COVKRDALE, etc.
Erastn. Par,, Phil. 9 My *labourfelowes in y e gospell.
557 N. T. (Geneva) i Thess. iii. 2 Timotheus . . our
labour felowe in the Gospel of Christe. 171* BLACKMORE
Great. 169 Did chymic chance the furnaces prepare, Raise
all the *labour-houses of the air? 1891 ZANGWILL Bow
Myst. viii. 113 A hand was laid upon the *labour leader s
shoulder, a 1618 SVLVESTHR Spectacles ix. (Grosart.) 11. 298
Th idle Lubber, "labour-loathing. 1861 GKN. P. THOMP
SON Audi Ait. III. 149 The expenditure consequent on
this, is thrown into what people call the "labour-market.
1876 H. FAWCETT Pol. Econ. ii. iv. 146 The home labour-
market is relieved by emigration. 1893 Whitaker s Al
manack 134 The House of Commons .. Liberals, 267 (in
cluding 4 * Labour Members). 1754-64 SMELLIE Mid
wifery I. 197 If it is delivered without any other assist
ance than that of the "labour-pains the birth ought to be
called natural. 1799 ADOLPHUS Mem. Fr. Rev. I. 2 The
d.iuphiness. .was unexpectedly seized with labour-pains, and
delivered. 1886 rail Mall G. 18 May 3/1 The position
attained by the new *I^abour party. 1888 E. BKLLAMY Look
ing- Batkiuani v, What solution, if any, have you found for
the ^labour question? 177. ADAM SMITH (Worcester), A
* labor-saving machine. 1870 LOWKLL Among my Bks. Ser. I.
(1873) 1 10 Only too thankful for any labor-saving contrivance
whatsoever. 1822 34 Goatfs Study Med. (ed, 4) IV. 60 Len-
c0rrA#aJV&?M/,*Labour-Show. i868J. H. NKWMAN Verses
I "ar. Occasions 140 Severed. . Krom thy loved "labour-sphere.
1891 Daily News 28 Mar. 2/6 The land of Lincolnshire ..
was * labour-starved. 1898 J. AHCH Story pf Life viii, 183
Hundreds and hundreds of labour-starved acres. 1887
KIRKUP in Encycl. Brit. XXII. 212/1 The "labour-time
which we take as the measure of value is the time required
to produce a commodity under the normal social conditions
of production with the average degree of skill and intensity
of labour. 1640 FULLER Joseph s Coat ii. (1867) 116 It will
be a "labour-worthy discourse, 1856 KEADE *\Vm* too late
x, He went into the "labor-yard, looked at the cranks [etc.].
Labour, labor (U -ba-i), v. Forms: 4laborie,
-y, labre, 4-5 labore, -er, 4-6 laboure, 5 -owre,
Sc. lauber, 5-6 labur, Sc. laubour, 6 -or, -ur,
-yr, 4- labor, 5- labour, [a. F. labourer (early
laborer^ loth c.), ad. L. laborare^ f. labor -^ labor
(see prec.) . Cf. It. favorare t Sp. labrar^ Pg.
lavrar.
In mod. Fr., Sp., and Pg. the word is chiefly restricted to
the specific sense to plough , the wider sense having passed
to the vb. represented in Eng. by TRAVAIL.]
I. Transitive senses.
1. To spend labour upon (the ground, f vege
table growths, etc. ; to till, cultivate. Now /<?/.
or arch. Also, in recent use, to work (a mine}.
13. . E. E. Allit. P. A. 503 To labor vyne watz dere f>e
date, c 1470 HENRY U ulLtce viii. 1607 The abill ground
gert laubour thryftely. 1481 CAXIOX Godfrey viii. (1803) 29
They laboured no londe by eryng. 1533 LD. BERNKHS Froiss.
I. clxxxviii. 223 The landes were voyde and nat laboured.
1549 Contpl. Scot. xv. 123 The grond that i laubyr. 1596 DAL-
RYMPLE tr. Leslie s Hist. Scot. \\\. 197 Hegaue her landes and
sleddings, with seruandes to labour thame. x6oa CAREW
Cornwall 82 a, To labor the Lords vineyard. 1667 MILTON
P. L. xn. 18 Labouring the soile, and reaping plenteous crop.
1696 PHILLIPS (ed. 5) s.v.,To Labour the Ground, is to manure
the Ground by removing the Earth. 1711 ADDISON Spect.
No. 115 f 5 The Earth must be laboured before it gives its
Increase. 179* A. YOUNG Trav. France 411 The English
labourer .. hazards much when he labours land for him
self. 1814 SCOTT St. Rattan s xxviii, The garden was
weeded, and the glebe was regularly laboured. 1833 fsee
LABOURED///. .]. 1876 MORRIS Sigurd \\, 140 Fair then
was the son of Sigmund as he toiled and laboured the
ground. 1897 ti fsttu. Gaz. 3 Sept. 2/1 A claim must be
properly laboured by the owner or by someone paid by him.
2. gen. To spend labour upon ; to work upon ;
to produce or execute with labour. (Also with
cogn. obj.) Obs. or arch.
c 1430 Pilgr. Lyf Manhode \\, Ix. (1869) 99 Litel rouht
hire of spinnynge, or to laboure oober labour. 1432-50 tr.
Higdcn (Rolls) I. 67 In eny other welle whiche hathe be
laborede by diuerse kynges of Egipte. c 1440 Jacob s Well
4 Now haue I ymagyd and cast all myn hool werk of \ns
welle; which I schal laboure to ^ou Ixxxix. dayes and v.,
ere it be performyd. 15*3 in lo/A J\e/>. Hist. MSS.
Comnt. App. v. 328 All manere goods and marchandis _as
shalbe labored, tracted, and adventured by ony of the in-
habitants of thiscitie. 15.. WITHALS Diet. (1568) n/i Claye
labored to make pottes. 1599 Broughton"s Lett. vii. 24 With
this Rabbinicall rubbish . . haue you laboured a loniie and
sandie building. 1611 BIBLE Transl. Pref. i Whether it be by
deuising any thing our selues, or reuising that which
hath bene laboured by others. 1613 WHITBOURNE New
foundland 82 The other are to labour the fish at land,
(of which sixteene) seuen are to be skilfull headders,
and -splitters of fish. 1697 DRYDEN Wrp. Georg. iv. 82
They .. labour Honey to sustain their Lives. sEneid
vi. 859 Anvils, labour d by the Cyclops Hands. 17*5 POPE
Odyss. viii. 317 A wondrous net he labours. 1830 TENNYSON
Poems in Love laboured honey busily. I was the hive and
Love the bee. 1831 STANDISH Maidofjaen 8 The diamond
labour d from the mine.
t b. To labour one s needs : to work for one s
livelihood. Obs.
c 1400 Rom. Rose 6688 A man . . That . . wol but only
bidde his bedis, And never with honde laboure his nedis.
1 3. To use labour upon in rubbing, pounding,
or the like ; hence, to rub, pound, beat, etc. (Cf.
work vb. 1 ) Obs.
1486 Bk. St. Albans a v b, Take y* white of an egge, &
labur thessame in a sponge. 1544 PHAER Regitn* U*j6o)
5 iij b, Laboure the sope and the rose water wel together.
Ibid. S vi b, Red coral, .hanged about the neck, wherupon
the childe should oftentymes labour his gummes. 1569
R. ANDROSE tr, Alexis" Seer. iv. HI. *5 Boyle them,
LABOUR.
6
LABOURAGE
laboring them with the spatter. 1607 MARKHAM Ctiral. n.
(1617) 79 As he trotteth, labour his contrarie side with the
calfe of your leg. a 1661 FULLER Worthies (1840) III. 486
Take to every six gallons of water one gallon of the finest
honey, and put into the boom, and labour it together half
an hour.
4. To belabour, ply with blows. Obs. exc. dial.
1594 CARKW Huarfs Exam. Wits xiii. 1.1596) 211 The
Asse..if he be laboured with a cudgell, he setteth not by it.
1645 SLINGSBY Diary (1836) 177 Ourhorsedid so fast labour
y" w"> their longe tucks y they could not endure it. 1697
DRYDEN Virg. Gcorg. \\\. 639 Take a Plant of stubborn
Oak ; And labour him with many a sturdy Stroak.
mod. Sc. He took a stick an laubor d [or labber dj the beast
terrible wi d.
5. To work at or treat laboriously ; to take great
pains with (a matter) ; to work out in detail, to
elaborate. Now almost exclusively in to labour a
point) a question^ and similar expressions.
i 1449 PF.COCK Kefir, i. xvi. 91 So preciose and vnlacke-
able occupacion to be had and laborid among hem. 1548
UDALI, Erasmus Par. Pref. 13 b, Verai fewe studentes dooe
vse to reade and laboure any one autour in any one particuler
facultee or disciplyne. 1605 BACON Adv. Ltarn. \\. xxiii. 5.
220 Science of government, which we see is laboured and in
some part reduced, a 1619 FOTHERBY Atheomastix n. xi.
4 (1622)317 Which point, hee.. hath laboured exactly, with
much finenesse and subtility. 1691 T. H[ALK] Ace. New In*
z fS.p.lii,The Invention of the New-River-Water was much
labour d. 1750 JOHNSON K ambler No. 92 f 12 These lines,
laboured with great attention, c 1750 SHKNSTONE Solicitude
29 How the nightingales labour the strain. i784Co\vpER Task
m. 787 Th accomplished plan That he has touch d, retouch d,
many a long day Labor d, and many a night pursued in
dreams. 1797 BURKE Regie. Peace iv. Wks. 1842 II. 357
Though he labours this point, yet he confesses a fact ..
which renders all his labours utterly fruitless. 1846 ELLIS
Elgin. Marbles II. 225 In a single figure, parts are often
highly laboured. 1863 C. CLARKE Shakesp. Char. x. 254
The reason why the poet has so laboured the character of
his hero. 1891 A. J. BALFOUR Sp.in Standard n Apr. 3/5,
I do not desire on the present occasion to labour this pro
position.
fb. = ELABORATE v. 2. Obs.
1615 CROOKE Body of Man 373 In the cauity of this
ventricle the vitall spirits are laboured. 1668 CULPEPPKR &
COLE Bartliol. Anat. \\. vi. 96 The Heart ,. is the fountain
of Life and labors the vital Spirits.
6. To endeavour to bring about (a state of things) ;
to work for or with a view to (a result) ; to work
hard for (a cause or the like). (Cf. 1 2.1 Obs. or arch.
In early legal use often associated with sue.
1439 E.F.. Wills .1882) 118 The mater .so to be laboryd
and sewyd that he be constrayned ther to do hit. 1463
in Bury Wills (Camden) 40 If ony wil laboure the contrarye.
1484 Certificate in Snrtees Misc. (1890) 42 pe foresaid
forged and untrue testimonyall, shewed \lread sewed) Jt
lalrord by be said Richard Davis. 1523 in \Qth Rep. Hist.
MSS. Cotnw. App. v. 328 If ony such parson .. shall
sue or laboure ony such writte. 1611 B. Jqssos Catiline
ill. i, Two things I must labour, That neither they up
braid, nor you repent you. 1613 PURCHAS Pilgrimage^
Descr. India. (1864 28 The Mother of Echebar . . laboured
a peace, but not preuailing, fell slcke. 1639 FULLER Holy
War iv. xviii. (1647! 199 [She] laboured his cause day and
night, a 1661 Worthies (1840) III. 2 When Shat-over
woods . . were likely to be cut down, the university by letters
labored tbeir preservation. 1678 DRYDEN Kind Keeper n. i.
Dram. Wks. 1725 IV. 303 Is this a Song to be sung at such
a time when I am labouring your Reconcilement? 1741
YouNG-AV. Th. 52 And labour that first palm of noble minds,
A manly scorn of terror from the tomb. 1793 BU RKE Observ.
Cond. Min-ority Wks. 1842 I. 612 How much I wished for,
and how earnestly I laboured, that re-union. 1817 JAS. MILL
Brit. India I. in. iv. 621 In labouring the ruin of Nujeeb
ad Dowlah.
f7. To endeavour to influence or persuade ; to
urge or entreat. (Cf. 13.) Obs.
1461 Paston Lett. No. 404 II. 31 Tudynham, Stapylton,
and Heydon, with theyr affenyte labur the Kyng and Lords
unto my hurt. 1556 J. HEYWOOD Spider fy F. Iv. title, The
butterflie . . fleeth into the tree : laboring the flies to haue
the ant heerd speake ere he die. 1577-87 HoLiNSHEDCAw/i.
III. 1225/2 He was laboured and solicited dailie by wise
and learned fathers, to recant his diuelish & erronious
opinions. 1598 SPENSER in Wks. (ed. Grasart) I. 539 The
landlords., began, .to labour the Erie of Tireone vnto theire
parte. 1603 KNOLLES Hist. Turks (1621) 604 Hee began
cunningly to labour divers of the noblemen one by one.
1622 BACON Hen. VII no Yet would not the French King
deliver him up to King Henry_(as hee was laboured to doe .
1633 CAMPION Hist. Irel. 11. iii. 75 [He] laboured the King
. .earnestly for their pardons and obtained it.
fb. To advocate strenuously, urge (a matter).
1477 Paston, Lett. No. 785 III. 172 That ye schuld labur
the mater to my maister. 1616 F. COTTINGTON in Bucclcttch
AfSS. (Hist. &ISS. Comm.) I. 183 Much it is laboured there
that he should come as ordinary, and not for a small time,
t 8. (with comply To bring into a specified con
dition or position by strenuous exertion. Obs.
<: 1485 Digby Myst. in. 1823 per is a woman . . bat hether
hath laberyd me owt of mercyll. 1550 CROWLEY Way to
Wealth 171 Loke ifthou haue not laboured him oute of his
house or ground. 1602 MARSTON Antonio s Rev. v. iii.
Wks. 1856 I. 134, I have beene labouring generall favour
finne. 1611 Second Maidens Trag. v. ii. in Hazl. Dodsley
X. 465 Our arms and lips Shall labour life into her. Wake,
sweet mistress ! 1615 T. ADAMS Spirit. Navigator 34
Whiles he labours them to Hell, winde and Tide are on his
side, rtifil? P. BAYNE Epkes. (1658) 17 Men must labour
their hearts to a sense of the worth of the benefits. 1633
EARL MANCH. Al Afondo (1636) 16 To labour the eye to
see darknesse. 1655 MOUFET & BENNET Health s Intj>r<n<.
(1746) 151 Drink. .a good Draught of your strongest Beer.,
and then labour it out, as Plowmen do. 1697 DRYDEN Virg.
Gtflrg-. in. 65 Sisyphus that labours up the Hill The rowling
Rock in vain.
f9. To impose labour upon; to work (an animal);
to use (the body or its parts, occas. the mind) in
some work. Obs.
1470-85 MALORY A rthnr xvm. xvii, The hors was passynge
lusty and fresshe by cause he was not laboured a moneth
afore, c 1500 Yng. Children s Bk. in Babees Bk. (1868 ,) 19 A
byrde hath wenges forto fle, So man hath Armes laboryd to
be. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 303 b, Thou were so
! ferre ouer laboured & faynt for payne. 1535 COVERDALE
Dent. xxi. 3 A yonge cowe which hath not bene laboured,
I ner hath drawen in the yocke. 1545 ASCHAM Toxoph. \.
, (Arb.) 46 A pasty me., where euery pane of the bodye must
be laboured. 1638 Tarlton s Test. Cjb, My fore-horse ..
being let bloud and drencht yesterday, I durst not labour
him. 1671 MILTON Samson 1298 This Idols day .. Labouring
thy mind More then the working day thy hands.
f b. To cause to undergo fatigue. Obs.
c 1386 CHAUCER Shipmaris T. 1298, I trowe.. that our gode
man Hath yow laboured sith the night bigan. c 1400 Destr.
Troy 13490 A tempest hym toke . . f>at myche laburt the lede
er he lond caght. 1496 Bk. St. Albany, Fishing (\%\o) h v,
Yf it fortune you to smyte a grete fysshe wyth a smalle
harnays : thenne ye must lede hym in the water and labour
him there tyll he be drownyd and ouercome. 1632 J. FEATLY
i Hon. Chast. 25, I will not labour your eares with the many
I and vulgar arguments to prove a God.
f 10. To burden, overwhelm, oppress, distress.
1450-1530 Myrr. Onr Ladye 240 The drede of god, by
whiche she was ful sore laboured & troubeled. 1483 Monk
of Eve sham (Arb.) 19 Sore labouryd with gret febulnes and
; wekenes. 1611 SPEED Hist. Gt. Brit. ix. xviii. (1632) 908
Nature being sore laboured, sore wearied and weakned.
H. Intransitive senses.
11. To use labour, to exert one s powers of body
or mind ; in early use chiefly said of physical work,
esp. performed with the object of gaining a liveli
hood ; to exert oneself, toil ; to work, esp. to work
l hard or against difficulties.
1362 LANCL. P. PI. A. vn. 26, I wol helpe bee to labore
whil my lyf lasti|>. Ibid. 117 We haue no lymes to labore
[C. ix. 135 laborie] with. Ibid. 259 pat Fisyk schal. .beo fayn
I . . his fisyk to lete, And leorne to labre wibe lond leste lyflode
I faile. Ibid. B. xv. 182 panne wil he some tyme Labory in a
lauendrye. c 1386 CHAUCKR Alerch. T. 387 He. .preyde hem
to labouren in this nede, And shapen that he faille nat to
spede. 1399 LANGL. Rick. Rcdeles in. 267 Not. .to laboure
on be lawe as lewde men on plowes. (-1400 MAUNDEV.
(1839) vi. 64 Thei tylen not the Lond, ne thei laboure
nought*, c 1400 Destr. Troy 5862 He ,. Hade laburt so
longe, hym list forto rest. 1:1460 FORTESCUE Abs. fy Lim.
, Aton. xiv. (1825) 142 This serche. .bath be a digression ffrorn.
the mater in wich we labour. 1542 BRINKLOW Compt. xvi.
i (1874} 40 He that laboryth not, lethimnoteate. 1611 BIBLE
i Isa. xlix. 4, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my
I strength for nought. 1651 HOBBES Leviath. n. xxx. 181 It
: is not enough, for a man to labour for the maintenance of his
life. 1698 FRYER East India fy P. in Who Run . . or else
Dance so many hours to a Tune, .when they labour as much
1 as a Lanca?-hire man does at Roger of Cover! y. 1770 LANG-
HORNK Plutarch (1879 1. 239 Those who laboured at the oars.
1895 ttookman Oct. 16/2 [He] labours hard over his proofs
of the book.
indirect pass. 1715 DE FOE Fani. Instruct, i. i. (1841)
; I. 22 You must be instructed and laboured with to be a
i good child.
fb. refl. in snme sense. Obs.
c 1 374 CHAUCER Troylus iv. 981 (1009), I mene as though
I laboured me in this, To enqueren which thing cause of
which thing be. 1483 CAXTON Gold. Leg. C viij b/i Grete in
contemplacion of heuenly thynges and a tylyar in labour-
yng hymself. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 171 b, The
more y" enforces! & labourest thy selfe in y* begynnynge.
12. To exert oneself, strive (for some end); to
endeavour strenuously (to accomplish *r bring
about something).
1398 TRF.VISA Barth. De P. R. xvm. Ixxxvii. (1495) 836
They.. labouren to helpe eche other wyth all theyr myghte.
c 1430 LYDC. Assembly of Gods 847 Laboryng the Seruyce of
God to Multyply. 1500-20 DUNBAR Poems Ixxi. 10 Is nane
of ws .. Bot laubouris ay for vthiris distmctioun. 1526
Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 2 b, They laboured, .to knowe
the natures of thynges in this worlde. 1535 COVERDALK
Ps. cxx. 7, I laboured for peace. 2 Alacc. iv. 7 lason
the brother of Onias laboured to be hye prest. 1604
K. G[RIMSTONE] D Acosta s Hist. Indies in. iv. 131 They
which saile from West to East, labour alwaies to be
out of the burning Zone. i6iz BIBLE Isa. xxii. 4, I will
weepe bitterly, labour not to comfort me. 1613 SHAKS.
Hen. VIII) 111.11.191 For your highness good I ever labour d
More than mine own. 1682 DRYDEN Mac Flecknoe 157
When false flowers of rhetoric thou would st cull, Trust
nature, do not labour to be dull. 1711 STEELE Spect. No. 95
f 4 True Affliction labours to be invisible. 1766 GOLDSM.
I ic. If. xxv, I laboured to become cheerful. 1796 JANE
AUSTEN Pride <y Pref. vii, Most earnestly did she labour to
prove the probability of error, a 1862 BUCKLE Civiliz. (18731
III. v. 387 Water is constantly labouring to reduce all the
inequalities of the earth to a single level. 1874 GREEN Short
Hist. vii. 3 (18821371 Parker was labouring for a unformity
of faith and worship amongst the clergy.
f!3. To exert one s influence in urging a suit or
to obtain something desired. Const, to (a person).
?i475 Plumpton Corr. 31, I have receaved from you
diverse letters .. that I shold labour to Sir John Pilkinton,
to labor to my lord of Glocester or to the king. Ibid. 51
This day com Wylliam Plompton to labor for Haveray
Parke. 1533 MORE Afot. viii. Wks. 860/2 If I desired a
manne to geue me a thynge, and laboured muche to hym
therefore, c 1555 HARPSKIELD Divorce Hen, I ll! (Camden)
236 He laboured to the Pope to have a dispensation. 1577-
87 HOLINSHED Chron. I. 188/1 His coosen. .who was about
to labour to the king for his pardon.
14. To move or travel, esp. with implication of
painful exertion or impeded progress, lit.
Now rare.
_ Alexander 4814 pai labourde vp a-gayn be lift
an elleuen dais, c 1450 LONELICH Grail x\\\. 82 Nasciens
that In the se was Abrod, Vpp and down labowred. 1523
LD. BERNERS Froiss. I. xxiv. 34 The kynge .. retourned
agayne into Englande, and laboured so longe that he came
to Wyndesor. 1530 PALSGR. 600/2 This horse is nat very
fayre, but he laboureth well on the waye,. ./ / chentinebien.
1611 BIBLE Josh. vii. 3 Let about two or three thousand
men goe vp,. .and make not all the people to labour thither.
1715-20 POPE///WXII. 458 He poised, and swung it round ;
then, toss d on high, It flew with force and labour d up the
sky. 1877 L. MORRIS Epic of Hades i. 3 The stream Which
laboured in the distance to the sea.
b. quasi-trans. To labour ones -way. to pursue
it laboriously.
1856 KANE A ret. Expl. II. xxiii. 231 Laboring our way with
great difficulty upon the ice-belt.
f c. To make little progress, suffer impediments.
1736 CHANDLER Hist. Persec. 360 The job was labouring for
three years space. 1765! . HUTCHINSON Hist. Mass. I. iii. 360
A petition of Capt. Hutchinson and others labored, although
their title was originally derived from the Indian sachems and
proprietors, and the lands had been long possessed.
15. To be burdened, troubled, or distressed, as
by disease, want, etc. ; to be trammelled by or
suffer from some disadvantage or defect. Const.
muter (also "^of, ivitk, on t trt).
1470 HENRY Wallace vii. 345 Lawberand [r. r. lau-
bourit] in mynd thai had beyne all that day. 1578
BANISTER Hist. Alan \, 16 No maruaile..if the eye in
dolour labouryng, this Muscle sometyme be affected also.
1615 G. SANDYS Trav. 106 Whereby vnprofiiable marishes
were drained .. and such places reheued as laboured with
the penury of waters. 1641 MILTON Reform, n. (1851)
69 This our shaken Monarchy, that now lies labouring
under her throwes. 1644 BULWER Chiron, 15 Speech labours
of a blinde crampe, when it is too concise, confused or
obscure. 1662 H. MORE Phiios. Writings \*t*&, general xi,
Men of very excellent spirits may labour with prejudice
against so worthy an Authour. a 1677 BARROW Euclid 11714)
Pref. 3 Seems .. to labour under a double Defect. 1697
DRYDEN l- irg-. Georg. HI. 746 The wheasing Swine With
Coughs is choak d, and labours from the Chine. 1709
BERKELEY Ess. Vision 83 The visive faculty .. may be
found to labour of two defects. 1712 ADDISON Spect. No.
267 F 3 Aristotle himself allows, that Homer has nothing to
boast of as to the Unity of his Fable. .Some have been of
opinion, that the ^Eneid also labours in this Particular. 1769
WARBURTON Lett. (1809) 434, I was then labouring on my
old rheumatic disorder. I have not yet got rid of it. 1784
tr. Beckford s Vatkek (1868) 113 From lime to time he
laboured with profound sighs. 1839 in Spirit Metrop.
Conserv. Press 1,1840 ! I. 273 Some timid conservatives.,
labour in the same mistake. 1857 KINGSLEY Two Y. Ago
(1877) 416 You are labouring under an entire misappre
hension. 1862 SIR B. BRODIE Psychol.Inq. II. iv. no If he
laboured under a perpetual toothache.
f!6. Of women: To suffer the pains of child
birth ; to travail. Also fig. Obs.
1454 Paston Lett. 1. 274 Aftir she was arestid she laboured
of hir child, that she is with all. 1527 ANDREW Brnnywyke s
Distyll. Waters K iv, Yf a woman dronke it, the chylde
sholde dye, and she sholde laboure before her ryght tyme.
1548-9 (Mar.) Bk. Com. Prayer^ Litany, All women labour
yng of chylde. 1588 SHAKS. L. L. L. v. ii. 521 When great
things labouring perish in their birth. 1604 Oth, n. i.
128 But my Muse labours, and thus she is deliuer d. 1653
Parish. Reg: Finghall, Yks. (MS.), Baptised Elizabeth the
daughter of John Parke of Wensley, whose wife laboured at
Burton in her journey homeward. 1711 POPE Temple of
Fame 212 Here, like some furious prophet, Pindar rode,
And seerrTd to labour with th inspiring God.
17. Of a ship : To roll or pitch heavily at sea.
1627 CAPT. SMITH Seaman s Gram. ix. 40 We say a ship
doth Labour much when she doth rowle much any way.
1748 Ansons I oy. i. vi. 104 The ship laboured very much
in a hollow sen. 1819 BYRON Juan \\. xli, The ship labour d
so, they scarce could hope To weather out much longer.
1840 R. H. DANA Bef. Mast xxv. 82 The ship was labour
ing hard under her top-gallant sails.
Labour- : see LABOR-.
La-bourable, a. Obs. fa. F. labourable
(1409 in Hatz.-Darm.) arable, f. labourer to LA-
HOUR.] Capable of being laboured or worked.
1481 CAXTON Godfrey Ixvii. (1893) na A londe . . ful of. .
good feldes labourable. 1545 in Archiv Stud. neu. Spr.
XCIX. 23, I am Sonday moste honorable: That day all
thynges laborable Ought for to rest. 1611 COTGR., Labour-
al>l? t labourable, workable, fit to be wrought on ; also,
nauigable. 1693 EVELYN De la Quint. Compl. Card. I. 21
Three Foot of good Mould, very soft or labourable on the
Top. 1738 WARBURTON Div. Leg. II. 274 To drain the
swampy Marshes of this vast extended Level : and to render
the whole Labourable.
Labourage labored 5). Also 5 labourraga,
9 laborage. fa. F. labourage (i 2-1 3th c. in Hatz.-
Darm.), f. labourer to LABOUR. In sense 3, f.
LABOUR sb. -4- -AGE.]
fl. Ploughing; concr. plonghed or cultivated
land. Obs.
1475 Bk. Noblesse 65 Labouragis and approwementis of
londes and pastures. Ibid. 70 In tilieng, ering, and labour-
age of his londis to bere corne and fruit. 1502 Ord. Crysten
A/?n (W. de W. 1506} iv. xxi. 286 Whiche by huntynges
endomageth gretely comes, grasse, or other labourages.
t 2. Labouring, labour, work.
T ^. i^auounng, lauuuj, wui*. v/fj.
1484 CAXTON Fables of /Esop \\, x. (1889) 205 They
returned to theyr labourrage. 1660 HKXHAM Dtttck Dtct. t
A rbeydinge, labourage, labouring, or taking paines.
LABOURED.
Laboured, labored (l^-baid^ ppl a. [f.
LABOUR v. + -ED i.J
1. f Cultivated, tilled, ploughed (06s.)] also, of
a mine, worked.
1570 SPENSER Sht-ph. Cal. Oct. 58 Whereon he earst had
taught his flocks to feede, And laboured lands to yield the
timely eare. 1697 DRYDEN Virg. Georg. \\. 414 Root up
wild Olives from thy labour d Lands. 1833 TENNYSON
QLnone 113 Or laboured mine undrainable of ore.
1 2. Employed in labour ; hard worked ; op
pressed with labour or toil. 06s.
1595 SHAKS. John n. i. 232 Your King, whose labour d
spirits Fore-wearied in this action of swift speede. 1634
MILTON Comtts 291 What time the labour d Oxe In his
loose traces from the furrow came. 1682 DRYDEN Dk.
Guise i. i, Turn d out, like labour d Oxen, after Harvest,
t b. Worn with use. 06s.
1535 COVERDALE i Sam. xiii. 21 The edges of the plow-
shares, and mattockes, & forckes, and axes were laboured,
and the poyntes blont.
3. Wrought, produced, or accomplished with
labour ; highly elaborated ; hence in depreciatory
sense, performed or accomplished only by the ex
penditure of excessive toil or tedious elaboration,
and consequently showing indications of heaviness
or want of spontaneity. Also, of physical action :
Heavy, performed with great effort.
1608 SHAKS. Per. n. iii. 17 In framing an Artist, art hath
thus decreed, To make some good, but others to exceed, And
you are her labourd scholler. a 1658 CLEVELAND Elegy /*.
Jonson 65 The marbled Glory of thy labour d Rhyme.
1756 BURKE Subl. fy B. v. v, There is not perhaps in the
whole Eneid a more grand and laboured passage than the
description of Vulcan s cavern in Etna. i8a6 J. FOSTER in
Life fy Corr. (1846) II. 84 Other writing of a laboured and
tedious kind. 1856 OLMSTED Slave States 215 A labored
investigation of evidence. 1875 JOWETT Plato (ed. 2) V. 15
The dialogue is generally weak and laboured. 1897 MARY
KINGSLEY W. Africa- 156 The laboured beat of the engines.
1898 G. MEREDITH Odes Fr. Hist. 72 Laboured mounds, that
a foot or a wanton stick may subvert.
Labourer, laborer (l^-barei). [f. LABOUR
v. + -ER l.] One who labours.
1. One who performs physical labour as a service
or for a livelihood ; spec, one who does work requir
ing chiefly bodily strength or aptitude and little skill
or training, as distinguished, e.g., from an artisan
(often with defining word prefixed, as agricultural^
bricklayer s, dock,farm, mason s labourer, etc.).
Statute of Labourers : the mod. designation of the statute
De Servientibus (23 Edw. Ill), regulating the rate of wages.
c 1325 Poem temp. Ediv. II (Percy) Ixv, A wreched
laborer That lyveth by hys bond. 1390 GOWER Conf. III.
6 It maketh me drawe out of the way In solein place by my
selve, As doth a laborer to delve. 1442-3 Durham
Ace. Rolls (Surtees) 275 Will o Harpur laborere laboranti
infra Infirmariam, 7$. id. 1470-^85 MALORY Arthur in, xi.
113 As Kynge Pellinore rode in that valey he met with
a poure man a labourer. 1513 DOUGLAS JsntU iv. xi. 91
With fire and swerd to persew and doun thring The
laboraris [L. colonos] descend from Dardanus. 1543 ir.
Act 23 Ediv. If I heading, Here begynnethe the Statute
of Labourers. 1548 Act 2^3 Edw. VI, c. 15 4 No
Person . . shall . . let or disturb any . . Brickmaker, Tile-
maker, Plummer or Labourer. 1590 GREENE Neuer too late
(1600) 119 The labourer to the fields his plough-sway nes
guides. 1769 FALCONER Diet. Marine (1780) Fn~4, Tra-
vailleurs, the ordinary, or labourers, &c. employed to assist
in fitting out shipping for the sea. 1799 J, ROBERTSON
Agaric. Perth 342 Common labourers earn between one
shilling and one shilling and three pence a-day. 1847 JAMES
Convict xx, I am a labourer by trade. 1878 JEVONS Primer
Pol. Econ. 71 Bricklayers labourers refuse . . to raise bricks
to the upper parts of a building by a rope and winch. 1891
Daily News i Sept. 3/1 An intelligent villager not a
labourer, but a man of the working-class,
fb. Mil.
1548 HALL CArow., Hen. V $6b t The pyoners cast trenches
and the laborers brought tyraber. Ibid. y Hen. VIII 114
Of bill men five. M.of pioners and laborers .ii. M. .vi. C.
C. Labonrer-in-trust : one of a number of offi
cers (ranking next below the * clerks of works *)
who formed part of the staff employed for the
repairs of the royal palaces. The office ceased to
exist in 1824.
1853 W. JERDAN Autobiog. IV. 52 He became what is
called a labourer-in-trust on the establishment which has
the charge of the Royal palaces. 1884 Trans. Land. #
Middlesex Archxol. Soc. VI. 486 Mr. Adam Lee, the
Labourer-in -Trust of the Houses of Parliament.
2. gen. One who does work of any kind, a worker.
0x420 HOCCLEVE De Reg. Princ. 1348 Swych laborer be
kythe heere in J?ys lyf, pat god bi soule, .. Reioise may.
cisn \st Eng. Bk. Amer. (Arb.J 33/1 They be .. great
labourers. 156* Child Marriages (1897) 97 The said Ellin
was taken for an honest wenche and a good laborer. 1607
TOPSELL Four-/. Beasts (1658) 55 Which Kine are of the
smallest body, and yet the greatest labourers. 1611 BIBLE
Luke x. 7 The labourer is worthy of his hire. 1785 PALEY
Mor. Philos.^ Wks.-i825 IV. 23 To the labourer, every
interruption is a refreshment. 1841 TRENCH Parables ix.
(1877) 176 In the kingdom of heaven it is God who seeks
his labourers, and not they who seek Him.
3. One of the class among colonial insects that
performs the work of the community ; a * worker .
1601 SHAKS. AlCs Well r. ii. 67 Since I nor wax nor honie
can bring home, I quickly were dissolued from my hiue To
giue some Labourers roome. 1781 SMEATHMAN in Phil.
Trans. LXXI. 145 The working insects, which, for
brevity, I shall generally call labourers. 1834 McMuRTRir.
Cttvier"s Anitn. Kingd. 430 The neuters or labourers . . as
to size, are intermediate between the males and females.
Hence t LaT>ouress, a female labourer.
1570 in Gutch Coll. Cur. II. 10 For Clemen tes paynes in
the kychen a daye, laberess. ilnQ Spirit Publ. Jrnls. (1810)
XIII. 164 Two other fellow-labouresses.
LabourhoodCU -bojhud). rare- 1 . [See -HOOD.]
Laborious condition, laboviousness.
1858 BAILEY Age 21 A life of most melodious labourhood.
Labouring, laboring (l^ barirj), vbl. sb.
[f. LABOUR v. + -ING 1.] ihe action of the vb.
LABOUR ; performance of labour or work ; culti
vation (of land) ; f travail of child-bearing ; la
boured or heavy motion, etc.
c 1400 Rom. Rose 6593 That he ne shal . . With propre
hondis and body also, Gete his fode in laboryng. 1486
Na~u. Ace. Hen. VII (1896) 23 Marriners reteyned for the. .
laboryng in castyng out of the ballast. 1523 LD. BERNEKS
Froiss. I. cxci. 228 There was no labourynge of the yertb.
1524 in loth Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. v. 329 The
..acte..made against the laboring of writts. 1596 SHAKS.
1 Hen. IV) ii. i. 57 Thou yariest no more from picking of
Purses, then giuing direction, doth from labouring. 1597
A. M. tr. Guillemeau s I *r. Chiritrg. 35 b/2 Some woemen
ar as yet not vsed unto the labouringe of childe. 1611 BIHLK
2 Ulacc. ii. 31 To vse breuitie, and auoyde much labouring
of the worke. 1619 VISCT. DONCASTKR Let. in Eng. fy
Germ. (Camden) 134 There had becne some .. underhand
labouring, .to promote the Duke of Bavaria. 1644-5 CHAS. I
Let. Wks. (1662) 332 There were great labouring* to that
purpose. 1748 Anson s Voy. i. v. 56 To render the ships
stiffer, and . . prevent their labouring in hard gales of
wind. 1881 Daily Tel. 2$ Jan., The heavy labouring of ihe
brig. 1887 HALL CAINK Deemster xxiv. 158 He .. pressed
one hand hard at his breast to quiet the labouring of his
heart. 1899 Westm. Gaz. ii Apr. 2/1 Doing a bit of dock-
side labouring.
attrib. 1601 SHAKS. Jitl, C. i. i. 4 Vpon a labouring day.
1754 ERSKINE Princ. Sc. Laiv 1 1809) 356 By labouring time
is understood, that time, in which th;it tenant. . is ploughing.
1856 OLMSTED Slave States 55 A slave woman is commonly
esteemed least for her laboring qualities.
b. concr. A farm. Sc.
1783 SIR J. SINCLAIR Observ. Scot. Dial. 181 A labouring,
a farm. <? 1814 J. RAMSAY Scotl. <y Scotsm. in *8//i c.
(1888) II. ix. 180 My noble hostess look me then (1792 < to
see her labouring or farm.
Labouring, laboring ^V-barirj), ppl. a. [f.
LABOUR v. + -ING -.]
1. That labours or toils ; esp. (of persons per
forming or engaged in unskilled labour, as in
labouring man^ population.
1398 TREVISA Barih. De P. R. ix. xxiv. (1495) 361 In the
euentyde labourynge men ben rewarded and payed and
goo to reste. 1504 ATKVNSON tr. De Imitatione i. ii. 154
A pore homely laborynge man. 1535 COVERDALE Eccl?s.
v. 12 A labouringe man slepeth swetely, whether it be litle
or moch that he eateth. 1601 SHAKS. All s Well xi. i.
121 Labouring Art can neuer ransome nature From her
inaydible estate. 1649 BLITHE Eng. Iwprov. //;//.
(1653) 8 Labouring Countrie people for the most part brew
their own Beer. 1671 MILTON /*. R. \\\. 330 Of labouring
Pioners A multitude with Spades and Axes arm d. 1697
DRYDEN Virg. Georg. iv. 808 The waxen Work of lab ring
Bees. 1725 POPE Odyss. xii. 526, I .. oar d with lab ring
arms along the flood. 1797 BURKE Reg* Peace iii. (C. P. S.J
219 We have heard many plans for the relief of the
* Labouring Poor . 1853 MACAULAY Hist. Eng. xx. IV. 421
Other writers did their best to raise riots among the labour
ing people. 1879 JEFFERIES Wild Life Southern C. 194
The labouring lads often amuse themselves searching for
these creatures [bats].
b. Of cattle : Engaged in or used for labour.
1523 FITZHERB. Snn>. xxv. 49 Laborynge horses and
mares. 1715 LEONI Palladia s Archit. (1742) I. 57 Stables
for labouring Cattle, such as Oxen and Horses. 1807
ROBINSON Archxol. Grxca. in. xix. 312 The custom of
killing laboring oxen.
1 2. Of a woman : Suffering the pangs of child
birth, travailing. Also transf. 06s.
1545 RAYNOLD Byrth Mankynde (71564) 61 The midwife
shall sit before the labouryng woman, a 1700 DRYDEN
(Wore.), The laboring mountain must bring forth a mouse.
a 1704 T. BROWN Sat. Quack Wks. 1730 I. 64 Cure hogs of
measles, visit labouring swine.
3. Striving or struggling against pressure or some
obstacle ; that is in trouble or distress ; (of the
heart, etc. ) struggling under emotion or suppressed
feeling ; also in physical sense, heaving, palpitat
ing ; (of a ship) rolling or pitching heavily. (Often
i with more or less direct reference to 2.)
c 14*5 Found. St. Bartholomew]* (E. E. T. S.) 51 [They]
besowght the Apostle that with his woonnte pyte to [? read
he] wolde succur this laborynge virgyne. 1586 MARLOWE
I Jew of Malta i. ii, I de passe away my life in penitence, . .
To make attonement for my labouring soule. 1593 SHAKS.
2 Hen. VI, in. ii. 163 [The blood] Being all descended
I to the labouring heart. 1604 Oth. n. i. 189 Let the
labouring Barke climbe hills of Seas Olympus high. 1693 in
Dryden s Juvenal (1697) 88 When Falern Wines the
lab ring Lungs did fire. 1706 ROWE Ulyss. \\. i, Her
labouring Heart is rent with Anguish. 1738 GLOVER Leo-
nidas i. 268 Her lab ring bosom blotted with her tears.
1814 SCOTT Lord of Isles v. xxx, The vest Drawn tightly
o er his labouring breast. 1850 MERIVALE Rom. Emp.
\ (1865) III. xxx. 389 The labouring vessel of the state was
i guided into port by his policy. 1878 WHITE Life in Christ
j in. xvii. 202 The thought of it weighs more and more
| heavily on the labouring mind.
t b. Of the moon : Eclipsed. (A Latinism.)
1638 WILKINS Ntw World \. (1684) 9 She was able to
make noise enough to deliver the labouring Moon. 1665
GLANVILL Scepsis Set. xix. 122 Nor do the eager clamors of
LABRADOR,
1 contending Disputants yield any more relief to eclipsed
, Truth ; then did the sounding Brass of old to the labouring
Moon. [1667 MILTON P. L. n. 665 While the labouring
Moon Eclipses at thir charms.]
4. Labouring oar: the oar which requires the
most labour to work it ; hence^/?^. esp. in phr. 71?
///, tug t ply the labouring oar ; to take a great or
arduous share of the work.
1697 DRYDEN sEneid v. 157 Three Trojans tug at ev ry
labVing Oar. ^ogSTEELE Tatter No. 141 FI, I shall still let
, the labouring Oar be managed by my Correspondents. 1779
j HUME Dial. cone. Nat. Kel. xi. iad fin.) II. 443 Tug the
j labouring oar. 1894 W. I!. CARPENTER Son of Man among
I Sons of Men iv. 106 They vainly ply the labouring oar.
1900 G. C. BRODKICK Mem. $ Impressions 386 Having
found it difficult to pull a labouring oar on the City Council,
\ without neglecting other duties.
Hence La bouringly adv., laboriously.
i86a LYTTON .Strange Story II. 276 Reason is coming
back to her slowly, labouringly.
Iiabourless, laborless (U 7i -bailes), a. [f.
LABOUR sb. + -LKSS.] Without, devoid of, or un-
: accompanied by labour; requiring no labour; doing
no labour.
1608 SYLVESTER Du B arias 11, iv. MI. Schism 694 There
(labour-less) mounts the victorious Palm. 1675 HOBBES
I Odyss. (1677)225, I doubt thou ne r wilt labour any more, But
rather feed thy carcass labourless. 1854 Eraser s Mag. L.
1 70 This labourless Hercules. 1880 TENNYSON Voyage of
i Maelditne viii, Bread enough for his need till the labourless
1 day dipt under the West. 1888 RHYS Hibbert Left. 643 A
fabled age of. . labourless plenty and social equality.
tb. Not requiring fatiguing toil. Obs.
1630 BKEKEWOOD Sabaoth 48 In forbidding of worke, ..
they intend not your prei ise abstinence from any light and
labourlesse worke. 1631 K. BYMEI.D Doctr. Sal b. 109
Such light and labourlesse woikes were no transgressions.
Labour some, laborsome (U |fl tajs#m), a.
[f. LABOUR j. + -SOME,]
1 1. Given to labour; hard-working; LABOR-
, IOUH i. 06s.
1551 EDW. VI Pol. F.ss. Lit. Rem. (1857) II. 481 So ought
ther no part of the commen wealth to be but laborsom in his
vocation. 1575-85 Am-. SANDYS Scrm. iii. 46 The vineyard
that shall fructifie must fall into the hands of a skilful and
laboursome husbandman. 1607 MARKHAM Caral. i. (1617)
79 The braine of a man being a busie and laborsome work-
niaister. 1620 J-attW. llnsb. \\. xvii. (1668) 75 Although
it [the ant] be but a little crtaiuie, yet it is .so laboursome,
that [etc.].
2. Requiring, entailing, or accompanied by labour;
= LABORIOUS 2. Now rare or dial.
1577-87 HOLISSHED Chron. II. 28/1 The painefull dili
gence, and the labour>ome Industrie of a famous lettered
man M. Peter White. 1594 T. B. La Primaud. 1-r.Acad.
1 11. ^3 Those studies, which seeme laborsome in youlhfull
yeares, are made right pleasant rest vnto old age. 1602
1 SHAKS. Hum. I. it. 59 (Qo. 16041, Hath .. wruung from me
my slow leaue, By laboursome petition. 1611 CORY AT
Crudities 350 A way . . very laboursume and painfull to
trauell. 1656 EARL MONM. Advt. fr. Parnass. 150 The
\ laborsom journey which leads towards the obtaining of
1 Supreme Honors and Dignities. 1855 ROBINSON IVhitby
\ Gloss. s.v., We have a lang laboursome hill to climrn. 1898
I TKASK Norton-sub-Hamdon 33 Life was laboursome, but
j not without hope.
fb. Of land: Difficult of cultivation. 06s.
1604 E. G{KIMSTONE] D Acosta s Hist. Indies iv. ii. 208
I The like hath God done for this land so rough and labour-
! some, giving it great riches in mines.
3. Of a ship : Subject to labour or to pitch and
roll violently in a heavy sea (1850 Rudim. Nav.
128).
1691 T. H[ALE] Ace. Aew Invent. 127 What makes a Ship
RoH and laboursome in the Sea? 1764 Chron. in Ann. Reg.
So i Most .. died in the passage, it beng so very long, and the
ship so very laboursome. 1794 Rigging *t Seamanship II.
336 The . . topsail should be the last . . sail taken in, in a
laboursome ship.
Hence La-boursomely adv., laboriously ; La -
bonrsomeness, laboriousness.
iSS EDW. VI Jrnl. Lit. Rem. (1857) II. 420 They had. .
passed many a strait very painfully and laborsomly. 1561
DAUS tr. Bitllingeron A fee. (1573) 68 b, And they have no
rest, &c. , signifie not any laboursomnes or paynefulnes, but
a continual holdyng on and tunable agrement in praysing
God. 1592 R. D. Hypnerot. 6 b, Which immence . . forme
. .mounting up laboursomly foote by foote, conteyned 1410
degrees or steppes. 1880 RHODA BROUGHTON Second Tk.
I. i. ix. 152 It seems as if to each breath a heavy stone were
tied, so laboursomely does he drag it up.
Labrador (l3e:brad;i a), the name of a large
peninsula in British North America, used attrib.
in the following specific collocations : Labrador
blue, the tint of blue reflected from labradorite ;
Labrador duck, a sea-duck of the north-east
coast of North America, Camptolsmus labradorius ;
Labrador falcon, a very dark variety of gerfalcon
found in Labrador, Falco labradorius ; Labrador
feldspar, spar, stone (also simply labrador) =
LABBADOBITE ; Labrador hornblende = ENSTA-
TITE (so called because it comes from Labrador
and resembles hornblende) ; Labrador tea, either
of the two shrubs of the genus Ledum (N.O.
Ericacese) of North America, viz. L. latifolium
and L. palustre, which have evergreen leathery
leaves that have been used for tea.
1881 A. LESLIE NordenskiSld s I oy. Vtga II. xi. 55 If..
one walks along the beach on the snow which at ebb is
dry . . there rises at every step one takes an exceedingly
LABBADORITE.
8
LABYRINTHIC.
intense, beautiful, bluish-white flash of light, which in the
spectroscope gives a one-coloured *labrador-blue spectrum.
1884-9 Riverside Nat, Hist. (1888) IV. 151 The ^Labrador
duclc is now extinct, or at least very nearly so. 1794 KIRWAN
Min, I. 324 * Labradore Felspar of Werner. x8<>7AiKiN Diet.
I. 428 Labradore Felspar .. is smoak-grey. 1794 KIRWAN
Min, I. 221 * Labradore Hornblende. 1819 BAKEWKU. Min.
315 Hypensthene, Labrador Hornblende. 1799 W. TOOKE
View of Russ. Etftp. I. 121 If we except. . window-mica, and
a little Labrador spar. 1778 WOCLFE in Phil. Trans. LXIX.
33 The *Labradore stone is also a Feld spar. 1794 KIRWAN
Min. 1.324, 1 conclude Labradore to be specifically different
from common felspars. 1834^ ALLAN Min, 134 A grey felspar
totally distinct from the species Labrador. 1784 M. CUTLER
in Life, Jrnls, $ Corr. (1888) I. 103 Large beds of what is
called the *Labrador tea, of a very aromatic taste and smell.
1882 Garden 29 Apr. 286/2 Labrador Tea.. is really a good
and distinct hardy bush.
Labradorite (Isebradfrrait). Min. [i*. prec.
+ -ITE. (Named Labradorstein by Werner in 1780,
because it came from Labrador.)] A kind of feld
spar, which shows a brilliant variety of colour when
turned in the light.
1814 ALLAN Min, 18 Opalescent [felspar], Labradore stone
..Labradorite. 1850 DAUBENY Atomic Theory xii. <ed. 2)
417 Recent lavas . . are made up principally, of labradorite,
a silicate with i atom only of acid, and of hornblende or
augite.
Hence Labrador! tic a. In mod. Diets.
Labral (V -bral), a. [f. LABR-UM + -AL.] Per
taining to a labrum or lip-like part.
1877 HUXLEY Anat. Inv. Anim. vi. 259 A suture.. con
nected with the labral suture by one or two sutures.
fLabras. Obs. rare 1 . Pistol s blunder forL.
labra, pi. of labrum lip.
1598 SHAKS. Merry W. i. i. 166, 1 combat challenge of
this Latine Bilboe : word of denial in thy labras there.
Labratory, rare obs. form of LABORATORY.
II Labrax (1^-bneks). [mod.L., a. Gr. Adj3pa.]
* A ravenous sea-fish, perh. the loup de mer, bass 1
(Liddell and Scott) ; Ichthyol., a genus of fishes of
the perch family, including the sea-bass.
1854 BADHAM Halieut. ii. 10, Oppian . . strongly recom
mends as bait a living labrax, if you can get one.
Labret (1^ bret). [f. LABR-UM + -ET.] An
ornament consisting of a piece of stone, bone, shell,
etc. inserted in the lip.
1857 A. ARMSTRONG N. W. Passage^ vii. 193 In the Es
quimaux .. we observed the lower lip perforated in the
males, for the admission of labrets or hp ornaments, 1872
R. F. BURTON Zanzibar I. iv. 113 As a rule, the South
American Indians pierce for their labrets the lower lip.
1884 J. G. BOL RKE Snake Dance of Moguls xxii. 243 They
do not tattoo, do not use nose-rings or labrets.
Labrinth, obs. form of LABYRINTH.
Labroid (1^ broid), a. and sb. Ichthyol. [ad.
mod.L. Labroidea, f. Labnis, generic name, f.
labrum lip : see -OID.]
A. adj. Pertaining to the family Labridx or
superfamily Labroidea of acanthopterygian fishes
of which the typical genus is Labrns.
1839 Penny Cycl. XIII. 262/1 Those Labroid fishes which
approach the genus Labrus in having the lips thick and
fleshy. 1864 Reader No. 86. 239/3 A new Labroid genus
allied to Trochocopus. 1893 A the naeitm 26 Mar. 407/2 The
labroid fishes of America and Europe.
B. sb. A labroid fish.
1854 OWEN in Circ. Sci. (^1865) II.g6 2 Sparoids, labroid s.
1865 Reader No. no. 143/2 Fishes which . . pass to the type
of Labroids and Lophioids.
LabrOSC (l^ br^s), a. [ad. L. labr&s-us, i. la
brum lip.] Having (large) lips ; see also quot.
17*7 BAILEY vol. II, Labrose, that has a Brim, Border, or
Bank. Also in recent Diets.
t La brous, a. Obs. rare***, [f. LABRUM +
-ous, after L. labrosus.] =prec.
1656 BLOUNT Glossogr., Labrous, that hath a brim, bank
or border. Also that hath great lips.
|| Labrum (U*-br#m). PI. labra. [L., cogn.
w. LABIUM.] A lip or lip-like part. (Cf. LABIUM.)
a. In insects, crustaceans, etc. : A part forming the
upper border or covering of the mouth, b. Conch.
The outer lip of a univalve shell.
1816 T. BROWN EUm. Conchol. 154 Labra, the lip. 1826
KIRBY & SP. Entomol. IV. 381 In the Ephemerina the
parts of the mouth except the labrum and palpi appear
to be mere rudiments. 1834 McMuimtiE Cnvier s Anim.
Kingd. 301 A mouth composed of a labrum, two mandibles,
a ligula, and one or two pairs of jaws, and branchiae. 1849
MURCHISON Siluria x. (1867) 237 \_Pterygotiis\ The mouth
. .protected by a large heart-shaped labrum. 1851 RICHARD-
sottGeof.viii. 240 The labrum t or outer Hp. .is the expansion,
or continuation of the body of the shell, on the right margin
of the aperture. 1880 HUXLEY Cray-Fish ii. 51 In front,
the mouth is overlapped by a wide shield-shaped plate termed
the upper lip or labrum.
t tabrU SCOSe, Obs. rare- , [f. L. labrusca,
-um wild vine and its fruit.] (See quot.)
1717 BAILEY vol. II, Labruscose, full of or abounding with
wild Vine or Briony.
Laburnum (Iab0un#m), Also 8 liburnum.
[L. (Pliny).] A small leguminous tree, Cytisus
Laburnum, a native of the Alps, much cultivated
on account of its profuse racemes of bright yellow
flowers. Applied also to other species, as C. al-
pinus (Scotch laburnum), and similar plants of
other genera (see quot. 1898).
i 1578 LYTE Dodoens vi. Ixvi. 741 Of Anagyris, Laburnum,
i and Arbor luda. Laburnum .. The flowers do grow very
thicke togither hanging by a very slender stem me. 1682
WHELER Jowrn. Greece iv. 200 The Flowers [of Anagyris
\ fcetida\ also grow out in little bunches, like the other
I Laburnum but larger. 1754 DODSLEY Agriculture ii. 387
And pale laburnum s pendent flowers display Their different
beauties. 1764 WESLEY Jml. ii June, We haveatree. .,the
wood of which is of full as fine a red as mahogany, namely,
the Liburnum. 1784 COWPER Task vi. 149 Laburnum, rich
i In streaming gold. ai8*i KEATS Ep. 271 The dark-leaved
laburnum s drooping clusters. 1850 TENNYSON In Mem.
Ixxxiii, Laburnums, dropping-wells of fire. 1898 MORRIS
\ Austral Eng., Laburnum, Native, the Tasmanian Clover-
tree, Goodenia lotifolia . . Laburnum, Sea-coast, also called
| Golden Chain, Sophora tomentosa.
b. attrib.y as laburnum chain, gold, yellow.
1893 N. GALE Country Muse Ser. n. 2 The glory of
laburnum-gold. 1899 Daily Neivs 23 May 2/3 The labur-
i num chains are dwarfed. Ibid. 27 Feb. 6/6 Rose-pinks,
! laburnum-yellows, leaf-greens.
Labyrinth. (Ise birinb), sb. Forms : 6 labor-
: ynth, lab(e)rinth,-irinth,6-7-arinth, 7-erinth,
: -irynth, -orynth, 7-8 poet, lab rinth, 6- labyr
inth, [ad. L. labyrinth-us, a. Gr. \a&vptvO-o$ y
of unknown (prob. non-Hellenic) origin. Cf. F.
labyrinths (1418 in Hatz.-Darm.).]
1. A structure consisting of a number of inter
communicating passages arranged in bewildering
complexity, through which it is difficult or impos
sible to find one s way without guidance ; a maze.
a. With references to the structures so named in
classical antiquity.
[1387 TREVISA IHgden (Rolls) I. 9 pis matir, as laborintus,
Dedalus hous, ha}> many halkes and hurnes .. wyndynges
and wrynkelynges. 1494 FABYAN Chron. vn. ccxxxviii.
277 This house, after some wryters, was named, labor intns
or Deladus (v.r. Labyrinthus or Dedalus) werke.] 1549
CompLScotl, vi. 64 Dedalus maid the laborynth to keip the
monstir minotaurus. 1591 SHAKS. i Hen. VJ , v. iii. 188 Thou
mayest not wander in that Labyrinth, There Minotaurs and
vgly Treasons lurke. 1591 SPENSER Ruins of Rome 22
Crete will boast the Labyrinth. 1601 HOLLAND Pliny I. 99
The Labyrinth built vp in the lake of Mcerjs without any
iot of timber to it. Ibid. II. 578 This Labyrinth in Crete is
counted the second to that of ./Egypt : the third is in the
Isle Lemnos : the fourth in Italy. 1836 THIRLWALL Greece
II. xii. 112 Theodorus, .. the builder of the Lemnian
labyrinth.
b. In mod. landscape gardening, a maze formed
by paths bordered by high hedges.
1611 COR VAT Crudities 298, I sawe a fine Labyrinthe made
of boxe. 1666 PEPYS Diary 25 June, Here were also great
variety of other exotique plants, and several labyrinths.
1753 CHAMBERS Cycl. Supp. s.v., Labyrinths are only proper
forlarge gardens, and the finest in the world is said to be
that of Versailles. 1792 A. YOUNG Trav. France 7 The
labyrinth [at Chantilly] is the only complete one I have
seen, and 1 have no inclination to see another : it is in gar
dening what a rebus is in poetry. .
2. transf. An intricate, complicated, or tortuous
arrangement (of physical features, buildings, etc.).
1615 CROOKE Body of Man 465 A mazey laberynth of small
veines and arteries. 1634 MILTON Comus 277 Co. What
chance good Lady hath bereft you thus? La. Dim dark-
nes, and this leafy Labyrinth. 1730-46 THOMSON Autumn
415 The scented dew Betrays her \sc. a hare s] early laby
rinth. 1777 WATSON Philip II (1793) II. xm. 133 Leyden
lies . . in the midst of a labyrinth of rivulets and canals.
1778 ROBERTSON Hist. Amer. I. ii. 122 He was entangled
in a labyrinth, formed by an incredible number of small
islands. 1843 LYTTON Last of Barons i. iv. 56 He suddenly
halted . . to find himself entangled in a labyrinth of scattered
suburbs. 1873 SYMONDS Grk. Poets xii. 400 The labyrinth
of peristyles and pediments in which her children dwell.
f b. Rushy labyrinth ~ Or. * aywvwv \a$vpivOos
(Theocritus), applied to a bow-net of rushes. Obs.~~ l
1658 SIR T. BROWNE Gard. Cyrus ii. 42 The rushy laby
rinths of Theocritus.
C. (a) Metallurgy. A contrivance of winding
channels used for distributing and separating the
ores in the order of the coarseness of grain, (b*)
A chamber of many turnings for the condensation
of fumes arising from dry distillation, etc. (Knight
Diet. Meek. 1875).
1839 URE Diet. Arts, etc., Labyrinth, in metallurgy,
means a series of canals distributed in the sequel of a stamp
ing-mill ; through which canals a sirearrj of water is trans
mitted for suspending, carrying off, and depositing, at
different distances, the ground ores.
3. Anat. A complex cavity hollowed out of the
temporal bone consisting of a bony capsule (osseous
labyrinth^, and a delicate membranous apparatus
(membranous labyrinth?) contained by it ; the in
ternal ear. In birds, the membranous capsule
which encloses the end-organs of the auditory
nerve (Newton Diet. Birds 1893, 180).
1696 PHILLIPS (ed. 5), Labyrinth . .In Anatomy, the Third
Cavity in the innermost part of the Ear, resembling the Shell
of a Snail. 1709 BLAIR in Phil. Trans. XXVII. 125, I
search d for the Labyrinth, or Linex Semilunares, but could
find none. 171* QUINCY Lex. Physico-Med, (ed. 2) 126/2 The
Labyrinth is made of three Semicircular Pipes, above half
a Line wide, excavated in the Os Petrosunt. 1840 G. V.
ELLIS Anat. 290 There is. .a fluid, .contained in the osseous
labyrinth, and in it the membranous labyrinth floats. 1873
M iv ART Eletn. Anat. ix. 393 A labyrinth composed of three
semicircular canals is also almost universal.
b. Applied to other organs of complex or intri
cate structure (see quots.).
I774GOLD5M. Nat. Hist.) Birds \. i. (1824) 1 1. 214 It is some
times also seen that the wind-pipe makes many convolutions
within the body of the bird, and it is then called the labyrinth.
1888 Syd. Sec. Lex., Labyrinth, a name given to the cells in
the lateral masses of the ethmoid bone. . . L,, ethmoidal, the
irregularly divided space formed by the anterior, middle
and posterior cells of the ethmoid bone. . . L., olfactory, the
contorted structure formed by the upper end of the middle
turbinate bones.
4. fig. A tortuous, entangled, or inextricable
condition of things, events, ideas, etc. ; an entan
glement, maze.
1548 HALL Chron., Rich. Ill 47 When the Earle was thus
..escaped all ye daungerous labirinthes and snares that
were set for him. 1571 DIGCES Pantotn. \. xxx. K b, The
Geometer .. without practise . . shall fall into manyfoulde
errours.or inextricable Laberinthes. 1606 SHAKS. Tr. $ Cr.
u. iii. 2 How now Thersites? what lost in the Labyrinth of
thy furie? 1622 MALYNES Anc. Law- Merck. 211 All will
run into a Laborinth and confusion. 1642 SIR E. DERIKG
Sp. on Rclig. xvi. 74 We shall run our selves into a..
Labyrinth of words, and lose the matter. 1756 BURKE
Vind. Nat. See. Wks. 1842 I. 17 The more deeply we
penetrate into the labyrinth of art, the further we find
ourselves from those ends for which we entered it. 1816
T. L. PEACOCK Headlong Hall v, Unravelling the laby
rinth of mind. 1818 SCOTT Rob Roy i, He found himself
. . involved in the labyrinth of mercantile concerns without
the clew of knowledge necessary for his extraction. 1823
LAMB Elia Ser. i. South-Sea Ho., She traced her descent,
by some labyrinth of relationship . . to the illustrious, but
unfortunate, house of Derwent water. 1828 MACAULAY
Ess.) Hailam (1851) I. 53 In this labyrinth of falsehood
and sophistry the guidance of Mr. Hallam is peculiarly
valuable. 1876 MOZLEY Univ. Sernt. iv. 92 Even in the
dark labyrinth of evil there are unexpected outlets. 1885
Law Times LXXIX, 130/1 To thread the labyrinth of the
statutes under which London is governed.
5. attrib. and Comb., as labyrinth cave, thread \
labyrinth-like, -stemmed adjs. ; labyrinth fret
Arch, (see quot,) ; labyrinth vesicle Anat. t a
cavity or furrow in the labyrinth of the ear.
1817 SHELLEY Rev. Islam vni. xi, From slavery and
religion s labyrinth caves Guide us. 1842-59 GWILT
A rchit. Gloss., * Labyrinth Fret, a fret, with many turnings,
in the form of a labyrinth. 1851 PENROSE A then. Arch. 56
The labyrinth fret beneath the mutules. 1622 DRAYTON
Pefy-o/6. xxii. 22 In*Labrinth-like turnes, andtwinings intri
cate. 1855 RICHARDSON Geol. 302 The labyrinth-like arrange
ment of the dentine, from which Professor Owen derived the
name Labyrinthodon. 1860 RusKiN-Aforf. /*< /. V. ix.iv.2^o
Its forests are sombre-leaved, *labyrinth-stemmed. 1823 in
Joanna Baillie Collect. Poems 210 Life s *labyrinth-thread
deceives, and seems but sand. 1878 BELL tr. Gegcnbaur s
Comp. Anat. 44 The *labyrinth-vesicles of the Vertebrata.
Za byrinth, v. [f. LABYRINTH sb.] trans.
To enclose in or as in a labyrinth ; to arrange in
the form of a labyrinth.
1808 J. BARLOW Columh. ix. 201 Close labyrinth d here the
feign d Omniscient dwells. 1820 KEATS Lamia n. 53 How
to entangle . .Your soul in mine and labyrinth you there.
1846 RUSKIN Mod. Paint. (1851) II. in. i. v. The purple
clefts of the hill side are labyrinthed in the darkness.
Labyrintha! Jsebirrntal), a. rare. [f. LABY
RINTH sb. + -AL.] Labyrinthine. Hence Laby-
ri nthally adv.
1669 Addr. Hopeful Yng. Gfntry Eng. 42 The soul is . .
more labyrinthally and securely imprisoned. vj^jT he College
42 Each lymphatic fills From myriad springs its labyrinthal
rills. 1881 Arctic Cruise of the Corwin 30 (Cent.) The
labyrinthal ice mazes of the Arctic.
t La byrintlied, a. Obs. rare- 1 , [f, as prec.
4- -ED ^.] Full of labyrinths or complications.
1650 tr. Caussin s Ang, Peace 57 Thorow the labyrinthed
Successions of so many Ages.
t Labyrrnthial, a. Obs. Also -all. [f. as
prec. + -IAL.] Labyrinthine.
a 1550 Image ipocr, \\. 310 in Skelton s Wks. (1843) II. 426
By lawes aDsynthyall And labirynthyall. a 1711 KEN
Hymnarium Poet. Wks. 1721 II. 54 He o er the Universe
presides, And Labyrinthial Casualties guides,
Labyrintliian (Uebiri nhian), a Also 7 -eeau,
7, 9 -ean. [f. LABYRINTH sb. + -IAN.] =-- LABYRIN
THINE, in various senses.
1588 J. HARVEY Discoursive Problems 42 This intricate
Ijibyrynthian monument. 1597-88?. HALL.S"fl/.(i753) 48 His
linnen collar labyrinthian set. 1609 HEYwooD/toV.yVvyxiii,
iii. 332 To guide me through the laborinlhean maze In which
my brain s intangled. 16x4 RALEIGH Hist. World v. vi. 7.
647 The Labirynthian head of Martius could not allow of
such plaine reason. 1615 CROOKE Body oj Man 15 The
Labyrintha;an Mazes and web of the small arteries. 1742
YOUNG Nt. Th. ix. 1029 The labyrinthian turns they take
The circles intricate, and mystic maze. 1837 Fraser s Mag.
XVI. 71 The labyrinthean mazes of a female heart. 1854
BAKEWELL Geol. 43 This peculiar labyrinthian structure of
the teeth. 1864^ HAWTHORNE Grimshawe xxi. (1891) 286
It is a labyrinthian house for its size. 1900 H. W. SMYTH
Grk. Melic Poefs p. xcii, Clews to guide us through the
labyrinthian mazes of the theme.
Labyrinthibrancli (Isebiri-nbibnerjk). Ich
thyol. [ad. mod.L. Labyrinthibranchii (see below),
f. Gr. \a8vpiv0-os LABYRINTH + 0/xi7xta gills.] One
of the Labyrinthibranchii t a family or division of
acanthopterygian fishes. So Iiabyrinthibra-nch-
iate ., pertaining to the Labyrinthibranchii, which
have labyrinthine gills.
Labyrinthic (laebiri nbik), a. [ad. late L.
labyrinthic-us, a. Gr. Aaflv/wcfc/c-os, f. \a&vfxvOos
LABYRINTH.] = LABYRINTHINE, in various senses.
Labyrinthic cavity : the labyrinth of the ear. Z.
teeth (see quot. 1888).
LABYRINTHICAL.
1641 VICARS God in Mount 20 Its craft and labyrinlhick !
intricacie [sc. of an oath]. 1798 W. TAYLOR in Monthly
Re-, . XXVII. 529 The lahyrinthic paths of hypothesis and
fiction. 1811 SHELLKY St. Irvyne x, Thence was I led into
a train of labyrinthic meditations. 1831 CARLYLE Sart.
Res. (1858) 20 In that labyrinthic combination, each Part
overlaps, and indents, and indeed runs quite through the
other. 1836-9 TOOD Cycl. Anal. II. 536/2 In many fishes
the labyrinthic cavity forms one with that of the cranium.
1875 HUXLEY in Itncycl. llrit. I. 762/2 The complicated or
labyrinthic structure exhibited by transverse sections of the
- teeth of typical Labyrinthodonts. 1888 Syd. Soc. Lex.,
Labyrinthic teeth, teeth which have numerous radiating,
sinuous, vertical grooves, which penetrate their substance
and interdigitate with similarly shaped processes of the
pulp-cavity ; as in the Labyrinthodon.
Labyrinthical (Isebiri-nbikal), a. rare.
[Formed as prec. + -AL.] = prec.
1628 DONNE Sertn. xlviii. 486 Poor intricated Soule !
Riddling perplexed labyrinthica! Soule. 1670 SWAN Spec.
Mitndi $w The ears be like certain doors, with Labyrinthical
entiles, and crooked windings. 1681 H. MORE Expos.
aby
incomprehensible complexity.
Hence labyri nthically adv.
1849 CARLYLE Irish Jojirn. 115 The muddy meanders of j
Cork harbour labyrinthically indenting it.
Iiabyriiithiform (Uebirrnjnffam), a. [ad.
mod.L. labyrinthiform-is, f. labyrinth-us LABY
RINTH : see -FORM.] Having the form of a
labyrinth ; characterized by sinuous and intricate
conformations, markings, etc. ; Ichthyol. having
labyrinthine gills.
1835 K.IRBY Jfa/>. tr Inst. Anim. II. xix. 295 Her next
labour is to spin a spiral or labyrinthiform line. 1868 Nat.
Encycl. I. 657 The pharyngeal apparatus being labyrinthi-
form. 1870 tr. Ponchet s Universe 253 The anabas . . fills
with water a labyrinthiform cavity which is also situated
above its branchiae 1883 F. DAY fnd. Fish 30 The laby-
rinthiform climbing-perch and its allies.
Labyrinthine (Isebirrnjwin, -in), a. [f. LABY
RINTH sl>. + -INF..]
1. Pertaining to, or of the nature or form of, a
labyrinth ; having or consisting of many intricate
turnings or windings.
1747 SPENCE Polymetis (L.), She [Ariadne] preserved him
in the labyrinthine mazes of Crete. 1817 SHELLEY Rev.
Islam \. 53 The long and labyrinthine aisles. 1837 HOWITT
Rur. Life n. vi. (1862) 163 The midges are celebrating their
airy and labyrinthine datces with an amazing adroitness.
1863 N. HAWTHORNE Our old Home 240 The lanes, alleys
and strange labyrinthine courts. 1863 H. W. BATES Natu
ralist on Amazon iv. 132 A large flat Helix with a laby
rinthine mouth. 1871 NICHOLSON Pal&ont, 351 The parietes
of the teeth are deeply plaited and folded, so as to give rise
to a complicated labyrinthine pattern in the transverse
section of the tooth. 1876 RUSKIN Arrows ofChace (1880)
1. 172 Your labyrinthine magnificence at Burlington House.
2. fg. Intricate, complicated, involved, inextri
cable.
1840 DE QUINCEY Style \. Wks. 1890 X. 158 To follow the
discussion through endless and labyrinthine sentences. 1853
F. W. ROBERTSON Serin. Ser. in. iv. (1872) 45 An entangled,
labyrinthine enigma. 1865 Sat. Rev. 7 Jan. 16/1 [Brown
ing] is apt to entangle the reader in labyrinthine thoughts.
3. Pertaining to the labyrinth of the ear.
1876 Clin.Soc. Trans. IX. 101 Labyrinthine disease.
Labyrinth.od.on (IzebirrnbJdpn). Pa/scont.
[mod.L. (R. Owen), f. Gr. Aa^piyflos LABYRINTH
+ vSovT-, 65ovs tooth : cf. note s. v. GLYPTODON.]
Any of the large fossil amphibians of the genus
Labyrinthodon, characterized by teeth of labyrin
thine structure having the enamel folded and sunk
inward.
1847 ANSTED Anc. World vii. 132 The numerous and
gigantic labyrinthodons . .as large as a rhinoceros. 1854 R.
OWEN in Circ. Sci. (c 1865) II. 97/2 The extinct gigantic
lizard-like toad, called Labyrinthodon. 1876 PAGE Adv.
Tejct-bk. Geol. xvi. 294 The batrachian or frog-like laby.
rinthodon.
Labyrinthodont (l:ebirrn))<?dpnt), sb. and a.
Palsfont. [Formed as prec.]
A. sb. = prec.
1849-51 OWEN in Todd Cycl. Anat. IV. 867/2 A singular
family of gigantic extinct Batrachjans which I have called j
Labyrinthodonts . 1873 DAWSON Earth ft Man viii. 201
The crocodilian newts or labyrinthodonts of the Carboni
ferous.
B. adj. Having labyrinthic teeth ; spec, pertain
ing to the genus Labyrinthodon of fossil amphi
bians.
1867 SMYTH Coal 39 Amphibian Labyrinthodont reptiles.
1876 PAGE Adv. Text-bk. Geol. xiv. 254 Those labyrintho-
dont reptiles that come boldly into force in the Permian
and Triassic eras.
Lac 1 (loek). Forms: a. (6 laoha, lacta), 6-9
lacca, (7 lacka, 8 laca, lakka). p. 6-8 lack(e,
(7 lache, 7-8 laoque, 8 lace, 8-9 laque), 7-
lac. [ad. Hindustani lakh : Prakrit lakkha :
Skr. laksha, also raksha. Cf. F. laque, Pr., Sp.
laca, It. lacca.]
1. (Also gum-lac?) The dark-red resinous incrus
tation produced on certain trees by the puncture of
an insect (Coccus or Carteria laced). It is used in
the East as a scarlet dye. The incrusted twigs are
called stick- lac the resin broken off the twigs and
VOL. VI.
triturated with water to remove the colour is called
seed-lac ; melted, strained, and formed into ir
regular thin plates, it is known as slicll-lac or
SHELLAC.
n. 1553 EDEN Treat. Newe Ind. (Arb.) 21 marg., Lacha,
Lacca, or Lacta, is ye gumme of a tree wherewith silke is
colored. 1622-62 HEYLIN Cosmogr. ill. (1682) 217 Lacca
(a gum there made by Ants, as here Bees make Wax).
1693 rhil. Trans. XVII. 934 Manna and Gum Lacca he
clearly shews to be Spontaneous Exudations. 1753 CHAM
BERS Cycl. Snpp. s.v. Lacca, A tincture of gum lace may be
thus prepared. 17^63 W. LEWIS Comm. Phil. Techn. 223
Lacca . . is found incrustated on sticks or branches of trees.
1809 WILFORD in Asiat. Researches IX. 65 This Amber of
Ctesias is obviously the Indian Lacca, which has many
properties of the Amber.
ft. 1618 T. BARKER in St. Papers Col., E. Indies 1617-21
(1870) 159 Saffron, gumlac, indigo, copper. 1662 J. DAVIES
tr. Mandelslos Tra-. . II. (1669* 122 At Bantam .. they sell
store of I,acque, whereof they make Spanish wax. 1698 Phil.
Trans. XX. 273 Gum Lack is the House of a large sort of
Ants, which they make on the Boughs of Trees. 1727
BRADLEY J am. Diet. s.v. Gunt, Powder of pister-shells, or
Gum Lacque in Powder. 1794 PEARSON in Phil. Trans.
LXXXIV. 385 White lac, in its dry state, has a saltish and
bitterish taste. 1838 T. THOMSON Chew. Org. Bodies 550
I>ac . . is deposited in different species of trees in the East
Indies, namely, \\iejicits indica,Jicns relifiosa,^nd rhain-
nns jiijnba. 1877 C. W. THOMSON Voy. Challenger 1. i. 15
The different varnishes arid lacs remain soft and sticky.
1 2. The colour ol* lac ; crimson. Also, a pig
ment prepared from lac. 06s. (Cf. LAKE sb.6)
1677 GREW Colours Plants iii. 13 Spirit of Sulphur on
a Tincture of Violets turns it from Blew to a true Lacke, or
midle Crimson. 1689 MAKVKI.I. Itistr. to Painter 636 Scarce
can burnt iv ry feign a hair so black, Or face so red, thine
ocher and thy lack. 1763 Brit. Mag. IV. 659 There . ire three
sorts of lacque : the fine Venice lacque, the Columbine
lacque, and the Liquid lacque.
f b. An extractive pigment ; = LAKE sb.f< 3.
1682 Weekly Memorials 27 Mar. 74 He also teaches us a
way of preparing a sort of Lacca, or Paint, out of every
Flower, by which it may be drawn or pictur d in its own . .
Native Colour.
T3. The varnish made from lac; also applied to
various resinous varnishes used for coating wood,
etc. ; = LACQUER 2 a, 2 b.
1598 W. PHILLIPS tr. Linschoten I. Ixviii. ir7 Desks,
Targets, Tables [etc.] . . that are all couered and wrought
with Lac of all colours and fashions. 1669 Phil. Trans.
IV. 985 No Arts are to be met amongst them, that are not
known in Europe, except that of making Lacca. 1697
DAMPIF.R I oy. (17291 II. I. 24 The Lack with which Cabinets
and other fine Things are overlaid. 1727 A. HAMILTON New
Acc.E. Indies I.ii. 126 The Lack is clear enough, but always
clammy.
4. Ware coated with lac or lacquer.
1662 J. DAVIES tr. Mandelslo s Trim. i. (1669) 24 Boxes of
Lacque or Silver. 1861 C. P. HODGSON Rcsid. in Japan 28
By degrees, the eye becomes accustomed to old laque. .Old
laque is, like old lace, inimitable. i&B&Pall MallG. n Feb.
3/1 The gems of Mr. S. s unrivalled collection are here to
show the supreme masterpieces in lac .
6. attrib., as lac-panel, -resin, -tree, -varnish
lac-cochineal, the insect that produces lac (Coccus
lacca) ; lac-dye, a scarlet dye prepared in India
from lac ; lac-lake, the purple or scarlet pigment
obtained from lac.
1813 BINCLEY Anim. Biog. III. rgi The *lac cochineal.
1846 Pope s Jrnl. Trade p. xxxi, Cochineal, Indigo, Lac-
dye. 1883 Casselts Fam. Mag. Oct. 683/r Comparatively
few people know how the lac-dye they read of in commerce is
produced. 1895 Daily News 24 May 6/6 A gold box.. with
old *lac panels. 1876 PREECE & SJVEWRIGHT Telegraphy 296
The *gum lac resin is employed to consolidate the carbon-
peroxide of manganese mixture. 1763 W. LEWIS Comin.
Phil. Techn. 331 The species, called by Mr. Miller the true
*lac tree, was found to contain, in its bark . . a somewhat
milky juice. 1688 G. PARKER & J. STALKER Japaning \
The other [strainer] for your *Lacc-varnish. 1799 G. SMITH
Laboratory 1. 178 Make a paste of chalk and lack varnish.
Hence f Lac v. trans., to cover or varnish with
lac ; to lacquer.
1698 Phil. Trans. XX. 275 And then with a Brush [they]
lay it smooth on any thing they design to Lack. 1717 A.
HAMILTON New Ace. E. Indies I. xi. 125 They make fine
Cabinets, both lack d and inlaid with Ivory. Ibid. 126
They lack wooden Dishes and Tables, but not so well as in
China.
Lac -, lakh. (Isek). Anglo-Indian. Forms : 7
laches, le(c)k, leake, lacque, laquesaa (? from
Skr.), 7-9 lak, lack, 9 lac. [ad. Hindustani lakh
: Skr. laksha masc. and neut., laksha fern.] One
hundred thousand : a. of things in general ; occas.
used for an indefinite number; b. spec, of coins,
esp. in a lac of rupees.
a. 1613 PURCHAS Pilgrimage v. vi. (1614) 478 Euery
Laches containeth an hundred thousand yeares. _ 1653
H. COGAN tr. Pinto s Trav. Ivii. 225 There was slain ..sixteen
Laquesaas of men, each of which an hundred thousand.
1698 J. FRYER E. India $ P. 104 With Lamps to the Number
of two or three Lacques, which is so many Hundred
thousand on our Account. iSooAsia/. Ann. .fief. 62/2 The
troops of that country [China] were upwards of three lacks
of horsemen. 1804 MRQ. WELLESLEY in Owen Desp. (1877)
454 Calamities would fall on lacs of human beings. 1820
T. MAURICE Hist. Hindostan I. I. iv. 126 Four Yugs, or
forty-three lacks and twenty thousand years. 1881 LUBBOCK
in Nature No. 618. 407 The Laccadives. .meaning literally
the lac of islands .
b. 1613 PURCHAS Pilgrimage v. xvii. (i6r4) 544 Euery
Crou is a hundred Leckes, and euery Lecke a hundred
thousand thousand [V] Rupias. 1615 CORYAT Lett.fr. India
LACE.
in Crudities (1776) III. L 6, The whole Present was worth
ten of their Leakes, as they call them ; a Leak being ten
thousand pound sterling. 1687 A. LOVELL tr. Thevenot s
Trav. ill. I. ix. 18 Great sums of money are reckoned by
Leks, Crouls. 1692 in J. T. Wheeler Matiras in Old. Time
(1861) I. 262 A lak of Pagodas. 1773 Gentl. Mag. XLIII. 145
Whilst Patriots of presented lacks complain, And Courtiers
brib ry to excess arraign. 1802 WOI.COT l P. Pindar) Great
Cry ff Little Wool Wks. 1812 V. 175 The lacks are not easily
got Nor honestly made in a hurry. 1859 THACKERAY Virgin.
xliii, Making rather too free with jaghires, lakhs, gold
mohurs. 1871 MATEER Tra-. anccre 72 The annual revenue
of the Travancore State amounts . . to about forty lacs of
rupees.
Lac, obs. form of LACK s/>. 1 and z>.l
Laca, lace, lacca : see LAC J .
Laccage : see LACKAOE.
Laccar, obs. form of LACQUER.
La CCate, sb. Chem. [See -ATE 1.] A salt of
laccic acid.
1794 PEARSON Table Client. Nomencl. 31.
Laccate (lse-k* t), a. Hot. [f. mod.L. lacca LAC 1
+ -ATK -.] Of leaves : Having the appearance of
being lacquered. In some mod. Diets.
Lacce.Lacch e.obs. formsof LACK v. 1 , LATCH v.
Lacchesse, obs. variant of LACHES.
Laccic (Ire ksik), a. Chem. [f. mod.L. lace a
LAC 1 -!- -ic. Cf. F. facciifiie.] Only in laccic acid,
the acid procured from lac.
1794 PKARSON Table Chem. Xomencl. 31 Laccic Acid.
1819 J. G. CHILDREN Chem. Anal. 277 Laccic acid is obtained
from stick-lac.
Laccin (Ice ksin). [f. as prec. + -IN. Cf. P".
laccine.] The colouring principle in lac.
1838 THOMSON Organic j>o<ties 552 A colouring matter, a
peculiar body to which he [Dr. John] gave the name of
laccin.
Laccolite (larWloit). Geol. [f. Gr. \dnxo-s a
reservoir + -LITE. So named by Gilbert in 1877.]
A mass of igneous rock thrust up through the
sedimentary beds, and giving a dome-like form to
the overlying strata.
1877 GILBERT Rep. Geol. Henry Alts. ii. 19 For this body
the name laccolite. .will be used. 1896 Pop.Sii. Jrnl.L.
241 These are connected.. with Plutonic plugs, laccolites.
Hence Laccoli tic a., pertaining to a laccolitc.
1877 DUTTON in Gilbert Kef, Geol. Henry Mts. 69 Lacco-
litic nuclei. 1879 A atitre XXI. 179 It is not likely that
the Henry Mountains are the only ones constructed on the
laccolitic type.
Laccolith (lK k(fliJ)). Geol. [f. as prec. + A/0-os
stone.] -LACCOLITE.
1879 DANA Man. Geol. (ed. 3) 840 The laccolith, as is seen,
rests on horizontal strata.
Lace (l< T s), sb. Forms : 3-4 las, 4-5 laas, (4
lasse, Sc. laise, 5 laace), 5-7 lase, i v f Sc. les, <>
laze, Sc. lais), 4- lace. [ad. OF. /a:, las (mod.F.
lacs, with etymologizing spelling), f. popular L.
*Iacium (L. laqneimi) a noose. Cf. It. laccio, Sp.,
Pg. lazo.}
fl. A net, noose, snare. Chiefly/^. Obs.
13. . K. Alis. 7698 Woman the haveth bycouglit : Woman
the haveth in hire las ! c 1386 CHAUCER Knl. s T. 2389
Vulcanus had caught thee in his las. 1430-40 LYDG.
Bockas, Dance Machabree (1554) 222 Sithens that death
me holdeth in his lase. 1491 CAXTON I itas Pair. (W. de
W. 1495) i. i. 6bj, How they myghte eschewe the laces and
temptacyons of the deuyll. 1590 GREENE Never too late
n. d6oo) O 3b, Thus folded in a hard and mournfull laze
Distrest sate hee. 1600 FAIRFAX Tasso n. xx, The king had
snared been inloues strong lace. 1603 HOLLAND Plutarch s
Alor. 973 And yet if the polype can get and entangle him
once within his long laces, hee [the lobster] dies for it.
1 2. A cord, line, string, thread, or tie. Obs. exc.
spec, as in 3 a.
i3po Cursor M. 15880 (Giitt.) par he [ludas] liuerd his
maistir up pai bunden had wid las \Cott. Ia3as]. c 1340 Itid.
22967 (Fain.), 1 salle . . breke ^aire bandis & bair lacis. 1390
GOWER Conf. III. 237 They taughten him a lace to braide.
1405-6 Ace. Rolls Durham (Surtees) 400 Cum .. lacez et
anulis pro ridellis. 1412-20 LYDG. Chron. Troy in. xxii,
And hym to treyne [they] layde out hoke & lase. a 1425
WYNTOUN Orig. Cron. IV. x. 1231 Off gold thrawyn all lyk
a les. 1463 in Bury Wills (Camden) 42 A stoon and a reed
lace with a knoppe. 1484 CAXTON Fables ofsEsop i. xviii.
(1889) 27 The ratte beganne . . to byte the lace or cord. 1535
COVERDALE Eccles. xii. 6 Or euer the syluer lace be taken
awaye. 1639 FULLER Holy War in. viii. (1647) 123 Pitie it
was that Rahab s red lace was not tied at his window.
fb. transf. and_/?f. Obs.
a 1547 SURREY in TotteCs Misc. (Arb.) 4 To seke the place
where I my selfe had lost, That day that I was tangled in
the lace. 1555 EDEN Decades 200 Abowte whose leaues
there growe and creepe certeyne cordes or laces. 1578
LYTE Dodoens I. xx. 30 The roote hath many smal strings
or threddy laces hanging thereby. 1641 J. JACKSON True
Evang. T. ii. 143 The red scarlet lace of Christs blood,
must be entortled and interwoven into a bracelet, with a
white silken thred of holinesse and regeneration. 1650
FULLER Pisgak n. iv. ro3 Some fancy a small Lace of land
(or rather a thread for the narrowness thereof) whereby
Naphtali is tyed unto Judah.
3. spec. a. A string or cord serving to draw to
gether opposite edges (chiefly of articles of clothing,
as bodices, stays, boots and shoes) by being passed
in and out through eyelet-holes (or over hooks,
stud$ etc.) and pulled tight. Cf. boot-, shoe-, stay-
lace.
2
LACE.
t Under tact : under the bodice ; in ME. poetry - under
K i;) e . Gam. * Gr. Knt. 1830, 1 schal gif yow my girdel,
bat gaynes yow lasse. Ho lajt a lace lyjtly, bat leke vmbe
hir sydez. la 1366 CHAUCER Rom. Rose 843 And shod _he
was with greet maistrye, With shoon decoped, & with
laas. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints, Baptista 1208 To quham I
ame nocht worthi loute na of his schone be laise tak oute.
c 1394 f. PI. Crede 79 To wenen pat be lace of cure
ladie smok Ii3te> hem of children, c 1440 Ipomydon 326
(KOlbing) He .. drew a lace of sylke full clere, Adowne
than felle hys mantylle by. c 1440 Hone Flor. 1817 Ihey. .
betoke hur to the marynere, That lovely undur lace. 1534
MORE Picas Wks. 30 Ne none so small a trifle or conceyte,
Lase, girdle, point, or proper gloue straite. 1593 SHAKS.
2 Hen. VI, iv. ii. 49 She was indeed a Pedler s daughter,
and sold many Laces. 1611 BIBLE F.xod. xxvm. 28 Ihey
shall bind the brestplate. .vnto the rings of the tphod witn
a lace of blewe. 1625 K. LONG tr. Barclay s Argems I. x.
28 Sprinkling water in her face, and cutting her laces, they
made her fit abate. 1676 GREW Anat. Flowers \. 3 As
Teeming Women, gradually slaken their Laces. 1709 BLAIR
in Phil. Trans. XXVII. 96 Like so many Thongs or Laces
whereinto a piece of Leather had been cut. 1712 tr.
Fount s Hist. Drugs I. 193 The Flowers bear a resem
blance to tags at the End of long Laces. 1748 RICHARDSON
Clarissa (1811) I. xvi. 106 When I recovered, [I] found .
my laces cut, my linen scented with hartshorn. 1879
BHOIVNING Ned liratts 133 He taught himself the make Of
laces, tagged and tough. 1885 Law AY>, Q. B. D. XV. 360
The two ends were rivetted or laced together with metal
rivets or leathern laces.
*\ Formerly sometimes used to render L. fibula
brooch .
1382 WYCLIF i Mace. x. 88 He sente to hym a golden lace
[L. fi bulam}. c 1440 Pramp. Pan. 283/1 Lace, fibula,
laqucum. 1570 LEVINS Manip. 6/35 A \SUX,fibttla.
t b. A cord used to support something hanging,
e.g. a sword; a baldrick, belt. Obs.
1-1386 CHAUCER C. Yeom. Pro!. 21 His hat heng at his
bak doun by a laas. 1490 CAXTON Eneydos xvi. 63 Eneas
. . had a bystorye . . hangynge at a silken lase by his side.
a 1533 LD. BEKNERS Hnon xxii. 66 He hade about hys
necke a ryche home hangyng by two lases of golde. 1597
MONTGOMERY CkcrrilQSltu 115 His quauer by his naked
thyis Hang in ane siluer lace.
f 4. t transf. from 3 a. In building : A tie beam ;
a brace. Also, a panelled ceiling ( =L. laquear).
1(1300 Cursor M. 1728 Noe. .self festnid bath band and
lace. Ibid. 8778 Quen al was purueid on be place, And bunden
samen balk and lace. -1440 Promp. Pam. 283/1 Lace
of an howserofe, laijnlarea. 1592 Nottingham Rec. IV. 235
Settinge in a lace to Posterne Bridge rayle. 1601 HOLLAND
Pliny II. 581 A man may .. bestow them [beams] againe
fast enough without laces to bind them.
5. Ornamental braid used for trimming men s
coats, etc.; fa trimming of this. Now only in
gold lace, silver lace, a braid formerly made of gold
or silver wire, now of silk or thread with a thin
wrapping of gold or silver.
a 1548 HALL Citron., Hen. VIII 239 Flatte golde of Dam-
maske with small lace myxed betwene of the same golde,
and other laces of the same so goyng traverse wyse, that the
grounde lytle appered. 1591 GKEENE Disc.^Coosnageiu. 36
1634 PEACHAM Genii. E.rerc. 135 Garters deepe fringed with
gold lace. 1681 DRYDF.N Prot. to Univ. of Oxford 16 Tack
but a copper lace to drugget suit. 1702 Lond. Gaz. No.
3793/4 Mary Presbury. .Gold and Silver Lace-seller. 1704
SWIFT T. Tubi.(>l So without more ado they got the largest
Gold Lace in the Parish, and walkt about as fine as Lords.
1787 O KEEFE Farmer II. iii, liut now a saucy Footman,
1 strut in worsted Lace. 1791 KOSWELL Johnson an.
1749, In a scarlet waistcoat, with rich gold lace, and a
gold-lace hat. 1867 SMYTH Sailor s Word-bk., Lace, the
trimmings of uniforms.
t b. transf. A streak or band of colour. Obs.
rare 1 . (Cf. LACE v. 6.) 1613 [see GUARD sb. MC],
6. A slender open-work fabric of linen, cotton,
silk, woollen, or metal threads, usually ornamented
with inwrought or applied patterns. Often called
after the place where it is manufactured, e. g.
Brussels lace. For bobbin-, chain-, pillow-, point-,
etc. lace, see the first member. Also BONE-LACE,
BRIDE-LACE.
1555 WATREMAN Fardle Facions i. v. 50 The men satte^at
home spinnyng, and woorkyng of Lace. 1613 (title) The
King s Edict prohibiting all his Subjects from using any
Gold or Silver, either fine or counterfeit ; all Embroiderie,
and all Lace of Millan, or of Millan Fashion. 1715 GAY
Epist. Earl Burlington 118 The busy town ..Where finest
lace industrious lasses weave. 1837 GORING Microg. 208
Manufactured fabrics, such as lace, blond, muslin, [etc.].
transf. 1866 G. MACDONALD Ann. Q. Neighb. xi. (1878)
an In the shadows lay fine webs and laces of ice.
7. A dash of spirits mixed with some beverage,
esp. coffee. (Cf. LACE z>.l 9 and LACED ppl. a. 1 6.)
In quot. 1704 the meaning may be sugar , as Johnson
supposes. (Cf. quot. a 1700 s.v. LACED///, a. 1 6.)
c 1704 PRIOR Chameleon 26 He drinks his coffee without
lace. 1712 ADDISON Spect. No. 448 P i He is forced every
Morning to drink his Dish of Coffee by itself, without the
Addition of the Spectator, that used to be better than Lace
to it. 1755 JOHNSON, Lace, sugar. A cant word. [With
quot. c 1704.]
8. General comb. : a. simple attributive, as (sense
3 a) lace-holt, (sense 6) lace-curtain, -tracery,
-trade, -work, -worker ; lace-like adj. b. objective,
as lace-buyer, -designer, -dresser, -maker, -making
-mender, -seller, -weaver, c. instrumental and
10
parasynthetic, as lace-covered, -curtained, -edged,
-loaded, -trimmed adjs.
1679 Land. Gaz. No. 1391/4 Taken .. from two Lace-
buyers., two Geldings. 1883 F. M. CRAWFORD Dr. Claudius
ii, A dainty *lace-covered parasol fell over the edge. 1891
C. JAMES Rom. Rigmarole 128 Dainty, lace-curtained
windows. 1890 Daily News 16 Apr. 2/4 Thomas Argyll, . .
lace-designer. 1879 E. JAMES Ind. Househ. Man. 31 Lace-
edged antimacassars. 1871 Figure Training 34 At the age
of fourteen or thereabouts, the front rows of Mace-holes may
be omitted. 1833 J. y.f.HmiAlfh. Angling 45 All the species
of dragon-fly, with the exception of one or two, being
characterised by very clear, *lace-like, pellucid wings. 1873
LOWELL Among my Bks. Ser. H. 125 Lacelike curves of
ever-gaining, ever-receding foam. 1836 T. HOOK G. Gitrney
iii. 86 The strapping, state-fed, lace-loaded lacqueys of the
Mansion-House. 1589 RIDER Eng.-Lat. Diet., A *Lace-
maker,yWw/ar/;/j. t6llCorcR. I f 3 assetnenfier,& Lace-maker.
1848 MILL Pol. Econ. i. v. 9. 100 Weavers and lacemakers.
1835-37 SOL-THEY in Ccnvper s Wks. \. 202 *Lace making
was the business of the place. 1844 G. DODD Textile Mannf.
vii. 227 Lace-menders examine every piece, and mend, with
needle and thread, every defect. 1702 Land. Gaz. No. 3793/4
Gold and Silver Laceseller. 1890 ROLF BOLDREWOOD
Miner s Right xliv. 185/1 A faint lace-tracery of mist. 1819
REES Cycl. s.v. Lace, The lace trade of Nottingham. 1891
Daily AYws 5 June 8/4 Scarves ofcrepon with lace-trimmed
ends. 1715 Land. Gaz. No. 5327/2 The Company of Lace-
Weavers at Augsburg. 1802 Brookes Gazetteer (ed. 12) s.v.
Lode, Famous for watchmakers, laceweavers, goldsmiths.
1849 ALB. SMITH Pottleton Legacy xxiv. 242 A white cravat
the ends of which were in open lace-work. 1873 TRISTRAM
Moot ix. 173 Numbers of stones with very pretty lacework
of various patterns. 1896 Daily News i Oct. 2/2 His sister,
another laceworker, is in charge of the family during their
sojourn in London.
9. Special comb. : lace-bark (tree), (a) a West
Indian shrub (Lagetta lintearia), so called from
the lace-like layers of its inner bark ; (b) in New
Zealand, Plagianthus betulinus, ribbon-wood ;
lace-border, a geometrid moth (Acidalia ornata)
with a broad lace-like border to the wings ; lace-
coral, a fossil polyzoan of the family Fcnestellidse;
lace-fern, (a) a small elegant fern (Cheilanthes
gracillima] having the under side of the frond
covered with matted wool ; (/>) any of the several
species of the genus Uymenophyllum ; lace-frame
(see FRAME so. is b); lace-glass, Venetian glass
with lace-like designs ; f lace-head, a head-dress
of lace ; lace-leaf (plant), Ouvirandra fenes-
tralis, of Madagascar ; lace-lizard, an Australian
lizard (Hydrosaurus varitts) ; lace-man, a man
who manufactures or deals in lace; lace-paper,
paper cut or stamped in imitation of lace ; lace-
pigeon (see quots. ) ; lace-pillow, the pillow or
cushion which is laid on the lap of a woman engaged
in making pillow-lace ; lace-plant, ? = lace-leaf
plant; lace-runner(seequot.); f lace-shade, a lace
veil ; lace-tree, ? = lace-bark tree ; lace-wing (fly),
a fly with delicate lace-like wings, esp. one of the
genus Chrysopa; also lace-winged Jly; lace-
woman, a woman who works or deals in lace.
II11U .1 i JIIIIILH.I u. ...,.=.. ^830 LlNDLEY Nat. Syst. Bot. 76
In Jamaica a species is found which is called the Lace Bark
Tree. 1869 E. NEWMAN Brit. Moths 79 The Lace Border
(Acidalia ornata). 1885 LADV BRASSEY The Trades 23pThe
lace- or fringe-fern . . grew in wild profusion. 1895 Daily
ffim 5 Dec. 6/1 Selling a couple of old lace-frames to
some Frenchmen for 2oo/. apiece. 1883 MOLLETT Diet. A rt
156 There are six kinds of Venetian glass.. (6) Reticulated,
filigree, or "lace glass. 1884 Mag. o/ Art Feb. 155/2
Briati . . was especially celebrated . . for his beautiful work in
lace-glass. 1714 RAMSAY Tea-t. Misc. (1733 I- 35 Shou d
a . . Flanders lace head . . Gar thee grow forgetfu . 1809
Edin. Rat. XV. 78 He will hear of lace-heads and ruffles.
1866 Trtas. Bot. (1870), Lace-leaf plant, Onvirandra.
1880 J. SIBREE Jr. Gt. African 1st. iv. 100 This is the
Lace-leaf plant, or water-yam ; in scientific phraseology,
Onvirandra fenestralis. 1881 F. McCoy Pndrtnmu Nat.
Hist, of Victoria 4 Dec. (Morris), The present Lace Lizard
is generally arboreal. 1669 PEPYS Diary 26 Apr., Calling
at the *lace-man s for some lace for my new suit. 1737
FIELDING Miser v. vii, The laceman will be here immedi
ately. 1896 Westm. Gaz. 5 Dec. 3/1 A laceman of a good
many years standing. 1765 Treat. Dam. Pigeons 143 The
Lace Pigeon. ..They are valued on account of. .the pecu
liarity of their feathers; the fibres, or web of which, appear
disunited from each other throughout their whole plumage.
1859 URE.NT Pigeon Sic. 54 The Lace or Silky Pigeon. . .The
fibres of the feathers are all disunited, ..which gives them a
lacy or silky appearance. 1793 COWPER Let. 9 Jan. in
T. Wright Life (1892) 260 The lace pillow is the only thing
they dandle. 1865 C. KNIGHT Passages Work. Life III. x.
205 The jingling rhymes sung by young girls while engaged
at their lace-pillows. 1885 LADY BRASSEY The Trades 426
A plant . . called the lace-plant , from the extreme delicacy
and beauty of its foliage. 1844 G. DODD Ttxtilt Mannf.
vii. 225 The term embroidery does not seem to be much used
in . . the Nottingham lace-trade, most of those who work on
net with the needle being termed lace-runners . 1803 JANE
PORTER Tliaddens (1831) 275 Her lace-shade . . half veiled
and half revealed her graceful figure. 1887 MOLONEY
Forestry {V. Afr. 460 The public may . . see in our stoves
the rare "Lace tree of Jamaica. 1863 WOOD Nat. Hist.
III. 491 The beautiful Lace-wing Flies, or Hemerobiidae. . .
Several species of the Lace-wings are also called . . Golden
Eyes. 1826 KIRBY it Sp. Entomol. III. 94 The beautiful
lace-winged flies (Hemerobius). 1609 B. JONSON Silent
Worn. il. iii, Tailors, lineners, lace-women, embroiderers.
1896 Daily Ne^vs i Oct. 2/2 She is a laceworaan in the
Exhibition.
LACE.
Lace (Vs), v. Forms : 4 lacye, 5 lacyn, (lyce),
5-6 lase, 6 Sc. laise, 7 ? leese (sense 2 d), 4- lace.
fa. pple. 3 i-laced. [ad. OF. lacier (F. lacer) :
popular L. *laciare to ensnare, f. *lacitim : see
LACE Hi. Cf. Pr. lassar, Sp. lazar, Pg. lacar, It.
lacciare.]
( 1. trans. To catch in, or as in, a noose or snare ;
to entangle, ensnare. Obs.
c 1400 Rom. Rose 3178, I trowe never man wiste of peyne,
But he were laced in Loves cheyne. 1426 LYDG. De Gitil.
Pilgr. (E. E. T. S.) 13,076 Folkys vnder my demeyne,
Swych as be lacyd in my cheyne. c 1485 Digby Myst. v. 580
Fortune in worldes worshepe me doth lace.
2. To fasten or tighten with, or as with, a lace or
string ; to tie on ; to fasten the lace of. In mod.
use spec, to fasten or tighten (boots, stays, etc.)
with a lace or laces passed alternately through
two rows of eyelets. Also with dcnun,on, together.
ai*2$Ancr. R. 420 Sum wummon. .wereS . . be strapeles
adun to hire uet i-Iaced ful ueste. a 1300 K. Horn 870
Horn his brunie gan on caste, And laced hit wel faste.
c 1386 CHAUCER Miller s T. 81 Hir shoes were laced on hir
legges hye. < 1400 MAUNDEV. (Roxb.) xxvi. 121 pai er ..
laced togyder with lacez of silke. ri45o St. Cnthbert
(Surtees) 3933 He kit be clathes as l-ai hade bene lasyd
And on the saint body brasyd. 1530 PALSGR. 600/2, J wyll
lace my doublet first for takyng of colde. 1596 SHAKS.
Tarn. Shr. m. ii. 46 A paire of bootes that haue been
candle-cases, one buckled, another lac d. 1672 WISEMAN
Treat. Wounds I. iv. 43, I caused a straight stocking to be
laced on both legs. 1709 STF.ELE & ADDISON Taller No. 75
T 8 To see me often with my Spectacles on lacing her Stays.
1711 W. SUTHERLAND Shipbuilders Assist. 129 Lacing the
Mizon. 1748 Anson s Voy. in. viii. 380 The galeon was . .
provided against boarding . . by a strong net-work . . which
was laced over her waist. 1763 Brit. Mag. IV. 286, I lace and
unlace ladies stays of the first fashion, every day of my life.
1789-96 MORSE Amer. Geog. II. 35 They fix the rein-deer
to a kind of sledge .. in which the traveller, well secured
from cold, is laced down. 1869 FREEMAN (Norm. Cong. (1876)
III. xiii. 259 Ofttimes he laced and ofttimes he unlaced his
mantle. 1885 Law Kef., Q. B. D. XV. 360 The two ends
were, .laced together with, .leathern laces.
b. transf. and_/5y.
13. . Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. xxiii. 466 Heil bep
whom be godhed In vr flesch was laced, a 1550 Christis
Kirke Gr. xviii, Hir glitterand hair that wes full gowdin,
Sa hard in lufe him laist. 1576 FLEMING Panopl. Epist. 35
When he sawe the perill of us all, lincked and laced to the
daunger of hym selfe. 1578 N. BAXTER tr. Calvin on Jonah
64 Jonas, -stood harde lased [L. qnasi constrictns], because
[etc.]. 1860 DARWIN in Life * Lett. (1887) II. 298 Each series
of facts is laced together by a series of assumptions.
c. intr. (quasi-/uw.) To admit of being fastened
or tightened with laces.
1792 WOLCOT (P. Pindar) Wks. III. 37 She wailing, in
most piteous case, Of stubborn stays that would not lace.
1888 P. FURNIVALL Phys. Training 6 Shoes . . should . .
lace from the toe, as high up the foot as is possible.
d. Naut. To apply (a bonnet) by lacing it
to a sail (Smyth Sailor s Word-bk. 1867;. Also
with on. (Cf. F. lacer.)
1635 BRERETON Trav. (Chetham Soc.) 169 You may take
off the main bonnet and top bonnet, . . and in a short time
you may lace them on again. 1669 STURMY Mariner s Mag.
i. 16 Leese in [ed. 1684 Lace on] your Boonets.
3. To compress the waist of (a person) by draw
ing the laces tight. With qualifying adv. (straitly,
tight, etc.). Also fig. To lace in : to compress
the waist of (a person) by lacing. Similarly, to
lace down.
a 1566 R. EDWARDS Damon tr Fithias (1571) B iv, Whiche
bothe are in vertue so narrowly laced, That [etc.]. 1599
PORTER Angry Wont. Abingt. (Percy Soc.) 107, I do
not love to bee last in, when I goe to lase a rascal!.
1668 R. STEELE Hnsbandm. Call. x. (1672) 262 They grow
crooked by being lac d too strait. 1700 CONGREVE Way of
World m. x, Like Mrs. Primly s great Belly; she may lace
it down before, but it burnishes on her Hips. 1825 SCOTT
Fain. Let. 23 Jan. (1894) H- 23 Rather straitly laced in
her Presbyterian stays. 1882 World 21 June 18/1 The
bodice., laced-in a waist of twenty inches.
b. reft., and intr. for refl.
1630 BULWER Anthrofomet. 195 Better advised are the
Venetian Dames, who never Lace themselves. 1871 Figure
Training 9 To lace or not to lace. Ibid. 99, I can, if dis
posed, lace in to sixteen inches.
4, trans. To thread or interlace (a fabric of any
kind) with a lace, string, or the like ; to embroider.
Chiefly in pa. pple.
1483 Wardr.Atc. in Antiq. Refer!. (1807) I. 3oThe fore-
saide canapies sowed with oon unce of silk, and lyced with
i Ib. xj unces of grene threde. \Sj6 TURBERV. Vntru*\
You shall haue a net made of strong thread laced with a
thong 1630 R. N. Camden s Eliz. n. 68 Silkes, glittering
with gold and siluer, eyther imbroydered or laced. 1774
WEST -tnliil. Fumcss p. xxii, Marie and soil, laced with
fibres of vegetables. 1879 H. GEORGE Progr. a, Pov. vn.
v (1881) 253 We . . lace the air with telegraph wires. 1880
Paper t, Print. Trades Jrnl. No. 32. 38 Oblong vellum
binding laced with cat -gut.
b. To pass (a cord, etc.) in and out through
a fabric by way of ornament, through holes, etc.
t Also with in. Also/Tg.
1638 SANDERSON Serin. (1681) II. 108 To lace in a prayer,
a blessing, a thanksgiving. 1880 ZAEHNSDORF Art Book-
binding (i&)) xiv. 57 The boards having been squared, they
are to be attached to the book by lacing the ends of the cord
through holes made in the board.
c. To intertwine, to place together as if inter-
LACED.
1883 HALL CAINK Colnv. ofCrit. vi. 176 The poet, .lacing
and interlacing his combinations of thought and measure.
1889 F. M. PKARD Paul s Sisttrl. viii. 218 Lucy .. laced
her white fingers across her forehead.
fd. "? nonce-use. To pierce repeatedly with shots.
1622 R. HAWKINS Voy. S. Sea x. 21 Wherevpon the Gunner
at the next shott, lact the Admirall through and through.
5. To ornament or trim with lace.
1599 SHAKS. Muck Ado in. iv. 20 Cloth a gold, and cuts,
and fac d with siluer. 1670 LADY M. BERTIE in \-2th Rep.
Hist. MSS. Comm. App. v. 21 The under pettycoatt very .
richly laced with two or three sorts of lace. 1727 SWIFT
Further Ace. E. Curll Wks. 1755 III. i. 161 Have not I
clothed you in double royal,, .laced your backs with gold.
1760 tr. Keyslers Trav. II. 354 A chair covered with velvet,
and laced with gold. 1841 JAMKI Brigand xxvi, The king
was habited . . in black velvet richly embroidered and laced
with gold.
6. To mark as with (gold or silver) lace or em
broidery ; to diversify with streaks of colour.
tage should atcniue. Ana lace it seltewitn nis societiu. 1005
Macb, ii. iii. 118 Here lay Duncan, His Siluer skinne, lac d
with his Golden Blood. 1602 M.-\RSTONj4/W*Vf A rv. i. iii.
Wks. 1856 I. 81 The verge of heaven Was ringd with flames,
and all the upper vault Thick lac t with flakes of fire. 1648
(?AGE West. Ind. xvii. (16551 113 A pleasant and goodly
^ alley, laced with a River. 1850 WHIPPLE Ess. <V Rev. (ed. 3)
1 . 280 The gloom of his meditations is laced with light in all
directions. 1850 Beck s Florist 200 Very smooth, stout petal
laced with rosy purple. 1860 KINGSLEY Misc. II. 259 A
Waterfall of foam, lacing the black rocks with a thousand j
snowy streams. 1861 L. L. NOBLE After Icebergs 67 Boats i
..freighted with the browner cod, laced occasionally with a I
salmon. Ibid. 139 The ocean with its waves of Tynan dye I
laced with silver.
fb. Painting, absol. To insert streaks of any I
colour, e.g. white. Obs.
1634 PEACHAM Gcntl. Exerc. 74 It is the best white of all
others to lace or garnish, being ground with a weak gumme
water.
C. intr. Of a flower : To acquire the streaks of
colour prized by fanciers v Cf. LACED ppl. a. 4.)
1853 Beck s Florist 210 The varieties [of pinks] generally
laced very well.
7. To lash, beat, thrash.
1599 [see 3]. 1615 Band, Ruffe $ Cnffe (Halliw.) 10 If I meet
thee, I will lace thee roundly. 1618 FLETCHER Loyal Suhj. v.
iv, He was whipt like a top ; I never saw a whore so lac d.
1692 R. L EsTRANGK /"/, Life of&sop n Go your ways
.. or I ll lace your coat for you. 1783 AlNBWORTH Lat,
Diet. (Morell) i, To lace, ..cxdo, verbero. 1847 C. BRONTE J.
Eyre xxi. (1857) 2 34 A. .switch.. waiting to leap out imp-like
and lace my quivering palm. 1867 SMYTH Sailor s Word*
bk., Lace, to beat or punish with a rattan or rope s end.
f8. Cookery, Tolnake a number of incisions in
(the breast of a bird). Obs.
1658 T. MAYEKNE Archimag. Anglo-Gall. No. 36. 33
Take a Wigeon . . or Mallard . . and with your knife lace [
them down the brest. a 1704 Compleat Servant-Maid
fed. 7) 33 Lace down the Breast on both sides. 1796 MRS.
GLASSE Cookery xxvi. 382 Cut off the legs, lace the breast
down each side.
9. To put a ( lace J of spirits (or f of sugar) into
(a beverage^ ; to mingle or dash (with spirits).
[1677 : see LACED ppl. a. [ 6.] 1687 MIEGE Gt. Fr. Diet. n.
s.v.. To lace Coffee, mettre ttn f>eu de Sucre dans une tasse
de Capht. 1815 SCOTT Guy M. xi, He had his pipe and his
tea-cup, the latter being laced with a little spirits. 1852
THACKERAY Esmond i. ix. (1878)84 Polly loves a mug of ale,
too, and laced with brandy. 1881 Blackw. Mag. CXXIX.
195 Abraham began by lacing his cups for him. 1898 STEVEN
SON St. Ivcs 53 A jug of milk, which she had handsomely
laced with whiskey after the Scottish manner.
10. Comb.) as lace-boots \ also lace-up adj. and sb.
x8j7 Sporting Mag. XX. 272 Strong lace-boots coming
just over the ancle. 1836 DICKENS Sk. Boz (1850) 45/2 To
fit a pair of lace-up halOboots on an ideal personage. 1841
J. T. HEWLETT Parish Clerk I. 22 A stout pair of lace-ups.
1851-61 MAYHEW Lond. Labour III. 410 He wore the heavy
high lace-up boots, so characteristic of the tribe.
Hence La-cing 1 ppl. a. nonce~use = INTERLACING.
Also La cer, one who laces, in comb, tigkt-lacer.
1871 Figure Training 4^8 So far as I have observed, tight-
lacers are, as a rule, active, brisk, healthy young people.
1873 G. C. DAVIKS Mount, fy Mere xiii. 99 We catch glimpses
of it sometimes through the lacing branches.
Laced (l^st), ///. a. 1 [f. LACE v. + -ED!-.]
f 1. Of a plant : Entwined with a climbing plant.
1533 ELYOT Cast. Helth in. v. (1541) 60 b, I.ased sauerie.
1551 TURNER Herbal 90 We call in england sauery that
hath doder growinge on it, laced sauery : and tyme that
hath the same, laced tyme. 1555 EDEN Decades 200 The
herbe which we caule lased sauery. 1640 PARKINSON Theat.
Bot. 1740.
2. Of shoes, etc. : Made to be fastened or tight
ened with laces.
1676 WISEMAN Chirurg. Treat, i. xxiii. 124 A pair of laced
Stockings. 1697 Lond. Gaz. No. 3275/4 One pair of new
Laced Shooes. 1813 J. THOMSON Lect. Inflamiti. 447 The
laced stocking was much used, and is particularly recom
mended by Wiseman. 1874 T. HARDY Far fr. Madding
Crowd viii, He wore breeches and the laced-up shoes called
ankle -jacks.
3. Ornamented or trimmed with lace : a. with
edgings, trimmings, or lappets of lace. b. with
braids or cords of gold or silver lace.
a. 1668 DAVENANT Man s the Master n. i. Wks. 1874 V.
23, I left your lac d linen drying on a line. 1673 E. BROWN
Trav. Germ., etc. (1677) 112 Two Feather- Beds, with a
neat laced sheet spread over. 1720 Lond. Gaz. No. 5881/3
A fine Valencia grounded laced Suit of Night Clothes. 1765
11
H. WALPOLK Virtue* A need. Paint (i7&6) HI. 221 They are
commonly distinguished by the fashion of that time, laced
cravats. 1873 Miss BROUGHTON Nancy I. 82 Mother bends
her laced and feathered head in distant signal from the
table top.
b. 1665 BOYLE Occas. Rcjl. v. v. (1848) 314 A I^ac d, or an
Imbroider d suit, .would, now. .make a Man look . .like . . a
player. 1786 MAD. D ARBLAY Diary 12 Aug., We met ..
such superfine men in laced liveries, that we attempted not
to question them. 1841 CATUN N. Amer. Indians (1844)
II. lv. 198 His coat, .was a laced frock.
4, Diversified with streaks of colour. Of birds:
Having on the edge of the feathers a colour different
from that of the general surface. Of a flower :
Marked with streaks of colour.
1834 MifDiE Brit. Birds I. 74 The principal ones [fancy
pigeons] are., the Jacobine, the Laced [etc.]. 1867 TKCET-
MEIER Pigtons xxiii. 177 Examples of very good laced Fan-
tails. 1882 Garden 7 Oct. 312/2 The edged, tipped, or laced
Dahlias require a good deal of shading. 1888 Poultry
2 7 J^y 377 Hen nicely laced on breast.
t5. Laced mutton (slang) : a strumpet. Qbs.
Mutton was used alone in the same sense. The adj. may
mean wearing a bodice \ possibly with a pun on the culinary
sense LACE v. 8, though the latter is not recorded so early.
1578 WHETSTONE Prom. % Cass. i. iii. Biij, And I smealt,
he lou d lase mutton well. 1591 SHAKS. Two Gent. i. i. 102.
1599 N. BRETON r/tisition s Lef., You may. .eat of a little
warm mutton, but take heede it be not Laced, for that is ill
for a sicke body. 1607 K. C. tr. //. Xtcf/ittis World of
Wonders 167 The diuell take all those marled villains who
are permitted to eate laced mutton their bellies full. 1694
MOTTEUX Rabelais iv. Prol. (1737) p. Ixxxiii, With several
coated Quails, and lac d Mutton.
6. Of a beverage : Mixed with a small quantity
of spirits. (But see quot. a 1700; also 1687 in
LACE v. 9.)
1677 WVCHERLEY PI. Dealer m. i, Prithee, captain, let s
go drink a dish of laced coffee, and talk of the times.
a 1700 B. E. Diet. Cant. Otto, Lac d Coffee^ Sugar d. 1712
ADDISON Spcct. No. 317 P 30 Mr. Nisby of opinion that
laced Coffee is bad for the Head. 1819 Andersons
Cumberld. Ball. 108 Set on kettle, Let aw tcake six cups o
leac d tea. 1886 Illiistr. Loud, News Summer No. 14/2
He took a sip at his laced coffee.
7. Of the spokes of a bicycle : Set so as to cross
one another near the hub.
1885 Cyclist 19 Aug. 1107/2, 52in. Rudge bicycle No. i,
laced spokes.
f 8. Laced stool\ ?onc made with a cane or rush
seat, or one with a cloth seat stretched by cords.
1649 in Bury Wills (Camden) 212, 1 give vnto my daughter
Anna, .a greene chaire and foure laced .stooles.
9. Comb., as land- jacket ed^ -waistcoated adjs.
1748 RICHARDSON Clarissa \j\s>. 1883 VI I. 495 A couple
of brocaded or laced-waistcoated toupets, 1848 THACKERAY
Van. F. xlviii, The laced-jacketed band of the Life Guards.
t Laced, ppl. a? Her. Ohs. Also 5 lussed,
6 lased. [more correctly lassed, for lesscd, pa. pple.
of LESS v.] Lessened, diminished.
1486 Bk, St. Albans, Her. b ij b, A lassed cotarmure is on
the moderis parte. 1561 LEIGH Arinoric (1597) 98 A gentle
woman borne, wedded to one, hauing no cote Armour, they
hauing issue a sonne, . . The same sonne . . may beare her
cote armour, during his life, with a difference Cynquefoyle,
by the curtesie of armes, and this is called a lased cote
armour. 1586 FERNE Bias. Gentrie 66 She must be an heire
to her auncestour, or els her issue can not beare the Laced
coat.
Lacedaemonian (tatfdftnJfa niinX a. and sb.
[f. L. Lacedxmoni US) Gr. AaKtSatpovtos (f. Lace-
dxmon^ Gr. ActKcScu /fcw) -f- -AX.] A. adj. a. Of
or pertaining to Lacedcumon (Sparta) or its inhabi
tants, b. Of speech or correspondence LACONIC.
B. sh. A native of Lacedcemon.
1780 COWPER Let. 16 Mar., Wks. 1837 XV. 50 Till your
letters become truly Lacedaemonian, and are reduced to a
single syllable. 1807 ROBINSON Archxol. Grxca \\. xv. 168
Their clothing was so thin that ( a Lacedaemonian vest"
became proverbial. 1870 EMERSON Sot: fy Solit. iv, 87 If
any one wishes to converse with the meanest of the
Lacedemonians. 1900 Daily Neivs 15 Mar. 6/3 The 461(1
owed their name of The Lacedemonians to their colonel s
stirring speech on the ancient Spartans.
La ce-piece. Shipbuilding. [?f. LACE sb. 4
+ PIECE.] The part of the prow of a wooden
vessel above the cut-water and behind the figure
head. Also called facing- (see LACING vbl. sb. 3 d\
i874THEARi.E Nov. Arcfiit.64 The main rails extended
generally from the catheads to the lace piece.
Lacerability (Icc serabi-liti}. [f. next : see
-ITY.] The condition of being lacerable.
1847-9 TODD Cycl. A fiat. IV. 713/1 Simple lacerability is
frequently set down to softening.
Lacerable (lee serab l), a. [ad. late L. lacer-
abih s, f. lacerare to LACERATE. Cf. F. laetrable.]
That may be lacerated, susceptible of laceration.
1656 in BLOUNT Glossogr. 1666 HARVEY Mori). Angl. xxii.
51 The Lungs .. must necessarily lye open to great.. dam-
mages .. because of their thin, and lacerable composure.
1835-6 TODD Cycl. Anat. I. 346/2 The bronchi are . . easily
lacerable tubes. 1879-89 J. M. DUNCAN Lect. Dis. Women
vii, (ed. 4) 40 The uterus . . may be extremely thinned and
easily lacerable.
Lacerant (Ise serant), a. nonce-wd. [ad. L.
lacerant-enit pres. pple. of lacerare to LACERATE.]
Of a sound : Tearing, harrowing.
1888 HOWELLS Annie Kilbttm x.\v, The bell, .called the
members . .with the same plangent, lacerant note that sum
moned them to worship on Sundays.
LACERT.
Lacerate (lorserA), ///. a. [ad. L. laccrat-us,
pa. pple. of lacerare to LACEKATK.]
1. Mangled, torn, lacerated. Also_/g*. Distracted.
1542 HKN. VIII Declar. 205 Our realme hathe ben for
a season lacerate and torne by duiersitie of titles. 1660
F. IJROOKE tr. Le Blanc s Trnv. 281 That this town [Alex
andria] should now be brought to so lacerate a condition, that
was for many aces one of the most ample. 1805 SOTTHI-.Y
Madoc n. viii, His hands transfix d, And lacerate with, the
body s pendent weight. 1878 SYMOSDS Sonn. Campanclla
xxviii, Now slays with limbs dispersed and lacerate.
2. Bot. and Zool. Having the edge or point irre
gularly cut or cleft as if torn ; jagged.
I 77 < S ! LEE Introd. Bot. Expl. Terms 384 Laccrui t
lacerate, where the Margin is variously divided, as if torn.
1794 MARTVH tr. Rousseau s Hot. xxvi. 380 Many varieties
. . with lacerate leaves and simple ones. 1846 DANA
Zoi>f>k. (1848) 324 Folia thin, . . sometimes lacerate.
b. In combining foim lacerate-; as lacerato-
dentate, -subdivided.
1846 DANA Zooph. (1848) 225 Lamellae thin, lacerato-
dentate. Ibid. 706 Small ;. .sometimes laccrato-subdivided.
Hence La cerately adv., in a lacerated manner,
with laceration. In recent Diets.
Lacerate (Irc ser^t;, v. [f. L. lacerat~ t ppl.
stem of lacerare t f. lacer mangled, torn.]
1. trans. To rend, tear, mangle ; to tear to pieces,
tear up. Also, fto separate by violence.
1592 \V"ii.: MOT, utc. Tattered tf Gi$m, v. i. (13, The drnd
corps Which rauenous beasts forbeare to lacerate. 1633
HHOMI-; Antipodes iv. i.v, In signe whereof we lacerate thes
Eapers. 1713 DKRHAM ritys. Theol. n. v. 48 If the Hc.it
reaks through the Water with such fury, as to lacerate,
and lift up great quantities or bubbles of Water, it causetli
what we call Boy I ing. 1791 Cow PER Iliad v. 354 He
crush d the socket, lacerated wide Roth tendons. 1798
MARSHALL Garden, xviii. (ed. 2 283 So . . the fibres will not
be lacerated. 1808 J. BARLOW Colitmb, vii. 232 Shells and
langrage lacerate the ground. 1868 FARRAR A Hence <V K vi.
(1875) 107 If they could show you how their feet have been
lacerated hy the thorns. 1880 Times 18 Sept. 9 4 Jaggtd
rocks.. will rend and lacerate the helpless being.
2. With immaterial objects and Jig. ; csp., to
afflict, distress, harrow ft he heart).
1-1645 HOWKI. i. Lett. (1650) III. 6 The Wars that have
lacerated poor Kurope. 1773 JCIIINSON Let, to Airs. Tliraic
17 Mar., Necessity of attention to the present preserves us
.. from being lacerated . . by sorrow for the past. 1780
Let.to Laivreth r 20 Jan. in Hosti dl, The continuity of being
is lacerated. 1863 Miss HHAIUJON Eleanor s Viet. I. ii. 33
How cruelly the old heart was lacerated by that bitttr
letter. 1871 R. W. DALE Ten Comniaiiiint. ii. 54 The writers
of the New Testament make no attempt to lacerate the
heart by insisting on the details of our Lord s sufferings.
Hence La cerating rl>/. sb. and///, a.
1816 UYKON rarisina xx, Scars of the lacerating mind
Which the Soul s war doth leave behind. 1872 GEO, ELIOT
Aliddlon. Ixxxi, Will Ladlslaw s lacerating words. 1877
BLACK Green Fast. vii. (1878) 54 The lacerating of a
mother s heart. 1893 AttttHStuui 19 Aug. 263 3 The
lacerating pangs of neuralgia.
Lacerated (Jarser^ted), ///. a. [f. LACEKATK
v. + -ED !.] In senses of the vb. ///. a ml _/?".
1606 WAHNLR Alb. Eng. xiv. Ixxxvii. 358 The lacerated
Kmpire of the Romanies, though with Knefe, DisclainiM
the I>rutaines. 1612 WOOUALL Surg. Mate Wks. (1653 54
Observe in great lacerated wounds, as followeth, &c. 1768
STLKNE Sent. Jonrn. (17781 II. 183 (Bourbonnois) He finds
the lacerated lamb of another s tlock. 1809 Med. Jrnl.
XXI. 209 The following Case of lacerated Urethra. 1818
COUBETT 7W. Reg. XXXIII. 238-9 To seize hold of.,
parcels .. of the lacerated country. 1849 MACAULAY Hist.
Eiig, v. I. 536 Under the soothing influence of female friend
ship, his lacerated mind healtd fast. 1879 St. George s
Hosfi. Rep, IX. 364 Large lacerated wound 3 inches long.
b. BoL -LACERATE a. 2.
1753 CHAMBERS Cycl. Snpp. s.v. Ltttf, Lacerated leaf.
1830 LiNDi-EY Nat. Syst. Bot. 101 Stigmas .. either 2 and
lacerated, or discoid and 4-lobed.
Laceration (Ises&^ Jan). [ad. L. laceration-
em, n. of action f. lacerare to LACERATE. Cf. > .
laceration. ] The action or process of lacerating ;
an instance of this.
1597 A. M. tr. Guilleuteaiis Fr. Chirurg. 5/2 Throughe
lacerationeof some vayneor arterye. i6isCRooKt: Body of
Jlftiu 344 The orifice . . doth .. inlarge it selfe without feare
of laceration or tearing, a 1631 DONNK in Select. (1840) 38
Forbearing all lacerations, .and woundings of one another.
1646 SIR T. BROWNE Pseud. Ep. \\. v. 88 The nitrous . .
exhalations . . force out their way, not only with the break
ing of the cloud, but the laceration of the ayre about it.
1731 ARBUTHNOT Aliments (17.^5) 167 The Effects are, Exten
sion of the great Vessels, Compression of the lesser, and
Lacerations upon small Causes. 1783 P. POTT Chirurg,
Wks. II. 26 The difference between dilatation and laceration
of the peritoneum. 1846 LANDOR /mag. Cowers. Wks. II.
236/1 The scars and lacerations on your arms. 1861 H.
SPENCEK First Print, i. v. 32 (1875) 115 No mental revolu
tion can be accomplished without more or less of laceration.
Lacerative (Ise-serativ), a. rare. [f. L. type
* lacer ativtis, i. lacerare to LACERATE.] Tending
to produce laceration.
1666 HARVEY Morb. Angl. xiii. 32 The continual afflux of
lacerative humours. 1879-89 J. M. DUNCAN Lect. Dis.
Women xviii. (ed. 4) 140 This arises from lacerative injury.
Lacert . Obs. rare. Also 6 laserte. [ad.
L. lacerta or lacertus, in the same sense.] A lizard.
138* WYCLIF Let it, xi. 30 A lacert, that is a serpent that
is clepid a liserd. 1578 BANISTER Hist. Man iv. 44 A muscle
..of the likenes of the little beast called a Laserte. 1585
H. LLOYD Treas. Health Bij, Sprynkle it ouer with the
Ashes of a s r ene Lacerte burnt. 1610 J. DEMON Ace.
2-a
LACERT.
Estates in Cumberld. (1887) 128 His seal was a griphon
eating a lacert. 1696 PHILLIPS, Lacert, . . a Lizard.
t Lacert ". Obs. [a. OF. lacerte, ad. L. lacert-us
the fleshy part of the arm (? similative use oflacerttts
lizard ; cf. musculus muscle, lit. little mouse ).]
A muscle.
(-1386 CHAUCER Knt. s T. 1895 Every lacerte in his brest
adoun Is schent with venym and corrupcioun. (-1400
Lau/ranc s Cimrg. 292 If ^>e hole of be festre . . louche be
place of be lacertis of be ers. 1541 R. COPLAND Guydtm s
Quest. Chirurg. C iij b, Lyke as those two beesles [the lizard
and mouse] are byg in the middle and sclender towarde the
tayle so is the muscle or lacerte. 1586 VIGO // ks. 287 b,
There is a great lacert which hath two heads and keepeth
the bone of the adjutorie that it be not displaced on that
side. 1696 PHILLIPS, Lncert, . . the Brawny part of the Arm.
Lacertiail (lasautian, -Jan), a. and sb. [f. L.
lacert-a lizard + -IAN.] A. adj. Of or pertaining
to the lizards or Lacertilia ; lizard-like, saurian.
1843 in HUMBLE Diet. Geol. 1847 ANSTED Anc. World
viii. 155 The lacertian type that exhibited in the iizards of
the present day. 1877 DAWSON Orig. World xv. 338 The
lacertian reptiles.
B. sb. A lacertilian ; a lizard.
1839 Penny Cycl. XIII. 265/2 Under the family name of
Lacertians Cuvier arranged ist. The Monitors. .2nd. The
Lizards properly so called.
Lacertid (ISssMtid). [ad. mod.L. Lacertid-se :
see -ID 3 .J A lizard of the family Lacertids.
In some mod. Diets.
Lacertiform (laso-Jtif(>jm), a. [f. L. lacerta
lizard + -(I)FORM.] Having the form of a lizard ;
lacertilian. 1855 in MAYNE Expos. Lex.
Lacertilian (Ise sartMian), a. and sb. [f. mod.
L. Lacertili-a pi. the lizard tribe + -AN.]
A. adj. Belonging to the Lacertilia. B. sb. An
animal of the order Lacertilia.
1854 OWEN in Circ. Set. (1:1865) " 6.3/2 Lacertilian order.
1881 .Vaturt XXIII. 551 Its lacertilian affinities are well
shown in its long and rat-like tail.
So Iiacertriioid a. =prec. A. In mod. Diets.
Lacertine Jlasa-Jtsin), a. [f. L. lacert-a lizard
+ -IXE 1.]
1. = LACERTIAN.
839-47 TODD Cjfcl. Anat. III. 910/2 The Lacertine Sauna
are possessed of an inverted intromittent organ. 1863
Reader 31 Oct. 502 The lacertine tail curves round again
to the level of the forehead. 1882 Acaitemy No. 509. 75
The ornament consists chiefly of serpentine and lacertine
creatures interlaced.
2. Of ornament: Consisting of intertwined lizard-
like figures.
1863 Sat. Rev. 448 A lacertine open-work ornament, termi
nating in a monster s head. 1886 Quaritch s Catal. MSS.
3498 Painted in interlacing or lacertine patterns.
Lacertoid (Ias5-Jtoid), a. [f. as prec. + -OID.]
Lizard-like ; pertaining to the super-family Lacer-
toidca of lizards. 1835 in MAYNE Expos. Lex.
t Lacertose, lacertous, a. Obs. Also 5
lacertos, 6 lazartus. [ad. L. lacertosus (OF. la-
certos ),{.lacerlus Lkcw. i t: see-ous.] Consisting
of muscles ; having large muscles ; muscular.
c 1400 Lanfranc s Cirurg. 107 (Ashm. MS.) fe skyn bat is
aboue be brayn panne is lacertose [AM. MS. lacertos] and
ful of bicke fleisch. 1541 R. COPLAND Guydon s Quest.
Chirurg. C iij, The other is rlesshe musculous or lacertous y*
is^harde as bawme styflfe or knotty. 1548-77 VICARY Anat.
iii. (1888) 25 The Skinne of the head is more lazartus, thicker,
aiW more porrus than any other Skinne of any other member
of the body. 1717 UAILEY vol. II, Lacertose, having great
Brawns, brawny, musculous, sinewy. 1855 MAYNE Expos.
Lex., Lacertosus, having or full of muscle, lacertous.
Lacery (tf 1 -sari), [f. LACE sb. + -EBV.] Lace-
like work.
1893 LADY BURTON Life Burton II. 66 The flutings of the
open-work are delicate in the extreme, and the general effect
is a lacery of stone.
Lacet (l&e-t). [f. LACE sb. + -EX.] (See quots.)
1881 CAULFEILD & SAWAHD Diet. Needlework, Lacet
stitch, another term for Half Stitch. Lacet work, this work
is made with a braid known as Lacet Braid, which is either
of silk or cotton, and woven of various widths and descrip
tions. 1883 Standard 26 June 3/3 ]<acet . .in principle is
braid or tape shaped intoadesign, the brides and pattern
supplemented with lace stitches. 1883 Cassc/Cs Fain. Mag
July 500/2 The lacet point is a needle-made lace.
Lacey, variant of LACY.
Lach, obs. variant of LASH, LATCH, LAUGH, LAW.
Lacha, obs. form of LAC .
t La chanize, v. Obs. rare . [ad. Gr. \axo-
vi {, -c<r0ai to gather vegetables.] 1613 in COCKKRAM.
t Lachanopolist. Obs. rare-". [f. Gr.
\axavoTru\-r/s a seller of vegetables (f. \dxavov a
vegetable + -muAi/s a dealer) + -IST.] A green
grocer. 1656 in BLOUNT Glossogr. 1717 in BAILEY vol. II.
t Lachanopoll. Obs. rare-", [ad. Gr. A.ax-
voTtuiKijt (see prec.).] =prec. 1613 in COCKERAM.
t Lache, Sc. and north. Obs. rare. Also 6
latche. [ad. OF. laschcr (F. Mcher] :-popular L.
*lascare - class.L. laxart, f. laxus loose, LAX.]
a. trans. To be careless about, to neglect, slight.
b. intr. To be negligent, to lag, loiter.
a 1400 Relif. Pieces fr. Thornton MS. (1867) :5 To lache
any gude dedis bat we sail do bat may tunic vs till helpe.
>5i3 DOUGLAS &Heis xii. x. I4 6 And mony tymys hym
selvyn hes accusyt, That lie sa hing had lachit and reffusyt
12
To ressaue glaidly the Troiane Ene. 1530 PALSGR. 604/1,
I latche, I lagge, I tary behynde my company, je tarde. . .
You ever latche whan you be sente upon an erande. 1607
MARKHAM Caval. (1617) iii. 4 If either of the match horses
shall latch or linger behind.
Laehe, early form of LASH a. Obs., slack.
Iiache, obs. form of LAC , LATCH v.
Lache, var. LETCH dial., wet ditch, bog.
t LaxhedneSS. Obs. In 5 lachednesse,
latohednes, -nesse. [f. *lached, pa. pple. of LACHK
v. + -NESS. Cf. lachcness, LASHNESS.] Laxness or
slackness (of mind) ; remissness.
1484 CAXTON Royall Bk. d vj, After [forgetfulness] cometh
latchednes, that maketh a man latchous and appayreth fro
day to day so moche that he is al recreant and defayllyng.
Ordre of Chyualry 72 Latchednesse and cowardyse.
1491 Vitas Pair. (W. de W. 1495) I. xxxvi. 36aa, Feere
of dethe folowyth ; Desyre of shrewdnes : Lachednesse of
vertue ; and wekenesse of courage.
Lacheness, var. LASHNESS Obs., slackness.
Laches (los-tjez), s6. Also 4 lacchesse, 5
latches^se, 7 lasches, laohess, 4-7 lachesse.
[a. OF. laschesse, AF. lachesse, laches, f. OF. lasche :
see LASH a. and -ESS 2 . For the form cf. riches.]
t 1. Slackness, remissness, negligence ; also, an
act or habit of neglect. Obs.
1362 LANGL. P. PI. A. ix. 32 Ther weore the monnes lyf
i-lost thorw lachesse [1377 lacchessej of himselue. 1390
GOWER Con/. II. i The firste point of slouth I calle Lachesse.
c 1420 Govt. Lordships (E. E. T. S.) 82 Some .. engendryn
sleuthe and lachesse. 1440 Prontp. Parv. 284 Latchesse
\y.rr. lahches, lahchessc], or tarryynge, tnora, tarditas. 1494
Will Mongomery (Somerset Ho. , To pardone me of the
laches of my prevy tythes.
2. Law. Negligence in the performance of any
legal duty ; delay in asserting a right, claiming a
privilege, or making application for redress.
1574 tr. Littleton* s_ Tenures 873, No laches may be ad
judged by the lawe in him y l hath no discrecion. a 1626
BACON Maxims <y Uses Com. Law iv. (1630) 23 The reason
of these cases is the default and laches of the grantor. 1660
R. SHERINGHAM King s Suprem. Asserted iv. (1682) 24 No
laches, folly, infancy, or corruption of blood can be judged
in him. 1741 ROBINSON Gavclkind n. ii. 172 The Laches of
the Husband in gaining an actual Seisin by Entry. 1788
T. POWF.LL Devises (1827) II. 261 Though there be no de
fault or laches on the part of the devisee himself, the devise
fails. 1818 CRUISE Digested. 2) IV. 493 The right of renewal
may be forfeited by the laches of the tenant, in not applying
for a renewal within the time mentioned in the lease. 1845
STEPHEN Blackstone II. 304 It is indeed laid down generally
as a maxim, that no laches or negligence shall be imputed
to an infant. 1894 Times 5 Feb. 3/3 To decide whether the
party applying^ has not, by laches or misconduct, lost his
right to the writ.
b. trans/. Culpable negligence in general.
1844 DISRAELI Coningsby u. i. 58 We may visit on the
laches of this ministry the introduction of that new principle
and power . . Agitation. 1872 GEO. ELIOT Midalein. Hi.
(1873) 153 His conduct had shown laches which others . .
were free from. 1890 ROLF BOLDREWOOD Col. Reformer
I. 146 If he became temporarily abstracted while musing ..
the dog. .would be sent round, .to.. warn him ot his laches.
t La dies, a. Obs. Also 5 laoches, latches,
[alteration of lache, LASH a., influenced by LACHES
sb. or LACHOUS.] a. Loose, lewd, wanton, b.
Lax, careless, remiss. Hence ( La cliesness.
CI42S St. Mary of Oignies I. x. in Anglia VIII. 145/41
Fonned wymmen . . bat wib hir vntoune and lacches songes
kyndelib be fyre of lecchery. Ibid. 146/41 Woo to }ow bat
are lacches, slepynge in softe shetys. ? 1461 Paston Lett.
No. 428 II. 72 For cause ye wer to laches, and cam not in
tyme, the mater yede a mys. 1481-4 Ibid. No. 859 III.
279 Her mynde hathe ben other weys ocapyed than as to
huswyfery, whyche semyth welle by the latchesnes of the
tylthe of her landes. 1543-4 Act 35 Hen. I ll/, c. n i
Some of the said shiriffes . . haue ben negligent and laches.
t La dies, lache sse, v. Obs. [f. LACHES sb.]
a. intr. To be idle, careless, b. trans. To neglect,
slight. Also with inf. as object.
eptis of the Apos. .
by specyal priuylege grawntid of God to yow 50 lacches to
calle. 1478 Paston Lett. No. 811 III. 216 Let it not be
lachesyd, but with effect aplyed now.
Laches, obs. form of LAC 2 .
II Lachesis (toe-kesis). Zool. [mod.L., a. Gr.
Aaxns the name of one of the Fates.] A genus
of venomous American snakes of the rattlesnake
family ( Crotalidsc ).
1872 DARWI N Emotions iv. 100 In the Lachesis .. the tail
ends in a single, large, lancet-shaped point or scale. 1887
Homeopathic Worlds Nov. 492 The writer speaks of a firm
. . using 250 Lachesis .. tails per annum.
Lachet(t(e, obs. form of LATCHET.
t La-chtms, a. Obs. In 5 lacheous, latohous.
[f. lache, LASH a. + -ova.] Negligent. Hence
f la chousness, remissness, neglect.
1484 CAXTON Royall Bk. d v, Whan he is slawe, latchous
and slowful to do wel. Ordre of Chyualry 45 In the
a squyer whyche arte latchous and slowe to be a knyght.
1496 Will Huse (Somerset Ho.), Lacheousnes & slownes of
my labours. 1502 Ord. Crysten Men (W. de W. 1506) II. vii.
102 Unclennes is a slouth and lachousnes to accomplysshe
y commaundementes of god.
t Lachrymable, lacrymable, a. Obs. [ad.
L. lacrimdbilis, f. lacrima-re to shed tears.]
1. Meet for tears or weeping ; lamentable.
LACHRYMARY.
I 1490 CAXTON Eneydos vii. 32 To make hir to ouerthrowe
& to brynge hir in-tp exyle lacrymable. 1527 St. Papers
Hen. VIII I. 228 The hevy and lacrymable successe of
Rome. 1560 HOLLAND Crt. Venus i. 359 To vthers lufe is
richt Lacrymabill. 1594 -2nd Rep. Dr. Eaustns in Thoms
E, E. Prose Rom. (1858) III. 373 The most lacbrimable sight.
1648 J. QUARLES Ifons Lachrym. A 7 Never were. .Lamen
tations more requisite than in these Lachrymable Times.
2. Expressive of mourning ; tearful.
1609 J. DAVIES (Heref.) Holy Roode (Grosart) 28/1 In
j Grpnes,and Sighes, and Lachrimable Noise. 1635 HEYWOOU
Hurarchie in. (1655) 158 Muskke can shew us which are
the lacrymable notes.
t Lachrymabund, a. Obs.~- [ad. L. lacrima-
bundus, i t lacrima- re: see prec.] Weeping ripe,
big with tears * (Bailey vol. II, 1727).
II Lachryma Christi (Ire-krimakrrstai). Also
, 7 lachrym Christi, and simply 9 lacrima, 8 //.
lacrimse. [I.. = It. lagrima (or lagrime} dt Cristo
Christ s tear (or tears).] A strong and sweet red
wine of southern Italy.
[1611 CORVAT Crudities (1776) II. 72 Their Lagryme di
Christo .. so toothsome and delectable to the taste.] 1670-
81 BL.OUNT, Glossogr.^ Lachrymx Christi. 1731 FIELDING
Author s Farce u. i, Tokay I have drank, and Lacrimac
I have drank. xBao Blackw. Mag. VIII. 44 The Parsons
should grow misty On good Lac Virginis, or Lachrywa
Christi. 1842 LVTTON Zanoni \. iii, The old lacrima,
a present from the good Cardinal. 1880 Macm. Mag. XLI.
237 The red fat sweet and gratefully poignant wine .,
called Lachryma Christi.
Lachrymal (lie krimar, a. and sb. Also 6
luchrimull, 6-7 lachrymall, 8 lacrimal, 8-9
lacrymal. [ad. med.L. lacrimalis^ lachrymalis
(Lanfranc), f. L. lacrima, laci-tuna-, OL. Jacruma,
cognate with Gr. SaKpv a tear. Cf. OF. lacrimel^
lachrymal (F. lacrimal}.
The ch of the prevailing spelling of this and the related
words is due to the med. L. practice of writing ch for c before
Latin r \ cf. anchor, pulchritude t seputchn . The y, in
med.L. a mere graphic variant of /, has been retained in
mod. Eng. orthography from the erroneous notion that
, lacrima is an adoption of Gr. 6a*cpvM. The theoretically
I correct spelling lacrint- has at present no currency, but
some writers have adopted the half-correction lacrym-.]
A. adj.
1. Of or pertaining to tears ; occas. characterized
by, or indicative of, weeping. Of a vase : Intended
to contain tears.
1803 JANE PORTER Thaddens (1809) III. iii. 70 A lachrymal
scene. 1809 W. IRVING Knickb. (1861) 149 Collecting the drops
of public sorrow into his volume, as into a lachrymal vase.
1809 SYD. SMITH Methodism Wks. 1854 1. 299 The lachrymal
and suspirious clergy. 1837 MARKYAT Dog-i- iend ix, Small-
bones made up a lachrymal face. 1855 BAIN Senses fy Intel!.
n. iv. 22 (1864) 297 The lachrymal effusion is an accompani
ment of grief.
2. Anat. and Phys. Applied to the organs con
cerned in the secretion of tears, as lachrymal canal,
duct, gland, sac, etc., and to structures forming part
of these organs, as lachrymal bone, sinus, etc.
Lachrymal fistula, one situated between the skin of
the cheek and the interior of the lachrymal sac.
[c 1400 Lanfranc s Cirjirg. 252 Fistula lacrimalis.] 1597
A. M. tr. Gntlletneau s Fr. Chirurg. 40/1 Archigenes hatli
cauterised the lachrimall fistles with liquefacted leade.
1601 HOLLAND Pliny II. 367 The fistulaes which are be
tween the lachrymall corners of the eies and the nose. 1696
PHILLIPS, Lachrymal-Point [=L. pnnctiim lachrymale\
a Hole in the Hone of the Nose, by which the matter that
makes Tears passes to the Nostrils. 1727 BRADLEY Fam.
Diet. I. s.v. Eye, It .. readily closes up all lacrimal Fistulas.
1780 BLIZARD in Phil. Trans. LXX. 239 The internal surface
of the lachrymal sac. 1787 HUNTER Ibid. LXXVII. 438 The
lachrymal gland is small. 1800 Med. friil. III. 78 From
I these lachrymal ducts . . the tears flow through the ducts of
, the nasal bones. 1855 HOLDEN Human Osteol. (1878) 101
j The lachrymal bone is situated . . on the inner wall of the
orbit. 1868 Nat. Encycl. I. 803 Many antelopes possess
lachrymal or sub-orbital sinuses. 187* HuxLtY/Yyi7W. ix,
235 Ihe .secretion of the lachrymal canal is carried away as
fast as it forms. 1879 HAKLAN Eyesight ii. 27 The lachrymal
apparatus consists of the gland for secreting tears and the
passages for draining them off.
3. nonet-uses. Resembling a tear or tears.
1607 UREWER Lingua iv. i. H, A great quantity of drop
shot both round and lachrimall. 1829 GALT in Blackw. Mag.
XXVI. 143 The milk was pale and lachrymal.
B.*&
1. //. The lachrymal organs.
1541 R. COPLAND Gnydon sQncst. Chirurg. Pj b, Lykewyse
they [cauteres] be applyed to y* lachrymalles to consume
the superflue rlesshe. 1844 [see LACHRYMATORY 13. zj.
b. Anat. A lachrymal bone.
1872 MIVART Anat. 85 The lachrymals are small bones,
one of which is placed at the anterior part of the inner wall
of each orbit.
2. //. Lachrymal performances ; fits of weeping.
1753 RICHARDSON Grandison 11781) VI. xlv. 291 Something
..that made her laugh in the midst of her lacrymals. 1789
CHARLOTTE SMITH Ethelinde (1814) IV. 28 I)o have done
with these perpetual lachrymals.
3. = LACHRYMATORY sb. i.
1769 R. GRIFFITH Gordian Knot II. 16 Certain urns, stiled
Lachrymals. 1839-40 W. IRVING IVolfcrt s Roost (.1855) 94
His rooms were decorated with., old vases, lachrymals, and
sepulchral lamps. 1851 MRS. BROWNING Casa Guidi Wind.
31, I would but turn these lachrymals to use, Fill them with
fresh oil.
Lachrymary (Ise krimari), a. and sh. [f. L.
lacrim-a tear + ABY 1 and -.J =LACHKYMATOUY.
LACHRYMATE.
capacious handkerchief . . might have served as the general
lachrymary of a joint stock widows company.
t Lachrymate, v. 06s.~ [f. L. lacrimare to
weep: see -ATE :! .] (See quots.)
1623 COCKERAM, Lachrymate, to lament, to bewaile. 1656
BI.OUNT Glossogr., Lackryutate, to weep, to drop with
moisture.
Lachrymation (Isekrim^jan). [ad. L. lacri-
mat ion-em, n. of action f. lacrimare, f. lacrima tear.]
The excretion or shedding of tears ; weeping.
1372 Scholeho. Worn. 767 in Hazl. E. P. P. IV. 134 Mighty
Sampson two wiues bad, . . The first him caused by lacri-
macion His probleme to hear. 1631 BIUGS New Dispens.
181 There doth weep forth the lachrymations of an ichorpus
substance. 1863 R. F. BURTON Abeokitia I. 204 The priest
will squirt capsicum .. into the eyes of the accused, and
lacrymation proves guilt. 1872 DARWIN Emotions vi. 171
A strong light acting on the retina, when in a normal con
dition, has very little tendency to cause lacrymation.
Lachrymatory (larkrimatari), a. and sb. [ad.
L. type *lacrimatorius, f. lacrimare : see prec.]
A. adj. Of or pertaining to tears ; tending to
cause a flow of tears. Of a vase : Intended to
contain tears.
a 1849 POP. Loss of Breath Wks. 1864 IV. 303 A thousand
vague and lachrymatory fancies took possession of my soul.
1831 HAWTHORNE Twice-/. Tales II. xiii. 210 Drinking out
of. .a lachrymatory vase, or sepulchral urn. 1873 HERSCHEL
Pop. Lect. vii. 3. 328 The presence in the Tacrymatpry
secretion of extremely minute globular particles of equal size.
B. sb.
1. A vase intended to hold tears ; applied by
archceologists, with doubtful correctness, to those
small phials of glass, alabaster, etc., which are
found in ancient Roman tombs.
1658 SIR T. BROWNE Hydriot. 23 No. .Lachrymatories, or
Tear-Bottles attended these rural Urnes. (11711 KEN
Hymnoth. Poet. Wks. 1721 III. 72 Magdalen s Tears, .her
Lachrymatory daily fill d. 1807 G. CHALMERS Caledonia
I. I. iv. 147 There have been dug up here, .a Roman lachry
matory, and also a pig of lead. 1842 CARLYLE in Mem. Ld.
Tennyson (1897) I. 214 There is in me what would fill whole
Lachrymatories, as I read.
2. humorously. A pocket-handkerchief.
1823 New Monthly Mag. XIII. 208 Women will be
stationed in the pit with white cambric lachrymatories, to
exchange for those which have become saturated with the
tender tears of sympathy. 1844 Eraser s Mag. XXX.
331/1 Our lachrymals were unhumected, our lachrymatories
never called into requisition.
t Lachryme. Obs. rare 1 . In 5 lacryme. [ad.
OF. lacrimer, ad. L. lacrimare. ~\ intr. To weep.
1490 CAXTON Eneydos xxvii. 104 Thenne she began som-
what for to lacryme & syghe vpon the bed.
t Lachryme-ntal, a. Obs. rare~ l . In 7 -all.
[f. L. lacrima, after the analogy of adjs. ending in
-meiita/.] Mournful, tearful.
1623 A. HOLLAND in J. Davies Scourge of Folly (Grosart)
81 Diuers deadly elegies, compird-.In Lamentable Lachry-
mentall rimes.
Lacnrymiform (Ise krimifpjm), a. Bot. and
Zool. Also 9 incorrectly lachrymseform. [f. L.
lacrim-a tear + -(i;roBM.] Having the form of a
tear ; tear-shaped.
1866 Treas. Bot. 654/1 Lachrymxforin, tear-shaped ; the
same as Pear-shaped, except that the sides of the inverted
cone are not contracted.
Lachrymist (larkrimist). [f. L. lacrima tear
+ -1ST.] One addicted to tears ; a weeper.
1620 J. MELTON Astrolog. 18 These Gold-engendring
Chymists, are Archymists, rather Lechymists, and make all
those that follow them, Lachrymists. 1660 tr. Paracelsus
Archidoxis I. x. 135 The Lacrymists, that gape on Gold.
1848 Blackw. Mag. LXIV. 229 Vet the man who could
move an audience to tears, .was any thing but a lachrymist
by temperament.
La^chrymo-na Sal, a. [f. lachry mo-, used as I
comb, form of l^. lacrima tear + NASAL.] Pertain
ing both to the lachrymal and the nasal bone.
1883 MARTIN & MOOLE I ertcb. Diss. 105 Anterior to the ,
orbito-temporal fossa the triangular lachrymo-nasal opening.
Lach.rym.ose (lorkrinuws), a. [ad. L. lacri-
tnos-us, {. lacrima tear.]
1 1. Having the nature of tears ; liable to exude |
in drops. Obs.
1661 LOVEI.L Hist. Anim. ff Min. 264 As for wax, its
begotten of the lachrymose and gummose parts of plants.
b. Rot. Bearing tear-like bodies.
1871 M. C. COOKE Handbk. Brit. Fungi I. 113 Agaricus
(I{fbeloma)/astil>ilis,. .gills broad, edges often lachrymose.
2. Given or ready to shed tears. Of the eyes :
Suffused with tears.
1727 BAILEY vol. II, Lacrymose, full of Tears, sorrowful.
1812 Examiner 23 Nov. 737/1 What [is there] in my Lord
Eldon but a lachrymose impotence? 1813 T. L. PEACOCK
Nightmare Abb. (1817) 94 A very lachrymose and morbid
gentleman of some note in the literary world. 1838
THACKERAY Virgin. Ixix. (1878) 565 The eyes that were look
ing so gentle and lachrymose but now, flame with sudden
wrath. 1897 Allbutfi Syst. Med. IV. 383 Disease of this
nature is sometimes attended with lachrymose depression.
b. Of a tearful character ; calculated to provoke
tears ; mournful.
1812 M. A. KELTY Osmond I. 89, I want something now
in thewayof sentiment ; tender, lachrymose. 1858 Sat. Rev.
VI. 331/2 Lachrymose doggrel. 1884 Manclt. Examiner
18
i Nov. 5/1 Mr. Maciver dealt with the subject in a lachry
mose and declamatory fashion.
Hence La clirymosely adv. ; lachrymo-sity,
the quality or condition of being lachrymose.
1834 CAMPBELL Mrs. Siddons II. xiii. 391 As I cannot bear
to think of her gloomily, I have not written her life lachry-
mosely. 1839 LADY LYTTON Ckeveley (ed. 2) I. i. 3 Those
gentlemen who write the most liberally and lachrymosely
about the errors of female education. 1880 VERN. LEE i8//;
C. in Italy vi. 270 The dullness, the vulgarity, the falseness,
the lachrymosity of the Sposa Persiana.
LachrymOUS (la-krimas), a. rare. [f. L. la
crima tear + -ou.i. Cf. OF. lacriNieus. ] fa. Of
an ulcer: Exuding drops like tears (obs.]. b. =
LACHRYMOSE 2.
i6ia WOODALL Surf. ;!// Wks. (1653) 216 An excellent
remedy against any lacrimous or weeping ulcers. 1866
J. B. ROSE tr. Ovid s Fasti n. 399 Bidding performed by
servants lachrymous.
Lacht, Sc. f. LAW, Low a. ; pa. t. of LATCH.
La cliter. Sc. [? cogn. w. ON. lagi-r of the
same meaning.] a. A flock of wool. b. A lock
of hair.
1776 Botlnaell m Herd s Collect. I. 84 He gied me. .Three
lauchters of his yellow hair. 1821 lilackw. Mag. Jan.
VIII. 402/2 Keeking aye in the maiden s face ilka lauchter
he lays down.
Lachter, Sc. form of LAUGHTER 2.
Lacing (U 7i -sirj), vbl. sb. [f. LACE v. + -ING .]
1. The action of the vb. LACK, in various senses.
c 1386 CHAUCER Knt. s T. 1646 Gigginge of sheeldes, with
layneres lacinge. 1577 FENTON Gold. Ep. 13 To bi eake your
fast standing and whilest your armour is in laceing. 1599
Life Sir T. More in Wordsworth Eccl. ISiog. (18531 " "4
What paines she took, .with lacinge in of her bodie. 1630
J. TAYLOR (Water P.) Wks. n. 248/2 For cutting, edging,
sliffning.and for lacing. 1821 BYRON Juan iv. Ixxxvi. (MS.),
To help the ladies in their dress and lacing. 1871 Figure
Training 75 The lace., at the first lacing was moderately
tight. 1888 Lock-wood s Diet. Mech. Engin., Lacing, the
union by means of laces of the ends of leather belting used
in driving machines. 1893 H. VIZETELLY Glances Buck I.
ii. 41 The sound lacing which the young rascal should
inevitably receive.
2. concr. or quasi-owf. a. That which laces or
fastens ; a fastening, tie ; a shoe-string, b. Orna
mental braiding for men s clothes (cf. LACE sb. 5].
C. The coloured border on the petal of a flower;
also, a similar marking on the feathers of birds.
d. A small quantity of spirits mingled with some
beverage.
a. ti 1400 Sir / ere. 744 He ne couthe never fynd righte
The lacynge of his wede. c 1400 Apol. Lollards 34 Neber
is no man uorbi to opun be lasing of His scho. 1591 K.
PERCIVAL Sp. Did., Abrochadura, lacing of a coate,
strictura. 1860 H. STUART Seaman s Cateeh. 48 Studding
sails are generally brought to with a lacing. 1881 Conjcss.
Frivolous Girl 120 Canvas shoes with colored lacings.
b. 1593 Rot her ham Feoffee s Ace. 24 Paid, .for fowertene
yeardes of lacing, . .[etc.]2i. lait. 1611 COTOR., Passement, . .
a lace, or lacing. 1760-72 H. BROOKE Fool cf Quality (1808)
I. 27 He.. began to cut, and rip, and rend away the lacings
of his suit, without sparing cloth or seam. 1897 tVestm. G,i,.
9 Nov. 3/2 The half-state uniforms are made of royal blue
cloth, with gold lacings.
c. 1830 Beck s Florist 144 Pinks whose delicate lacings
are spangled with the early dew. 1882 Garden 25 Mar.
202/1 [The] colour and lacing [of a Gold-laced Polyanthus].
d. 1862 Athcnamm 27 Sept. 396 So long as it [water] be. .
united with a proper lacing of wine or brandy.
3. In various technical uses : a. Bridge-building.
(See quot. 1885.) b. Mining. (See quot. 1883.)
C. Math. A complex of three or more endless cords
so arranged that they cannot be separated, though
no two are interlinked, d. Naut. and Ship-building.
(See quots. c 1850 and 1867.)
1:1850 Rudim. Navig. (Weale) 128 Lacing, one of the
principal pieces that compose the knee of the head, which
runs up to the top of the hair bracket, and to which the
figure and rails of the head are secured. 1867 SMYTH
Sailor s lv otd-bk.. Lacing, rope or cord used to lace a sail
to a gaff, or a bonnet to a sail. 1883 GKESLEY Gloss. Coal
Mining, Lacing, i. timbers placed across the tops of bars
or caps to secure the roof between the gears. 2. Strips or
light bars of wrought iron bent over at the ends and wedged
in tight between the bars and the roof. 1883 WADDELL
Syst. Iron Kailr. Bridges yapan 246 Lacing, a system of
bars, not intersecting each other at the middle, used to con
nect the two channels of a strut in order to make them
act as one member.
4. at trill., as lacing-bar, -silk; lacing-cutter,
lacing-hook (see quots.).
1538 Ricliinond. Wills ty Invent. (Surtees) 127, iij ounce
of lasing silke. 1884 KNIGHT Diet. Mech. Suppl., Lacing
Cutter (Leather), a knife with a gage, to preserve the width
of the strip. Lacing Hook (Boot), hooks on the margins
of the upper, over which a lace is caught side by side
alternately to close the opening of the shoe. 1883 WADDELL
Syst. Iron Kailr. Bridges Japan 246 Lacing Bar, a bar
belonging to a system of lacing.
II Lacinia (lasi nia). PI. laciniee. [L. = lappet.]
1. Bot. A slash in a leaf, petal, etc. ; the slender
lobe thus produced.
1699 Phil. Trans. XXI. 65 Their . . Leaves are . . divided
into narrower and deeper Laciniae or Jags. 1760 J. LEE
Introd. Bot. I. xii. (1765) 27 The Variations of the Corojla
in respect to Number concern either Petals, or Lacinia;,
Segments. 1830 LINDLEY Nat. Syst. Bat. 190 Five nerves
. .continued through the axes of the latinise. 1880 C. R.
MARKHAM Peruv. Bark 191 Flowers .. white, with rose-
coloured lacinuc.
LACK.
2. Ent. The apex of the maxilla, esp. when slender.
1826 KIRBY & Sp. Entomol. III. 446 Slender lacinix or
lappets fringed with hairs. 1836-8 W. CLARK Van der
Honien sZool. I. r6i Proboscis short, with, .sulcated lacinia.
1877 HUXLEY Anat. Inv. Anim. vii. 402 The galea and
lacinia of the maxilla.
Laciniate .lasi-nut), a. Bot. and Zool. Also
9 erron. lacinate. [f. prec. + -ATE 2 .] Cut into deep
and narrow irregular segments ; jagged, slashed.
1760 J. LEE Introd. Bot. in. v. (1765) 179 Laciniate,
jagged ; when they are variously divided into Parts,_ and
those Parts in like manner indeterminately subdivided.
1794 MARTYN tr. Rousseau s Bot. xxiv. 337 Five or six lobes,
laciniate on their edges. 1816 T. BROWN Elem. Conchol. 154
Lacinate. 1849-32 Toui) Cycl. Anal. IV. 1202/1 Having
the branches . . finely laciniate. 1836 8 W. CLARK Van der
Hoeven s Zool. I. 800 Phasianella .. Body margined by a
laciniate membrane. 1870 HOOKER Stud. Flora \ 6 Clieli-
doniitm jnajus . . A variety occurs in cultivation with
laciniate petals.
b. Comb., as laciniate- leaved; also in pseudo-L.
combining form, laciniato-denticulate, -palmate.
1846 DANA Zooph. (1848) 322 Lamellae crowded, .laciniato-
denticulate. Ibid. 543 Fronds stout, mnltifid, laciniato-
palmate. 1870 HOOKER Stud. Flora 174 The Cut-leaved
tide- , a laciniate-leaved variety.
Laciniated (l&si nw Mia), fpl.a. Also 8 la-
cinated. [I. as prec. + -ED *.] = prec.
1668 WILKINS Real Char. ii. iv. 1 18 That [sc. Aspin] whose
leaves are laciniated. 1734 DERHAM in I litl. Trnns.
XXX VII I. 465 A Bank of Vapours, not curved at Top. .but
lacinated, or broken. 1748 HILL Hist. Anim. 124 The
subulaled,echinated and laciniated Cochlea. 1806 J. G ALPINE
Brit. Bot. 16 Witli many-cleft laciniated pencil-form lobes.
1850 Beck s Florist iSyThe pinnules deeply laciniated and
tufted.
Lacinia tion. [f- LACINIA : see -ATION.] A
cutting into lacinia; or fringes.
1846 DANA Zooph. 11848) 196 The slender laciniations of
the upper margin of the crest-like folia are half or three-
quarters of an inch long.
Laciniform Jasi-nifjam), a. Ent. [f. LACIN-IA
+ -(l FOHM.] (See quot.)
1826 KIRBY & SP. Entontol. IV. 332 Laciniform . . when
they [the base-covers] are long, of an irregular shape, and
appear like lappets on each side of the trunk.
Laciniolate (lasi nWUt), a. JJot. [f. mod.L.
*laciniola, dim. of LACINIA + -ATE-.] Delicately
fringed; having minute lacinia 1 . In mod. Diets.
Lacilliose .lasrniy is), a. [ad. L. lacinii>sus :
See next.] LAClNIOt S I. In some recent Diets.
t Laci nious, a. Ol>s. [ad. L. lai intents sense
2 , f. lacinia : see LACINIA and -ocs.]
1. Hot. Having many lacinia?.
1657 TO.MLINSON RtttQM s l^isp. 317 The first [Mugwort] is
latifolious, lacinious and marginally dissected.
2. fig- l u " f folds or windings; hence, over
loaded, prolix, redundant.
1652 UK<JUHART 7e 7( -/ 113 The sweet Labyrinth and
mellifluent aufracluosities of a Lai.inious deltUatiun. 1653
GATAKEK Vind. of Annot. 132 Mr. Swan return^ a long
lacinious answer, winding and turning to and fro.
II Lacinula(lasi nila;. Bot. [mod.L., dim. of
LACINIA.] A diminutive lacinia; the indexed point
of the petals of the Umbelliferze.
1836 in HKNSLOW Diet. Bot. Terms.
Hence Laci nnlate a. [-ATE -], furnished with
lacinulx. 1833 in MAYNE Expos. Lex.
Lack la^k), sb. 1 Forms: 3-5 lac, 4-6 lak(e,
(5 laak), 5-6 lakke, 5-7 lacke, 6-8 Sc: laik, 4-
lack. [Early ME. lac corresponds to MLG. lak,
MDu. lac deficiency, fault, blame (mod.Du. lak
masc. calumny). Cf. LACK <z.]
fl. A defect; failing; a moral delinquency,
fault, offence, crime ; rarely, a natural blemish.
To give the lack of: to impute the fault of. Obs.
c 1200 Trin. Coll. tlont. 258 Fader & sune & holi gpst on
god in brimnesse inne be nis lac ne lest au5 alle holinesse.
c 1330 R. BRUNNE Chron. (1810) 29 Constantyn .. Brak his
feaute sone, of treson it is lak. ^1375 Sc. Leg. Saints,
Effipciane 657 And for my lake be put aw ay. c 1386 CHAUCEU
Merch. T. 955 If I do that lakke . . in the nexte ryuer do
me drenche. 1390 GOWER Con/. I. 99 She halh no lith
without a lack, rt 1400 Octoiiian 1394 And all maner of
i hors he knew, Bothe the lake and the vertu. t 1420 LYDG.
i Assembly of Gods 369 For in hys talkyng no man cowde
; fyndelak. I443/W. Poems (Rolls) II. 213 Esawwolde have
founde a laak, Cause that Jacob was put out of prees.
c 1430 Mironr Salitacionn 2744 That man .. to the ordeign-
aunce of godde of his synne gyves the lakke. 1332 MORE
| Con/tit. Timlale Wks. 507/1 Yet haue I before at large
opened you y lackes therof. iSSS LATIMEK Serin. (1584)
! 294 The lacke is not in the law, but in vs. 1598 Q. ELIZ.
Plutarch ii. 123 The Curius more profit yeldz Ins foes than
, good vnto himself; that telleth them ther Lacks.
f b. Without lack: without defect, Haw, or fault,
whether physical or moral ; also, without fail. Obs.
c 1300 Havelok 191 He garte the erl suere, That he sholde
yemen hire wel, Withuten lac. c 1330 R. BRUNNE Chron.
(1810) 95 Fair scho was . . & gode withouten lak. 01340
HAMPOLE Psalter xvi. 4 pou alowed it as wibouten lake
\i .r. lacke]. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 1589 A tok a spere wib-
ou te lak. c 1400 Scnvtione Bab. 1185 The botelles of bawme
withoute lake, c 1440 York Myst. xi. 109, I am thy lorde,
with-outyn lak. c 1460 Urbanitatis 86 in Babees Bk., Lette
\>y Ryjth sholdur folow his bakke. For nurtur bat ys, with-
owten lakke.
f 2. Sc. A fault that brings disgrace ; disgrace,
reproach, shame. (Often coupled H ith shame.) Obs.
LACK.
c 1375 Sc; Leg. Saints, Ninian 644 For thru it haldine wes
bar name in gret lak and in sdiame, c 1470 HENRY Wallace
ix. 820 Off us be found no lak eftir to reid. 1513 DOUGLAS
SEneis n. x. 46 Schamfull hir to sla, Na victory, bot lak
following alswa. 1560 ROLL AND Crt. Venus i. 455 To schame
& lak thir twa thair seruand drawls. 1603 Pkilotus Ivii,
To slay ane taine man, war bot lack allace.
f b. Blame, censure for a fault. Obs.
14.. fimu Good Wife taught Dau. 230 in Barbours
Bruce, The cumpany quhar thai tak Sail neuir chap for-
outen lak. 1541 UDALL Erasm. Apoph. 174 He dyd not
stayne ne putte to lacke or rebuke nys royall autoritie in
geuynge sentence of Judgement.
3. Deficiency, want, need (^/"something desirable
or necessary) ; also, an instance of this. In early
use often //.
c 1398 CHAUCER Foriutu 5 But natheles, the lak of hir
favour Ne may nat don me singen [etc.], c 1430 LYDG.
Min. Poems vPercy Soc.) 158 Lak of discrecioun causeth
gret blyndenesse. ("1449 PECOCK Repr. 108 Manye vn-
helpis and manye lackis of helpis. 1500-20 DCNBAR
Poems xxi. 13 Lak of spending dois him spur. 1534 MORE
Comf. agst. Trib. in. xxii. (1847)285 That affection happetb
in very few, but that either the cause is lack of faith, or
lack of hope, or finally lack of wit. 1549 J. CHEKE in Lett.
Lit. Men (Camden) 8 Among other lacks I lack painted
bucrum. 1570-6 LAMBARDE Peramb. Kent (1826) 3 The
lacke [of barley] is more commonly supplied with oates. 1588
Exhort. Subjects in Harl. Misc. (Main,) II. 105 Remember
the remedies, supply the lakes, remove the impediments. 1603
SHAKS. Meas. for M. v. i. 68 Many that are not mad Haue
sure more lacke of reason. 1652 BROME Mad Couple in.
Wks. 1873 I. 48 The ablest [servant) that any Lady of your
lacks and longings ever bestow d a favour on. 1663 BUTLFR
Hud. i. i. 441 We shall not need to say what lack Of
Leather was upon his Back. 1753 Life J. Frith fi829> 75
He being driven to necessity ana lack of money, was forced
[etc.]. 1849 RASKIN Set . Lamps \. 11. 21 It is less the
mere loss of labour that offends us, than the lack of judg
ment implied by such loss. 1874 BLACKIE Self-Cult, 64 No
fenius and no talent can compensate for the lack of obe-
ience.
b. No lack (of] : Enough, plenty (of).
c 1305 Land Cokayne 29 per n is lac of met no club. 1611
BIBLF. Exod. xvi. 18 He that gathered litle, had no lacke.
1833 HT. MARTINEAU Tale Tyne vi. 109 There was no lack
of loyalty among our people. 1840 DICKKNS Barn. Riidge
x. There seems to be no lack in this great mansion. 1870
MAX MULI.KR Set. Relig. (1873) ? 01 There is no lack of
materials for the student of the Science of Religion.
C. For (occas. by, from) through) lack of: for
want (rarely loss) of.
1:1386 CHAUCER Manciples Prol. 48 On the Manciple he
gan nodde faste For lakke of speche. Sqr?s T. 422 She
swowneth now and now for lakke of blood, c: 1470 HENHY
Wallace v. 827 For lak off bind he mycht no forth ir gang.
1526 Pilgr. Per/. ^W. de W. 1531) 147 b, Y- many for lacke
of mortifyenge ta^teth not of this feest. c 1560 A. SCOTT
/Vwts(S. T. SJxiii. 16 Throw laik of speich I thoill ry l grit
distress. 167^4 PLAVFORD Skill Mus. I. 61 He. .slew some of
them with his fist for lack of another weapon. 1775 BURKE
Sp.Conc.Amer.\j\i&. III. 88 By lack whereof they have been
oftentimes touched and grieved by subsidies given. 1781
BURNS Tibbie, I hae seen the day" 1 , For laik o gear ye
lightly me. 1816 SCOTT Tales My Landlord Ser. i. Introd.,
Those who came to my Landlord for liquor, and went thirsty
away for lack of present coin. 1884 BoSANQUBT Lotze s
Metaph, 226 A fourth dimension, now unknown to us from
lack of incitement to construct it.
d. Proverb.
1546 J. HEYWOOD Prov. (1867) 8 In loue is no lacke. 1619
DRAYTON/</fa lix, In Love there is no lack, thus I begin.
4. The state of being in want ; indigence, strait
ened circumstances. Also, the condition of wanting
food ; famine, starvation.
1555 L- DIGGES (title) A prognostication of right good
effect .. contayninge ..rules to nidge the wether, .. with a
brefe Judgement for euer of Plentie, Lacke, Sickenes [etc.].
1563 Homilies ii. Agst. Gluttony (1859* 306 Pinched by
lacke and poverty. 1568 T. HOWELL Newe Sonets (1879)
156 Where one wee see to be preferde, three line for lacke
as starued, a 1605 POLWART Flyting ?v. Montgomerie 737
Woodtyk, hoodpyk, ay like to Hue in lacke ! 1681 \V.
ROBERTSON Phrased. Gen. (1693) 797 Lack or want, indi
gent ia.
t 5. The fact that a person or thing is not present ;
absence. Obs.
1548 UDALL, etc. Erasm. Par. Mutt, xviii. 92 So greued
with the lack of one lost shepe. 1575 Laneham s Let. (1871)
53 Not so goodly az Paradis . . yet better a great deel by
the lak of so vnhappy a tree. 1596 LADY PEMBROKE Lay
Clorinda 89 in Spens_er s Wks. (Globe) 563/1 Whiles! we
here, wretches, waile his private lack. 1605 VERSTEGAN Dec.
Intell. iv. (1628) 98 Shewing the lacke of the matter or sub
stance which it hath lost.
6. qnasi-cortcr-. a. The thing wanted, rare.
i 1549 CHEKP, Hurt Sedit. (1641) 28 That men .. need
ing divers things, may in litle roome know where to finde
their lack. 1599 HAKLUYT Voy. II. n. 65 Knowing that out
of his conn trey the Realme of England might be better
serued with lackes, then bee in comparison from vs. 1848
W. H. BARTLKTT Egypt to Pal. vi. (1879) 138 One great -
lack here and elsewhere is the green sod.
t b. The weight deficient in a specified quantity ;
short weight. Obs.
ijStJ /iit. Trans. XCI1L 135 The average of weight hath
been only 2 grains 153 decimals lack per Ib. which was paid
by the moneyers at the scale.
t Lack, sb. 1 Obs. [See ALACK int. and GOOD
a. 6 b.] Only in the exclamation Good lack /
1638 [see Goon a. 6 b]. 167* H. MORE Brief Reply 134
Good lack ! 1775 SHERIDAN St. Patrick s Day n. iii, Good
lack, good lack, to think of the instability of human affairs.
"777 Sch. Scafidal in. ii, Good lack, you surprise me !
1807 CRABBE Par. Reg. in. 822 Good-lack , quoth James,
thy sorrows pierce my breast .
14
t Lack, sl>.3 Obs. rare* 1 * [ad. F. lacs, a special
use of lacs noose.] An instrument formerly in use
for extracting a foetus ; = FILLET 2 c,
1754-64 SMELLIK Midivif. I. 250 Different practitioners
had rec ourse to different kinds of fillets or lacks.
t Lack, a. Ohs. Also 5 lakk, 6 lacks, [ad.
or cogn. with ON. lak-r : OTeut. *lako-, cogn. with
LACK sbl The mod. Du. lak insipid, luxurious, may
possibly be connected.]
1. Of a quantity in measurement : Short, wanting.
1479 Surtees Misc. (1800) 20, vj yerdes, ane ynche lakk.
1589 Ace. Bk. W. \Yray in Antiquary XXXII, 79 A yeard
lacke nale tufie tafTete, iijs. \\$d. 1644 NVE Gunnery 2nd
Alphah. 1 1670) 16 Your degree of Random is four and three
quarters, or five lack one quarter.
b. Little lack of\ not far short of (a specified
condition).
1579 SPENSER Sheph. Cal. May 264 Sicke, sicke, alas, and
little lack of dead.
2. Missing.
1591 HARIKGTOM Orl. Fur. xvii.xxviii, When he found his
wife and men were lack.
3. Sc. Deficient in quality, inferior, poor.
14. . ff&iu Good W ife taught Dan. 56 in Harbour s Bruce,
And hear honour, bettir thing, And lawar stat, lakar
clething. 1470 nXMKY Wallace ix. 98 The lakest .ship,
that is his flot within, May sayll us doun on to a dulfull
ded. 1501 DOUGLAS Pal. Hon. i. 534 Diners vthers . .
Quliais laklcest weed was silkis ouir brouderit. 1582-8 Hist.
Jas. l- l 11804) 245 As to the laik money printed at his
awin comand before he was Regent.
Lack (Irck), v Forms : 2 lacen, 3 laken, 4
lac, 4-6 lakyn, lake, lakkefn, -in, -yn, 4-7
lak, lacke, 1^6 lacce), 6-7 Sc. laik, 4 lacky (s.iv.
dial. 8 lackee, 9 -y) ; pa. pple. 4 i-lakked. [f.
LACK j.l or a. Cf. MUn. laken to be wanting, to
blame (mod.Du. to blame, despise, condemn).]
1 1. intr. To be wanting or missing ; to be de
ficient in quantity or degree. In early use const,
with dative or to. Obs. (But to be lacking is current ;
see LACKING///, a.)
ii7S Cott. Horn. 233 Wat lacede jeu an atle mire rice
bat jie [etc.]. 1250 Gen. fy E.r. 1231 Tid-like hem gan 3at
water laken, 1362 LANGL. / . PI. A. v. 238 And thauh my
lyflode lakke letten I nulle That vche mon schal habben his.
c 1386 CHAUCER Sec. Nun s T. 498 Ther lakketh no thyng
to thyne outter eyen I hat thou r.art blynd. c 1430 Pilgr.
Lyf Manhode iv. ix. (1869) 181 A crooked staf me lakketh
for to cholle with. 1 1460 FORTESCUE Abs. fy Lint. Mon.
xi. (1885) 137 A subsidie .. as shall accomplishe that wich
shall lakke hym off such Hvelod. 1515 MORE in Grafton
Chron. 11568) II. 758 His drift covertly conveyed, lacked not
in helpyng forth his brother Duke of Clarence to his death.
a 1548 HALL Chron., Hen. VI 154 b, In him lacked neither
food will nor courage. 1588 A. KING tr. Canisius Caiech. 85
e. .effectual grace of sa gret a sacrament can nawayis laik
heirin. 1611 BIBLE Gen. xviii. 28 Peraduenture there shall
lacke fine of the fiftie righteous. 1849 C. BRONTE Shirley
iv. 36 A man in whom awe, imagination and tenderness lack.
fb. To be a defaulter, to be absent. Obs.
c 1463 Pol. Rel. % L. Poems 5 Many yeeris hast bou lakkyd
owte of this londe, 1467 Eng. Gilds (1870) 386 Yf eny of
the xlviij lakke or dissease.
f* c. To be faulty or defective ; to offend ; (with
dative } to offend against. Obs.
13 .. E. E. A Hit. P. B. 723 Fyfty .. pat neuer lakked by
laue, bot loued ay traube. c 1450 HOLLAND Howlat 094 But
gif 1 lak in my leid, that nocht till allow is.
*[ d. = LAG v. (Cf. also LACHE v. b.)
1775 S. THAYER Jml. (1867) 14 The people are very weak
and begin to lack in the rear, being so much reduced with
hunger and cold.
2. trans. To be without, not to have ; to have too
little of; to be destitute of or deficient in.
c 1320 R. BRUNNE Medit. 883 Ful feyn bey wulde Ihesti
downtakenBut strengbeand ynstrumentysbothebeylakkyn.
1470-84 MALORY Arthur iv. x, For though I Jacke wepen,
I shall lacke no worship. 1484 CAXTON Fables of A Ij once
iv, Thow rendrest not to me al my gold . . For of hit 1 lack
four hondred pyeces. 15*6 /V/f . f trf. (W. de W. 1531) i b,
Ascrybe it . . to my insuffycyency and ignoraunce, whiche
lacke both lernynge and eloquence. 1573 Satir. Poems
Reform, xxxix. 76 Not laiking na thing that belangit to
weir. 1588 UDALL Diotrephes (Arb.) 10 Rather than hee
[Judas] woitlde lacke money he would sell Jesus Christ him-
selfe. 1611 BIBLE Luke viii. 6 It withered away, because it
lacked moisture. cx68o BEVKRIDGE Scrm. (1729) I. 183
What can they lack who live with him? 1807 CRABBK
Par. Reg. i. 73 Learning we lack, not books. 18x3 SCOTT
Rokcby \. xii, I could have laughed but lacked the time.
1833 MRS. BROWNING Prometh. Bound Wks. 1850 I. 140,
I lack your daring. 1860 TYNDALI. Glac. i. xii. 88 Though
not viscous, the ice did not lack the quality of adhesive
ness . 1870 MRS. RIDDELL Austin Friars iv, Luke Ross
felt his life lacked something. 1880 Miss BRADDON Just as
I am vii, Dorothy s face lacked colour and brightness,
t b. with cannot : To do or go without. Obs.
1551 ASCHAM Let. to E. Raven -20 Jan., Wks. 1865 I. n. 256,
I was afraid when I came out of England to miss beer ; but
I am afraid when I shall come into England, that I cannot
lack this wine. 1590 SPENSER/-*. Q. i. vi. 22 The forlorne
ma yd did with loves longing burne, And could not lacke
her lovers company. 1592 BABINGTON Notes on Gen. vii.
(1639) 29 The raine from aboue and the fountaines beneath
are things wee cannot lacke.
t C. To perceive the absence of; to miss. 06s.
1604 SHAKS. Oth. in, iii. 318 Poore Lady, shee l run mad
When she shall lacke it. 1605 Macb. in. iv. 84 My
worthy Lord Your Noble Friends do lacke you. 1607
Cor. iv. i. 15, I shall be lou d when I am lack d.
3. To need, stand in need of. f Frequent in the
salesman s cry What d ye lack ? (obs.)
LACK.
1530 PALSCR. 601/1, I lacke, I want a thynge. 1535
COVERDALE James \. 5 Yf eny of you lacke wyszdonie let
him axe of God. 1547-8 Oriire o/Comtmmion 7 Lackyng
comfort or counsaill. 161$ B. JONSON Barth. Fair n. i,
What do you lacke? what is t you buy? what do you lack?
rattles, drum*, halberts, [etc.]. 1668 DRYDEN Evenings
Love v. i. Wks. (1883) III. 363 To draw us in, with a what-
do-you-lack, as we passed by.
4. intr. To be short of something. Now rare.
t Also simply* to be in want.
1523 LD. BERNERS Froiss. I. cxviii. 141, 1 shall go abrode. .
and gette vytayle. .for within a whyle we shall lacke. 1560
ROLLANDO/. Kiji.33, 1 alone of sic curage did laik. 1599
MARSTON.SY0. F///a/(Mi.v.Wks.i94Liu t dhenow,heshould
lack, Spight of his farming Oxe-stawles. i6n BIBLE Proi .
xxviii. 27 He that giueth vnto the poore, shall not lacke.
1809 E. S. BARRETT Setting Sun III. 144 Though individuals
may lack of breeches. 1894 Outing (U. S.) XXIV. 87/1
Coffee . .we were compelled to crush, lacking of a coffee mill.
f5. trans. To find Macks or faults in; to find
fault with, abuse, blame, reproach, vituperate. Also
absol. Obs. (Sc. and north, dial.)
1340 HAMPOLE Pr. Consc. 797 He loves men bat in aid
tyme has bene, He lakes ^a men ]?at now are sene. 1377
LANGL. P. PI, B. xi. 2 Thanne Scripture scorned me.. And
lakked me in Latyne. 1393 Ibid. C. xvi. 78 Me is lo( . . to
lacky eny secte. a 1425 WYNTOUN Orig. Cron. ix. xiii. 1475
Yhe wene to lak, bot yhe commend, c 147^ RanfCoil$ear
87 First to lofe, and syne to lak, Peter ! it is schame. 1496
Dives <y Panp. (W. de W.) v. iv. 200/1 The flaterer lacketh
and bacbyteth al tho that he hateth. 1535 STEWART Cron.
Scot. (1856) II. 102 In euerie land with all leid we arelakkit.
"558 Q. KENNEDY Cotttpend. Tract, in It odrow Soe. Misc.
(1844) 98 Love or lack, prayse or condempne. a 1605 MOST-
COMERIE Misc. Poems xliii. 17 Thy leiving no man laks.
tb. To lack (gernndial inf. passing into an adj.
phrase) : to blame, blameworthy. Obs.
Scott seems to have taken the phrase to mean wanting ,
on the analogy of to seek.
a 1300 Cursor M. 9037 Quilk er to lac, quilk er to luue,
pair aun werckes will J>am proue. c 1330 R. BRUNNE Chron.
U8io) 194 He sais behind bi bak..Wordes bat er to lak.
cufaLytylUChildr.Bk. 76 in BabecsBk.^ Nedrynkbebynde
no mannes bakke, For yf bpu do, thow art to lakke. [1814
SCOTT Ld. of Isles n. xxvii, If Bruce shall e er find friends
again. .Old Torquil will not be to lack With twice a thou
sand at his back. 1828 F. M. Perth xiii, Your house has
been seldom to lack, when the crown of Scotland desired
..wise counsel.]
1 6. In weaker sense : To depreciate, disparage,
* mn down . Obs. (Chiefly Sc.)
1377 LANGL. P. PI. B. xv. 198 As a lyoun he loketh there
men lakketh his werkes. < 1400 Camelyn 276 Felaw he
seyde why lakkest thou his ware, c 1470 HENRY Wallace
viii. 906 Thocht he wes best, no nothir lak we nocht. 1513
DOUGLAS ALneis \. Pref. 275 Na man wil I lakkin or despys*-.
1533 GAU Kicht Vay 17 Thay that HchtHs and lakkis their
mchburs guidis to oders. 1691 in RAY S. <y E. C. Words 104.
17.. RAMSAY TheCordiat*\. i Is that the thing ye re Jaking ?
Prwcrb. 1546 J. HEYWOOD Prov. (1867) 10 Belter leaue
i then lacke. 1598 BARRET Theor. IVarrcs vi. i. 224.
7. Comb, in various adjs. and sbs. indicating the
absence or want of what is signified by the second
1 member, as lack-beard, -brain, -grace, -mind^ -sense,
-wit sbs. lack-laughter , -life^ -linen, -pity, -spittle,
-thought adjs. ; lack-learning^ -love adjs, and sbs. ;
lack-all, one who is in want of everything ; hence
lack-allism - v nonce-\vd.) f lack-looks, a woman
who is wanting in good looks ; lack-stock (tionce-
7w/.), one who has no money in stocks. Also LACK
LAND, LACK-LATIN, LACK-LUSTRE.
1850 CARLYLE Latter-d. Pa)>ij>h. \. 46 Vagrant *LackalIs,
fo<ilish most of you, criminal many of you, miserable all.
1886 W. GRAHAM Social Problem j Both the labourers and
the lack-alls who do not labour. Ibid. 8 The great inter
mediate and most anxious class, whose condition shades
into "lack-allism. 1599 SHAKS. Much Ado v. i. 196 For my
Lord "Lacke-bcard there, he and I shall meete. 1596
i Hen. IV t ii. iii. 17 What a *lacke-braine is this? 1817
COLERIDGE Biog. Lit. 277 We should .. consider it as a
""lack-grace returned from transportation. 1850 BLACK IK
Aeschylus I. 48 Many force * Lack-laughter faces to relax
Into the soft lines traced by joy. 1590 DAVIDSON Reply to
Bancroft in WodrowSoe. A/isc. 516 So is there no shaft that
oftner flieth out of their bag against others, than the boult
of *lack learning. 1601 1. CAMPION Art Eng. Poesie in
Aschatifs Sckofctn. (1863) 261 In those lack-learning times
. . began that . . kind of Poesie . . which we abusively call
Rime and Meeter. 1765 BLACKSTONK Ccmm. I. 176 The
name oi parliament um imioctnm, or the lack-learning par
liament. 1837 SIR F. PALCKAVK Merck. <fr Friar\. (1844)
16 Our common nomenclature still bears testimony to the
lack-learning of ancient times. 1889 J. HIRST in Archxol.
Instit. Jrtd. No. 181.32 The dreamy, *lack-life, symbolic
and ideal creations of the Assyrians. i597SAKS. 2 Hen. II ,
n. iv. 134 You poore, base, rascally, cheating, * lacke- Lin nen-
Mate. 1861 K. H. DIGBY Ck. St. John (1863) 325 The
fustian rascal and his poor lack-linen mate. 1618 Owbs
Aim., Our *lack-lookes and barren-beauties. 1590 SHAKS.
Mids. N. ii. ii. 77 Pretty soule, she durst not lye Neere this
*lacke-loue, this kill-curtesie. 1871 R. ELLIS tr. Catullus
Ixxxi. 3 Only the lack-love signer, a wretch from sickly
Pisaurum. 1887 H. K NOLLYS Life Jafan 17 *Lack-minds. .
whose stagnant curiosity is satisfied by staring over the
ship s side. 1881 CUR. ROSSETTI Pageant, etc. 122 Self stal>
bing self with keen *lack-pity knife. 1881 J. M. BROWN
Strut. Life 9 Many a *lacksense it has led to waste his
patrimony, a 1834 COLERIDGE in Blackw. Mag. CXXXI.
(1882) 123/2, I have not words to express the^ chopped straw,
*lack -spit lie, dry-chewing feel I experience in reading them.
i8ao SOUTHEY Lett. (1856) III. 212 We poor lacklands and
*lackstocks who have to earn our livelihood. 1839
Epist. Anniversary 17 Sauney and sentimental, with an air
So lack-thought and so lack-a-daisycal. 1667 DRYDEN Sir
Martin Mar-all l\: i. Wks. (1883) III. 53 A conceited y lat,k-
LACK.
wit, a designing ass. 1809 E. S. BAHHETT Setting Sun I. 40
Alexander, the Lackwit.
Lack (laek), v.* Obs. exc. dial. Also 9 laoky.
trans. To beat.
?< 1475 Hunt. Hart 141 Thei leyd at her with mallus
strong As fast as they might lacke. 1847 HAULIWELL, Lacky,
to beat severely. Dei on.
[Lack, v., a spurious word explained in some
Diets. to pierce the hull of (a vessel) with shot ,
is evolved from lact = laced (in quot. for LACE v.
4 d), misunderstood as lacked by Kingsley ( West
ward Ho! xx and xxviii).]
Lack, Lacka, obs. forms of LAC 1 and 2 .
Lackadaisical (Irekad^ zikal), a. Also 8
-daysical, 9 -daisycal. [f. LACKADAISY + -ic +
-AL.] Resembling one who is given to crying
Lackaday ! ; full of vapid feeling or sentiment ;
affectedly languishing. Said of persons, their
behaviour, manners, and utterances.
1768 STF.RNF. Sent. Journ. (1775) I. 61 (Puhf\, Sitting in
my black coat, and in my lack-adaysical manner, counting
the throbs of it. 1807 ANNA PORTER Hungar. Bro. vi.
(1832) 77 What do you cast up your lack-a-daisical eyes at,
Forshiem ? 1818 HAZI.ITT Eng. Poets vi. (1870) 146 No
man has written so many lack-a-daisical . . verses as he. 1834
BECKFORU Italy I. 357 Lackadaisical loitering on the banks
of the Arve. 1852 R. S. SURTEES Sponge s Sp. Tour Ixviii.
384 The . . lackadaisical misses whom he could love or not,
according to circumstances. 1870 L ESTRANGE Jlfiss Mit-
ford I. v. 149 They [Miss Seward s Letters] are affected,
sentimental, and lackadaisical to the highest degree.
Hence L.vckadaisica-lity, La-cktvilarsicalness,
the quality of being lackadaisical ; La ckadai si-
cally adv., in a lackadaisical manner.
1823 New Monthly Mag. VII. 169 They conceive the
eternal . . lackadaisicalities touching the matter of Walter
Scott s more last dying words . 1828 Miss MITFORD Vil
lage Ser. HI. (1863) 59 Her father s odd ways ..and her
mother s odd speeches, and her sister s lack-a-daisicalness.
1829 LYTTON Deverenx n. iv, I think I am , reiterated the
dead man, very lackadaisically. 1851 D. JERKOLD St. Giles
xii. 121 He stands . . with one leg drawn up, and his ten
fingers interlaced lackadaisically. 1887 1 all MallG. 17 Sept.
13/2 If Ministers refuse replies .. Don t charge them with.,
lackadaisicality.
Lackadaisy (larkad^zi), int. {sb., a.*) [Ex
tended form of LACKADAY.] = LACK-A-IJAY, hence
as sb. the utterance of the interjection ; an instance
of this; as adj. = LACKADAISICAL.
1702 WOLCOT (P. Pindar) Wks. III. 38 The Swain, in
Lack a daisy sort, Held down his head as sorry for t.
1825 R. P. WARD Trentaine II. xii. 121 She, with many
lack-a-daisies, begged her to come in and dry herself. 1847
HALLIWELL, Lackudaisy, alack; alas !
La ck-a-day, int. Obs. or arch. [Aphetized
form of ALACK- A-DAY.] = ALACK-A-DAY.
1695 CONGREVE Loiiefor^L. 11. ii, Good lack-a-day, ha, ha,
ha. 1728 MORGAN Algiers I. vi. i8a_ Lack-a-Day, Sir,
everything will be dwindled away to just nothing. 1719
FIELDING Tom Jones x. ix, Good-lack-a-day ! why there
now, who would have thought it ! 1779 MAD. D AftBLAV
Diary Nov., I wish all the cloth were like him ; but, lacka-
day \ tis no such thing. 1820 W. TOOKK tr. Lucian I. 455
Lackaday; they are gone every mother s son. 1849 Miss
MULOCK Ogilvies xvi. (1875) 127 Ah, lack-a-day ! it s a
troublesome world !
Lackage (Ise-kedj). In 9 laecage. [f. LACK v.
+ -AGE. (Cf. Anglo-Latin lacta in Du Cange.)]
Deficiency of coins below standard weight.
1840 RUUING Annals Coinage I. 283 In his [Edw. TV s]
fifth year it was enacted [in the Irish parliament] that the
noble of due weight should be of the value of ten shillings. .
and that for laecage of weight in such pieces of gold they
should be refused. Ibid. 284 It was enacted, in his seventh
year, that the laecage in weight should not be a cause for
refusing the money, but that the value of such laecage
should be paid in current silver.
Lacke, obs. form of LAC 1, LACK.
Lacked (laekt), ///. a. rare. [f. LACK v. 1 +
-ED 1 .] That one has been (long) without.
1590 SPENSER F. Q. i. iii. 27 My long lacked Lord.
t La cken, v. Obs. rare l . [f. LACK sb. +
-EN 5 .] trans. To depreciate, disparage.
1674 N. FAIRFAX Bulk ff Selv. To Rdr., If I give out
I set highly by it, I should lacken it as much by making
such a Fondling the Penman of it.
t La cker . Obs. [f. LACK i*.l + -ER 1.] One
who lacks, a. One who blames or disparages.
b. One who is missing or wanting.
1496 Dives ff Pavp. (W. de W.) v. iv. 200/2 Comonly grete
praysers be grete lackers, a 1618 J. DAVIES (Heref.) Wits
Pilgr., etc. (Grosart) 24/1 The lack of one may cause the
wrack of al : Although the lackers were terrestrial gods Yet
wil theyr ruling reel, or reeling fall.
Lacker, variant of LACQUER sb. and v.
t Lacket. Obs.rare~ l . [ad. OF. laquet, obs.
f. laquais.] A lackey.
1523 LD. BERBERS Froiss. I. xviii. 26 [They sent back]
theyr lackettis, and pagis . . in ii. shippes.
Lackey, lacquey (lse-ki), sb. Forms : a. 6
lakay, -ey, -ye, lackeie, laoquie, 6-7 lackie,
6-8 lacky, 7 lacquay, -aie, la v ck)quay, lacquy,
laquey, 6- lackey, lacquey; //. 6- lackeys,
lacqueys, etc. ; also 6 lackeis, -yes, 7 lack(e}yes,
7-8 laquies, 6-9 lackies. 0. Sc. 6 alakay, al-
laeay, 7 allakey. [ad. F. laquais, in OF. pi. la-
quaiz, laquetz, also alacays, (h)alaques (whence the
15
forms), in I5th c. a kind of foot-soldier, subse
quently a footman, servant. The etymology is
obscure ; cf. Sp., Pg, lacayo ; It. lacehZ is from Fr.]
3, A footman, esp. a running footman ; a valet.
a. 1529 Supplic. to King (E. E. T. S.) 52 His wiffe, her
gentle woman or mayde, two yowmen, and one lackey. 1596
MONDAY Sitoayn s Orator 354 How nianie Noble men doe
burst their lacquise legs with running, 1616 R. C. Times
Whistle in. 1067 Lackies before her chariot must run. 1642
ROGKKS Naatnan 159 The lackey rides, and the Prince goes
on foote. 1709 STKELE Tatlcr No. 44 f i The Coachman
with a new Cockade, and the Lacqueys with Insolence ..
in their Countenances. 1816 HYKOM Ch. f/ar. n. Notes Wks.
I. 160 He was wronged by his lacquey, and overcharged by
his washerwoman. 1849 COBDEN Speeches 10 Popes and
potentates have run away in the disguises of lacqueys. 1855
flfOTLKV Dutch AV/. n. ii. (1866) 146 He was not her lackey,
and. .she might send some one else with her errands.
. 1538 Sc. Ld. Treasurer s Ace, in Pitcairn Crltnht.
Trials I. 292, ix Pagis, iiij Allacayis, iij Mulitaris. 1560
ROLL AND C rf. I cnns n. 1035 At ilk bridle ane proper
Alakay. 1600 Sc. Acts Jas. /7(i3i6) IV. 212/2 Ane allakcy
put ane steil bonnet on his hcid.
t>. Jig. f A constant follower (<?fo.) ; one who is
servilely obsequious, a toady.
1588 AlarpteL Efiist. (Arb.) IQ, I thinke Simonie be the
more a Lackey and Slave to Tyrants than he. 1880 STURGEON
J. Ploitghnt. rict. 25 It is right to be obliging, but we are
not obliged to be every man s lackey.
2. A hanger-on, a camp follower. Obs. or arch.
1556 Ace. in Sharpe Cm 1 . A/yst. (1825) 193 Payd to xiiij
gonners and a lakye lixs. 1580 NORTH Plutarch (1676) 427
Slaues, ., Lackies, and other Stragglers that followed the
camp. 1600 HOLLAND Livy v. viii. 185 Like to lawlesse
lackies that follow the campe. 1843 LYTTON Last Bar. n.
i. 122 The .. lackeys and dross of the camp false alike to
Henry and to Edward.
3. = lackey -moth (see 4).
1857 STAINTON Brit. Butterflies <% Moths I. 156 Clisio*
canipacastrensis (Ground Lackey). .. C. ncitstria{ Lackey).
1869 E. NEWMAN Brit. Mot/is 42 The Lackey (Bombyx
neus(ria).
4. attrib. and Comb., as lackey .boy t -brat> -slave \
also lackey-like adj. and adv. ; lackey-cater
pillar, the caterpillar from which the lackey-
moth is developed ; lackey-moth, a bombycid
moth of the genus Clisiocampa (for the origin of
the name see quot. 1868).
1575 TURBKKVILE Faulconric 371 By misfortune or negli
gence of your "lackey boyes. 1677 Lovers Quarrel 73 in
Hazl. E. P. P. II. 256 Away this lacky boy he ran. 1599
MAKSTON Sco. I illanie i. iii. Wks. 180 Shall thy Dads
*lacky brat Weare thy Sires halfe-rot finger in his hat?
1603 J. DAVIES (Heref.) Microcosm. (Grosart) 37/1 Sweat
before Vertue *lacky-like doth rin To ope the gate of
Glory sempiterne. 1829 CARLYLE AHsc. (1857) II. 19 The
Sieur Longchamp s . . most lackey-like Narrative. 1868
WOOD Homes without H. xxx. 577 The * Lackey moths are
so called on account of the bright colours of the caterpillars,
which are striped and decorated like modern footmen. 1890
ELEANOR ORMEROD Injur, Insects (ed. 2) 292 The cater
pillars of the Lackey Moth are injurious to the leafage of
apples, a x6ix CHAPMAN Iliad v. 207 Like a Mackey slave.
Hence various nonce-words. + Iia ckeyan a., of
or pertaining to a lackey; La ckeyed ///. a. y
attended by lackeys ; La ckeyism, the service or
attendance of lackeys ; Iia ckeyship, the condition
or position of lackeys ; lackeys collectively.
1620 SHELTON Qnix. IV. xv. 120 The little blind Boy, . .
Love, would not lose the occasion offered to triumph upon
a Lackyan Soul. i76aGoLDSM. Cit. JK.lxi. [Ixiv.] PS For our
pleasure the lacquied train, .moves in review. 1830 Exam
iner 706/2 Creating a hereditary lacky ship in the servant s
hall. 1843 LE FEVRE Life Trav. Phys. III. n. xiv. 64 As
he is awkward in all his operations he cannot enter the ranks
of lackeyship. 1843 CARLYLE in Froude Life Lond. (1884)
I. 312 Sound sleep for a few hours, and a lackey to awaken
you at half-past six. It is over now, all that lackeyism,
thank God !
Lackey, lacquey (lae ki), v. Forms: see
the sb. [f. LACKEY, LACQUEY sb.]
fl. intr. To do service as a lackey, esp. as a
running footman ; to run on errands, dance atten
dance, do menial service. Frequently_/% r . of per
sons and immaterial things. Const, after t fy, to,
upon ; also, to lackey it. Obs.
1568 Hist. Jacob fy Esau n. iii. C iv, I must lackey and
come lugging greyhound and hound. 159* LYLY Galalhea
iv. ii, Cupid, ..you shall. .Jackie after Diana all day. 1593
MARLOWE Lust s Dom. i. iv. (1657) B xj b, Alv. Shall they
thus tread thee down, which once were glad To Lacquey by
thy conquering Chariot wheeles? 1604 DEKKEfiAVfff 1 * .>/& ? -
tainm. 323 The Minutes (that lackey at the heeles of Time)
run not faster away then do our joyes. 1613 HEYWOOD
Brazen Age\. 178 I le lackey by the wheresoe re thou goest.
1615 CHAPMAN Odyss. v. 131 Who would willingly Lackey
along so vast a lake of brine ? 1633 STAFFORD Pac. Hib. \\.
iii. (1821) 243 Making him lackie it by his horse side on foote
like a common Horseboy. 1640 N. FIENNES in Rushw. Hist.
Coll. in. (1692) I. 181 Let the high and great Censure of the
Church no longer lacquy after Fees. 1642 HALES Tract on
Schism 13 This abuse of Christianity to make it Lacquey to
Ambition, is a vice for which [etc.]. 1674 N. FAIRFAX Bulk
9fSelv.\^ The whole of this is eternity,, .that share of it that
lackies it by the worlds side is time. 1676-7 HALE Contempt.
ii. 73 Intellect, that in the Throne should sit, Must lackie
after Lust, a 1677 MANTON Chris? $ Tempt, iv. Wks. 1870 I.
295 That his power and goodness should lacquey upon, and
be at the beck of, our idle and wanton humours. 1678
LACK-LATIN.
CunwoRTH IntelL Syst, i. v. 864/1 It being Indecorous that
this Divine , . Power should constantly lacquey by and
attend upon natural generations. 1697 DRVDKN sEneid
Ded.e 3, He is a Foot-Poet, he Lacquies by the side of Virgil
at the best, but never mounts behind him.
2. trans. To wait upon as a lackey ; to attend
closely upon; to dance attendance upon. Chiefly
trans/, and _/?.
1599 MAKSTON See. V nianie n. vii. Wks. 203 Note no more,
Vnlesse thou spy his faire appendant whore That lackies
him. 1612-15 Bp. HALL ContempL O. T. xix. ii, Elijah ..
had lacquaied his coach, and tooke a peaceable It-ane at this
Townes end. 1629 FORD Lever s Afit. i. ii, [He] I^ackeys
his letters, does what service else He would employ his man
in. 1646 IJOYLE in Life Wks. (1772) I. 29, I saw one poor
rogue, lacqueyed by his wife. 1649 DKUMM. OF HAWTH.
Fatn. Ep. Wks. (17111 144 So many dangers and miseries
lackeying them. 1764 CHURCHILL Independence Poems II. 2,
I see Men . . lacquey the heels of those Whom Genius ranks
amongst her greatest foes. 1801 W. TAYLOK in Monthly
Mag. II. 505 The syllable /y..came over in the suite of the
Norman families of words, and lacqueys only its early con
nexions. i8^a Eraser s Mag. V. 671 Why should it lacquey
unlearned opinion, and . . submit to become the mere registry
of popular judgment? 1870 LOWKI.L Study Wind. 402
The artificial method proceeds from a principle the reverse
of this, making the spirit lackey the form. 1881 ^?. AY" 1 .
Apr. 319 He had lacqueyed and flattered Walpole.
Hence La ckeying///. a.
1819 KI;ATS King Stephen \. iv. 42 The generous Earl ..
with a sort of lackeying friendliness, Takes off the mighty
frowning from his brow.
Lacking (he-kirj 1 ), vbl. sb. [f. LACK 7-. 1 + -ING V]
1. The condition of being without or in want of
(something) ; deficiency.
1377 LANGL. / . PL B. xin. 26 And as low as a lombe for
lakkyng of that hym nedeth. 1398 TKKVISA Bartli. Dt / . A .
Xix. xiii. (1495) 872 The body is pale, .for scarsytee and lack-
ynge of blood, c 1440 HYLTUN Sca/a Per/. (\V. de W. 1494)
I. liii, This nought is no thiiige elles but derkenes of
conscyence, a lackynge of loue and of lyghte. 1509 HAWI-.S
Past. Picas. XXL ^Percy Soc.) 100 Where that is mesure
there is no lacking. 1543 tr. Act i Rich. ///. c. 13 The sellar
shall allow or rebate at the same pryce to the Hyar . .
asmoche money as suche lacky ng [F.rtfcAJM/er] after the rate
shall amount to. a 1548 \\\\A.Chron.,Edw. 1 ^233 At every
table were apoynted .v.or .vi. gentelmen. .to se them served
without lacking, a 1851 MOIK Birth FLnvers iv. Poet. \Vks.
(1852) I. 133 The Dreamer wist not what might be The
thing a-lacking.
f 2. The action of blaming, the condition of
being blamed ; blame, censure. Obs.
1387-8 T. USK Test. Lew in. ii. 112 Nothing by reason of
that, turnetb in-to thy praisinge ne lacking, c 1440 HYL I us
Scata Pet/. tW. de W. 1494) n. xxii, To suffre at that may
falle, ease or unease : pray-yng or lackyng.
Lacking .larkirj), ///. a. [f. .LACK v. 1 + -ING -.]
1. Of things : Not at hand ; missing; also, short
in quantity.
1480 H artir. Ace. Edit . 7^(1830) 145 Except ij yenlcs
lakking in alle. 1566 ting. Ch. Furniture iiS66) 82 The
Rood with a paire of Clappers Lackinge. 1611 HIBLE Lev.
ii. 13 Neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the Couenant of
thy God to bee lacking from thy meat offering. 1879 TVN-
DALI, Fragm. Set. (ed. 61 II. ii. n Flour was lacking to make
the sacramental bread. 1881 EVANS in Speaker s Comm.
N. T. III. 241 Historical materials are lacking.
2. Of persons, etc. : Deficient, falling short, in
want ; also, defaulting, f Of a limb ; Crippled.
Of a district : Destitute.
1657 RKEVE Cod s Pita 18 Clisophus the Sycophant of
Philip feigned himself Lime, because his Master had through
a wound a laking legge. 1805 W. TAYLOK in Ann. Rev.
III. 310 The lean and lacking corners of the empire produce
the most hardy and robust people. 1838 CHALMEKS Wks.
XIII. 186 He may regard God in the light of a jealous
exactor and himself in the light of a lacking tributary. 1868
NETTLESHII- Browning i. 44 The tree must give me its leaf
or I must go lacking. 1868 FREEMAN Norm. Cong. (1876)
II. vii. 23 In all kingly qualities he was utterly lacking.
1878 BROWNING La Saisiaz 61 Grant.. This same law found
lacking now.
Lackland ,larkloend). sb. and a. [f. LACK 7;.!
+ LAND sb] A. sb. One who has no landed posses
sions ; one who rules over no territory. B. adj. Of
persons : Having no land.
Used by mod. historians as a rendering of L. Sine Terra
(cii96 Will. Novoburg. Hist. n. xviii.), AF. Sanz tcre
(c 1367 Enlog. Hist. v. cxii.), the designation of King John.
Trevisa tr. Higden"s Potychron. vn. xxxii. calls him | lohn
wib oute londes ; Grafton and Stowe Without land .
1594 GREENE Looking Glass Wks. tGrosart) XIV. 40 How
cheere you, gentleman ? you crie no lands too ; the Judge
hath made you a knight for a gentleman, hath dubd you sir
John Lack-land. 1610 HOLLAND Camdcris Brit. 255 lohn
surnamed Sine terra, that is, Without Land [niarg. Or nick
named lohn Lack-land]. 1622 ROWLANDS Good News fy
Bad 12 What remedy gainst Fortunes raging fits, But hue
like other lackelands, by my wits? 1646 BUCK Rick. Ill, i. 6
Sobriquets. .Sansterre, Lackland. 1762 HUME Hist. Eng. I.
ix. 330 John who inherited no territory . . was thence com
monly denominated Lackland. 1820 [see lack-stock, LACK
P. 1 ?]- 839 Pewy Cycl. XIII.i26John, King of England,
surnamed bansterre or Lackland, a common appellation of
yo
ague may say to tne contrary. 1007 r tut tmtn u. *i jmy
3/2 If they voted for the lackland lawyer they would in the
winter starve. i899CARDL.VAUGHAN in Westm. Gaz. 29 Aug.
2/3 The transference . . of the great commons of England to
the rich created a lackland and beggared poor.
Lack-Latin (stress even or variable), sb. and a.
f f. LACK v. 1 + LATIN sb.] t A. sb. One who knows
little or no Latin ; chiefly in Sir John Lack-latin,
LACKLESS.
a name for an ignorant priest. Obs. B. adj. Igno
rant of Latin ; unlearned.
c 1534 SIR F. BVGOD Treat, cone. imfiropriations C vj, Is it
nat great pitye to se a man to haue thre or foure benefyces
.. whiche he neuer cometh at, but setteth in cuery one of
them a syr John lacke laten, that can scarce rede his porteus.
1552 LATIMER Seri. St. Andrew s Day (15841 236 [The
patronj will .. hyer a Syr lohn Lacke Latin, whiche shall
say seruice. 1608 J. DAY Law Trickts \. i. (1881) ii Your
selfe and such lacke-Latin Aduocates Infect the heart. 1614
JACKSON Creed in. iii. 5 We are bound to believe the
Church s decisions read or explicated unto us (by the pope s
messenger though a Sir John Lack-latin^. 1649 G. DANIEL
Trinarch., Rich. II 343 Tis but in Ayre, as on the Earth,
one Cause ; Wee haue our Lack-Latins, and They, their
Dawes. 1831 J. HODGSON in J. Raine Mem. (1858) II. 257
That sad lack-Latin prelate Lewis Beaumont.
fLackless (larkles), a. Obs. [f. LACK jM
f -LESS.] "Without fault or blame; faultless,
blameless. Const, of.
1377 LANGL. P. PI. B. xi. 382 If a man mi;te make hym-
self goed to pe poeple, Vch a lif wold be lakles. la 1500
Cluster PI. (E. E. T. S.) vii. 544 He said to me sleeping,
that shee lackles was of sinne.
Lack-lustre (stress even or variable), a. and
sb. [f. LACK z.l + LUSTRE.]
A. adj. Wanting in lustre or brightness : orig.
of the eyes, countenance, etc., after Shakspere.
1600 SHAKS. A. ] . L. n. vii. 21 He drew a diall from his
poake : And looking on it, with lacke-lustre eye, Sayes
[etc.J. 1782 V. KNOX Ess. (1819) III. clxxii. 257 With
hollow and lack-lustre eye. 1812 BYRON Ch. Har. \\. vi,
Through each lack-lustre, eyeless hole. 1844 DICKENS
Mart. Chuz. iii, From a gaudy blue to a faint lack-lustre
shade of grey. 1883 BLACK Shandon Belts xxxi, Existence
in these foul -smell ing lanes . . seemed a lack-lustre kind of
thing.
B. sb. Theabsenceoflustreorbrightness. rare- 1 .
a 1788 POTT Chirnrg. Wks. II. 02 The eyes have now a
languor and a gla^siness, a lack-lustre not easy to be
described. 1847 in CRAIG ; and in mod. Diets.
Hence Lacklu s trous a., wanting in lustre, dull.
1834 Neiv Monthly Mag. XL. 80 The most lacklustrous
of all games.
Lackquaie, -ay, obs. forms of LACKEY.
Lacky, dial. f. LACK v. ; obs. f. LACKEY.
Lacmoid (Ix kmoid). [f. LACM-US + -onx]
A coal-tar colour used in dyeing. In some mod. Diets.
Lacmus (l?e-km#s). [ad. Du. lakmoes, f. lak
LAC sb. 1 + mots pulp.] = LITMUS.
1794 SULLIVAN View Nat. I. 258 The tincture of lacmus.
1812 J. SMYTH Fract. of Customs (1821) 150 Litmus, or
Lacmus, in the Arts, is a blue pigment, formed from Archil.
Laconian (lakJu-nian), a. and sb. [f. L. La*
coni-a (f. Gr. Adoiv Laconian) + -AN.]
A. adj. Of or pertaining to Laconia or its in
habitants ; Lacedsemonian, Spartan. B. sb. An
inhabitant of Laconia.
1602 Metanwrph. Tobacco 41 The rude Laconians, whom
Lycurgus care Barr d from the traffick of exotick ware.
1841 PRICHARD Nat. Hist. Man 201 The Laconians differ in
manners and address from their neighbours the Arcadians,
Comb. 1580 NORTH Plutarch (1676! 44 Some had reason
which said heretofore, to speak Laconian-like, was to be
Philosopher-like.
Laconic (lakp nik), a. and sb. Also 6 -ike, 7
-ique, 7-8 -ick. [ad. Gr. AaKuvut-os (L. Laconic-
us), f. Aa/fcuy Laconian. Cf. F. laconique.]
A. adj.
1. Of or pertaining to Laconia or its inhabitants,
made or written in Laconia; Lacedaemonian,
Spartan. Now rare.
1583 Exec, for Treason Pref. (1675) A iij, Plutarch often
quotes the Delphick and Laconick Commentaries. 1601
HOLLAND Pliny II. 613 There be many other Emerauds..
taken forth of the mountain Taygetus in Laconia, and those
therefore be named Laconick. a 1683 SIDNEY Disc. Govt.
in. vi. (1704) 251 This was not peculiar to the severe Laconic
Disciplin. 1807 ROBINSON Archaeol. Graeca 11. i. 131 The
River Eurotas, which runs into the Laconic Gulf. 1850
CHUBB Locks $ Keys 5 The Laconic keys consisted of three
single teeth, in the figure of the letter E. [Cf. clavem
laconicatn, Plaut. Afosf.}
b. Characteristic of the Laconians ; Spartan-like.
1787 J. ADAMS Def. Constit, Govt. Pref., Wks. 1851 IV.
287 The latest revolution that we read of, was conducted
..in the Grecian style, with laconic energy.
2. Following the Laconian manner, esp. in speech
and writing; brief, concise, sententious. Of persons:
Affecting a brief style of speech.
1589 JAS. VI in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. i. III. 28 To excuis
me for this my laconike writting I ame in suche haist. a 16*5
I :> ATM. & FL. Little Fr. Lawyer v. i, If thou wilt needs
know . . I will discover it . . with laconic brevity. 1667 E.
CHAMBERLAVNE St. Gt. Brit. \. Introd. (1684) 6 Brevity and
a Laconick stile is aimed at all along. 1668 DAVENANT
Man s Master \\. i. Wks. 1874 V. 32 This laconic fool makes
brevity ridiculous. 1756 POPE Let. Swift 17 Aug., Wks. 1871
VII. 345, 1 grow laconic even beyond laconicism. 1800 MRS.
HERVEV Mourtray Fam. I. 149 This cold laconic note . . let
down all Emma s hopes. 1833 HT. MARTINEAU Berkeley
Banker i. ii. 29 None but friends, I see , said the laconic
Mr. Williams. 1850 KINGSLEY Alt. Locke xxix. (1879) 3"
That . . laconic dignity, which is the good side of the
English peasants character. 1888 ANNA GREEN Behind
Closed Doors iii, Trust me* was his laconic rejoinder.
B. sb. (The adj. used absolutely.)
f 1. A laconic speaker. Obs.
1618 J. GAULE Pract. Theor. Paneg* az The most compen
dious Laconicke with a reinserted Parenthesis of \vt tribus
16
dicam vfrbis) amongst many words, will promise to dispatch
in Three. 1693 L KsTRANGK Fables ccccxcii. 467 It was the
111 hap of a Learned Laconique, to make use of Three
Words, when two would have done, -his business hardly.
2. Laconic or concise speech, pi. Brief or con
cise sentences.
1718 ADDISON Lei. to Swift in Swift s Lett. II. 540 Shall
we never again talk together in laconic? 1871 E. F. BURN
Ad Fidem xvi. 341 A man s hand writes startling laconics
on the wall.
f3. = LACONICUM Obs.
1715 LEOSI Paltadio s Archil. 1.1742) II. 55 Laconic, the
Sweating Room in the Palestrae.
i Laco iiical, !.. Obs. [f. LACONIC a. + -AL.]
= LACONIC a.
1ST* FLEMING Fatiofl. Epist. 236 The Epistles of Nucillus
were so Laconical! and shorte. 1586 T. B. La Primaud.
Fr. Acad. I. (1594) 121 Laconical! sayings, that is, short and
sententious. 1603 HOLLAND Plutarch s Mor. 338 Proposing
forsooth a straight and laconical! manner of life. 1627
UP. HALL Epist. i. v. 282 All that Laconicall discipline
pleased him well, a 1658 CLEVELAND Poems (1677) 134 The
Spartans . . studying their Laconical LJrevity, 1698 FRYER
E. India fif P. 362 Distinctions and Laconical Evasions.
Laconically (lakjniikali), adv. [f. prec. +
-LY 2 .] After the manner of the Laconians or
Spartans, esp. in brevity of speech.
1631 WEEVER Anc. Funeral Mon. 572 He. .writ thus to the
Abbot Laconically . .Who answered as briefly. 1631 BRATH-
WAIT Eng. Geiitlttu. (1641) 298 Farre bee it from me to be
so . . Laconically severe. 1742 POPE Let. to Warburton
28 Dec. Wks. I75t IX. 254, I write, you know, very laconic
ally. 1823 LINGARD Hist. Eng. VI. 32 The king laconically
replied, that he should wait for the English . . till Friday.
1851 ALFORD in Life (1873) 206 The Christian Remem
brancer . .has taken notice of my answer very laconically.
1873 G. C. DAVIF.S Mount. 4 Mere xiv. 109 * Donkeys he
answered laconically.
LaCO nicalnesS. rare 1 . Laconical quality.
1830-1 UKNTHAM Wks. (1843) XI. 104/2 The laconicalness
of the observation.
Lacoilicism (lakfnisiz m). [f. LACONIC a. +
-ISM.] = LACONISM 2 and 2 b.
1656 BLOCNT Glossogr. t Laconicism, a short speech, con
taining much matter. 1694 tr. Gracian s Courtier s Oracle
Pref. A iij, This made the learned. .Author affect a certain
vigorous Laconicism in all his writings. 1736 [see LACONIC 2].
1789 MRS. Plozzl Journ. France I. 374 Graceful without
diffusion, and terse without laconicism. 1801 Hist. F.itrope
in Ann. Keg. 207 note, Highly as the laconicism of Buona
parte has been admired we [etc.]. 1865 R. F. BURTON (title)
Wit and Wisdom from West Africa, a book of . . Idioms,
Enigmas, and Laconicisms.
t Laco nicly, adv. Obs. rare. = LACONICALLY.
1709 Brit. Apollo II. No. 53. 3/2 When he Laconicly
Harangu d.
II Laconicum (lakfnikJm). [L., neuter of
Laconicus LACONIC, sc. balneum bath.] The
sweating-room in the bath, so called from having
been first used by the Spartans.
1696 in PHILLIPS (ed. 5). 1831 CELL Pomfeiana I. v. 86
The hot air of the laconicum. 1857 BIRCH Anc. Pottery
(1858) II. 226 The upper floor bricks, or tiles . . formed the
floor of the laconicum.
Laconisin (Ire k/niz m). [ad. Gr. \aieuviap6s,
{. KaKuvi^Hv to LACONIZE. Cf. F. laconisme.]
1. Partiality for the Lacedaemonians ; the practice
of favouring the Lacedsemonian interest, rare.
1655 STANLEY Hist. /Viz/a*, in. (1701) 118/2 Xenophon..
was banished for Laconism, upon his going to Agesilaus.
1869 A. W. WARD tr. Curtius Hist. Greece II. Ml. ii. 375
1 Laconism was with increasingrjlain-spokenness designated
as treason against the national interests of Athens.
2. The habit or practice of imitating the Lace
demonian manners, esp. in brevity of speech.
1570 LEVINS lUanip. 146 Laconisme, laconismus. 1607
WALKINGTON Opt. Glass 31, I doe here passe the limits of
laconisme. 1669 GALE Crt. Gentiles i. in. x. 109 Is not
Laconisme, or a short stile, provided it be ful and evident,
best ? 1697 J. COLLIER Ess. n. 120 And as the Language of
the Face is universal, so tis ery comprehensive. No
Laconism can reach it. 1791-1823 D ISRAELI Cur. Lit. (1866)
205/1 This spiritual lacomsm invigorated the arm of men.
1836 Black. Mag. XL. 484 There is a good tone of laconism
hit off in that dialogue. 1858 JULIA KAVANACH Adile I. i. 6
His will was brief to laconism.
b. A laconic speech ; a short and pithy sentence.
1682 SIR T. BROWNE Chr. Mor. 11756) 35 The hand of
Providence writes often by abbreviatures .. which like the
Laconism on the wall, are not to be made out but by a hint
or key. 1791-1823 O lsRAnu Cur. Lit. (1866) 393/1 The
laconisms of theLacedsemonians evidently partook of the
proverbial style. 1838 D. JERROLD Men Cttarac., Chr.
Snub iii. Wks. 1864 III. 426 The highway laconism of your
money or your life .
1 La COnist. Obs. rare~. [ad. Gr. \aKwvi-
O-TT)S, agent-n. f. \axaivlffiv to LACONIZE.] One who
imitates or takes part with the Lacedaemonians.
1570 in LEVINS Manip. 147.
Lacoilize (loe-kffasiz), v. [ad. Gr. \a.Kuv tfav,
f. Aaxav LACONIAN : see -IZE.]
1. intr. To favour the Lacedaemonians ; to imi
tate their customs or mode of speech ; to side with
them in politics.
1603 HOLLAND Plutarch s Mor, 205 If he be disposed to
lacomze a little . . he would . . say : He is not. 1792-1823
D ISRAELI Cur. Lit. (1866) 392^1 The philosopher assures
those who in other cities imagined they laconised . . that
they were grossly deceived.
2. trans. To bring under the Lacedaemonian
dominion or form of government.
LACQUER.
I 01873 LVTTON Pansaniai n. iii. (1878) 420 We will
Laconise all Hellas.
Hence La coni/ing vbl. sb. and ///. a.
1792-1823 D ISRAELI Cur. Lit. (1866) 393/1 The very
instances which Plato supplies of this laconising are two
most venerable proverbs. 1869 A. W. WARD tr. Curtius
Hist. Greece II. in. ii. 372 The dangerous consequences of
his Laconizing tendency. 1875 JOWETT Plato (ed. 2) I. 118
The mistake of the Laconizing set in supposing [etc.].
Lacque, obs. form of LACI.
Lacquer, lacker (lae-kaj), sb. Also 6 leckar.
6-7 laker, 7 laccar, laquer, 7 lacre. [ad. obs.
K. lacre (i7th c.) a kind of sealing wax = Sp.,
Pg. lacre, i6th c. It. lacra, Pg. alacre, laquar
(Yule) ; an unexplained variant or derivative of
Pg. lacca LAC. Lacquer is the later form, influ
enced app. by F. laque LAC st>. 1 ]
tl. =LAcrf.l i. Obs.
1579 HAKI.UYT V.oy. (1598) I. 432 Enquire of the price of
leckar, and all other things belonging to dying. 1582 N.
LICHEFIELD tr. Castanheda s Cong. E. Indies 33 marg, t
Laker is a kinde of gum that procedeth of the Ant. 1653 H.
COGAN tr. rinto s Trav. xvii. (1663) 58 Oxen, .laden with. .
Ivory, Wax, Lacre, Benjamin, Camphire and Gold in Pow
der. Ibid. Iii. 207 They caused . . a great deal of Lacre, which
is like unto hard Wax, to be dropped scalding hot upon me.
1714 Fr. Bk. of Rates 45 Lacker for Paint or Dying.
2. a. A gold-coloured varnish, consisting chiefly
of a solution of pale shellac in alcohol, tinged
with saffron, anatta, or other colouring matters ;
used chiefly as a coating for brass.
1673 MARVELL AY//. Transp. 11. Wks. II. 243 His soul
seemed to have set up a gilt vehicle of the new lacker. 1697
EVELYN Nutnism. vi. 215 A sort of fine Varnish or harder
Laccar. 1708 Brit. Apollo I. No. 2. 3/1 Lacquer [is per-
form d] with Leaf Silver, ting d to a Gold Colour, by a
Varnish compos d of Rectify d Spirits and Gums. 1773 Phil.
Trans. LXIII. 326 The best apartments .. have usually a
broad cornish of lacker, or false gold, round their coved
ceilings. 1825 J. NICHOLSON Operat. Mechanic 731 To make
Lacquer of various Tints. 1855 BROWNING Old Pictures
Florence xxxii, No civic guards, all plumes and lacquer.
fig. 1681 T. FLATMAN Heracl. Ridens (1713) i. No. 37.
241 They have got such a trick of gilding this Pill of Damna
tion with the spiritual Lacker of a safe Conscience and
Protestant. 1863 MRS. OLIPHANT Salem Ch. ii. 30 The thin
superficial lacker with which Miss Phoebe was coated.
b. Applied to various kinds of resinous varnish,
capable of taking a hard polish, used in Japan,
China, Burmah, and India for coating articles of
wood or other materials ; chiefly the Japanese
lacquer , obtained from the Rhus vernicifera.
1697 DAMPIER Voy. I. (1729) 400 Laquer which is used in
Japanning of Cabinets. 1888 Pall Mall G. 19 Nov. 2/1
Lacquer is the sap of the lacquer-tree, Rhus vernicifera^
drawn off by making incisions in the bark during the rainy
season. 1889 Nature 31 Oct. 655 Japanese lacquer is the
product of a tree, the Rhus vernicifera.
3. The class of decorative articles made of wood
coated with lacquer (sense 2 b), and often inlaid
with ornaments of ivory, mother-of-pearl, or metal ;
chiefly made in Japan, China, and India. Also//.
works of art of this kind.
1895 Daily News 17 May 6/2 Rare specimens of the finest
old lacquers by great masters. Mod. Really good Japanese
lacquer is not easy to procure.
4. Comb. : t lacquer-hat (see quot.) ; lacquer-
tree, the tree (Rhus vernicifera} that yields Japan
lacquer ; also, a similar tree in S. America ; lacquer-
ware = sense 3 ; lacquer-work, the making of
lacquer- ware; also = lacquer-ware , lacquer-wort,
? = lacquer-tree.
1706 PHILLIPS (ed. Kersey), "Lacker-Hat, a Hat made
without stiffening. [1863 BATES Nat. Amazon vii. (1864) 175
Its borders were composed in great part of . ."Lacre-trees,
whose berries exude globules of wax resembling gamboge.]
1884 Pall Mall G. 24 Apr. 2/2 The cultivation of the lacquer
tree has rapidly declined. 1697 DAMPIER I ay. I. (1729 409
They make very fine "Lacquer-ware. 1705 Loud. Gaz. No.
4166/3 Laden with raw Silks, China Lacker- Ware, and Salt
petre. 1861 C. P. HODGSON Kesid. Japan 28 It is . . dis
graceful for a Japanese to part with old lacquer ware. 1669
PEPYS Diary 23 Apr., Sir Philip Howard and Watson ithe
inventors, as they pretend, of the business of varnishing and
lacker-worke). 1878 J. J. YOUNG Ceram. Art (1879) 165
In Japan Princes are said to have engaged in lacquer- work.
1659 TORRIANO, Silphione, *laker-wort, some say it is an
heaib yielding the gum Beniamin.
Lacquer, lacker (lae ksi), v. Also 8 laccar.
[f. LAcyt EB sb.} trans. To cover or coat with
lacquer ; hence gen. to varnish ; occas. of the ma
terial : To serve as a varnish for. Also with over.
1688 G. PARKER & J. STALKER Japaning xviii. 56 To lacquer
in Oyl, such things as are to be exposed to the Weather.
1692 Land. 6 <iz. No. 2813 4 The places appointed for
receiving Guns, and Pistols ..,or other Ironwork to be
Lacquer d .. are [etc.]. 17*0 DE FOE Capt. Singleton
xviii. (1840)315 Her stern .. was now all lackered. 1745
J. MASON Self-Knmol. in. viii. (1853) 210 A smooth and
shining varnish, which may lacker over the basest Metal.
1822 IMISON Sci. <r Art II. 14 The best material for the
lamp furnace is brass lackered. 1830 LINDLEY Nat. Syst.
Dot. 120 The Black Lac of the Burmah country, with which
the natives lacker various kinds of ware. 1859 L. OLIPHANT
China t, Japan II. x. 227 A very handsome china bowl,
curiously lacquered inside.
transf. and fig. 1705 T. BRADBURY Serin. 5 Nov. 101
They may have Names that are laccar d over with a false
Divinity. 1720 GAY Poems (1745) I. 22 From patches
justly plac d they borrow graces And with vermilion lacker
LACQUERED.
o er tlicir faces. 1755 CtmHoisunr No. 65 P 2 A prclty
fellow lacquers his pale face with as many varnishes as
a fine lady. 1807 OPIE in Ltct. Paint, iv. (1848) 336
The knowledge of his principle . . served only to lacquer
over poverty of thought and feebleness of design. 1831
Ellin. Rev. LII1. 223 Lackered over with an outer coating
of fair-seeming.
Lacquered, lackered (lae-kaad), ppl. a. [f.
LACQUKB v. + -Kn 1 .] Covered or coated with
lacquer; varnished.
1687 Laiuf. Gaz. No. 2273/7 Lackered Ware Trunks. 1731
SWIFT A imu. Simile 115 Apollo stirs not out of door With
out his lack^r d coacli and four. 1777 ROBERTSON Hist.
Amer. (1783) III. 37Q They are composed of., lacquered
copper-plates. 1838 DICKESS AVV/l. Nick, vi, With spears
in their hands like lackered area railings. 1855 THACKERAY
Neaxomei II. 240 The other passed into the club in his
lacquered boots. 1859 L. OUPHANT ( hina $ Japan 1 1. x. 227
A lacquered cabinet, very highly finished.
Irani/. and fig. 1805 SIR M. A. SIIEK Rhymes on Art
(1806)42 Life a listless, lacker d gloom. 1851 D. JKRROI.D.S/.
(/Y/t f xxiii. 241 The thief s f;ice . . wore the smug, lackered
look of a forumate .scoundrel. 1854 THACKERAY NtWClattl
I. 74 His lacquered moustache. 1884 BROWSING FtrlMoKt
/ ,iaVi(i885 94 Knowledge, the golden ? lacquered ignor
ance !
Lacquerer, lackerer (bvkami). [f. LACQUER
v. + -EB l.J One who coats with lacquer ; one who
lacquers, lit.
q
L
, .
1845 MIALL in Nmconf. V. 260 Mr. Macaulay, the best
lacquerer of historic ware which modern times have fur-
nished. 1884 Britain Daily Post 24 Jan. 3/4 Lacquerer
Wanted, used to Brass Bedstead Work. 1899 C. J. HOI.MKS
llokitsai 43 The lacquerer Korin alone seems to have
stiffened the sweetness of his country with a proportionate
measure of strength.
Lacquering, lackering (tekarii)), vtl. sl>.
[f. LACQUER v. + -IXG .] The action or process
of coating with lacquer ; varnishing. Also quasi-
concr., the coat of lacquer laid on.
1688 G. PARKER & J. STALKER Jnpaning xxi. 64 To make
Lackering shew like liurnisht Gold. 1811 iMlsoN.Vc/. ff Art
II. 314 This.is in fact rather lacquering than staining. 1874
MICKLETHWAITE Mod. I ar.Churclies 301 Lacquering, which
is the usual method of finishing brass-work. 1877 SIR R.
ALCOCK in Art Jrnl. June 162/2 In some cases the lacquer
ing is in relief.
b. altrib., as lacquering-stone (see quot.).
1854 TOMLINSON Cycl. Useful Arts II. 104 In brasswork
factories, a lackering-stpne, with a broad flat top, is used for
holding the articles which are to be heated preparatory to
lackering.
Lacquey, lacquie, -y : see LACKEY.
Lacre, variant of LACQUER.
Lacrim- : see LACHRYM-.
Lacrosse (lakr^ s). [F. la the + crosse a hooked
stick.] A North American game at ball, introduced
into England from Canada. In the general arrange
ments it resembles hockey or football, but the ball
is a small one, driven and caught with a CROSSE.
[1763 A. HENRY Trav., The Indians call the game bag.
Railway. By the French in Canada it is named le jeu de
lacrosse . 1805 PIKE Sources Mississ. (1810) 18 Passed.. a
prairie called Le Cross, from a game of ball played fre
uently on it by the Sioux Indians.] 1867 (title) Laws of
a Crosse. 1884 S. E. DAWSON tlandbk. Canada 225
Lacrosse is the national game of Canada, practised by the
Indians long previous to the arrival of Europeans.
b. attrib., as lacrosse-man; lacrosse-stick^
CHOSSE.
1881 Sun 14 May 6/5 The lacrosse men greeted this with
hisses and groans.
Hence Lacro sser, one who plays at lacrosse.
1884 Sporting Times 9 June 3/5 The lacrossers of the
South [of England].
Lacrym-: see LACHRYM-.
Lacta: see I.AC 1 .
t Lacta ceous, a. Obs. rare , [f. L. lact-,
lac milk + -AUKOUS.] Milk-like, milky.
1656 RIDGLEY Pract. f /iysick 18 The cause is a watery,
sharp, salt, lactaceous humour.
tLa-ctage. Obs. [f. L. lact-, lac milk + -AGE.
Cf. OF. laictagc (s, F. laitage] Milk produce.
1753 SHUCKFORD Creation 4- Fall Man Pref. 98 Abel did
not sacrifice a Lamb ; but perhaps only some Wool and
Cream, of the Lactage, and Growth of the Firstlings of his
Flock.
Lactagogue (larktagpg), a. [f. L. lact-, lac
milk + Gr. ayai-/us leading.] Adapted to pioduce
a flow of milk.
1887 MOLONEY Forestry W. A/r. 389 Tonic, alterative,
aphrodisiac, demulcent, and lactagogue.
Lactaniide (larktamaid). Chem, [f. L. lact-,
lac milk + AMIDE.] The amide of lactic acid.
1848 FOWNES Chem. (ed. 2) 389 I^ctide . . combines with
ammonia, forming lactamide.
Lactant (Ire ktant), a. rare~. [ad. L. lac-
t ant-tin, pr. pple. of lactarc to suckle.] Suckling.
1727 in BAILEY (vol. II).
Lactareiie, lactarine (lae ktanh). [f. as
next + -ENE, -INE.] A preparation of casein from
milk, used in printing calico.
1858 in SIMMONUS Diet. Trade. lOSo O NEILL Chem. Calico
Printing 166 Lactarine and other preparations of milk., are
..employed for fixing ultramarine and similar colours.
Lactarious (Ioekte-ri3s), a. rare ", [f. L.
lactarins LACTARY + -ous.] =LACTAUY a.; ap
plied to some of the agarics which yield a milky
VOL. VI.
17
juice ;Mayne Expos. J.ex. 1855% Hence Lac-
ta rionsly adv. (jocular nonce-wd.} on milk diet.
1775 C. STURGKS in J. Granger s Lett. (1805) 167 Her
little boy goes on lactariously well.
!! Lactarium (Irektea ri^m). [L. neut. of lac-
farms pertaining to milk, f. lact-, lac milk.] An
establishment for the sale of milk ; a dairy.
1809 European Mag, LX. 22 Our milk houses are called
lactariums. 1825 HONI-: Eve ry-day Bk. I. 103 He [S. Crisp,
d. 1784] was the institutor of the Lactarium in St. George s
Fields.
Lactary (ke-ktaii), a. and sb. rare. [ad. L.
lactari-us t f. fact , lac milk.]
A. adj. Of or pertaining to milk ; concerned
with milk, f Of a plant : Yielding a milky juice.
1646 SIR T. BROWNE Pseud. Ep. vi. x. 323 Why also
from Lactary or milky plants which huve a white am!
lacteous juke dispersed through every part, there arise
flowers blue and yellow? 1657 TOMUNSUN Renous Di$p.
263 A Lactary and a ferulaceous Herb. 1727-31 CHAMBERS
Cycl. s.v. Column, Lactary ( clinnn, at Koine [ - L. lact aria.
c0lutnna\, 1892 Lo. LYTTUN King Poppy \. 381 The Titular
Head Of the State s Lactary Department, she.
B. sb. fa. i^Seequot. 1623.; Obs.~~" b. A dairy.
1613 COCKF.RAM, Lac tar if, She that selleth milke. 1669-81
VVoKi.iDGE Syst. Agric., Diet. Knst. t Lactary, a Dairy-
house. 1755 in JOHNSON. Hence in mod. Diets.
Lactate (Ue-ktA). Chem. [f. LACT-IC + -ATE*.]
A salt of lactic acid.
1794 PKARSON Table Chan. Nomencl. 24 Laciates, com
pounds of Acid of Milk with different liases. 1819 J. G.
CHILDREN Client. Anal. 317 Lactate of lead..; lactate of
iron..; lactate of copper. 1899 CAGNKY Jabst/is Clin.
Diagn. vi, it-d. 4) 234 Crystals of lactate of lime occur in the
discharges of children.
Lactation Uekt/ Jan). [n. of action f. L.
lac tare to suckle. Cf. F. lactation.]
1. The action or process of giving suck to an
infant ; suckling.
1668 WILKINS Real Char. \\. ix, 2. 233 Lactation, giving
suck. 1806 bled. Jrnl, XV. 2:5 The remote causes of
nervous diseases, c. vi/. in .. Lactation. 1836-7 SIR W.
HAMILTON Mctaph, I. A pp. 410 By the end of the full period
of lactation, it has. .reached the full proportion of the adult.
1860 TANNKR Pregnancy ii. 48 During the periods of lac
tation and pregnancy. 1879 KHORY Princ. Med. 18 Pro
longed lactation also causes giddiness.
2. The process of secreting milk from the mam
mary glands.
1857 J- H. WALSH Dotit, Econ. 559 The establishment of
lactation is the turning-point uf the lying-in-room.
Lacteal (IiE kt*iaI\ a, and sb. Also 7 lacteall.
[f. 1.. lacU US (f. fact-, lac milk) + -AL.]
A. adj.
1. Oi or pertaining to milk; consisting of milk.
Lacteal fever, milk fever.
1658 PHILLIPS, Lacteal, or Lacteous, milky, milk white, or
made of milk. 1753 CHAMBERS Cycl, Su^., Lacteal fevers,
a term used by medical writers to express what the women
call milk fevers. i8oa Med. Jrnl. VIII. 443 Restoring a
certain degree of order in the process of lacteal secretion.
1854 OWEN Skel. fy Teeth (1855) 70 The lacteal organs of the
dngong are placed on the breast.
jocularly, 1868 Daily Tel. 14 Apr., She proceeded very
quietly to give him [her infant] a lacteal lunch. 1882 SAI.A
Amer, Kevis. (1885) 246 The animals [cows].. are driven
home, there to yield their lacteal tribute.
b. Resembling milk ; milk-white. rare~ l .
1633 P. FLETCHER Purple Isl. n. xii, Like the lacteal
stones which heaven pave. 1658 [see i],
2. Of a vessel, etc. in the animal body : Convey
ing a milky fluid, sc. chyle.
1664 POWER Exp. Philos. \. 66 The Stomach and guts,
and their appendent Vessels, the lacteal Veins. 1691 KAY
Creation I. (1692) 66 There should have been some lacteal
Veins formed. 1813 J. THOMSON Lect. Inflam. 357 Sub
stances which.. the lacteal abs<^bents refuse to take up.
1843 J.G. WILKINSON Sivedenhorg s Anini. Kingd. I. v. 144
They have lacteal vessels, or lymphatics.
Hence La-cteally adv. (Webster, 1864).
B. sb.pl.
1. Phys. The lymphatic vessels of the mesentery,
originating in the small intestine, and conveying
the chyle from thence to the thoracic duct ; chyli-
ferous vessels.
1680 PLOT Staffbrdsh. (1686) 290 How it should pass the
Lac teals, or witn the blood through the other small capil
laries. 1691 RAY Creation \\. (1692) 63 Driving by their
Peristaltick Motion the Chyle into the Lacteals. 1758
JOHNSON Idler No. 17 F 8 [Against vivisection.] He surely
buys knowledge dear, who learns the use of the lacteals
at the expence of his humanity. 1809 Med. Jrnl. XXI. 296
Air will be absorbed from it by the lacteals as well as
chyle. 1822-34 Good s Bk. Nat. I. 275 The vessels are
called lacteals, from the usual milky appearance of the
liquid they absorb and contain. 1885-8 FACGE & PYE-SMITH
Princ. Med. (ed. 2) 169 The absorption by the lacteals of
matters from the affected parts of the intestine.
t 2. Bot. The lactiferous ducts.
1678-3 GREW Anat. Plants n, iii. 25 (1682) 68 Th
Lacteals of Dandelion.
Lactean (Ise-kt/an), a. [f. as prec. + -AX.]
f a. = LACTEAL a. i b (obs.}. b. = LACTEAL a. 2.
(In mod. Diets.)
1659 MOXON Tutor Astron. i. 25 Blaeu saith, This Lactean
whiteness and clearness ariseth from a great number of little
stars, constipated in that part of Heaven.
Lactein flfrktnn). Also -ine. [ad. mod.L.
lacttina (F. lattint\ f. L. lacte-us : see LACTEAL
LACTIFEROUS.
and -IN, -INK.] Solidified milk obtained by
evaporation.
1855 in MAYNE Expos. Lex., Lactein. 1888 Syd. Soc. Lt.r. t
Lacteine.
Lacteous (Ise ktws), a. [f. L. lacte-us (see
LACTEAL) + -ous.]
1. Of the nature of milk ; milky.
1646 [see LACTARY a.}. 1666 J. SMITH Old Age (ed. 2) 174
There is a lacteous, and a caseous part therein. 1696 J.
EDWARDS Demomtr. Existence God \\. 101 Others reckon
it to be a lacteous excrement.
fig. 1870 LOWELL Among my Kks. Ser. i. (1873) 188 Pro
fessors who were forever assiduously browsing in vales of
j Knna .. slowly secreting lacteous facts,
2. Resembling milk; of the colour of milk.
f Lacteous circle : the Milky Way. f Lacteoits
\ star: one belonging to the Milky Way.
1646 SIR T. BROWM; Pseud. Ep.\v. xii. 211 Though we
leave out the Lacteous circle, .yet [etc.]. 1669 \V. SIMPSON
Hydrol. Chyin. 278 The lacteous cremor or milky juyce.
1677 PLOT O.vfordsh. 48 Two small and very weak springs,
of a lacteous colour but no such tast. 1682 Siu T. BROWSK
Chr, Mor. in. 24 Numerous numbers must be content to
stand like lacteou* or nebulous Stars. 1826 Kikbv & Si-.
EntoiHol. IV. 278 Lacteous (lac tens), white with a slight
( tint of blue.
f 3. ^ LACTEAL a. 2. Obs.
1692 Pii-iNTU-.v Hoyle Lett. iii. 8 The Lungs are suitable
for Respiration,, .the Lacteous Vessels for the Reception of
the Chyle.
Hence La cteously adv., in a lacteous manner
(\Vebster, 1864).
Lactesce, v. Obs, rarc~^. In 7 lactess.
[ad. L. lactesc-cre: see LACTESCENT.] intr. To
! become milky.
1696 W. COWITU in Phil. Trans. XIX. 305 By evaporating
such Urine by heal, as in aSpoun over a Candle it will lactess
! and become thick,
Lactescence (la-kte-scns). [f. LACTESCENT :
see -KNCE.]
1. A milky appearance ; milkiness.
1684-5 HOYLE llit. Min, li aft rs 57 We perceiv d a light
lactescence to be produced, and a whitish Precipitate very
, slowly to subside. 1756 C. LVCAS AYr. Waters I. 139 The
solution uf soap imxe* smoothly and causes a slight lactcs-
ccnce. In mod. Diets.
2. Hot. An abundant Mow of sap from certain
, plants when wounded, commonly white, but some
times red.
1760 LEE hit rod. }>ot, m. xx. (1765^ 216 Lactescence,
Milkiness, is when a copious Juice flows out on any injury
done to the Plant. In mod. Diets.
t Lacte SCency. [f. as prec. : see -ENCY.]
= LACTESCKNCK i.
T 757 WALKER in Phil. Trans, L. 124 A solution of sac-
I charum Saturn! . .left the upper parts of the water clear and
colourless, but formed a lactescency towards the bottom,
Lactescent ^Irekte sent , a. [ad. L. lactescent -
em, pres. pple. f. lactescere, inchoative vb. f. lactfie
to be milky, f. tact-, lac milk.]
1. Becoming milky ; having a milky appearance.
1668 Phil. Trans. III. 752 Concerning lactescent liloud in
a man ., whose Illoud alwayes tnrn d into Milk. 1757
WALKER in / /;//. Trans. L. 135 Saccharum Saturni being
added to the solution, precipitated a thick lactescent cl aid.
1815 Sporting Mag. XLVL 63 The lactescent juice of the
former [lettuce] is powerfully narcotic. 1876 <ioss Dis.
, Bladder 196 The urine assumes a turbid, purulent, or lac
tescent aspect.
2. Of plants: Yielding a milky juice.
1677 Phil. Trans. VIII. 6006 Cheggio, a lactescent plant,
found in Cambaja. 17^4 SWITZISR Pract. Card. vn. Iviii.
(1727) 308 Common ladies thistle . . on account of its lactes-
1 cent quality. 1830 LISULEY 2\ af. Syst. Bot. n Limnpcharis,
i a genus belonging to Butomeae, is lactescent. 1880 in GRAY
Struct. Bot, ted. 6) 417/2.
* 3. Used for : Producing or secreting milk.
1796 DUNCAN Ann. tiled. I. 2 ;6 Tension of the nipples of
] lactescent women at the sight of a child. 1835 KIRB\
I Hal>. -y hist. Anhn. II. xxiv. 478 The entire skin of the
i abdomen forms a pocket, inclosing the lactescent organs.
Lactic (Ire-ktik), a. Chem. [f. L. lact; lac
; milk + -1C.] Of or pertaining to milk. Lactic
\ <&*"</ (C 3 H ( ;O ;) ), the acid formed in sour milk. Lactic
| fermentation, the souring of milk, induced by
1 certain bacteria, which decompose the milk sugar.
1790 KEKR tr. Lavoisier s Elem, Chem. 121 Lactic acid.
1822 IMISON Sci. <f- Art fl. 139 The lactic acid is found in
; sour whey. 1874 ROSCOE Elem. Chem. xxxiv. 367 Lactic acid
is contained in sour milk, and is formed from sugar by a
peculiar change called the lactic fermentation. 1879 St.
George s Hosp. Rep. IX. 163 Treatment was by port-wine,
salicylate of soda, and lactic acid spray.
Lactide (lai ktaid). Chem. [f. as prec. + -IDE.]
j A substance, C 6 H 8 O 4 , formed by the decomposi-
| tion of lactic acid.
1848 FOWNES Chtttt. (ed. 2^ 389. 1869 ROSCOE Eleni.Cheni.
\ 368 Lactic acid . . when heated, forms lactide, and dilactic acid.
La Ctifer. Obs. rare 1 , [a. late L. lactifer
milk-bearing, f. lact(i}--, lac milk + -for bearing.]
A lactiferous vessel.
1673-4 GKEW Anat. Plants in. i. ii. 16 (1682) 109 The
outmost which make the other Rings [of the Bark] in Arched
Parcels, are the Lactifers.
Lactiferous (Isekti flhai), a. [f. L. lactifer
(see prec.) + -ors.]
1. Of animals and their organs: Producing,
secreting, or conveying milk.
3
LACTIFIC.
1691 RAY Creation i. 11692) 144 He makes the Breast? to
be .. Glandules .. made up of an infinite number of little
Knots or Kernels, each whereof hath its excretory Vessel or
lactiferous Duct. 1794 6 E. DARWIN Zoon. I. 171 The
females of lactiferous animals have another natural inlet of
B Measure or pain from the suckling of their offspring. 1802
INGLEY AHUM. wf.(iBi 3 )l. 15 The class of animals de
nominated . . Mammalia, comprehends all those which
nourish their offspring by means of lactiferous glands or
teats. 1822 34 Good s Study Mcd. (ed. 4) IV. 193 Perfect
milk in every separate lactiferous tube.
2. Of plants and their organs : Conveying or
yielding a milky fluid.
1673-4 GREW Anal. Plants lit. n. iv. 10 (1682) 133 The
Lactiferous and Resiniferous Vessels of Plants. 1675 Pliil.
Trans. X. 487 He finds sap vessels to be .. Lympneeducts
and Lactiferous. 1753 in CHAMBERS Cycl, Snpp. 1801
Trans. Soc. Arts XIX. 198 Lettuces running to seed . . are
known to be more particularly lactiferous. 1854 ]. HOGG
Microsc. It. iv. 409 Plants are likewise furnished with lac
tiferous ducts or tissue.
Hence Lacti ferousness, the quality of yielding
milk in abundance.
1879 Punch i Nov. 195/2 The natural lactiferousness of
the Alderney.
i Lacti fic, a. Obs. rare- 1 , [f. L. lact i)-, lac
milk -H -FIC. Cf. F. lactifiqiie.} Milk-producing.
1657 W. COLES Adam in Eden xciv, The lactific venues
which do reside in this herb.
.So f Lacti fical a., in the same sense.
1656 Bl.OL NT Clossogr., l.aciifical, milk-breeding, milk-
making, milk-yeelding. 1676 in COLES; 1711 in BAILEY;
and in mod. Diets.
t Lactifica tion. Obs. rare - . [See prec. and
-FICATION.J The making or secreting of milk.
1666 J. SMITH Old Age (ed. 2) 106, I shall only mention
five;..Chylincation, Sanguification, Assimilation, Lactifi-
cation, and Spermification.
Lactiflorous (IreklifloVras), a. rare. [f. L.
lacti-, lac milk + Jlor-cm Mower + -ous.] Having
flmvei s white like milk. 1855 in MAYNE Expos. Lex.
Lactifluous Icekti-fl/os), a. [as if f. L. * lacti-
flit us (after the analogy of mcllijluus, f. lact(i ,-, lac
milk +_fln-, stem olflucre to flow) + -ous.] Flow
ing or abounding with milk.
1774 CURTIS Flora Lund. (1777) I. xxxv, Most plants of
this Genus [Euphorbia} contain in them this milky and
gummy substance . . and this lactifluous property. 1855
BAILEY Mystic 82 And that, lactifluous, from whose flower-
tipped stem .. the Caraccan Indian drains, At day-dawn,
creamy draughts.
t La c tiform , a. Obs. rare - . [f. L. lacti-,
lac milk + -FORM.] In the form of milk, like milk.
1681 in tr. Willis Run. Mcd. Wks. Vocab.
Lactifngal v la>kti-ti;7t;al), a. Mcd. [f. next
-t- -AL.] Acting as a lactifuge. In mod. Diets.
Lactifuge (la."ktifid;rj. JlfeJ. [f. L. lacti-, lac
milk-f--FUi;E.] A medicine which retards the se
cretion of milk. 1855 in MAYNE Expos. Lex.
Lactin (lx-ktin). Chim. Also -ine. [f. L.
lact-, lac milk + -IN.] LACTOSE.
1844 FOWNKS Chem. 364 Sugar of milk ; lactine. 1858
Jbid. (e 1. 7) 4io.Lactin.
Lactivorous (Isekti -\-6r3s), a. rare. [f. L.
lacti-, lac milk + -vor-us devouring + -ous.] Milk-
devouring.
1824 .Wai Monthly Mag. XI. 314 Babies. Noisy lac-
tivorous animalcutae. 1855 in MAYNE Expos. Lex.
Lacto- (Ise-kto), used as combining form of L.
lact-, lac milk : as in La ctobutyrcriueter, an
instrument for estimating the amount of butter in
a given quantity of milk. La ctocele = GALACTO-
CELK. Lacto-plto-sphate, a salt of lactic and
phosphoric acids in combination. La cto-pro tein,
a normal albuminous constituent of milk. La. etc.-
scope [see -SCOPE], an instrument for ascertaining
the purity of milk from the amount of resistance it
offers to the passage of light. La cto-thermo -
meter, an instrument for ascertaining the tempera
ture of milk.
1884 Health. Exhib. Catal. 25/1 Graduated Cream Glasses,
*Lactobutyrometer. 1855 MAYNE Expos. Lex .,* Lactocele.
1878 A. HAMILTON Nerv. Dis. 335 The syrup of the *lacto-
phosphate of lime. 1864 Reader No. 86. 239/2 A new
albuminoidal substance found in milk .. *Iacto-proteine.
1858 SIMMONDS Diet. Trade, * Lactoscopc, ..an instrument
invented by M. Donne, of Paris, for ascertaining the opacity
of milk, and thus estimating the richness of the fluid in
cream. 1884 Health Exhib. Catal. 25/1 Milk Thermo
meters..* Lacto-Thermometer.
Lactometer (laektfmftaj). [f. LACTO- +
-1IKTEK.] An instrument for gauging the purity
of milk.
1817 Black. Mag. II. 210 A Lactometer, for ascertaining
the comparative value of each cow s milk in a dairy. 187*
Echo 8 Oct. 5 Milk which was proved by the lactometer to
be more than half water.
Lactone ilfe-kt^ n). Chem. [f. L. lact-, lac
milk + -ONE.] (.See quot.)
1848 FowNEsCA^tt. (ed. 2) 389 Another product of the action
of heat on lactic acid, is lactone, a colourless volatile liquid.
Hence Lacto nic a., of or pertaining to lactone.
fLactory, an erroneous form of LACTARY.]
Lactose (Ise-kt^s). [f. L. lact-, lac + -OSK 2 .
Cf. F. lactose. ] A saccharine substance present in
milk, commonly called sugar of milk.
18
1858 Fiwnrt Clam. (ed. 7) 410 Sugar of milk ; lactin ;
lactose. 1869 ROSCOK Klcm. Chem. 396 Lactose, or milk
sugar, occurs only in the milk of mammalia.
II Lactosuria (kektusifiTia). Path. [quasi-
Latin, f. prec. -t- Gr. ovp-ov urine -f- -IA.] (See quot.)
1866 A. FLINT Princ. Mrd. (1880) 73 Milk-sugar is present
jn the urine of females during lactation. This condition
is lactosuria.
Lactucarium (la;ktiKke-rim). [mod.L.,
f. L. iaclftca lettuce.] The inspissated juice of
various kinds of lettuce, used as a drug.
1836 J. M. GULLY Magmdie s Forniul. (ed. 2) 165 Dr.
Duncan has described the different modes of obtaining
lettuce juice, by him called lactucarium. 1876 HARI.FV Mat.
Med. (ed. 6) 541 French lactucarium is formed into circular
cakes i^ inch in diameter.
Lactucic (la-ktitt sik), a. Chem. [f. as next +
-ic. CLf.lfCtvcigtlt.] Lactucic acid: a crystalline
acid found in the juice of the Lactuca virosa.
1838 ! . THOMSON Chem. Org. Bodies 159 Lactucic acid was
discovered by Pfaff. 1865-72 in WATTS Diet. Chem. 111.465.
Lactucin (lse-kti;<sin). Chem. [f. L. lactfic-a
lettuce + -IN. Cf. F. lactucine] A crystalline
bitter substance contained in lactucarium.
1875 H. C. WOOD Therap. (1879) 206.
Lactyl (Ise-ktil). Chem. [f. L. lact-, lac milk
+ -TI..] An organic radical derived from lactic
acid. Also attrib.
1868 Founts Chem. (ed. 10) 764 Lactyl Chloride is. a
colourless liquid.
Lacuna (laki-na). PI. lacunae, lacunas, [a.
L./ar<jahole,pit,f./<7<.rLAKKttM Cf. LACUNE.]
1. In a manuscript, an inscription, the text of
an author : A hiatus, blank, missing portion. Also
transf.
1663 SIR R. MORAY in Lauderd. Papers (Camden) I.
181 You do well to leave no Lacunas in your letters. 2694
GIBSON in Lett, Lit. Men tCamden) 228 The lacuna of his
behaviour in Holland, Dr. Gregory perhaps may be able to
make up. 1851 D. WILSON Preh. Ann. IV. v. 11863) II. 326
The context which fills up the numerous lacunae of the
time-worn inscription. 1875 MAINE Hist. Inst. ix. 256 The
description given . . is followed by a lacuna in the manu
script. 1891 ZANGWILL Bow Myst. 147 There were various
lacunje and hypotheses in the case for the defence.
2. Chiefly in physical science : A gap. an empty
space, spot, or cavity, a. gen.
1872 PKOCTOR Ess. Astron. xxiv. 303 The gaps and lacunae
are left relatively clear of lucid stars. 1879 RUTLEY Study
Rocks x. 107 Fluid lacunae . . are of frequent occurrence in
nepheline. 1880 Sat. Re-.: 15 May 637 The curious lacuna
in the field of vision, known as the blind spot.
b. Anat. A mucous follicle ; also, a space in the
connective tissue giving origin to a lymphatic
(Syd. Sac. Lex. :888).
1706 PIULI.II-S (ed. Kersey), /-<i< n.r are certain small Pores
or Passages in the Neck of the Womb. lyaa QUINCY Lex.
Physico-Med. (ed. 2) 175 Between this Muscle [Sphincter]
and the inner membrane of the Vagina, there are several
little Glands, whose excretory Ducts are called Lacuna?.
1874 VAN BUREN Dis. Genit. Org. 77 Inflammation seals the
orifice of the follicle and the lacuna is converted into a cyst
containing pus.
C. Anat. One of the small cavities in the bone
substance which contain the bone corpuscles of
osteoblasts (Syd. Soc. Lex. 1888).
1843 TODD & BOWMAN Phys. Anat. I. 109 They [pores]
soon arrange themselves in sets, each of which, .discharges
itself into a small cavity or lacuna. 1859 [see LACUNAL a.\
1867 J. HOGG Microsc. i. ii. 57 The observation of., the
Haversian canals and the lacuna: of bones.
d. Zool. One of the spaces left among the tissues
of the lower animals, which serve in place of vessels
for the circulation of the body fluids.
1867 J._ HOGG Microsc. n. iii. 566 Minute capillary ramifi
cations [in flukes] terminating in small oval shaped sacs or
lacuna?.
e. Hot. An air-space in the cellular tissue of
plants, an air-cell. Also, a small pit or depression
on the upper surface of the thallus of lichens.
1836 LounoN Encycl. Plants 948 [Lichens] Lacunae are
small hollows or pus on the upper surface of the frond.
1856 in HENSI.OW Diet. Sot. Terms. 1874 COOKF. Fungi
4t In Tuburcinia, the minute cells are compacted into a
hollow sphere, having lacunae communicating with the
interior.
Lacunal (lakiu-nal), a. [f. LACUNA + -AL.]
Of or pertaining to a lacuna, resembling a lacuna.
1846 DANA Zooph. iv. (1848) 58 The intermediate lateral
pores or lacunal spaces. 1859 J. TOMES Dental Surg. 86
A bone lacuna, situated within a semi-circular indentation
in the dentine, gives the appearance of a lacunal cell. 1874
VAN BUREN Dis. Genit. Org. 77 Another form of lacunal
inflammation is where the lacuna magna in the roof of
the urethra continues inflamed.
Lacuuar (laki-naj), sb. Arch. Pl.lacunars,
lacunaria ;lsekiane< - ria). [a. L. latunar, f. la
cuna : see LACUNA.] a. The ceiling or under
surface of any part, when it consists of sunk or
hollowed compartments, b. //. The sunken panels
in such a ceiling.
1696 PHILLIPS, Lacunar (in Architect. 1, the flooring or
planking above the Porticoes; a cieled roof arched or fretted.
1717-41 in CHAMBERS Cycl. 17*7-1800 in BAILEY. 1823
P. NICHOLSON Pract. Build. 587 l.ruunariz, or Lacunars,
panels or cofTers formed on the ceilings of apartments, and
sometimes on the soffits of coronae in the Ionic, Corinthian,
and Composite orders. 1845 Athenztvm n Jan. 48 On the
grounds of the coffers forming the lacunaria of the ceilings.
LACUSTRINE.
Lacunar (lakiw-nii), a. [f. LACUNA + -AH:]
Of or pertaining to a lacuna or lacunae ; consisting
of or characterized by lacunae.
1870 ROLLESTON Anim. Life p. cv, The circulation is
always more or less extensively lacunar, even arteries may
be wanting. 1871 HUXLEY Anat. fur. Anim. i. (1877) 57
T he venous system remains more or less lacunar. 1884
BOWER & SCOTT De Bary s 1 haner. 430 The zone of lacunar
parenchyma. . surrounds the vascular bundles. iSyjAlll utfs
Syst. Med. IV. 743 The only affection that can be confused
with this mycosis is chronic lacunar tonsillitis.
Lacunary vlaki nari),. [f. LACUNA + -ARY 2 ;
after F. lacunaire. ]
1. Of or pertaining to a lacuna ; consisting of or
resembling lacunae.
1857 E. C. OTTE Quatrefages" Rambles Nat. II. 289
Lacunary passages connected these two cavities together.
1868 P. M. DUNCAN Insect World Introd. 14 On reaching
the interior of the head it opens in the lacunary inter-
organic system.
i!. Math. Lacunary function (see quots.). Lacu
nary space : an area in a plane, every point of which
is the affix of a value of the variable for which a
given function has no determinate values.
1893 CAYI.F.V in Q. Jrnl. Math. May 28r A function such
as this, existing only for points within a certain region and
not for the whole of the infinite plane, is said to be a
lacunary function. 1893 A. R. FORSYTH Theory Functions
87. 141 Weierstrass was the first to draw attention to
lacunary functions as they may be called. Ibid. 143 The
first step in the construction of a function which shall have
any assigned lacunary space.
t Lacunate, : Obs.rare~". [f. L.lacilnat-,
ppl. stem of lofilnare, f. lacuna,]
i6aj COCKERA.M, Lncuiiate, to make ditches or holes.
Hence f Lacuna tion, a making of holes.
1658 in PHILLIIS. 1676 in COLES.
Lacune ,laki/7-n). [Anglicized form of LACUNA.
Cf. F. /acune.]
1. = LACUNA i . Now rare.
1701 BEVERLEY A foe. Quest. 43 Which .. I look upon as a
very Great Lacune in his Scheme. 1784 HENLEY in Beck,
ford s Vathek (1868) 189 note, There being a lacune in hrs
transcript of the original. 1814 W. TAYLOR in Robberd
Mem. II. 450 He could trust to his extempore eloquence for
supplying the lacunes of his text. 1887 Dublin Kev. July
213 In the episcopal succession there are some few lacunes
which there are no data to fill.
2. = LACUNA 2.
1846 DANA Zooph. iv. (1848) 35 The various cavities,
lacunes, or pores in the tissues of the animal.
Lacune, obs. form of LAGOON.
Lacunose (laki/7 nJus), a. [ad. L. lacnnos-us,
{. lacuna LACUNA.] Abounding in lacunae : a.
Having many cavities or depressions; furrowed,
pitted ; spec, in Nat. Hist.
1816 T. BROWN Elem. Cotirliol. 155 Lacunose, having the
surface covered with small pits. 1826 KIRBY& SP. Etitomvl.
IV. 270 Lacunose dacunosa}, having a few scattered,
irregular, broadish but shallow excavations. 1874 COOKE
Fungi 56 These latter have either a smooth, warteii, spinu-
lose, or lacunose epispore.
b. Of a manuscript : F ull of gaps or hiatuses.
1894 R. ELLIS Fables of Phatdnts 9 The lacunose con
dition of both MSS. at this part of Book iv.
Ti In combining form lacunoso- : lacuno so-fi stu-
lose a. Bot., having lacunae and fistula? ; lacuno so-
ru frose a. Hot., wrinkled with irregular furrows.
1866 Trcas. Bot. 655/2 Lacnnoso-rugose, marked by deep
broad irregular wrinkles, as the shell of the walnut, or stone
of the peach. 1887 W. PHILLIPS Brit. Discomycetes 13 Ribs
slender, solid, not lacunoso-fistulose, as in the preceding.
Hence Lacnno sity, lacunose quality.
1895 Athenaeum 31 Aug. 290/2 The vocabulary conveys a
general impression of lacunosity and inconsistency.
t Lacu uous, a. Obs. rare , [f. LACUNA +
-ous.] Resembling a hollow or lacuna.
1653 R- SANDERS 1 hysiogit. 272 This lacunous hollow of
the upper lip, between the nostrils and the upper lip.
Lacunulose (lakiK-nwluns , a. Bot. [f. mod.
L. lacuntila (dim. of LACUNA) + -OSE.] Minutely
lacunose.
i88a TUCKERMAN N. Amer. Lichens i. 61 F\armelia\ lofhy-
rea. Ach. ;.. lobes flattish lacunulose, flexuous.
Lacuscular (laku ski;71aj), a. [f. L. laciis-
cul-us (dim. of lacus LAKE sb ) + -AR.] Of or per
taining to a small pool ; frequenting small pools.
1878 J. COLQL HOUN Moor .f Loch (1880) I. 266 Perhaps
the most lacuscular is the tuft.
Lacustral (lak^ stral), fl. rare~. [f. as next
+ -AL.] = LACUSTKINE.
1843 in HUMBLE Diet. Ceol. 1865 in PACE Handbk. Gtol. T.
Lacnstrian (lakstrian), a. and sb. rare.
[f. as next + -IAN.] A. adj. = LACUSTRINE i b.
33. sb. An inhabitant of a lacustrine dwelling.
1865 Reader 8 July 30 The waters of the Lake of Con
stance have been so low this winter as to allow important
researches to be made concerning the lacustrian habitations.
1884 W. WESTALL in Contemp. Rev. XLVI. 70 There is
ample evidence that the Lacustrians of the Bronze Period
had reached a high degree of civilization.
Lacustrine ,lakz>strin), a. [f. as if L. */a-
custri- (f. lacus LAKE st.*, after the analogy of
palfistri-, paliisttr, f. pal fid-, pains marsh) + -INE.]
Of or pertaining to a lake or lakes. Said esp. of
plants and animals inhabiting lakes, and Geol. of
strata, etc., which originated by deposition at the
LAC VIRGINIS.
19
LADDER.
bottom of lakes; also with refer*. nee to Make-
dwellings such as those of prehistoric Kuroj e.
Lacustrine age, period , the period when lake-
dwellings were common.
1830 LVKLL Princ. Geol. i. Hi. 49 Tl.e lacustrine and allu
vial deposits of Italy. 183? Ibid. III. 220, I collected
six species of lacustrine shells. 1843 PORT LOCK Geol. 165
The clays and sands . . on Lough Neagh . . were of lacus
trine origin. 1850 H. MILI.KR l- oofpr. Creat. \. (1874) 9
Lacustrine plants. 1851 p. WILSON Prch. Ann. (1863* I. i.
38 The lacustrine habitations of Switzerland. 1868 PKARD
Water-Farm, iii. 30 i he stream we design to cultivate must
possess no lacustrine head. 1869 LCBBOCK Prek. Times ix.
ed. 2) 291 The bones generally occur in the lacustrine shell
marl. 1875 KMEKSON Lett, fy .SVv. Aitnsj Prog. Cult, Wks.
(Bonn) III.225 Who would live in the stone age .. or tl.e
lacustrine? 1878 HUXLEY Physiogr. 143 Lacustrine Delta*
I he alluvial tract formed by a river at its embouchure into
a lake. 1879 RUTI.KY Study Rocks iii. 15 Identified with a
marine or a lacustrine fauna. 1880 HARTING Brit, Attiw.
Extinct 3 Wild boars, .wallowing, .in lacustrine mire.
II Lac Virginia. [L., lit. milk of the Virgin.]
f 1. Some cosmetic. Obs.
1477 NORTON Ordin. \. in Ashmole Thcat. Chem. ("165-2) 77
As Water of Litharge which would not misse With Water
of Azot to make Inc virginis, 159* NASHK / . Pcnilcsse C 2,
She should haue noynted your face oner night with Lac
virginis. 1641 FRKNCH Distill. 11651) v. 142 This salt . . is
as good as any Lac virginis to clear, and smooth the face.
1698 SIR R. SOUTHWELL in Phil. Trans. XX. 88Thismaketh
the Lac I irginis for the common Wash.
2. A kind of wine ; ? =G. Liebf rait milch.
1820 Rlacfciv. Mag. VIII. 44 The Parsons should gruw
misty On good Lac Virginis, or Lachryma Christ i.
Lacy (\i l si),a. Also lacey. [f. LACE sb. + -v I ]
Consisting of, or having the appearance of, lace.
1804 in Charlotte SmitKs Corners. I. 57 Eluding him, on
lacey plume I he silver moth enjoys the gloom. 1823 ( IAI.T
Entail I. xv. 112 A thin mist, partaking more of the lacy
character of a h azethan the texture ofa vapour. 1848 SARA
Coi.KRiixiE in Q. Rev. Mar. 439 To display the lacy vein-
work of a leaf apart from the cellular tissue. 1883 Miss
BROUGHTON Belinda I. i. Sx. 157 Clad in one of those lawny,
lacy gowns.
Lacye, -yn, obs. forms of LACE v.
tad(Ued ,.$vM Forms : 4-6 ladde, 6-8 Sc. lawd,
7 ladd, 5- lad. [ME. /<&/<&, of obscure origin.
Possibly a use of the definite form of the pa. pple. of
LEAD i>. ; in MK. laii is a dialectal variant of h d pa. pple.
The use might have originated in the application of the
plural ladde elliptically to the followers of a lord. Actual
evidence, however, is wanting. It is noteworthy ihat a
Godric Lad da* attests a document written 1088-1123
(Earle Land Charters -2-jQ\ If this cognomen be i"as is
possible^ identical with ME. laddt\ its evidence is unfavour
able to the derivation suggested above.
Quite inadmissible, both on the ground of phonology and
meaning, is the current statement that the word is cognate
with the last syllable of the Goth. /*& A^f young man;
the ending -lanj>$ (stem -landa- adj.,/rtdY- sb.}, which does
not occur as an independent word, has in compounds the
sense * having (a certain) growth or size , as in hit elau/>$ how
great, sivalau^s so great, sawahinfis equally great. The
Celtic derivations commonly alleged are also worthless : the
Welsh llawd is a dictionary figment invented to explain the
feminine Diodes (in Dictionaries Ihdes}* which Prof. Rhys has
shown to be shortened from h?rlodes t fein. tfhcrlau d^ a. M K.
her lot HAKI.OT ; and the Irish lath does not exist in either
the earlier or the later sense of * lad , but means hero or
champion .]
f 1. A serving-man, attendant ; a man of low
birth and position ; a varlet. Obs.
c 1300 Havefak 1786 Hwat haue ye seid , quoth a ladde.
13.. K. E. Allit. P. C. 154 Mony ladde J-er forth-Iep to
taue & to kest. 1377 LANGI.. P. PI. B. xix. 32 To make
lordes of laddes Of lond that he wynneth. 1:1380 Sir
Fernmb. 4451 And we^en art bou ; \K>V ladde prout ? c 1430
Syr Gener. ^Roxb.) 8280 Whan Serenides the Ring had,
Glad she was, and called a lad. c 1440 York Myst. xxix.
390 pis ladde [Jesus] with his lesyngis has oure lawes lorne.
c 1485 Digby Myst. 1 1882) in. 43 Lord and lad, to my law
doth lowte. 1513 BRADSHAW-SY. Werburge 1.1015 A fad to
wedde a lady is an inconuenyent. c 1530 L. Cox Rhct.
(1899) 77 He had with hym syngyng laddes and women
smiantes. 1530 LVNDESAV Test. Pafiyngo 391 Pandaris,
pykthankis, custronis, and clatteraris, Loupis vp frome
laddis, sine lychrisamang lardis. 1535 COVERDAI.E i Sam.
ii. 15 Or euer they burned the fatt, the prestes lad [Vulg.
ptter\ came : and sayde [etc.]. 1549-50 in bwayne Chttrchw.
Ace. Saru/n (1896) 277 Smythe the carpenter for j dayes
Labor for his servaunte Clerke and his ladde for takyng
downe of the tymbre. ii KEI.LV Scot. Prov. 240 Lay up
like a Laird, and neck like a Lad.
2. A boy, youth; a young man. young fellow.
Also, in the diction of pastoral poetry, used to
denote a young shepherd . In wider sense applied
familiarly or endearingly ^sometimes ironically) to
a male person of any age, esp. in the form of address
my lad. Lad of wax : a shoemaker.
!< 1440 Protnp. Pan . 283/1 I^adde, or knave, garcio.
1483 Cat/i. Atigl. 206/1 A Ladde, vbi a knaffe.] 1535
COVERDALE Prov. xxu. 15 Foolishnes sticketh in the herte
of y* lad, but y e rod of correccion driueth it awaye. 1552
EATIMER Serin. (1584) 323 First he is a childe ; afterward
he becommeth a ladde ; then a yong man, and after that a
perfect man. 156* A. SCOTT Poems (S. T. S.) i. 53 Lymmer
lawdis and litle lassis. 1596 SHAKS. i Hen. f^, i. ii. 112
Prin. Wfiere shall we take a purse to morrow, lacke? Fat.
Where thou wilt Lad. 1600 DEKKKR Honest tt h. n.
Dram, Wks. II. 115 How now old Lad, what doest cry?
i6oa Marcissns 1893) 78 Why, well said, my ladds of
mettall. 1608 WILLET ffejrapla Exod. 787 Our blessed
Sauiour .. said to his disciples, children, or lads, haue
ye any meate ? a 1650 Captain Carr 30 in Furnivall
Ptrcy Folio I. 81 He not giue over my house , she* said,
1 neither for Ladds nor man . 1709 BYROM Lit, Rent. (1854)
I. i. 6 I he other two sizers, one sophister, the other a
Lancashire lad of our year. 1717 LADY M. W. MONTAGU
Let. to Pope i Apr., The young lads . . divert themselves
with making garlands for their favourite lambs. 1724 I J K
FOE Mem. Cavalier (1840) 269 The old lad was not to be
caught. 1794 Sporting Mng. Ill, 201 Requesting )ou:is
a brother lad of wax to make me some of your tight shots.
1829 HOOD Eug, Aram viii, My gentle lad, what Ss t you
read? 1856 R. M. BAI.LANTYNE SnwjJakit fy Sunbeams
xxviii. 390 What did you say struck you, Harry, my lad?
1871 R. KI.LIS tr. Catullus Ix.xviii. 4 Lovely the lady, the lad
lovely, a company sweet. 1886 RUSKIN Prseterita I. v.
140 All handsome lads and pretty lasses.
fb. A man of spirit and vigour.
" 553 UIJALL R oyster D. iv. vii. Arb.) 71, I Irowe they
shall finde and feele that I am a lad.
3. Sc. A sweetheart.
1725 RAMSAY Gentle She ph. v. ii, And am I then a match
for my ain lad ? 1781 J. MAVNK Logan Braes in Chambers*
(. ycl. Kng. Lit. II. 493 VVhile my dear lad maun face his
faes Far, far frae me. 1786 BURNS Dream xiv, Ye royal
losses dainty, Heav n . . gie you lads a-plenty,
4. attrib. i as lad-porter ; t lad-age, the nge of
boyhood ; lad-bairn, -wean Sc., a male child.
1605 SYLVESTER /> Bart as n. iii. i. I oc at ion 170 HLTC
have I past my * Lad-age fair and good. 17.. Htrd*s
Collect. Sc. Songs (1776) II. 149 This maiden had a br::w
*lad-l airn. 1821 G.\LT Ann. Parish xix. 180 There was a
greater christening of lad bairns than had ever been 111 any
year during my incumbency. 1894 Daily AVitv 11 Sept.
5/3 A Mad porter on the . . Railway. 1821 HOGG Jacobite
Relics II. 175 Bonny orphan lad-weans twa.
Hence the nonet- wds. LadcUss, a girl, lass;
La ddism, the condition or character of a lad ;
Iia dhood, the state of being a lad.
1768 H. WAI POLE Corr. (1837) II. 4^7, I know that he is
a very amiable lad and I <!o not know that >lie is not us
amiable a laddess. 1843 /> /< ?<-. Mag. LI II. 80 They ..
emerge, into the full and perfect imago of little lords ..
without any of those intermediate conditions of laddism,
hobble-de-hoyism [etc.]. 1883 Spectator 28 Apr. 543 Youth
or lad hood was now protra- ted further into life. 1891
Century Mag. Nov. 61 In this region I grew to ladhood.
t Lad, sb. 2 - Ohs. rare. A thong. Hence
f La elded #., thonged.
c 1440 Promp, Parv. 283 i Ladde, thwonpe i A", thounge,
S. thang , ligitiit. Laddyil, lignlatiis. 1847 HALLIWELI.,
f.fi/f, a thong of leather J a shoe-latchet.
Lad, obs. pa. t. and pple. of LEAD v.
II Ladamim (Javdan/ iii). Also 6 (anglicized}
ladane. [L. ladanmn^ Ifdanum^ a. (Jr. A.d5a>/or,
Ar/5ai/of, f, \rj8ov mastic, Cf. LABDANUM and
LAUDANUM.]
1. A gum resin which exudes from plants of the
genus ClSTUB, esp. C. lotianifeiiis and C. Crcticus,
much used in perfumery and for fumigation.
\c 1400 Lan/ranc s Cirnrg, 179 ^ ladani \, i, & resolue it
in ^5 iiij of oile of mirtillts. Ibid. 188 Olium ladani ] 1551
TIKNI-.R Herbal \. K vj, Ladanum .. hath the propertie to
bind to gether to warme, to make softe and to open the
mouthes of the veynes. 1568 SKEVSK The Pest (1860) 31
Eikand thairtill . . sa meikill of ladane as salbe thocht ex-
pedient. 1611 COTGR., Ladane^ the sweet Giimme Lada
num, 1634 PEACHAM Gentl. Kxerc, \. xii. 40 Sistis (that
beareth that excellent gunime Ladanum\ 1648 HKRRRK
Hespcr. (1869) 194 How can I chuse but kisse her, whence
do s come The storax, spiknard, myrrhe and ladanum. 1861
Miss PRATT Flower, PI. I. 161 The balsam called Ladanum
. .is produced by the Cist us Creticus.
f2. ^LAUDANUM. Obs.
1627 tr. Bacon s Life fy Death (1651) 29 The compound
Opiates are Treacle, Methridate, Ladanum, &c.
Ladde-borde : see LARBOABD.
Ladden, rnre obs. pa. pple. of LAT>E v.
Ladder (lae dsi\ sb. Forms : I bleeder, hla ri
der, 2-4 leddre, 4 Kent. Iheddre, 3-5 (6 Sc.)
ledder, 4-5 leddir(e, leddyr, 3-4 laddre, 4 lad-
dir, 6- ladar, 6-7 lather, 4- ladder. [OK.
Hlmd(d}er str. fern., corresp. to OFris. hleder^
hladder-, MDu. ledtre (Du. leer, also /adder from
Fris.), OHG. Ititara (MHG., mod.G. leitcr]-.-
OTeut. *hlaidrjd t f. Tent, root *h/T- : hlai- (whence
LEAN v.) : Aryan *kli- : cf. Or. KXtpaf ladder.]
1. An appliance made of wood, metal, or rope,
usually portable, consisting of a series of bars
( rungs" 1 or steps fixed between two supports,
by means of which one may ascend to or descend
from a height.
071 Blickl. If am. 209 J><cr waes j^ewuna JwEm folce . . j<ct
hie aefter hlaeddrum up to Seem glaisenum fajte astl^on.
.1000 /EI.FRIC Gen. xxviii. 12 pa^eseah he on swefne stan-
dan ane hlsedre fram eorSan to heofenan. a xioo Ccre/a in
Anglia (1886) IX. 263 Hlsedre, horscamb and sceara. c 1250
Gen, <V Ex. 1607 He..sa^..fro (5e erfie up til heuene bem,
A leddre stonden. 1297 R. GLOIX. (Rolls) 3103 Hii..cat le5
vette ynowe & laddren & leuours. c 1340 Cursor M. 3779
iFairf.) In slepe a ladder him fwjt he seyghe fra (>c firma
ment ri^t to his eyghe. 1375 BAR sot R Bruce x. 6.42 Thni
set thair ledder to the wall, c 1400 Dcstr. Troy 4761 J>ai
wonyn on the wallis lightly with ladders. 1560 J. DAI S tr.
Slcidatie sChron. our Time 159 The Emperour goynge forth
as farre as the ladder of the shippe to mete him, receaveth
him in. 1587 FLEMING Contn. Holinshcd\\\. 356/1 A lather
, of fourteene staves would but reach to the top. i6ai (i.
| SANDYS Ovid s Met. xiv. (1626) 298 [He] oft a lather tookc
To gather fruit. 17*677 SWIFT Gulliver \. i. 25 That several
ladders should be applied to my sides, on which, .the inha
bitants mounted. 1840 DICKLHS OldC. Snof xl, Kit mounted
half way up a short ladder.
fb. esp* 1 he steps to a gallows. Chiefly in
phr, to bring to the ladder. Groom of the ladder
(jocular) : a hangman. Ohs.
a 1533 I D. BxRNKRfl Ilnon lix. 204 [luoiyn] commanndyd
a .xx.v. men to lede hym to y" galows & . . they causyd the
mynstrell to mount vp on y 1 ladder. 1594 NASHE Unfort.
TraT. Wks. 1883-4 V. 138, I .. should haue been hanged,
was brought to the ladder, .. and yet for all that scap d
dancing in a hempen circle. Ibid, 151 Casting mee off the
ladder. Ibid. 185 A fuller cannot turne his pin so soone, as
he [an executioner] would turn a man of the ladder. 1601
DKNT Path-tu. Heaven 31 1 Many . . haue beene brought to
the gallowes, and haue confessed vpon the ladder, that [etc.].
a 1640 DAY /VrK". Sikol. (1881 1 72 A kinsman of mynethat
is grome of the ladder and yeoman of the corde. 1655 Gt tt-
NAI.L Chr. in Ann. xix. 1 1669) 233 2 The offer of a pardon
comes too late to him th:it has ttirn d himself off the Ladder.
c. fig. Also in phr. f To draw up the ladder
after itself [cf. F. aflres hd ilfaut tirer Ftchclle] :
to be unapproachable. To see through a ladder .
to see what is obvious. To kick down the ladder \
said of persons who repudiate or ignore the friend
ships or associations by means of which they have
risen in the world.
cii7S Lamb. Horn. 129 Uis is sunfulla monna leddre.
a\**$Ancr. K. 354 And forffi bet I>au:d hefde |;eos two
stalen of bisse leddre, bauh he king were, he clonib upward.
1340 Ayenb. 246 pis is ) e laste .stape of be lh*x!dre of per-
feccion. 1377 l.ANci.. / . PI. B. xvi. 44 The Fende. 1- itli a
laddre there-to, of lesynges aren the rouges. 1477 K.\vf.
RIVERS (Caxton) Diitcs 77 Men sette moche store by the
foresayde science and was their opynion that it was the
laddre to go vp into alle other sciences. 1593 SHAKS.
Kich. II, v. i. 55 Northumberland, tbuu Ladder where-
withall The mounting Bullingbrooke ascends my Throne.
a 1625 CorK in Clutch Coll. Cur. I. 1^3 It is not the true
way . . for men to raise themstlv* s by ladde: s of detraction.
1670 LASSELS Voy, Italy \. 87 After the Domo, I saw the
Church of the Anmmciata, which draweth up the Ladder
after it for neatness. 1794 NI-.I SON in Nicolas Disf.
(ed. 2) 1.449 IHinran is, 1 think, a little altered; there is
nothing like kicking down the ladder a man risi s by, 1843
Lp FEVRE Life Tra~ . Phys. \. i. iv. 74 \\ ith these two
houses alone I have worked up the medical ladder of my
life. 1848 THACKKRAY Book of Snobs vii. (1872) 27 She ha>
struggled so gallantly fur polite reputation that she has won
it : piulessly kicking down the ladder as she advanced
degree by degree. 1852 MKS. STOWE Uncle Tom s C. vi.
37 Can t ye ste through a ladder, ye black nigger? 1868
FREEMAN Norm. Con<j. 1876) II. vii. 73 He now began to
climb the ladder of preferment afresh.
2. With qualifying words indicating its use, con
struction, position, etc., as//V<?-, extension-, ;(>/-,
Staling-, sUp-ladder^ etc. Also A auf.^ as accom-
inodatioH) bowsprit * entering, gn//ety t quarter,
stern ladder. Also JACOB S LADDKK.
1626 CAIT. SMITH Accid. } ". Sen-wen 13 An entrins
ladder or cleats. 1706 PHILLIPS (ed. Kersey s. v. LntWcr**
the Bolt-sprit-ladder, at the Beak-head, made fast over the
Holt-sprit, to get UJXJI1 St. 1758 SHAKP in Xaral Citron.
VIII. 154 He. got into a boat from the stern ladder. 1769
FALCONER Du /. Narinc(\"j%\S\ s.v. Ladder, Aaomitrodation
Ladder, is a sort of light stair-case, occasionally fixed on trc:
gangway of the admiral, or commander in chief, of a fleet.
// /Vr ., Quarter-Ladders, two ladders of rope, depending
from the right and left side ofa ship s stern.
3. Applied to things more or less resembling a
ladder. Often with qualifying words, as cheese,
cooper s, paring ladder (see quots.) ; fish ladder (see
KI.SH sb.i 7).
1688 R. HOI.MK Armoury in. 318/2 The paring Ladder,
or Coopers Ladder . . By the help of this all Barrel Staves
or Boards are held fast and sure while the Work-man is
paring or shaving them. Ibid. 335/1 A Cheese Ladder . .
serveth to lay over the Cheese Tub for the Cheese Fat to
rest upon, while the Dairy Woman presseth the \Vhay
out of the Cruds. Ibid. 3.39/2 The Cart Lathers are the
Crooked peeces set over the Cart wheels to ktepe Hay and
Straw loaden off them. 1851 Catal. Gt. Exhib. 376 Scotch
cart .. with ladders complete, so as to be used as a dung or
harve>.t cart. 1875 Plain Needlework 10 A crochet needle
(to pick up the ladders in stockings). 1875 KNK.HT Diet.
Mech., Ladder, a notched cleat or stick in a bookcase, for
supporting shelves. 1883 FisJurics Exhih. Catal. . ed. 4) 90
Two Salmon Ladders, One Jumping Ladder, One Swimming
Ladder. 1888 Lockivood s Diet. M.-Jt. Engin., Ladder,
a series of mud buckets which are carried up and down in
an oblique direction, for emptying and refilling in dredging
operations. 1890 Wesleyan Methodises Mag. Mar. 162 A
woven-ladder tape for Venetian blinds, in lieu of hand-made
ladders. 1892 Daily News 25 Jan. 3/3 The fli wers are
formed into niches, which trim the skirt and are carried up
the sides, with a ladder of ribbons between the lints.
4. In names of plants, as Chris fs ladder (see
CHHIST 5). Ladder to Heaven .see quots. . Also
JACOB S LADDER.
1640 PARKINSON Theat. Bot. 699 Wee in English [call ill
Salomons Scale most usually, but in some countries the
people call U Ladder to Heaven, .. from the forme of the
stalke of leaves, one being set above another. 1760 LEE In-
trod. Bot. App. (1765) 316 Ladder to Heaven, Ccnvallarta.
1879 BRITTEN & HOLLAND Plant-n.^ Ladder to Heaven, (i)
PoU Mouium cxrulcutn, L. 12) P&fy-gonahtl* multijiorntn.
5. attrib. and Comb. a. simple attrib., as ladder
/oof, ittng, t state, stave; b. objective, as ladder-
climber (in quot.^.) ; C. instrumental, as ladder-
travellings ladder-bridged &&). \ d. similative, as
ladder-path, road\ laddenvise adv.
1898 li fstm. Gas. 26 Aug. 8/2 The Bladder-bridged
crevasse. 1870 Even, Standard 17 Sept., The ~ladder-
climbers, who now direct the affairs of Paris, c 1470 HENKY-
SON Mor, fab. v. \Parl. Bcas si xliii. Syne furth him led,
and to the gallowU gais, And at the "ledder-fute his leif ht
3- J
LADDER.
tai:>. 1814 S. ROGERS Jiugttel. Poems (1830) 26 Up many a
ladder-path he guided. 1818 J. R. BEST Italy as it is 30
We had descended many steps of the "ladder-road. 1610
in Swayne Chiirchw. Ace. Saritm (18961 171 For a peece of
Timber to make "Ladder Rungs, 12</. a 1225 After. A 1 . 354
[>eos two [Binges] scheome and pine..beoS (>e two Meddre
stalcn bet beoo upriht to be heouene. c 1440 Promf. Pan .
293/1 *Leddyr stafe, scalttHutn. 1608 WILT.F.T Hexapta
Exoa. 606 As ladder slaues they were equally distant one
from another. 1855 Cornwall 156 The *ladder-travelling
is rendered less fatiguing, by being varied and broken up
into short journeys. 1593 Q. ELIZ. Koethius i. pr. r. 7 He-
twine bothe lettars, *ladarwise, certain steps wer marked.
6. Special comb. : ladder-braid, a kind of braid
made on the lace-pillow; ladder-carriage, one
for conveying fire-ladders (Knight Diet. Meek.
1875); ladder company, detachment Mil. (see
quot.) ; ladder-dance (see quot.) ; hence ladJer-
dancer ; ladder-dredge, a dredge having buckets
carried round on a ladder-like chain (Cent. Jlict.];
ladder-like a., resembling a ladder, gradational ;
also adv. ladder-man, in a fire-brigade, a
member of a hook-and-ladcler company (Cent.
Diet.); ladder party = ladder detachment; lad
der point, a form of ladder stitch ; ladder shell,
a marine shell of the genus Sfalaria, a staircase-
shell, vventletrap ; ladder stitch, a cross-bar
stitch in embroidery ; ladder-truck, a vehicle for
carrying fire-ladders and hooks ; ladder-walker
= ladder-dancer ; ladder way. a way by which
one descends or ascends by means of a ladder, (a)
in the deck of a ship, (b~) in the shaft of a mine ;
ladder-work, work done with the help of a ladder,
e.g. house-painting, etc. (Simmonds Diet. Trade
1858).
i88a CAIT.FF.II.D & SAWARD Diet. Needlework 43 * Lattder
braid. 1884 Mil. Engineering I. M. 87 The men told off to
one ladder (4 files or more, according to length of ladder)
form a ladder detachment and the detachments for on
line of ladders form a "ladder company , or ladder double
company 1 . 1801 STRUTT Sf>orls?f Past. in. v. 173 The
*Ladder-dance ; so called, because the performer stands
upon a ladder, which he shifts from place to place, and
ascends or descends without losing the equilibrium, or per
mitting it to fall. 1709 STSELK Tatler No. 12 p 18 "ladder-
dancers, Rope-dancers, Jugglers. 1859 CORNWALLIS ,\ tw
World I. 21 A ladder-like flight of -tep>. 1884 BOWKR &
SCOTT I">e fiarys Phaner. 303 Parallel bundles, . .connected
in a ladder-like manner by transverse branches. 1897
MARY KTNGSI.F.Y /( . Africa 565 The great parallel terraces
over which, ladderlike, the neighbouring Congo has cut its
bed. 1898 P. MANSON Trap. Diseases x. 181 A gradual
ladder-like rise [of temperature]. 1884 Mil. Kngineering\.
II. 98 It is always advisable to have officers and non-com
missioned officers, .with "ladder parties. 1891 A. H. CRAW-
KURD Gen. Crau furtt <y Light Div. 230 Fleming . . fell
leading the ladder party . . at Badajoz. 1882 CAULKEII.D
& SAWARD Diet. Xeedlcuiork 186 "Lmlder stitc/i, there are
two kinds of this stitch, the open, called *Ladder Point, or
Point d Echelle, in which the bars forming the stitch are
taken across an open space, and the closed, known as Jacob,
and Ship Ladder, in which the bars are worked on to the
material itself. 1711 STEELE Sped. No. 258 P3 Why should
not . . *Ladder-u-alkers, and Posture-makers appear again
on our Stage ? c 1850 Rtidim. Narig. (Weale) 128 * Ladder-
ivays, the openings in the decks wherein the ladders are
placed. 1875 J. H. COLLINS Metal Mining 77 A shaft
. . large enough to allow of ample pumping space, a good
ladder-way fete -].
Hence twnce-wds. Ladderless a., having no
ladder; La ddery a., resembling-a ladder.
1852 Eraser s Mug. XLVI. 455 Short flights of abrupt lad-
dery steps. 1897 * WARUNC; Tales Old R rgime 78 They were
separated from the surface by sixty feet of ladderless shaft.
Ladder (Is daa), v. ? 06s. [f. LADDER st.]
traits. To scale with a ladder; to furnish with
a ladder or with ladders. Also absol.
a 1578 LINDKSAV (Pilscottie) Chron. .Scot. (1728) 191 His
friends came rushing forward to ladder the walls. 1582-8
Hist. Jos. V[ (1804) 173 The men of Leith. .looking for na
uther thing hot. .to haue ladderit and winn the nous. 1643
Session Rec. in Hist. Brechin (1867) 232 To Alexander
Talbert for laddering the church 3*. 4^. 1665 J. WEBB
Stone-Hcng (1725) 188 They came from their Stations . . by
Planks laid from His unto their Stones, and otherwise they
could not, without laddringup and down.
Ladder, obs. form of J.. \TIIKK.
Laddered Ix-daid), a. [f. LADDER^. +-ED-.]
Furnished with a ladder; fof a rope, made into
a ladder.
1608 MIODLETON / am. Lmit i. if. Attempt not to ascend
My chamber-window by a iadder d rope. 187 . STKVENSOS
Child s Gtird. Verses 118951 81 He [the sun] Into the
laddered hayloft smiles. 1892 Li>. LYTTON King Pfppy iv.
83 Their ladder d scaffolds swarm d, as high in heaven.
Laddie (lae-di). Chiefly Sc. [f. LAD sb. + -IE.]
/p%oung lad, a lad. (A term of endearment.)
T54 BALE Eng. Votaries I. (1550) 16 b, He had a laddy
waytynge on hym called Benignus. 1721 RAMSAY (title)
Yellow Haired Laddie. 1728 Soger laddie. 17891)1^5
Kf. to Dr. Blacklock vi, I hae a wife and twa wee laddies.
1865 G. MACDONALD A. Forbes 51, I ken naething agen the
laddie. 1884 ANNIE SWAN Dorothea Kirke xvii. 155 Aunt
Janet? Ay, laddie .
t Lade, rf- 1 Obs. Also i hired, 3 ladd. [f. LADE
v. (OE. Mxd is commonly compared with ON.
hlaS stack, pile, and interpreted mound , because
it renders L. agger; but the sense of burden is
possible/,] a. Draught, b. Load, burden, lading.
20
c897 K. ALFRED Gregory s Past. xxi. 160 BesittaS hie
utan..& bera5 hiere hUed to [L. comportabis aggcrem\.
riaooORMiN 19313 We lodenn a!le twinne ladd Off hiss god-
nessess welle. c 1435 Torr, Portugal 1663 With hym fauglit
a yong knyght Ech on other laid good lade. 150* ARNOI.DE
Chron. tiSii) 229 That they may be in our sayde lamiis
and lordshippys for too bye and gader lade and freith and
cary awaye, or doo to bee caryed awey and conueied into
the sayde kyngdom of England.
Lade (U d), sb? [app. a variant of LKAD sb. *
(which occurs much earlier in the same sense) ;
perh. confused with /<&/, the regular Sc. and northern
form of LODE, OE. lad. The synonymous LEAT is
not etymologically related.]
1. A channel constructed for leading water to a
mill wheel ; a mill-race. (Often in comb, mill-
lade.} Chiefly Sc.
1808-80 JAMIESON, Lade, lead. 1862 Act 25 fy 26 Viet.
c. 97 6 The construction or alteration of mill dams, or
lades, or water wheels so as to afford a reasonable means
for the passage of salmon. 1864 A. M C K.AY Hist. Kil-
jttarnock (1880) 106 A corn-mill, which was driven by a lade
that flowed through the same spot. 1868 Perthsh. Jrnl.
18 June, Some fine sport was enjoyed; but the salmon
on two or three occasions made a rush into the lade and
escaped.
U S, A sb. lade, with a sense * channel, water
course, mouth of a river , has been evolved by
etymologists from place-names in which the last
element is -lade COK. geldd channel, as in Crecca-
gehid Cricldade) ; the interpretation has been sug
gested by LADE v. The word was admitted into
Bailey s and Johnson s Diets., and has occasionally
been used in literature.
[1623 LISLE &lfric OH O. $ N. Tesl. To Rdr. 34 How
many learned men haue mistaken the name of a place neere
Oxford called Creklade? as if it sauored of Greeke, when
it is but old English, and signifies Ostium rinuli, a place
where some Creeke or little brooke doth lade or empty it
selfe into a greater water.] 1706 PHILLIPS (ed. Kersey),
I, ada iin old Records^,, .a Lade, Lading, or Course of
Water. 1721-1800 BAILEY, Lade^ a Passage of Water, the
Mouth of a River. 1865 KINCSLEV Hernv. II. xi. 180
Cotinglade . . seemingly a lade, leal, or canal through Cot-
tenham Fen tothe Westwater. 1873 H. KISGSI.KY Oakshott
xxvi. 184 Kvery trickling tiny lade, every foaming brook,
told its own story.
Lade 1^ d), sb$ heal. [?f. LAI>E f .] Aboard
or rail fixed to the side of a cart or waggon to
give greater width.
1686 Lond. Gaz. No. i88/4 Lost . . a short turn Waggon,
with two pair of Harness and a Cart Saddle, with Wheel
Lades. 1847 In HAI.I.IVVEKI.. 1875 BLACKMOKK A. Lorraine
III. v. 72 The vice-president s cart was in the shed close
by, and on the front lade sat Bonny.
Lade (\ek\\ v. Forms: i hladan, (ladan\
$ (Orm.) ladenn, ,4 lhade, 6 laade, 7 laid),
?3, 4- lade. Pa. t. i hlod, (once &eh!6od\ 3-4
lode; weak 5- laded. Pa. pple. I (xe)hladen,
4 i-lade, 4-6 (8 Sc. poet.} lade. (6 ladden, Sc.
ladin), 4-laden ; weak 5 ladyd, 6- laded.
[Com. Teut. str. vb. : OK. hladan (hlod^ehladen}^
corrcsp. to OFris. hlada^ OS. hladan (Da. laden} t
ON. hlafta (Sw. ladda} ; with consonant-ablaut the
word appears in OHG. hladan (G. laden\ Goth.
(af}hlapan : OTeut *hlap-> klatl- : pre-Teut.
*///-, parallel with *klad- in OSI. klasti to place.
The general Teut. senses are those represented by
branch I; branch 11 is peculiar to Eng., but OS.
has the sense to put (liquor) into a vessel , as
a particular application of a sense similar to 2
below. Another derivative of the root is MHG.
litot burden, mass, multitude : OTeut. *///J/<? ; in
the OE. hl6$ booty, multitude, OLG. klotha booty,
this type seems to have coalesced with OTeut.
*hlanpA.
The p;i. t. has from T5th c. been conjugated weak. The
pa. pple. is still usually strong when used in the senses of
branch I ; in those of branch II it is now always weak.]
I. To load.
1. trans. To put the cargo on board (a ship;.
Also (now only in passive} to load (a vehicle, a
beast of burden).
Hemvulf (Z.} 896 Sebat gehleod. Ibid. 1897 pa vacs on
sande sz?;eap naca hladen herew;cduin. 13. . Coer de L.
1384 Thrittene schyppys i-lade with hyvysOfbees. Ibid.
1388 Another schyp was laden .. With an engyne hyijhte
Robynet. 1387 TREVISA Higden (Rolls IV. 197 A boot bat
was so hevy lade wif> men pat folowede hym }>at it sanke
doun. a. 1430 HOCCLEVE De Rfg. Princ. 983 To lade a
cart or fill a barwc. 1513 DOUGLAS .-Eneis in. vi. 211 Our
keryalis howis ladis and prymys he With huge charge of
siluir. 1535 COVKRDALK Kzek. xii. 12 The chefest that is
amonge you, shall lade his shoulders in the darcke, and get
him awaye. 1611 BIBLE Gen. xlii. 26 They laded their asses
wilh the corne. 1711 ADDISON Sped. No. 69 p 5 Our Shifts
are laden with the Harvest of every Climate. 1830 SCOTT
Dcmonol. ix, A foreign ship richly laded with wines. 1853
KANE >/"*( // A .r/*. xxxvi. (1856) 325 A sledge.. kept laden
to meet emergencies. 1864 TENNYSON En. Ard. 817 He. .
help d At lading and unlading the tall barks.
b. To load (a person) with gifts, etc., (a tree,
branch^ with fruit; to charge or fill abundantly.
Now only in pa. pple. laden, loaded, fraught,
heavily charged with. \ Also, to lade up.
1481 CAXTON Godfrey iv. 22 Whan he myuht fynde the
mci.sagera of Chark-mayn. he charged and laded them alle
LADE.
with richesses of thoryent. 1484 Chivalry 4 A tree we]
laden and charged of fruyte. 1629 CAPT. SMITH Trar. fy
Adv. 9 With every man a bundle of sedge and bavins still
throwne before them, so laded up the Lake, as [etc.], 1674
RAY Collect. Wonts, Hush. 130 Corn, .the earlier it is sown,
cxteris paribns, the better laden it is. 1693 DBVDEX Ovid s
Met. xni. Acts 72 Than apples fairer, when the boughs they
lade. 1820 SHELLEY Stnsit. Plant in. 112 A northern whirl
wind .. Shook the boughs thus laden. 1847 WILSON Chr.
North (1857) L 231 Shores laden with all kinds of beauty.
1849 MuRCHisoN.sy/wr/d iv. 67 These, .sandstones are laden
with a profusion of fossils. i86sTROLLOPE Belton Est. xxiii.
279 Her eyes were laden with tears. 1878 HUXLEY Physiogr.
47 [The airj must have become laden with moisture.
C. To burden, load oppressively ; chiefly in
immaterial sense. Now only (somewhat arch.}
in pa. pple., burdened with sin, sorrow, etc.
_ 1538 STAKKEY England \. ii. 28 Yf we be thys lade wyth
ignorance, a 1553 UDALL Royster D. m. ii. (Arb.) 41 Doth
not loue lade you? 1553 EDEN Decades 159 It is not lawful
for any to lade his neighbours waules with rafters. 1602
Life T. Cromwell n. iii. 93 Lade him with irons. 1606
SHAKS. Ant. $ Cl. v. ii. 123, I.. do confesse I haue Bene
laden with like frailties. ni6i8 RALEIGH Rent. (1644) 54
To lade no one man with too much preferment. 1655 Cui,-
I-EPPER & COLE Riveriits xv. vi. 420 Miserable Woman-Kind
is commonly laded with . . manifold Diseases, a 1656 BP.HAU,
Breath. Devout Soul 168 Saviour, thy sinner is sufficiently
laden, with the burden of his iniquities. 1724 RAMSAY Health
143 Phimos, who by his livid colour shews Him lade with vile
diseases. 1841 LANK Arab. Nts. I. 90 Laden with the sin
which they had committed.
2. To put or place as a burden, freight, or cargo ;
now only, to ship (goods as cargo.
&MBttr(Z.) 2775 Him on bearm hlodon bunan and discas
sylfes dome, a 1000 Riddles iv. 65 (Gr.) Ic. .me [on] hryt^
hladc, \Kt ic habban sceal. a 1000 Cxdmorfs Gen. 2901 (Gr.)
Ongan l>a ad hladan. a 1300 A . Horn 1409 Ston he dude
lade, And lym therto he made. 1472 Wat erjord Arch in io///
Rep. Hist. JlfSS. Comm. App. v. 309 From the porte that
the saide marchandise is lade unto theporte of the said cltie.
c 1489 CAXTON bonnes of Ay won xxviii. 580 Thenne fet he
stones & morter in grete plente . . and I promyse you lhat
reynawd laded more atones than xv. other dyde. 1542-3
Act 34 <f- 35 Hen. V/I/ t c. 9 3 No person, .shall enbote
or lade . . anie wheate . . in anie picard. 1665 Lond. Gaz.
No. 16/2 A Legorn ship .. bound to Tunis with moneys to
lade Corn. 1799 NELSON in Nicolas Disft, 11845) III. 347
He had his Vessel seized by the Genoese, when lading wine
for our Fleet. 1800 COLQUHOUN Comm. Thames viii. 261
It is impossible to lade or deliver Cargoes. 1888 BKYCK
Amer. Comtniv, III. vi. cxiv, 641 The surplus products . .
must be laden on board the vessels.
t>. absol, or intr.
c 1470 HENRY Wallace ix. 704 Quhen thai off hay was
ladand most bysse. 1611 BIBLE Neh. iv. 17 They that bare
burdeus, with those that laded. 1667 Lond. GHZ. No. 202/1
As many light ships come in the last evening Tyde to lade.
1712 K. COOKE I oy. S. Sea 179 At this High land of An-
quipa, Is good anchoring, where Vessels use to lade. 1796
MORSE Amer. Geog. I. 450 A pier, .at which vessels .. lade
and unlade.
f 3. To lay a burden of (guilt) upon. Also absol.
1535 COVERDALE Deut, xxii. 8 Make a battlement aboute
thy rofe, that thou lade not bloude vpon thine house yf eny
man fall therof. a 1541 WVATT Poet. Wks. 11861) 196 Him
seemeth that the shade Of his offence again his force assays
By violent despair on him to lade.
t 4. To load or charge (a gun) ; also, to load
(cartridges; in a gun. Obs.
1633 T. STAFFORD Pac. Hib. m. viii. (1810) 560 Going to
latielier againf , their Gunner was slaine at his Peece. 1635
Lo. LINDSKY in Sir W. Monson Naval Tracts in. (1704!
335/1 To command the Gunners to laid Cartrages. 1690
Mor. Ess. Present Times \\\. 129 Cannon-like, will div
charge but once till they are new Laden.
II. To draw water.
5. trans. To draw water) ; to take up or remove
(water or other fluids) from a river, a vessel, etc.,
with a ladle, scoop, or by similar means ; to bale,
t occas, with cogn. obj. (Now chiefly techn. and
dial.}
c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. John iv. 7 Cuom uif of o"aer byris to
jadanne [Kn$hv>. hladanne] uaeter. c 1000 Ags. Gosp. John
ii 9 pa benas softlice wiston J>e }?xt waeter hlodon. c 1000
J$J.FRIC Horn. II. 180 .I Enne ealdne munuc waiter hladende.
naoo OKMIN 14044 GaJ>..and ladebb upp & bereb^ itt Till
^allderrmann onn ha:fedd. /// (/. 19313 We lodenn alle
twinne ladd Off hiss god.nes.sess welle, t"i33o Arth. <y
lilerl. 1475 iKfilbing) |?ai..pe water vp loden f>o, Al way bi
to & to. 1340 Ayenb. 178 AIsuo ase hit l>ehoue^> ofte bet
ssip lhade out bet weter pet alneway ge^ in. c 1440 Pronip.
Parv. 283/2 Ladyn or lay water, .vatilo. c 1450 Merlin 37
Thei hadde a-wey the erthe, and fonde the water, and dede
it to laden oute. 1530 PALSGR. 600/1, I laade water with a
scoup or any other thyng out of a dytche or pytte. a 1648
DIGBY Closet Open. (16771 8 Then lade forth your Hquor and
set it a cooling. 1674 RAY Collect. Words, Smelting Silver
114 It is laded out and cast into long square bars. 1725
BRADLEY I 1 am. Diet. s.v. Brewery, The first Wort.. must
be pumped or laded off into one or more Coolers. 1784
TWA M LEY Dairying 47 To lade off the Whey clear from
Curd. 1839 UKK Diet. Arts 585 By lading the glass out of
one pot into another . . with copper ladles. 184* J. AITON
Domest. Econ. 332 Out of this underbuck you must lade
the ale-wort into the tuivtub.
b. absol. or intr.
1612-15 HP. HALL Contempt., N. T. n. v, She did not
think best to lade at the shallow channel, but runs rather
to the well-head. 1613-16 W. BROWNE Brit. Past. \. v.
(1772) I. 142 Or with their hats lade [for fish] in a brooke.
1741 Contfl, Fant. Piecc i. vi. 279 You must gradually lade
out of the second Copper.
f 6. To empty by lading . Obs.
c 1532 Du WES Introd. Fr. in Palsgr. 1020 Whan a man
doth c jme to the great sec for to lade [F. fafuisfr] ii.
LADED.
1593 SHAKS. 3 Hen. I l, in. ii. 139 Like one that . . chides
the Sea . . Saying hee le lade it "dry. 1618 BP. HAI.L Old.
Relig. (1686) 73 We are not they who think to lade the sea
with an egg-shell.
f 7. trans. Ofa ship : To let in (water). Obs.
1412-20 LYDG. Chron.Troy \. iii. Theshyp. .wassostaunuhe
it myht no water lade. 1530 rAUOfc 601/1, I lade, I take
in water, as a shyp or bote that is nat staunched. ..This
bote ladeth in water a pace.
8. Comb. The verb stem used in comb, with
names of vessels used in lading, as lade-\ bowl,
-bucket, -gallon (dial. gnwn,gorn} y -\-mele [?MK.
MELE, bowl], -pail.
1420 Inv. in Line. Chapter Ace. Kk. A. 2. 30 If. 69,
i *ladebolle..6< 1891 H art land Gloss. > La+tc-buckct,*.
small dipping-bucket, used in brewing, &c. c 1575 />W-
four"s Practicks (1754! 234 The air sail haue .. the best
brewing leid, the mask fat, with tub, barrellis, and Maid-
gallon. 1881 Leicester Gloss. > * Lade-gaum, . . any vessel
for lading out liquid. 1847 HALLIWKI.I., *Lade-gorn, a pail
with a long handle to lade water out with. Derb. Also
called a lade-pail. 1579 in W. H. Turner Sfittt. AVc.
Oxford 401 Bruers measures, as barrells, kilderkins, firkins,
runletts, .*lademeales, gallons. 1558 Lndfa .v Churchw.
Ace. (Camden) 87 Paid for a vesselle and a *lad payle to
putt in lyme. 1886 KLWORTHY IV. Somerset Word-bk.^ /,ate
fail. . A late-pail ;or lade-pail^ is commanly used for dipping
hot water from a copper, or for making cider.
Lade, Sc. and north, form of LOAD sb,
Ladeborde : see LAKBOAKD.
t La ded, // . a. [f. LADE v. + -ED 1 .] = LADKN.
1630 DRAYTON Descr. Elysium 3 Pomegranates .. Their
laded branches bow. i6j)7 DRYDEN I ire.Georg. n. 75 The
laded Boughs their Fruits in Autumn bear. 1708 Rktkfe
Island Col. Rec. (1859) IV. 58 Very few of the enemy s
privateers, .will, .outsail one of our laded vessels.
La - del. Obs. rare- 1 , [f. lade LODE sb. (-
-EL .] ? A little path, by-path.
1387-8 T. USK Tt$t. Lwe i. iii. Skeat) I. 42 By smale
palhes, that swyne and hogges hadden made, as lanes with
ladels their maste to seche.
Laden (1^ d n), v. Also 6 Sc. ladin, ladne,
laiden, 7 laidin. [f. LADE v. + -EN ; but perh.
partly a Sc.var. of LOADEN v.] trans. =LADK v.
1514 Extracts Aberd. Reg. (1844) I. 8g The . . gudis that
happmnis to be input and ladnyt in the samyn schippis.
1531 Ibid 1 . 142 The losing and laidnyng of schippis.
1579 MUNDAY in Hakluyt I oy. (15891 151 Euery prisoner
being most grieuously ladened with yrotis on their legges.
1596 DALRYMPLE tr. Leslie s Hist. Scot. x. 356 To ladne him
with deceitful leisin^is, criminablecrymes, and tailes vntrue.
1607 WALKINGTON Of>t. Glass 147 Trees . . ladened with . .
fruits. 1652 GAULE Magastrom. 303 They . . used him with all
curtesie, and ladened him with gift-;. 1746 W. HORSLEY
Fool (1748) II. No. 63. 94 Let each Mule carry his own
Burthen, and not laden him further. 1808-18 JAMIKSON,
Ladenin time, the time of laying in winter provisions. 1885
MRS. C. L. PIRKIS Lady Lovelac^ L i. 19 He ladened him
self obediently with Edie s belongings. 1890 GUSHING Hull
i tk" Thorn II. xiii. 243 The air was ladened with the fra
grance of jasmine.
Laden (I^xTn), ///. a. [str. pa. pple. of LADE
v.] Burdened, loaded, weighed down (///. and
Jig.\ Often in comb, with sbs., as S0rrow-ladcn\
also HEAVY-LADEN.
1595 MAVNARDE Drake s I oy. (Hakl. Soc.) 3 A man enter
ing into matters with so laden a foote, that the other s meat
would be eaten before his spit could come to the fire. 1693
DRYDEN Ovid^s Met. xiii. Acts 118 The laden boughs for
you alone shall bear. 111790 T. WARTON EC log. iii. 94
Where .. clust ring nuts their laden branches bend. 1850
ROBERTSON Sertn. Ser. in. v. 70 The better . . impulses of a
laden spirit. 1867 SMYTH Sailor s IVord-bk., Laden, the
state of a ship when charged with materials equal to her
capacity. 1868 LYNCH Rivulet CLXII. ii, Now mount the
laden clouds, Now flames the darkening sky. 1897 Daily
Nevvs 13 Sept. 7/1 The laden trains start hence.
Laden, obs. form of LATPEN, brass.
Lader (l^ dai). t Obs. [f. LADE v. + -EK .]
One who lades ; esp. one who freights a ship.
154* -3 Act 34 5- 35 ffe*, y/Fl, c. 9 3 The said owner or
lader of the said picard bote or other vessel. 1552 Act 5 $
6 Edu>. /- /, c. 14 7 The Buying of any Corn., by any such
Badger, leader, Kidder or Carrier. 1626 Itnpeachw. Dk.
Buckkni. (Camden) 42 The name of the lader of the fore-
said hides. 1697 I ieiv Penal Laws 9 A Lader of Corn or
drain. 1755 MAUENS Insurances L 494 The Goods, .appear
to have been .. restored .. to the Masters of the Ships in
which they were laden ; and, by the Customs of the Sea. the
Master is in the Place of the Lader, and answerable to him.
Lade sterne, obs. form of LODESTAR.
La-di-da Jadida-). slang. [Onomatop<beic,*in
ridicule of l swell * modes of utterance. Cf.
HAW-HAW.] A derisive term for one who affects
gentility ; a * swell . Also attrib. or adj. = LARDY-
DARDY.
1883 in Atkin House Scraps (1887^ 166 The young un
goes to music-halls And does the la-di-da. 1893 GUNTER
Baron Monies MI. viii. 77 That French brother of his, Frank,
the Parisian la-de-da. 1895 ll estm. Gaz. 31 Jan. 3/2, I may
tell you we are all homely girls. We don t want any la-di-da
members.
tLa died, a. Obs. rare~ l . [f. LADY sb. +
-ED.] Lady-like; soft, gentle.
1628 FELTHAM Resolves n. [i.] viii. 20 Sores are not to bee
anguish t with a rusticke pressure ; but gently stroaked with
a Ladyed hand.
Ladify : see LADTPY.
Ladin, obs. Sc. f. LADEN v. ; obs. Sc. pa. pple.
of LADE v.
Lading (V-din.% vbl. sb. [f. LADE v. -f -ING *.]
I 1. The action of the verb LADE; the loading of
a ship with its cargo ; the bailing or ladling out oi
water, etc. Bill of lading (see BILL sb^ 10).
1500 (.riilway Arch, in zoM l\ep. Hist. M.SS. Connn. App.
v. 391 In lading and discharding of his goodes. .into foray n
realmis. 1661 FELTHAM Resolves^ Lusoria xxxv. (16771 3 2
Must we haue fire still glowing under us. Only that we
with constant Lading may Keep our selues cool? 1743
Loud, fy Country Hretv. ii. (ed. 2) 121 Where the Water is
put over by the Hand-bowl, or what is called Lading over.
1839 URE Diet. Arts 589 The transfer of the glass into the
cuvettes, is called lading.
2. concr. That with which a ship is laded ; freight,
cargo. fAlso transf. (see quots. 1611, 1621).
1526 TINIJALE Acts xxvii. 10 Syrs, I perceave that thys
vyage wilbe with hurte and domage, not ofT the ladynge
and shippe only: but also off cure lyues. 1611 COTGK.,
P rend re son sel, to swill, quaffe, caroose ; to take in his
lading, or his liquor, to the full. 1621 MOI.LK Canu-rar.
LIT. Libr, v. xiii. 369 Drunkards . . when they haue their
lading of wine. 1669 NARHOKOUGH Jrti/, in Ace. Se? . Late
I oy. i. (169^) 7 With much ado I got off a boats lading of
Water. 1670 Ibid. 1,1711) 91, I was bound for China, and. .
had rich Lading for that Country. 1709 Loud. Gaz. No.
4598 4 Two Ships lading of.. Russia Rhine Hemp. 1834
H. MII.LKH Scenes 3- Leg. xxi. 11857) 3i - ^ small sloop . .
entered the frith, to take in a lading of meal. 1836 W.
IRVING Astoria II. 169 The crews were saved, but much of
the lading was lost or damaged. 1870 MORRIS Earthly
Par. III. iv. 184 A lading of great rarities.
fig* 850 TKNNYSON In Mem. xxv. When mighty Love
would cleave in twain The lading ofa single pain.
f* 3. A place where cargoes are laded. Obs.
1594 NORDEN Sfec. Brit.) Essex i Camden i 10 It is in-
uironed with creekes, which leade to certayne ladinges, as
to Landymer lading, .wher they take in wood.
4. attrib. and Comb., as lading-can (dial. , f gin,
hole, utensil, well.
1886 Cheshire Gloss. > * Lading can, a small tin can, con
taining two or three quarts, used for taking hot water out
ofa boiler. [Common in the north midlands and Yorkshire.)
1497 Art? . Ace. Hen. I ll (1896) 103 "Lading gymie..j.
Ibid. 104 Lading gynnes .. iij. 839 URK Diet. Arts
589 Cilass-innking, In this operation [ lading 1 ladles of
wrought iron are employed, which are plunged into the pots
through the upper openings or ^lading holes. 1872 HARD-
WICK Trad. Lane. 18.9 The only *ladin^ or baling utensil
employed by the miserable sinner should be a limpet shell.
1765 JOHNSON Let. to Mrs. Thrale 14 Aug., The lading-
well in this ill-fated (leorge Lane lies shamefully neglected.
Ladiship, variant of LADYSHIP.
Ladisman, variant of LOCKSMAN.
La dkin. [f. LAD sb, + -KIN.] A young lad.
1642 H. MORK Song of Soul i. in. xxxi, Tbarrhon that
young ladkin hight.
Ladle ^U^d l , sb. Forms : 1-2 hleedel, 3
ladele,4-5ladel, 5 laddil, ladill, ladyl, ladyll e,
5-7 ladellfe, 6 ladil, 7 ladul, 5- ladle. [OE.
nleedelj f. hladan LADE v. : see -EL.]
1. A large spoon with a long handle and cup-
shaped bowl, used chiefly for lading liquids.
a 1000 OE. Gloss, in Haupt s Zeitsckrifl IX. 418 Antlia,
mid hlaidele. a noo Gerefa in Anglia (i886j IX. 264 Cytel,
hla*del, pannan. c izgo S. Eng. Leg. I. 187/94 Settle
salt heo nome And Mid ladeles on is woiulene it casten.
I 37V* I j ANGL. I 1 PI- li- xix. 274 A ladel bugge with a longe
stele, That cast for to kepe a crokke to saue the fatte
abouen. c 1386 CHAUCKH Knt^s T. 1162 The cook yscalded,
for al his longe ladel. c 1440 Prontp. / arv. 28% ? Lady He,
pot spone, caucus. 1468-9 Durham Ace. Rolls (Surtees) I.
92, 2 laddils et i scomer de cupro pro cof]uina, 23d. 1590
Si KNSER f. Q. n. vii. 36 Some stird the molten owre with
ladles great. i6oa PLAT Delightes for Ladies Recipe liv,
You must haue a fine brasou ladle to let run the sugar
vppon the seedes. 1680 BOYLE Exper. Prodnc. Chytn. Princ.
i. iv. 48 The materials of Glass, .having been . .kept long in
fusion, the mixture casts up the superfluous salt, which the
work-men take off with Ladles, c 1718 PRIOR Ladle 135 A ladle
for our silver dish Is what I want. 1744 BERKKLEYZ,^/. Tar
Water 2 Wks. 1871 III. 462 Stir . . with a wooden ladle,
or flat stick. 1773 Lond. Chron. 7 Sept. 248/3 Punch ladles.
1844 A fern. Babylonian P ccss II. 54 Jaffa contains some
fine marble fountains, to which ladles are attached by chains,
for the convenience of the stranger who is athirst. 1867
SMYTH Sailors Word-bk., Paying-ladle^ an iron ladle with
a long channelled spout opposite to the handle; it is used
to pour melted pitch into the seams. 1895 Daily News
12 Sept. 3/5 An egg-and-ladle race.
2. In various technical applications.
a. Gunnery. * An instrument for charging with
loose powder ; formed of a cylindrical sheet erf
copper-tube fitted to the end of a long staff (Smyth
Sailors Word-bk. 1867). Also a similar instru
ment for removing the shot from a cannon.
1497 Nav. Ace. Hen. I II (1896) 85 Charging ladells - . ii,
Rammers.. ij. 1622 R. HAWKINS / oy. S. 5V 11847.) I ^5 We
..could not avoydthe danger, to charge and discharge with
the ladell, especially in so hotte a fight. 1627 CAPT. SMITH
Seaman s Gram. viii. 34 The Master Gunner hath the
charge of the ordnance, and shot, powder, match, ladles [etc.].
1769 FALCONER Diet. Marine (1780) 1 4 b, Cannon are
charged, .with an instrument, .termed a ladle. 1851 DOUGLAS
Nav. Gunnery (ed. 3) 518 To practise with the Eprouvette,
charge it with a small quantity of loose powder, by means
of a ladle.
b. Founding. A pan with a handle, to hold
molten metal for pouring. Also in Glass-making,
a similar instrument used to convey molten glass
from the pot to the cuvette.
1483 Cath. Angl. 206/2 A Ladylle for yettynge,/K.wrf K/.
1495 Nav. Ace. Hen. VII (1896) 105 Ladylles of iron to
melt lede. 18x3 P. NICHOLSON Pract. Ritild. 404 Ladles are
of three or four different sizes, and are used for melting the
LADRONE.
solder. 1839 [see LADING vbl. sb. A,\- 1881 RAYMOND Mining
Gloss., Ladle, a vessel into which molten metal i.s conveyed
from the furnace or crucible, and from which it is poured
into the moulds.
f 3. Applied to the cup of an acorn. Obs.
1599 A. M. tr. Gabt-lhoner s Bk. Physicke 172/1 Take of
the best Aquavitae a quarte..and Akorne dishes or Ladles.
4. One of the float-boards ofa water-wheel.
1611 COTGK., AitbeS) the short boordes which are set into
th r outside of a water-mills wheele ; we call them, ladles, or
aue-boords. 1673-4 Giu;\v A nat. Plants in. vii. 6 (1682)
138 The ladles and soles ofa Mill-wheel are always made
of Kim. 1731 BEICHTOH in Phil. Trans. XXXVII. ir The
Ladles or Paddles 14 Foot long. 1875 in KNIGHT /?:/. Mec/t.
f5. Sc. A burghal duty charged on grain, meal,
and flour, brought to market for sale ; also, the
proceeds or income obtained from that duty \
Also, The dish or vessel used as the measure in
exacting this duty (Jam. .S/////.). Obs.
1574 Burgh Rec. Glasgow* (1876) I. 14 The casual iteis of
the mercat callit the Ladill is sett to Robert Millare, mele-
man, quhill Whitsone tysday nixtocum.
6. attrib. and Comb., w$ ladle-staff, -washer \ ladle-
shaped adj.; ladle-board ^ LADLE 4; ladle-dues
Sf. (see sense 5; ; ladle-furnace, a gas furnace
in which llic metal to be melted is contained in
a ladle; ladle-man, t (a) (see quot. 1750;; (l>
a workman who uses a ladle (sense 2 b) ; ladle-
shell (local U. S.\ a name for certain large shells
/ tt/ift<r, Sycotypns, etc.), which are or may be used
as ladles in baling out boats, etc. (Cent. Dit t. ;
ladle-wood />W., the wood of a S. African tree
(Cassine Cotpoon , used for carving (7 rcas. Bot.
i866\
1744 l>KSAr,u.iKRS Exper. Philos. II. 92 Therefore the
^Ladle-Board is stiuck by twice the Matter. 1793 SMFATON
Edystoue /.. 197 To knock off the Floats or Ladle-boards
from the wheel>. 1853 GI.YNN /Vrcfr // ater App. 148 The
floats or ladle-boards. 1832 53 II hlstle-Binkie (Sent. Sonyv
Ser. n. i-jo note, Farmer (if ladle-dues. 1880 Cooky s Cycl.
Pract. Rt-cfipts (ed. 6) I. 772 "Ladle furnace. This take^
ladles up to 6J inches diameter, and will mt-lt 6 to 8 Ibs. of
zinc in abuut 1 5 minutes. 1750 W. KI.I.IS Mod. Husband in.
III. i. 184 An Insect seldom, or never, misses attacking
our green Cherries with so much Diligence and Fury, as
to spoil great Numbers of them, by eating into their very
Stone; and, because of this hollow Operation, we call
them * Ladle men, ur the Green Fly, or Hug. 1884 .V/.
James s Gaz. 13 June n/i Thomas Green, a ladleman ..
was fearfully scalded all over the body. 1883 Census In
structions 03 Bessemer Steel Manufacture .. Ladle Man.
1877 K,\\Mf)SL> Sta/ist. Mint s <S- Mining 384 [The clay] is
beaten in uitli a "ladle-shaped instrument ana- lied to a lout;
handle. 1669 STURMY .Mariner s Mfiff. v. 68 Put the Ladle
home to the Chamber stedily holding your Thumb upon the
upper part of the * Ladle-staff. 1470-85 MALOKV Arthur vn.
v, 219 What arte thou but a luske and a torner of broches
and a "ladyl wessher.
Ladle (JJ i- d l), v. [f. LADLED.] trans, a. To
fit up a water-mill; with ladle-boards, b. To lift
out with a lafile. Also with out.
1525 in W. H. Turner S?U\t. Rec. Oxford 55 Ladillyng
of myll, inakyng of the flodde yates. ciS3 x I 11 WES //><*/.
J- r. in Palsgr. 945 To ladle, t spniscr. 1838 LVITON What
Will He do i. iv, Vance ladled out the toddy.
transf. 1873 G. C. DAVIKS Mount, ft Mere xiii. 10?
Insinuate your fingers softly under him and ladle him out.
Ladleful (U- -d lful;. [f. LADLE sb. + -FUL 2.]
As much as fills a labile.
c 1430 Two Cookery-bks. 8 pan caste a ladel-ful, or more
or lasse, of boter ber-to. 1589 R. HARVEY PI. Per-:. A ij b,
The first ladlefull had a smacke as soft as pap. 1700
TYRKELL Hist. Eng, II. 900 The.. Cook.. cast a Ladle-full
of Boiling Water in his Face. 1727 SWIFT Wonder of all
W. Wks. 1755 II. n. 56 He takes a pot of scalding oyl and
throws it by great ladlesfull directly at the ladies. 1871
C. GIBBON Lack of Gold vi, He raised the ladleful of the
liquid and allowed its contents to drip into the glass.
Ladler (l^-dfoi). [f. LADLE v. + -ER!.]
1. One who ladles.
1875 WHYTE MELVILLE Katcrfelto i. (1876) 4 A fine!
objected the punch-ladler, judicially. 1885 Census Instruc
tions 89 Rolled Plate Glass Making: Ladler.
2. Sc. The customer of the ladle in the grain
market (Jam. Sttppl.).
1643 Burg/i Rec. Glasgow (1881) II. 57 It is to be remem-
bred that the ladlearis hes receavit seavine ladils. 1644 Ibid.
71 The ladillars hes gottin seavin ladils.
La dlike, a. [f. LAD ! + -LIKE.] Resembling
a lad ; in quots. ~\ churlish, unknightly (cf. LAD * \\.
1450-70 Golagros ft Gaw. 95 Yhit ar thi latis vnlufsum and
ladlike. Ibid. 160 He was ladlike of laitis.
Ladne, obs. Sc. form of LADEN v.
Ladner, var. LARDINKR Obs.
Ladrone. Also 8 Sc. ladren ? laydron, la-
therin, 7, 9 ladron, 9 lath(e ron. [a. early OF.
ladron (see LAROUN) : L. latron-em robber. In
mod. use ad. Sp. ladron : L. lairon-em,]
1. Sc. (Stressed la dron. ] Used as a vague term of
reproach : Rogue, blackguard.
a 1557 LYNDESAY in Pinkertons Sc. Poems (17921 II. 8
Quhair hesthowbene, fals ladrone lown? 1706 j. Watson* s
Collect. Poems \. n But when Indemnity came down. The
Laydron caught me by theThrapIe, 1718 RAMSAY Christ s
Kirk Gr. in. xv, Whisht, ladren. 1789 D. DAVIDSON Sea
sons 90 Maggy wha fu well did ken, The lurking Latherin s
meaning. 1887 SERVICE Dr, Dugnid, Thou impiddent
latheron !
attrib. 1811 GALT^MW. Parish xxiv. 159 She. .would not
let mo . mess or mell with the lathron lasses of the clachan.
LADRY.
22
LADY.
C
2. (ladrtfu n.) Used occas. in books on Spain or
Spanish America for : A highwayman. Also attrib.
(see quot. 1867).
[1626 SHIRLEY Brothers v. iii. (1652) 62 red. I am become
the talk Of every Pica.ro and Ladron.\ 1831 W. IKVIM;
Atkanibra I. 17 With the protection of our redoubtable
Stjuire, Sancho, we were not afraid of all the lad rones of
Andalusia. 1851 MAYNK REID Scalp Hunt. \x. 74 There
are other ladrones besides the Indians. 1867 SMVTH Saifors
Word-bit., Laiirofie ship, literally a pirate, but it is the
usual epithtt applied by the Chinese to a man-of-war. 1883
LD. SALTOUS Scraps I. ii. 189 They would have been bold
ladrones that molested any travellers conducted by him.
t La dry. Sc. Ol>s. [a. F. Jadrerie^ lit. leprosy,
f. ladre (see LAZAR).] Impure discourse,
14 .. How Cood Wife taught Dan. 86 in Harbours
firucf, Thoill thaim nocht rage with rybaldry, Na mengill
thame with neuir vith ladry. a 1491 Priests ofPeblis i/Thay
lufit nocht with ladry, nor with lown, Nor with trumpours to
travel throw the town, a 1500 Ratis Rtivin* in. 184 Luf
noc-lil raginge na rebaldry, Na our loud lauchtyr na ladry,
For maner makis man of valour.
La d s love. dial. [Cf. BOY S LOVE.] The
Southern- wood {Artemisia Abrotanunt).
a 1825 FoHBV/ tff. E.Anglia. Ltid s-lwe, the herb southern
wood. 1827 CLARE Sheph. Cat. 58 Sprigs of lad s-love. 1851
MAVHEW Land. Labour I. 137 Southernwood (called lad s
love or old man by some i. 1884 J. HATTON in Harper s
Mag. July 234/2 Roses, and lad s-love , or old-man .
Lady (!<? di), sb. Forms : i hlsbfdi 53, hlaefdi,
hleef-, h!6fdis3, Aorthitmb. hl&fdia, Mercian
hlafdie, 2-4 lefdi, 3 leefdi, leevedi, laf(e)di e,
lafvedi, leafdi, leivedi, leofdi, levede, Ortn.
laffdij, 3 4 lavedi, levedi, -y, 4 laidi, -y, laveda,
laydy, ledy, lefdye, Isvdi, -y, levedie, levidi,
Ihevedi, -y, lived!, 4-5 lavedy, lefdy, lade, 4-7
ladi(e, -ye. (pi. ladise . 6, 9 Sc leddy, 9 arch.
ladye, 4- lady. [OK. hlfydige wk. fem. ; f. hlaf
bread, I .OAF + root tng- to knead : see DOUGH.
Like the corresponding masc. designation hid ford, LORD,
the word is not found outside Eng. (the led. lafoi is adapted
from ME. . The etym. above stated is not very plausible
with regard to sense; but the attempts to explain kl&fdf^e
as a deriv. of hldford are unsatisfactory: the fem. suffix
in OE. is -icge, not -r, and the umlaut in the first syllable
is difficult to explain on this supposition.
The OE. &, being regularly shortened in ME. before two
consonants, yielded regularly <i and ^according to dialect.
The ME. lefdi, levdi, is represented by Sc. teddy. The
other form lafdl ( ~ *lat>di~\ became tared i ( 3 syllables*, and
by regular development lavedi \ afterwards the e l>ecame
silent and the v was dropped ; hence the mod. Eng. form.
The genitive sing. (<>E. hlxfdtati} became by regular
;honetic change in ME. coincident in form with the nom. ;
ence certain syntactical combs, have the appearance of
proper compound*, as lady-bird, LaJy-day, Ltidy-t.haf>el.}
I. As a designation for a woman.
fl. A mistress in relation to servants or slaves;
the female head of a household. Obs.
The i8th c. instances in brackets seem to represent a re
development of this sense from sense 6 a.
t 85 ^V- ? A Psalter cxxii[i]. 2 Swe swe e^an menenes hon-
dum hlafdian hire, a 1000 Laws of Penitents ii. 4 in
Thorpe Anc. Laws II. 184 ^if hwylc wif . . hire wifman
swingS & heo burh ba swingle wyrS dead . . faeste seo hla:f.
di^e .vii. ^ear. anoo Ags. Voc. in Wr.-Wulcker 310 26
M.iterfainitias, hiredes moder o35e hlsefdi^e. a m$Aner.
R. 4 Ant beos riwle nis bute vorto serui |>e o5er. [>e o<5er is
ase lefdi : [>eos ! ase buften. c 1150 Gen. fy Ex. 967 For5
.si*Vn }he bi abram slep. Of hire leuedi nam ;he no kep.
1382 WvcLIF Ps. c.vxii[]]. 2 As the e^en of the hondmaide,
in the hondis of hir ladi. Pro-v. xxx. 23 Bi an hand
worn man, whan she were eir of hir ladi. [1718 Freethinker
No. 17. 116 Her Maid . . lisps out to me that her Lady is
gone to Bed. a 1745 SWIFT Dirtct. Servants iii. 11745) 50
When you are sent on a Message, deliver it in your own
Words, .not in the Words of your Master or Lady.]
2. A woman who rules over subjects, or to whom
obedience or feudal homage is due ; the feminine
designation corresponding to lord. Now poet, or
rhetorical* exc. in lady of the manor, f In OE. used
j/*r. ^instead of cwtn, QUEEN) as the title of the con
sort of the king of Wessex (afterwards of England).
a 1000 O. E. Chron. an. 918 Her /Ef5elflBed_ forftfcrde
Myrcena hlajfdi^e. 1038-44 Charter of sKlfwine in Kemble
Cad. Dipt. IV. 76 Eadweard cinge and /Elfayfu st-o hlef-
di^e, and Eadsi^e arcebisceop. .1205 LAY. 6310 Bruttes
nemnede ha la^en sefter bar lafuedi. 1381 WYCI.IF Isa,
xlvii. 7 Thou agreggedi-4 the 5>ic gretli, and seidest, In to
eucrmor I shal ben a ladi. 1387 TREVISA Higden Rolls)
IV. 129 pe laste lady of Cartage hadde rijt stiche a manere
ende as Dydo be firste lady hadde. c 1450 Merlin 362
And also , quod she, I am lady of the reame cleped the
londe susteyne . 1481 CAXTOS Myrr. n. ii. 65 Asia the
grete. .takelh the name of a quene that somtyme was lady of
this regyon and was callid Asia. 156* WINJET Cert. Trac
tates i. Wks. 1888 I. 10 We suspect nocht zoiue gentle
humanitie, .. to be offendit with vs zour pure anis, but our
Souerane Ladyis fre liegis. 1590 SPENSER F. Q. i. Introd.
4 Great Ladic of the greatest Isle, c 1630 RISDON Sun\
Devon 43 (1810) 50 Beatrix de Vallibus was lady of this
land. 1633 MILTON Arcades 105 Bring your Flocks, and
live with us. Here ye shall have greater grace, To serve the
Lady of this place. 17x1 Act 9 Anne in Land. Gaz.
No. 4870/1 Any Lord or I-ady of a Manor might appoint
several Game-keepers. 1831 TF.NNVSON Dream Fair Worn.
97 No marvel, sovereign lady : in fair field Myself for such
a face had boldly died.
fb. transf. andyf^v Obs.
11215 After. /T. 176 pet fleschs wolde awiligen & bicomen
to ful itowen touward hire lefdi, }if hit nere ibeaten. 1381
WYCLIF Isa. xlvii. 5 Thou shall no more be clepid the
lad! of reumes [1611 the Ladie of kingdomes]. 1565 COOPER
Thesaurus s. v. AusJ>ex t Mttsa auspice, .the ladie oflearn-
yng beyng our guide. 1587 GOLDING De Mornay xvj. 265
This Spirit of ours . . was free of it selfe, and Ladie of the
bodie, and therefore could not receyue her first corruption
from the bodie. 1591 SPARRY tr. Caftan s Ceomande B 2 b,
By the influence of the Sunne she [the Eagle] hath a mar-
ueilous property, which is, to be I,ady of all other birdes.
Xi6oi R. JOHNSON Kingd. % Commiv. (16031 107 Rome, once
the Lady of the world, a 1610 HEALEY Epicte us (1636)
79 Beware that thou hurt not thy minde, the Lady of thy
workes and thine actions governense.
c. A woman who is the object of chivalrous
devotion ; a mistress, * lady-love .
ci374 CHAUCER Troy lit* \. 811 Many a man hath love ful
dere y- bought, Twenty winter that his lady wiste, That
never yet his lady mouth he kiste. 1509 HAWKS / ast. Picas.
xvin. i.Percy Soc.) 83 You are my lady, you are my masteres,
Whome I shalt serve with all my gentylnes. a 1547 SURREY
in ToSicTs Misc. < Arb.) 20 A praise of his loue : wherein he
reproueth them that compare their Ladles with his. 1588
SHAKS. L. L. L. v. ii. 436. 1633 T. JA.WKS I oy. 71 This
euening being May euen ; we. .chose Ladies, and did cere
moniously weare their names in our Caps. 1867 TENNYSON
Window 120 Never a line from my lady yet ! Is it ay or
no? a 1881 ROSSETTI House of Life viii, My lady only loves
the heart of Love.
3. spec. The Virgin Mary. Usually Our 2 ady
= L. Domina Xostra. and equivalents in all mod.
European langs.) f Our Lady* s bands , pregnancy.
a 900 CYNKWUI.F Crist 284 Cristes J>e^n:is cweja5 ond
singa5 ba;t |>u s:e hlaefdi ^e hal^um meahtum wuldor-
weorudes. ^1175 Latnb. llont. 17 He wes iboren of lire
lefdi Zeinte Marie, c 1200 Trin. Coll. Ifiuit. 161 Maidene
inaide and heuene quen and englene lafdi. (UOOOltMIM
2127 Ure deore lartdi? wass purrh Drihhten nemmnedd
Mar^e. "13*5 Meir. Hont. 160 like day deuotely Herd
scho niesse of our Lefdye. c 1410 LOVE Bcnarenf. Mirr.
ii. 28 (Gibbs MS.) pan come bei forbermore to be house of
oure lady cosyn Elizabeth. 1513 MORE in Grafton Chron.
(1568) II. 761 By Gods blessed Ladie (that was euer his
othe>. 1553 BECON Reliques of Koine (15631 233* Ye shall
also praye . . for the women that bene in our Ladyes bandes
and with childe. a 1555 Articles imputed to Latlintr in
Foxe .-/. <y J/. (1563) 1309 2 No doubt our lady was, through
the goodnes of God, a good & a gratious creature. 1592
SHAKS. Rom. fy fill, n. v. 63 O Gods Lady deare, Are yo\v
so hot? marrie come vp I trow, 1797 MKS. RAUCI.IKFE
Italian xi, On the morning of our high festival, our Lady s
day, it is usual for such as devote themselves to heaven to
receive the veil. 1832 TENNYSON Mariana iii, Low on her
knees herself she cast, Before Our Lady murmur d she.
f b. Our, the lady in March, or lent , the
Annunciation, Mar. 25. Cur Lady in Harvest .
the Assumption, Aug. 15. Our J ady in December :
the Conception, Dec. 8. (See LADY-DAY.)
c\*yj R. Gi.ouc. (Rolls) 9080 Vr leuedy \-<>.rr. leuedi d^i,
lefdi day] in decembre. c 1483 CAXTON Dialogues (K.K.T.S.J
28/21 Our ladye in niarche. I hid, 28/23 Our lady in herue^t.
1608 Ace. Bk. 11 . II ray in AntigrfaryXXXll. 213 A great
fro-t from Martinmas till almost y* Lady in lent.
f c. An image of the Virgin Mary. Obs.
1563 Homilies n. Aest. Idolatry \\\. (1859) 225 Cliristo-
phers, Ladies, and Mary Magdalenes, and other Saints.
1606 Arraigwn. late Traitors L> i b, Their [Papists ] kiss
ing of babies, their kneeling to wodden Ladies.
4. A woman of superior position in society, or to
whom such a position is conventionally or by cour
tesy attributed. Originally, the word connoted a
degree equal to that expressed by lord\ but it was
(like its synonyms in all European Inngs.) early
widened in application, while the corresponding
masc. term retained its restricted comprehension.
In mod. use lady is the recognized fcm. analogue of
gentleman, and is applied to all women above a
loosely-defined and variable, but usually not very
elevated standard of social position. Often used^j/.
in this lady ) as a more courteous synonym for
woman , without reference to the status of the per
son spoken of. See also FINE I.ADT, YOUNG LADY.
As the traditional association of lady with lord still
survives, the former is a title of ostensibly higher dignity
than gentleman. Hence, and not directly as the result of
the sentiment of gallantry, the customary order of wurds in
* ladies and gentlemen .
3280 Mony was be vayre leuedi bat iconic was ber to. 1340
Ayenh. 215 pe greate Ihordes and | e greate Iheuedyes.
-1350 Will. Palerne 2968 Whan hat loveli ladi hade
listened his wordes. .for ioye <;che wept. 1377 LASGL. P. PI.
B. xvin. 335 Ylyke a lusarde with a lady visage, c 1386
CHAUCER h tit. s T. 808 A companye of ladies . . clad in
clothes blake. 1486 A*. St. A ll>ans F vj, A Beuy of Ladies.
1516 nigr. Per/. ,W. de W. 1531) 268 Labonryng (t
seruyng for these two ladyes, Lya & Rachel, c 1560
A. SCOTT / items (S. T. S.) vi. 27 A lord to lufe a silly lass,
A leddy als, for luf. to talc Ane propir page. 1588 SHAKS.
L. L. L. II. i. 192 What Lady is that same? 1589 PUTTEN-
HAM Eng. Poesie ill. xxiv. (Arb.) 296 For Ladies and women
to weepe . . it is nothing vncomely. 1611 BEAUM. &_FL.
Knt. Burn. Pestle in. iv, To punish all the sad enormities
Thou hast committed against ladies gent. 1664 EVELYS
Kal. Hort. in Syli a, etc. (1729) 190 Keep your Wall and
Palisade-Trees.. sharp d like a Lady s Fan. 1674 DRVIIEN
Efil. Misc. (1685) 289 A Country Lip may have the Velvet
touch, Tho She s no Lady, you may think her such. 170*
ADDISON Dial. Medals i. Wks. 1721 I. 438 We find too on
Medals the representations of Ladies that have given occasion
to whole volumes on the account only of a face. 1768-74
TUCKER Lt. .Vat. (1834) I. 246 This is giving the ladies
reason, It is so because it is . 1791 CowrtR RctirrtiCat 38
Linen ., such as merchants introduce From India, for the
ladies use. 18078 W. IRVING Salmag. xviii. (1860) 414 It
appears lo be an established maxim . . that a lady loses her
dignity when she condescends to be useful. 1866 Miss
Mi LOCK A". Arthur i. n Poor lady ! . . But if she were a
real lady she would never be an opera-singer. 1888 Harper s
Maff. Nov. 960/1 She was born, in our familiar phrase, a
lady, and.. throughout a long life, she was surrounded with
perfect ease of circumstance.
b. vocative/y. (a) In the singular, now confined
to poetic or rhetorical use. (b) In the plural, the
ordinary term of oral address to a number of
women, without reference to their rank ; corre
sponding to * Madam in the singular.
The uneducated, e.sp. in London, still often use Lady*
in the sing, as a term of address for Madam or Ma am .
.1384 CHAUCER //. Fame in. 519 Lady, graunte us now
good fame. C 1400 Sowdone Fab. 1889 Noe, certes, lady, it
is not I. 1599 SHAKS. Muck Ado n. i. 285 Pedr. Come
Lady, come, you haue lost the heart of Signior Benedicke.
1634 MILTON Cnmtis 277 What chance, good Lady, hath
bereft you thus? Ibid. 319, I can conduct you, Lady, to a
low But loyal cottage. 1808 [see GENTLEMAN 40], 1819
SHFI.LLY Cettciv. ii. 172 Know you this paper, Lady?
f C. Lady errant : a humorous feminine ana
logue of * knight errant .
a 1643 CARTWRIGHT (title) The Lady Errant. 1655 FULLER
Ch. Hist. vi. vii. 364 Conscienttoup Catholicks conceived
these Lady Errants so much to deviate frcm feminine ..
modesty, .that they zealously decried their practice.
d. Applied to fairies.
1628 MILTON / acation E.\ t rc. 60 At thy birth The Fail ry
Indies datinc t upt.n the hearth. a 1650 A". Arthurs
Death 235 in FurmvaH Percy Folio \. 506 He see a barge
from the land goe, & hearde Ladyes houle & cry.
e. Phraseological expressions. Lady of the lake >
(a} the designation of a petsonnge in the Arthurian
legends, Nimue or Vivien ; f (/ ) a nj mph ; f (cj a
kept mistress. Lady of pleasure, a courtesan, whore.
I ady of easy virtue^ woman whose chastity is easily
assailable. Laiiy of the frying-pan^ a jocular term
for a cook. Lady of Babylon, of Koine, abusive
terms for the Roman Catholic Church, with refer
ence to the scarlet woman of the Apocalypse.
f Lady of honour , f lady of presence , a lady \\ho
holds the position of attendant to a queen or
princess (ef. maid of honour] ; similarly lady of the
bedchamber, lady-in-waiting.
1470-85 MALORY Arthur \. xxv. 73 What damoysel is that ?
said Arthur. That is the lady of the lake, said Merlyn. 1530
PALSGR. 237 i Lady of presence, damoisclU dhonneur.
1536 HEN. VIII Let. 10 Jan. in Halliw ell Lett. Eng. Kings
(1846) L 352 At the interment [of Katharine of Arragpn] it
is requisite to have the presence of a good many ladies of
honour. 1579 STENSER Shefk. Cat- Apr. 120 They bene all
Ladyes of the lake behiglit [E. K. Gloss, Ladyes of the lake
be Nymphes]. 1625 MASSI.VUER Xew H ayi\. i.Thou shall
dine .. With me, and with 3 lady. Marrall. Lady? What
lady? With the Lady of the Lake, or Queen of Fairies?
1631 High Commission Casts (Caniden) 187 The Lady
Willoughby . . now one of the Ladyes of Honour attendant
upon tbe Queene. 1637 SHIRLEY \title) The Lady of
Pleasure. .1645 HOWEI L Lett. (1650) I. 447 He hath no
such cloisters or houses for ladies of pleasure. 1678 BUTLER
Ihid. in. i. 869 The difference Marriage makes Twixt Wives,
and I,adiesofthe Lakes. 1708 MOTTEVX Rabelais 11737) V.
217 Kept- Wenches, Kind-hearted-Things, Ladies of Pleasure,
by what. . Names soever dignified. 1785 GROSE Diet. I nig.
Tongue, Lady of easy virtue, a woman of the town, a pro
stitute. 1809 MALKIN Gil Bias in. x. P 4 The lady of the
frying-pan ..was assisted in her cookery by the coachman.
1809 [see EASY a. 12]. 1858 TROLLOPS Farcktstfr T. x.\.
150 The ordeal through which he had gone, in resisting the
blandishments of the lady of Rome. 1860 Castle A /V/r-
trrond I. v. 83 The pope, with his lady of Babylon, his college
of cardinals [etc.]. i86a MRS. H. WOOD Mrs. Hallib. \\.
xii. 205 Making the avowal as freely as though he had pro
claimed that his mother was lady-in-waiting to the Queen.
5. A woman whose manners, habits, and senti
ments have the refinement characteristic of the
higher ranks of society.
1861 CiF-o. ELIOT Silas M. I. xi. 185 She had the essential
attributes of a lady high veracity, delicate honour in her
dealings, deference to others, and refined personal habits.
1880 C. E. NOKTON Ch.-bnilding A/id. Ages ii. 40 Her
[Venice s] gentlemen were tbe first in Europe, and the first
modern ladies were Venetian.
6. As an honorific title.
a. A prefix forming part of the customary de
signation of a woman of rank. Also in My lady^
an appellation used (chiefly by inferiors) in speak
ing to or of those who are designated by this prefix.
In the i5-i6th c., The (or My) La<iyw&s prefixed to the
Christian name of a female member of the royal family, as
Princess is now. With regard to the use of the prefix in
the titles of the nobility of the British Isles, usage has
varied greatly at different times, but the following rules are
now established : ( i ) I n speak ing of a marchioness, countess,
viscountess, or baroness (whether ;-he be such in Tier own
right, by marriage, or by court esyX the prefix La^iy is a
less formal substitute for the specific designation of rank,
which is not used in conversational address: thus the
Marchioness (of) A. is spoken to, and informally spoken of,
as I-ady A. (2) The daughters of dukes, marquises, and
earls have Lady (more formally, e. g. on a superscription,
The. Lady) prefixed to their Christian names. ^3) The wife
of the holder of a courtesy title in which Lord is prefixed to
a Christian name is known as (The) Lady John B. ($)
The wife of a baronet or other knight ( Sir John C. ) 11
commonly spoken of as Lady C. , the strictly correct
appellation Dame Mary C. being confined to legal docu
ments, sepulchral monuments, and the like.
LADY.
LADY.
c 1489 CAXTON Blanchardyn Ded. i Unto the right noble
puyssant excellent pryncesse, my redoubted lady, my
lady Margarete, duchesse of Somercete. 1509 in Fisher s
H ks. (1876) 288 The moost excellent pryncesse my lady the
kynges graundame. a 1548 HALL <CArtf., Hen. I lit 238 b,
The Ladye Marques Dorset. 1555 GRIMALD in TotteCs Misc.
(Arb.) 113 An Epitaph of the ladye Margaret Lee. 1594
SHAKS. Rich. ///, i. ii. Stage direct., Enter the Coarse of
Henrie the sixt .. Lady Anne being the Mourner. 1599
Brought on s Lett, vii. 21 Who selected him. .to bee the Lady
Margarets Reader, a 1674 CLARENDON Hist. l\eb. xi. 235
The general s wife, the ludyFaynrfax, i694CoNGHEVF Double
Denier Uram. Pers., Lord Touchwood,. .Sir Paul Plyant.,
Knight. .Lady Touchwood. .Lady Plyant. a 1715 BURNF.T
Own Time i. (1724) I. 19 Lady Margaret Dowglas was the
child so provided for. Ibid, in. 353 The Lady Bellasis, the
widow of the Lord Bellasis s son. 1719 PKIOR (title) Verses
spoken to Lady Henrietta Cavendish-Holies Harley,
Countess of Oxford. 1766 Genii. Mag. XXXVI. 103/1
Lady North, of a son. Ibid., Lady Anne Con way, eldest
daughter to the Earl of Hertford. 1833 TKNXVSON (////*)
Lady Clara Vere de V ere. 1864 Ay liner s F. 19.0 My
lady s Indian kinsman. 1870 UISRAKLI Lothair II. xiv. 148
Lothair danced with Lady Flora Kalkirk, and her sister,
I^ady Grizell, was in the same quadrille.
b. Prefixed to the names uf goddesses, allegorical
personages, personifications, etc. Obs. or arch.
ciaos LAY. 1198 Leafdi Diana: leoue Diana he)e Diana,
help me to neode. c 1425 Lvoc. Assembly of Gods 239 My
lady Diane, the goddesse. 1508 DUNBAR Gold. Targe 74
Thare saw I . . The fresch Aurora, and lady Flora schene.
Ibid. 210 A wofull prisonnere To lady Beautee. 1551
ROBINSON tr. More s Utop. n. (Arb.) 160 If that same
worthye princesse lady money did not alone stop up the 4
waye betwene vs and our lyuing. 1566 DRANT Horaces
Sat. i. iii. 11 vj, Thus graunte you must, that feare of wronge
set ladye lawe in forte. 1597 J. PAYNE Royal Kxch. 20
[Those] that make so small accowmpt of religion and good
lyfe, otherwise then of there belly Clod and ladie pleasure.
a 1625 lioY^s Wks. (1629) 487 Ladie Venus dwels at the signe
of the luie bush.
C. Prefixed to titles of honour or designations of
dignified office, as an added mark of respect. Obs.
or arch. Lady Mayoress: see MAYORESS.
c 1386 CHAUCER Prioress Prol. 13 My lady Prioresse.
1530 PALSGR. 237/1 Lady maystres, dame dhonncur ; govuer-
nantt". 1613 SHAKS. Hen. K///, v. iii. 169 You shall haue
two noble Partners with you : the old Duchesse of Norfolke,
and Lady Marquess Dorset. 1638 FORD Fancies iv. ii, Are
you not enthroned The lady-regent? 1710 SHAFTESB. Adv,
Author iii. ii. 167 The Method of expostulating with his
Lady-Governess. 1711 STRYPE Eccl. Ment. II. 1.3 The Lady
Mary, the Kings daughter, appointed for the lady godmother.
1771 SMOLI.KTT Humph. Cl. 8 Aug., The lady-directress of
the ball . . had her conveyed to another room. 1820 SCOTT
Abbot xii, They call me Lady Abbess, or Mother at the
least, who address me , said Dame Bridget.
d. Prefixed to designations of relationship, by
way of respectful address or reference. (Cf. F.
Madame votre mdre, etc.) arch.
15. . RobeHe the Deityll 522 in Hazlitt E. P. P. I. 239 And
when he sawe hys mother goynge, He sayde, alas, Lady
mother, speake with me. 15*8 MORE Dial. in. xii. Wks.
227/2 But were I Pope. By my soule quod he, I would ye
wer, & my lady your wife Popesse too. 1602 ind Pt. Re-
turnfr. Parnass. n. vi. 983 A Turkey Pye, or a piece of
Venison, which my Lady Grand-mother sent me. 1628 FORD
Lover s Mel. iv. ii, Your business with my lady-daughter
toss-pot? 1655 DRYDEN (title} Lines in a Letter to his Lady
Cousin Honor Driden. 1749 FIELDING Tom Jones xv. v,
Answer for yourself, lady cousin. 1805 SCOTT Last Minstr.
vi. xxiii, But that my ladye-mother there Sits lonely in her
castle-hall. 1820 W.TOOKE tr. Lucian I. 730 As to your lady-
bride, 1 envy not her beauty. 1855 TENNYSON Maud I. iv.
15, I bow d to his lady-sister as she rode by.
7. Wife, consort. Now, as in the original use,
chiefly restricted to instances in which the formal
title of * Lady* is involved in the relationship. In
the iSth and the former half of the igth c. the
wider use was prevalent in polite society, but is
now regarded as vulgar, esp. in the phrase your
good lady,
c iao$ LAY. 2864 Swa be king haihte, to wrSscipe hislxfdi.
a 1400-50 Alexander 517 Sire Jiere hall borne be a burne of
bi blithe lady. 1^83 CAXION (.i. de la Tour cxxxv. M vb,
A grete lady, whiche was lady to a baron. 1613 Organ
Specif. Worcester Cathedral^ S r Jo Packinton & his Lady.
1686 S. SEWALL Diary 23 Sept., Gov. Bradstreet is gone
with his lady to Salem, a 1715 BURNKT Own Time n.
(1724) I. 338 About the end of May, Duke Lauderdale came
down with his Lady in great pomp. 1756-7 tr. Keyslers
Trail. (1760) IV. 7 The lady of a noble Venetian ..is in
dulged with greater freedom in this respect. 1768 STERNE
Seat. Jonrn. 11775) II. 98 (Su orti) The Marquis, .supported
his lady, c 1796 T. TWINING Trav. Amcr. (1894) 87 She
was granddaughter of Mrs. Washington, the President s
lady. 1796 LAMB Let. to Coleridge Corr. & Wks. 1868 I.
ii It has endeared us more than any thing to your good
lady. 1796 JANE AUSTEN Pride fy Prej. (1833) i My dear
Mr. Rennet , said his lady to him one day, have you
heard fete.]. Sense <$ Setts. (1879) i By a former mar
riage, Mr. Dashwood had one son ; by his present lady,
three daughters. 1825 WATERTON Wand. S. Anier. iv. ii.
313 The unfortunate governor and his lady lost their lives.
1841 L pool Mercury u June 195/4 On Thursday, the 3d
instant, the lady of Thomas William Phillips, Esq. . . of a
daughter. . . On Monday last, at Everton, the lady of
Thomas Shaw, Esq., of a daughter. 1841 C. ANDERSON
Anc. Models 101 An organ was lately given by the estima
ble lady of the Rev. J. B. Stonehouse . . to the church of
Owston. 1845 STEPHEN Comm. Laws Kng. (1874) II. 608
As where it [i.e. a peerage] is limited to a man and the heirs
male of his body by Elizabeth, his present lady. 1860
O. W. HOLMES Eisie V. vii. (i860 71 * How s your health,
Colonel Sprowle . Very well, much obleeged to you.
Hope you and your good lady are well .
II. In transferred applications,
f 8. A queen at chess. Obs.
c 1489 CAXTON Sons ofAymon xxii. 478 The duk rycharde
..helde in his hande a lady of yvery, wherwyth he wolde
have gyven a mate to yonnet.
9. A kind of butterfly ; now painted lady.
1611 FLOHIO, Papiglione, any kind of Ladie or butter-flie.
1846 EMBLETON in Proc. Berw. Nat. Club II. 171 Not a
single specimen has been observed of the Peacock, Wood
Lady, Wall Brown, or the Dark Green Aglaia. 1893 EARL
DUNMOHE Pamirs I. 197 This painted lady * was the name
by which a certain gaudy butterfly was known.
10. The calcareous structure in the stomach of
a lobster, serving for the trituration of its food ;
fancifully supposed to resemble the outline of a
seated female figure.
1704 SWIFT Batt. Bks. Misc. (1711) 253 Like the Lady in a
Lobster. 1796 J. ADAMS Diary 28 July Wks. 1851 III. 421
To-day, at dinner, seeing lobsters at table, I inquired after
the Lady, and Mis. B. rose and went into the kitchen to
her husband, who sent in the little lady herself, in the cradle
in which she resides. 1804 FAIU.KY Lend, Art Cookery (ed.
10! 47 Take out their bodies, and what is called the lady.
11. The smallest si/e of Welsh l^nnd Cornish)
roofing slates. (Cf. COUXTEHS, DrcHESS.1
1803 Sporting Mag. XX. 109 He had delivered to the
defendant eight thousand Countesses and eleven thousand
Ladies. 1859 (WII.T Archit. M. ii. (ed. 4) 501 Ladies are
generally about 15 in. long, and about 8 in. wide. 1893
BROWN Opening Rly. to Delabole xxui, We ve countess,
duchess . .doubles, ladies, slabs, and flags.
12. Afemalc hound. (Cf.I4b,and/a<fr/aV$ini6.)
1861 WHVI E MELVILLE Mkt. Harb. x. 80 Nineteen couple
are they of ladies, with the cleanest of heads and necks.
13. Naut. (See quots.)
1711 W. SUTHERLAND Shipbuild. Assist. 43 A Lady s Hole,
or Place for the Gunner s small stores, which Stores are
looked after by one they call a Lady, who is put in by turns
to keep the dun-room clean. 1867 SMYTH Sailor"s tt ord-
bk.) Lady of the Gitn-roont, a gunner s mate, who takes
charge of the after-scuttle, where gunners stores are kept.
III. In Combination.
14. appositively ( quasi -dk^V). a. Prefixed, with
the sense * female , to designations of employment,
office, function, etc., which are ordinarily applied
to men, as in lady actor ^ citizen, clerk, critic, doctor^
farmer, friend, guest, page .president, reader , singer ^
superintendent, tyrant, etc.
1684 OTXVAY Atheist n. i. Wks. 1728 II. 29 The Lady-
Tyrant of your Enchanted Castle, a 1687 WALI.KR li ks.
(1729) 222 Prologue for the Lady-Actors. 1694 CONGREVE
Double Denier Kpil., The I^ady Criticks who are better
Read, Knquire if Characters are nicely bred. 1775 MAD.
D ARBLAY Early Diary (1889) II. 109 She has a tine voice,
and has great merit, for a lady singer. 1784 K. BACK
Barliam Downs I. 9 Instead of hunting for . . a wealthy
widow, or a rich lady citi/en, he retired to his country seat.
1818 SHELLEY Rosalind <y Helen 91 Bring home with you
Thatsweet strange lady-friend. i8a6 MlssMiTFOBD I illagi.
Ser. ii. (1863) 428 A good sort of lady-fanner. i8z7 G. DARLF.Y
Sylvia i loOr any lady-page that soothes A steed whose neck
she hardly smoothes. 1837 DICKENS / /</<< . xxx, If our oil-
servant lady readers can deduce any satisfactory inferences
from these facts, we beg them by all means to do so. 1848
Blackw. Mag, Aug. ifi6 Miss Martineau is lady-president
of the gossip school. 1860 G. H. K. in I ac. Tour. 137
These hinds., are the lady-superintendents of an educational
institution for young stags. 1890* RUI.K BOLDRKWOOD* Col.
Reformer (1891) 333 The first lady-guest ever seen at Rain-
bar. 1891 Argus (Melbourne) 7 Nov. 9/2 The lady doctor"
has become an institution in Victoria. 1894 Daily A tivs
28 Mar. 3/2 To the lady clerks is allotted half the ledger
keeping.
b. Used jocularly for ( female with names of
animals.
1820 SHELLEY CEdipus n, i. 157 Gentlemen swine, and
gentle lady-pigs. 1832 IRVING Alhawbra II. 33 The very
beetle woos its lady-beetle in the dust. 1887 G. R. SIMS
Mary Jane s Mem. 37 The dog. .had five beautiful puppies
afterwards, it being a lady-dog. 1894 G. R. O REILLY in
Pop. Sci. Monthly Nov. 77 One . . night an old lady cobra
surprised me by depositing a number of living young ones.
c. Prefixedtodesignationsof employment usually
associated with inferiority of social rank, to denote
that the person is or claims to be regarded as a lady.
Cf. lady-help (see 16 below).
1811 L. M. HAWKINS Ctess fy Gertr. I. 94 Some lady-
nurses .. forego not an hour s amusement. 1873 St. PauTs
Mag. ii. 233 He, a dignified ecclesiastic butler, with a per
fect palate for port, to be levelled with a pert little chit of
a lady-housekeeper . 1898 Advt. in H estnt. Gnz. n July
2/3 Lady-Cook, also Lady-Parlourmaid wanted, .lady-nurse
and man kept.
15. Obvious combinations : a. attributive (per
taining to a lady or ladies), as lady-bower, -cham
ber; (characteristic of or befitting a lady), as
lady-air, -fingers, -look, -slang, -trifle ; (consisting
of ladies), as lady portion, train, world, b. simi-
lative, as lady-clad, -faced, -handed, -looking, -soft
adjs. c. instrumental, as lady-laden adj.
n 1637 B. JONSON Under^voods, Euplit-tne ix, She had a
mind as calm as she was fair, Not lost or troubled with light
*lady-air. 1741 RICHARDSON Pamela 11824) J- xv. 253 What,
I say, had I to do, to take upon me lady-airs, and resent?
1831 J. BBEE St. Herbert s /sic 19 The burly thane, .oft in
*lady-bower would long remain. 1853 MERIVALE Rom. AY/,
xi. (1867) 323 This tender nursling of a patrician "lady-
chamber was climbing mountains on foot. 1847 TENNYSON
Princess Prol. 119 But while they talk d, above their heads
I saw The feudal warrior "lady-clad, c 1610 SIR J. MEI.VIL
Mem. (Bannatyne) 120 He wes very lusty, berdles, and Mady
facit. 1831 HOWITT Seasons 118371 3 7 Rose-wood desk*,
where "lady-fingers pen lady-lays. 1738 RAMSAY Archers
diverting themselves 28 The *lady-handed lad. 1887 Times
(.weekly ed.) 24 June 4/4 Every balcony, .was * lady-laden .
1824 Miss MITFORD I illage Ser. i. (1863) 4, I have never
seen anyone in her station who possessed so thoroughly that
undefinable charm, the * lady-look. 1834 H. MILLER Scenes
fy Leg. xx. (1857) 291 So "lady-looking a person, and an
heiress to boot. 1866 WHITTIER JWarg: Smith s "Jml. Prose
Wks. 1889 I. ii His daughter, Rebecca, is just about my
age, very tall and lady-looking. 1890 * ROLF BOLDREWOOD
Col. Reformer (1891) 165 The *Iady portion of the guests.
1821 P. ATALL (title) The Hermit in Philadelphia, Second
Series, containing some Account of Young Belles and Co
quettes. .Dandy-Slang and *Lady-Slang. 1607 MARKHAM
Cai al. Ii. (1617) 15 This Caue/an I haue seen very good
hors-men vse, but with such a temperate and * Lady- soft a
hand, that [etc.]. 1717 K. FENTON Poems in The * Lady-
Train clispers d, the pensive Form Of Agamemnon came.
1606 SHAKS. Ant. y (.7. v. ii. 165, I some "Lady trifles haue
reseru d Inimoment toyes, 1775 MAD. D ABIH.AV Karly
l^iary 21 Nov., Being herself a performer of reputation in
the *lady world, she [etc.].
16. Special comb, ^in many cases oiig. syntactical
uses of lady genitive, in sense 3) : Lady-altar, an
altar in a hady-chapcl ; lady-apple, a kind of
small apple, with a red waxy-looking skin ; valued
chiefly for ils ornamental appearance ; alsoa//r/ . ;
Lady-bell ^also Our Lady bell), a bell for ringing
the Angelas; lady-bug dial, and C. S. = LADY-
jiiHD; lady-chair, a seat formed by the hands of
two persons standing facing each other : each per
son grasping his own left wrist with his right hand,
and the light wrist of the opposite person with his
left hand, or vise versa , lady -clock =LA1>Y-BJKD ,
lady-court, the court of a lady of a manor (in
mod. Diets.) ; lady-crab, a name given variously
to certain species of crabs remarkable for elegance
of colouring or form; (Ourj Lady eve, even,
the day before a Lady-day; lady-fluke (see
quot.) ; lady -fly = LADY-BIBU ; lady-fowl, a name
for the smew or the widgeon ; lady-help, a woman
engaged to perform domestic service on the under
standing that she is to be considered and treated
by her employers as a lady ; lady-killer humorous.
a man who is credited with dangerous power of
fascination over women ; so lady-killing sb. and
adj. ; Lady-meat (also Lady s meat}, alms given
in Our Lady s honour arch. ; lady-monger con-
tcmptitous^ a * lady s man ; lady-pack, a pack of
female hounds ; f lady-pear, some variety of pear ;
(Our) Lady-psalter, the Ks ALTER of the Blessed
Virgin Mary ; Lady-quarter, the quarter in which
Lady-day occurs; Lady-tide, the time of the year
about Lady-day; f lady-wit, an effeminate pre
tender to culture; Lady-worshipper, one who
worships the Virgin Mary. Also LADY-BIRD, LADY-
COW, etc.
1898 M eckly Reg. 16 July 68 Mrs. Franks .. presented a
carved oak *lady-altar in memory of her late father. 1860
(). W. HOLMES Prof, tircakf.-t. iii. iPaterson i 50 Joe, with
his cheeks like ^lady-apples. 1876 T. HARDY Ethelberia
(1890) 24 The girl with the lady-apple cheeks. 1541 Lndlw
Chnrchiv. Ace. (Camden) 8 For mendynge of the whele of
our "Lady belle. 1873 KLLACOMHE Bells ofL h. viii. in C/i.
Jiells Devon 395 Six other bells from the rood tower, called
the Lady liells. 1787 (IwosK Pop. Superstit. in Prorinc.
Class., etc. 64 It is held extremely unlucky to kill a cricket, u
*lady-bug, a swallow [etc. J. 1869 Si us. STOWB.0&/0fi0J J 0t&s
xxvi. 298 Tina, .insisted upon it that we should occasionally
carry her in a *lady-chair over to this island. 1848 C. BRONTK
7. Eyre (1857) 255 That was only a "lady-clock, child, flying
away home . 1894 HALL CAINK Manxman uj A lady-
clock settled on her wrist. i88a Casselfs Nat, Hist. VI. 200
The Velvet Fiddler Crab .. in the Channel Islands is known
as the *Lady Crab, from its velvet coat. 1884 Stand. Nat.
//&/.i i888) II. 63 Platyonichus ocfllntus, lady crab. 1885
C. F. HOLDKR Marvels Anitn. Life 171 Their motions . .
resembling those of our common lady-crab. 1306 Pol. Songs
Pembrokcsh. (1891) 191 At vsuall feastes that ys the one on
our ladie Kve in March, the other at Maye Eve. 1836
YARRHLI. Brit. Fishes II. 323 *Lady fluke. The Holibuij
the tall bent climb. 177* RUTTY Nat. Hist. Dublin I. ^35
The * Lftdy- Fowl.. is much esteemed in the London market
. .the Male being distinguished by the name of Easterling,
and the female strictly called the Lady-fowl. Ibid. 336
The cock Lady-fowl is entirely distinct from the cock
Widgeon. 1893 NKWTOH Diet. Birds, Lady-f<nvt, said to be
a name of the Wigeon. 1875 Punch n Sept. 98/1 In poor
genteel families, *lady-helps could hardly expect any wages.
1881 M]SsBRADDON(>w^7"A/H-AVv^/K/ix, I suppose we must
call this paragon of yours a lady-help. iBix OraSf Juliet II.
197 Upwards of twenty sat down at table, amongst whom
was the Mady killer, or Colonel Sackville. 1884 Graphic
4 Oct. 362/1 He had been a lady-killer in his day, and was by
no means out of the hunt yet. 1825 C. M. WESTMACOTT Eng.
Spyl. 192 *Ladykilling coterie. i837MARRYATZ>< vrWli,
Pretty lady-killing , muttered the sergeant. 1858 K. S. SL-R-
TFES Ask Mamma i. 2 Nature had favoured Billy s preten
sions in the lady-killing way. 1849 RocKCA. of Fat her sill.
ix. 284 Many an alms was given for Mary s sake, and the food,
so set aside, went by the name of *Lady-meat . 1879 E.
WATERTON Pieias Mariana 115 Bread and meat given in our
Ladye s love were called Saint Marye s loaf, and Ladymeat.
LADY.
1597 ist Pt. Returnfr. Parnass. iv. i. 1236 This haberdasher
of lyes, this bracchidochio, this*ladyemunger. 1678 BUTLER
Hud. nu i. 378 He serv d two Prentiships and longer I* th
Myst ry of a Lady-Monger. 1861 WHYTK MELVILLE Alkt.
Harb. 10 He did not quite fancy making one of that crowd
of irregular-horse who appear on a Wednesday at Crick or
Misterton, to the unspeakable dismay of the Pytchley *lady
pack. 1896 Westm. Gaz. 18 Dec. 4/1 Crossing the Swift
brook the lady pack made play across the meadows beyond
at a rare pace. 1664 KVKLYN Kal. Hort. in Syfoa etc.
(1729) 223 Sugar-Pear, *Lady-Pear, Amadot, Ambret. c 1380
WYCLIK.SW. Whs. III. usTeseie eche dayour "Ladisauter.
1547 Homilies i. Good Wks. ML 11859) 6 1 Papistical super
stitions and abuses . . Lady Psalters and Rosaries. 1803 in
Xai alChron. XV. 217 The men working in *Lady Quarter,
1802. 1888 Bill-heading at Maidstone, * Lady tide. 1894
Athenzitm 17 Mar. 341/1 The practice of sending sheep to
be kept in the Weald districts from Michaelmas to Lady tide
is not wholly abandoned. 1647 H. MURE Song of Soul To
Kdr. 6/1 Some * Lady-wits that can like nothing that is not
as compos d as their own hair, or as smooth as their Mis
tresses Looking-glasse. 1579 TOMSON Calvin s Serin. Tim.
893/2 If God do make men that haue some deuotion, whiche
are Ladie worshippers [etc.].
b. In names of plants : lady-bracken, the
brake, Pteris aqiiilina ; lady-fern, an elegant fern,
Athynum Filix-femina ; lady-key (s, (a\ the prim
rose, Prinnda verts (Britten nnd Holland Flant-n.
1879); (/ ) iseequot.); lady-lords (see quot.).
rizoSlacku . blag. June 278/1 Having removed the heather
and decayed leafs of *lady-bracken which covered the in
scription. 1825-80 JAMIESON, Lady-bracken, the female fern.
1815 J. WILSON Noct. Ambr. Wks. 1855 I. 73 Groves o the
*ladyfern embowering the sleeping roe. i859CAi KRN Ball.
<V Songs 137 A crown of lady-fern she wore. 1863 KINGSLEY
Water-Bab. 14 The great tuft of lady ferns. 1887 Kent.
Gloss., * Lady-key s^ same as Lady-lc ds. * Lady-lords^ lords
and ladies; the name given by children to the wild arum.
17. Specialized collocations with the genitive
ladys (occas. ladies ) : lady s companion, a small
case or bag arranged to hold implements for needle
work, etc. ; ladies fair ? nonce-wd. , a bazaar ; ladies*
gallery, a gallery in the House of Commons reserved
for ladies; lady s gown, a gift made by a purchaser
to the vendor s wife on her renouncing her life-rent
in her husband s estate* (Cassell); lady s hole,
(a) Naut. (see quot.) ; b) a card game (also my
lady s hole ; lady s hood .SV ., theomenturaofa pig;
lady s ladder, * shrouds rattled too closely (Smyth
Sailors \\ r ord-bk. 1867"); lady s loa,t/aify meat
(sense 16) ; lady s maid, a woman servant whose
special duty it is to attend to the toilet of a lady ;
lady s or ladies man, a man who is devoted to
the society of women and is assiduous in paying
them small attentions ; ladies school, a school
for the education of young ladies* ; lady s wind
Naitt. (see quot.) ; f lady s woman, (a) ? one who
professes devotion to Our Lady; b} a lady s maid.
1844 MAKG. FULLER \Vorn. \gthC. (1862) 35 Governors of
Madies fairs are no less engrossed by such a charge, than
the governor of a state by his. 1897 UrinA Massarcnes
xvii, The speaker s box. .is much more comfortable than the
Lady s Gallery. 1711 W. SUTHERLAND Shipbuild. Assist. 43
A* Lady s Hole, or Place for the Gunner s small Stores, which
Stores are looked after by one they call a Lady. 1732 MRS.
PSMDARVEB Let. to tMrs. A , Gran~ ilU in Mrs. D flatty s. Life
% Corr. 385 We got early into our inn, played at my lady s
hole, supped, and went early to bed. 1813 Sporting Mag.
XLII. 273 From whist, that charms the noble s soul, To
kitchen putt and lady s hole. 1826 J. WILSON Noct. Ami" .
Wks. 1855 I. 133 What black puddins ! and oh what tripe !
Only think o the "leddy s hood and monyplies ! Then the
marrowbanes. 1875 T. E. BRIDGETT Our Lady s Dowry 242
Alms, which naturally accompanied fasting, were also given
in our Lady s honour. Indeed this was so constant a practice,
that it acquired a peculiar name as Lady s meat or * Lady s
loaf. 1808 Ann. Keg. 71 Elizabeth Daniels, "lady s maid,
said Sir A. Paget always visited at the house. 1840 DICK ENS
Old C. Shof> xxxix. The man who sang the song with the
lady s-maid. 1863 Miss BRADDON Eleanors l r ict. (1878) L
iii. 23 The German governess and the Parisian lady s-maid
still attended upon Vane s daughters. 1784 COWPER Tiroc.
423 A slave at court, elsewhere a "lady s man. 1809 MALKIN
Gil Bias vii. viL (Rtldg.) 23. I should have chosen the
youngest, and the most of a lady s man. 1841 THACKERAY
fritz-Boodle Pap. Pref. (1887) 10, I am not .. a ladies man.
1891 N. GOULD Double Event 149 They told me you were
not a ladies man, Mr. Smirke. 1865 DICKONS Mitt. Fr. i.
iv, He had an order for another "Ladies School., door-plate.
1886 Century Mag. XXXII. 700 2 A gentle breeze blew
from the Shore .. a lady s wind", sailors would call it.
1579 TOMSON Calvin s Serin. Tint. 885/2 Hee USt. Paul]
saith not women but simple women, as if he said, these little
"Ladies women [orig. ces j>etite$ Ingot ts}, that woulde eat
the crucifix fas we sayi which make a shewe of great devo
tion. 1748 SMOLLETT Rod. Rand, xi, The deplorable vanity
and secondhand airs of a lady s woman.
b. In names of plants.
Lady s here is in origin a shortening of Our- Lady s, and
became familiar through the i6th c. herbalists; in more
recent times ladies has m some cases been substituted, the
change being perhaps assisted by the old spelling ladies of
the possessive singular. The designation is usually given
to plants of a more than usual beauty or delicacy. (Cf. G.
A/tirieti ,fratt?n-, and F. de notre Dame.)
Lady s bedstraw (see BEDSTBAW) ; lady s
bower, clematis ; lady s comb, the Shepherd s
Needle, Scandix Pecten ; lady s delight, the
violet; lady s foxglove, the Great Mullein, Ver-
bascutn Thapsus\ lady s glass, looking-glass,
Campanula Speculum ; (Our % ; Lady s hair, a) the
24
grass Brisa media ; ) Adiantum Capi
also called Venus hair ; f lady s linen, ? = LADY-
SMOCK ; f (Our) Lady s milkwort, a name for
Lungwort, Pulmonaria officinalis ; f (Our) Lady s
mint, Mentka viridis \ lady s navel [adaptation
of L. umbilicus Veneri$\, a name for Navelwort,
Cotyledon Umbilicus ; f (Our) Lady s signet =
LADY S SEAL ; lady s thimble, (a) the Heath Bell,
Campanula rotundifolia \ (b) the Foxglove, Digi
talis purpurta (Syd.Soc. Lex. 1888); lady s thumb
U.S.^Polygonum 2 y ersicaria\ f(Our) Lady s tree
(see quot.). See also LADY S FINGER, LADY S GLOVE,
LADY S LACES, etc.
1597 GEKARDE Herbal n. cccxxvi, (1633) 887 *Ladies
Bower is called in Latine Ambnxum. 1696 PHILLIPS (ed. 51,
Ladies llmver, (Clematis), a Plant, which . . is fit to make
liowers and Arbors, even for Ladies. 1760 J.LEE Inirod.Bot.
App., Lady s Bower, Clematis. i597GKRARDE//fr<i/n.cccc.
884 The I,atines call it Standix . of others Acus Veneri$ %
and A ens J astoris, or Shepheards Needle, wilde Cheruill,
and * Ladies Combe. 1783 AINSWORTH Lat. Diet. (Morel!) i.
s.v. C0tr//>, Lady s comb, Pecten I eneris. 1860 O.W. HOLMES
Elsie / *. v. (1861) 46 Flower-de-luces, and *lady s-delights.
Veneris, or *Ladies glasse. 1551 *Ladyes heyre [see HAIR
sl>. 4 b]. 1597 GERARDE Herbal n. cccclvii. 983 In English
black .Maiden halreand Venus haire, and may be called our
Ladies haire. 1794 MARTVN Rousseau s Bot. xiii. 135 Briza
or ladies hair. 1761 W. STUKELEV Palxogr. Sacra (1763)
25 Botanists.. show a very particular regard to the fair sex
. . as we may well conclude from so many names they give
to plants ; ladys fingers, ladys traces, *ladys linen, . . ladys
slipper, etc. 1640 PARKINSON Theat, Bot. 1740 *Ladies, or
Venus looking-glasse. 1677 GRKW Anat, I tants, Colours
Plants i. 15 (1682) 271 The youngest Buds of Ladys-
Lookinglass. 1879 KKITTEN & HOLLAND Want-n., * Lady s
(Our) Milkwort, Pitlinonaria officinalis. 1597 GERAKDE
Herbal \\. ccxv. 553 In English Speare Mint, common
Garden Mint, *our Ladies Mint [etc.]. Ibid, cxliii. 3. 424
Nauelwoort is called, .in English Penny woort, Wall Penny-
woort, * Ladies nauell, and Hipwoort. 1611 COTCJR.,
Esciit-ller, Hipwort, Wall-penniewort, Ladies-nauell (an
hearbe 1 . 1637 W. COLES Adam in Eden cxci. 290 The
black liryony is called Sigillum Sancta: M arise, our * Ladies
Signet. 1853 G. JOHNSTON Nat. Hist. E. Rord. I. 134
Campanula rot nnd! flora. Blue-Bells: * Ladies Thimbles.
Ibid. 158 Our little girls glove their fingers with them
{Digitalis j>urf>urea\ and call them Ladies thimbles. 1608
TOPSELL Serpents. (1658) 601 In ancient time, the ignorant
multitude, seeing a Birch tree with green leaves in the
\Vinter, did call it our *Ladtes Tree, or a holy tree, at
tributing that greenness to miracle.
Hence La dydom, the realm of ladies. La-dyisli
a., resembling a lady, having the objectionable
characteristics of a * fine lady . Xia dyism, the
manners or behaviour of a lady (cf. young-ladyi$m\
La-dyness, (a) cf. quot. 1538 ; (b) effeminacy.
1538 LATIMER Sertn. fy Rent, (Parker Soc.) 403 By reason
of their lady [a wooden image of Our Lady] they have been
given to much idleness ; but now that she is gone, they be
turned to laboriousness, and so from ladyness to godliness.
1785 [ K, PKRRONET] Occas. Verses, Who $ What is a A/tin ?
135 Powder *d fops of ladyness. 1830 Examiner 773/1 The
whining of an artificial and lady-Kh City Miss. i&q$ Eraser s
Mag. XXVIII. 568 Accustomed to the atmosphere and
language of Ladydum. 1856 WHVTE MELVILLE Kate Cov.
xxi, M iss Molasses, the pink of propriety and what-would-
mamma-say ladyism.
Lady (U -di), v. [f. LADY sb.]
fl. trans. To make a lady of; to raise to the
rank of a lady ; to address as ( lady *. Obs.
1607 MARSTON What you -will i. i. Wks. 1887 II. 337
loco. Nay, sir, her estimation s mounted up. She shall be
ladied and sweet-madam d now. Ran. Be ladied ? Ha !
ha ! 1614 W. B. Philosopher s Banquet (ed. 2) A iij b,
Widowes with their heapes of hourded gold, That would be
Ladied though a month to hold,
fb. To render lady-like or feminine. Obs.
1656 W. MONTAGUE Accomfl. Worn. 121 It is to be feared
that Ladies too Chevaliere, are beyond modesty: Men too
much Ladyed, are short of Manhood.
2. intr. To lady it : to play the lady or mistress.
(Cf. to lord it, queen if.} rare.
1600 BRETON Pasefuil s Mad-cappe 27 A lacke will be a
Gentleman And mistris Needens Lady it at least, a 1638
MEDE Wks. \. (1672) 140 That great seven-hilled City still
Ladies it over the Nations of the Earth. 1868 W. CORY
Lett. <V Jrnls. (18971 252 My lawn with a single harebell
ladying it over the grass.
Lady-bird (& il dijb4ld). [In sense i, f. LADY
sl>. 3 (genitive, as in LADY-PAY). Cf. G. Marten-
huhn, Marienkiifer, Marienwurmchen.~\
1. The common name for the coleopterous insects
belonging to the genus Coccinella,
1704 A. VAN LEUWENHOEK in Phil. Trans. XXV. 1615
Flies, in likeness to Cow-ladies or Lady-birds, as some call
em. 1816 K.IRBY & SP. Entomol. II. 9 Many years ago,
those [sc. the banksj of the Humber were so thickly strewed
with the common Lady-bird (C, Septewpnnctata, L.J that
I [etc.]. 1861 DELAMER /"/. Card. 169 Encourage lady-birds
. .which eat or rather suck the aphides.
2. A sweetheart. (Often used as a term of en
dearment.)
159* SHAKS. Rom. fy Jnl. \. iii. 3 What Lamb : what
Lady-bird . . Where s this Girle ? 1599 B. JONSON Cynthia s
Rev. it. i, Is that your new ruffe, sweet lady-bird? 1656
R. FLETCHER Poems 176 A cast of Lacquyes, and a Lady
bird, a 1700 B, E. Did . Cant. Crew, Lady-birds, Light or
Lewd Women. 1858 LYTTON What will he do i. xiv, Let
us come into the town, lady bird, and choose a doll.
LADYKIND.
Lady Chapel. Orig. Our Lady or Lady s)
chapel. A chapel dedicated to the Virgin, at
tached to large churches, generally situated east
ward of the high altar.
1439 in E. Eng. Wills 1 14 A C tb wex to mynystere and
to serue to the vse of the Salue of cure lady chapelt yn the
said chirch of seynt Austyns. 1553 T. ROSE in Foxe A. <y
M. (1583) 11.2084/2, 1 was called agayne into Christes church
within their Ladies chapell (as they termed it), a 156* G.
CAVENDISH Wolsey 11893) 78 And there .. in our Lady
Chappell he sayd his servyce & masse. 1710 HEARNE
Collect. (O. H. b.) II. 339 Queen Katherin . . was buried at
Westminster, in our Ladies Chapell. 1718 B. WILLIS Mitred
Abbeys I. Index 2 The Lady Chapel [I M text our Ladys
Chapel] adorn d and other parts of the Church improved.
1880 Times 8 June 4/1 1 here was a chancel at the east end,
and at the side a Lady chapel each with its altar.
Lady-COW i^-d^kuu). [f. LADY sb. 3 (geni
tive, as in nex^. Cf. G. Marienkuh.]
1. = LADY-BIRD. (Cf. COW-LADY.)
1606 SYLVESTER Du fiartas n. iv. i. Trophies 274 [Goliath
| says to David:] () Lady-cow [Fr. Ha petit Danigreau . ],
: Thou shalt no more be-star thy wanton brow With thine
; eyes rayes. 1630 DSAVTON Muses Eliz. viii. 70 The Lady-
I Cow : The dainty shejl vpon her backe Of Crimson strew d
with spots of blacka. 1713 DERHAM Phys. Theol. 8 note,
; Wasps, Bees, ..and Lady-Cows. 1868 Daily News 15 Aug.,
1 The earth for several miles adjoining the river Severn, .was
thickly covered with insects commonly called lady cows .
2. iionce Use. A term of mock dignity for a cow.
1649 LOVELACE Poems (18641 63 A rev rend lady-cow
L drawes neere.
Lady day (U -diid* 1 ). Grig. Our Lady day.
i [f. LADY sb. 3 genitive : see the etymological note
| on the word).] A day kept in celebration of some
I event in the life of the Virgin Mary. Now only
1 March 25th,the Feast of the Annunciation; formerly
. also Dec. 8th, the Conception of the Virgin, Sep.
8th, the Nativity, and Aug. isth, the Assumption.
1297 [see LADY s/>. 3 bl. a 1300 Cursor M. 17288 + 65 On
our laidy day als-suo, pe syn was first wroght. a 1450 l\nt.
I fin la Tour (1868) 37 It happed that oure lady day felle on
the sonday. c 1450 Merlin 120 This was on oure lady day
in septembre. 1556 Chron. Gr. Friars iCamden) 2 Then was
a grete wynter of frost and colde that lastyd from new-
yeres daye unto our lady day the Annunciacion. 1578
Scotter Manor Roll (N. W. Line. Gloss.), Euery one shall
take vppe ther tuppes or rammes before the first ladie daye.
1611 COTGR. s.v. Dame, i,*assiim/>tii>n notre Dame, Our
! Ladie day in Harutst. 1665 WOOD Life 15 May, Rent
which was due the last Our Lady day, 1888 M. ARNOLD in
igCA Cent. Jan. 27 On Lady Day he [Shelley] was summoned
before the authorities of his College.
Lady -fish. (U^ diifiJ . A name applied in
various parts of the world to many different species
, of fish, as Albula vttlpes, Harpe rttfa, Scombertsox
: saitrjfs, Sillago domina.
171* E. COOKE / oy. S. Sea 341 The Lady-Fish, being a very
-
small Sort taken off Cape St. Lucas. 1884-5 Stand. Nat.
Hist. (1888) III. 137 A single species (Albula vulpes} the
bone-fish or lady-fish of our Atlantic coasts. 1885 Daily
.
Tel. 25 Sept. 2/2 The dainty, long-jawed beings which in
the Soudan were called lady-fish .
Ladyfy, ladify (l^-difai), v. [f. LADY sb. +
-FY.] trans. To make a lady of ; to give the title
of * Lady* to. Hence La dyfied ///. a. (colfoq.\
having the airs of a fine lady.
i6oa DEKKEK Satiromastix Wks. 1873 I. 221 lie enter
into bond to be dub d by what day thou wilt, when the next
action is layde upon me thou shall be Ladified. x6 ROW
LANDS Good ffewes <V . 7 She. .would be Madam d, Wor-
ship d, Ladifide. 163* MASSINGKR City Martatn iv. iv, He
made a knight, And your sweet mistress->,hip ladyfied. 1681
MRS. BEHN City-Heiress 61 How, Mrs. Dy Ladyfi d ! This
is an excellent way of disposing an old cast-off Mistriss.
1881 O.vjcrdsh. Gloss., Ladyfitd, lady-like. [1883 D. C.
MURRAY Hearts III. xxxiii. 225 Azubah had certainly
grown wonderfully fine ladyfied tn the last year or two.J
1885 T. MOZLKY Ki-miff. Tmvns, etc. II. 222 They could
hardly be restrained from ladifying every plain Mrs. who
came near them.
t La dyhead. Obs. rare" ! . In 4 ladyhede,
[f. LADY sb. + -HKAD.] = LADYSHIP.
1390 GOWEK C<mf. II. 40 Whan she goth to here masse
That time shall nought overpasse, That 1 napproche her
ladyhede.
Ladyhood (U 7i< dijhud). [f. LADY sb. + -HOOD.]
1. The state or condition of being a lady ; the
I qualities pertaining to a lady.
i8ao COLERIDGE Lett., Convers., etc. I. 42 She often
represents to my mind the best parts of the Spanish Santa
j Teresa ladyhood by nature. 1878 KKSANT& RICE Cclia s
1 Arb. xli, A lady about five-and-forty. .with delicate features
1 and an air of perfect ladyhood.
2. Ladies collectively ; the realm of ladies.
1821 Blackw. ftfag. X. 63 The gallantry of ladyhood is
abroad. 1879 F. HARRISON Choice Bks. (1886) 46 That
wonderful storehouse . . preserves for us an inimitable picture
of the knighthood, ladyhood, and yeomanry of the Middle
Ana.
Ladykin l<~ i- dikin\ [f. LADY j&.+-Kor.] A
i little lady; occas. used as a term of endearment.
1853 Miss SHEPPARD Ch. Auchester I. 321, I had missed
it in my room that baby of mine, that doll, that ladykin.
i 1876 T. HARDY Ethelberta (1890) 315 The young ladykin
I whom the solemn vowing concerned had lingered round the
i choir screen. 1884 BROWNING Ferishtah, Camel-driver 46
I * Ha, Ladykin, Still at thy frolics, girl of gold ? laughed he.
La dykind. rare. [f. LADY sb. + KIND, after
womankind] The lady or female portion of a
party ; also loosely, a woman.
LADYLESS.
1829 SCOTT JrnL 24 Mar,, This niurning our sport smtn
took leave, and their ladykind .. followed after breakfast.
1878 E. J. TRKI.AWNY Shelley, etc. (1887) 107 An ordinary
lady-kind would have screamed.
Ladyless (1^-diles), a. [f. LADY sb. + -LESS.]
Having no lady ; unaccompanied by a lady.
1470-85 MALORY Arthur vui. xxvi, Sythcn I am lady les
I wil wyn thy lady. 1858 MORKIS A . ArChnr s Tomb 37
Perchance, indeed, quite ladyless were best. 1888 BKYCK
Amer. Comimv. III. vi. cv. 518 At hotels their [women s!
sitting-room is .. sometimes the only available public room,
ladyless guests being driven to the bar or the hall.
Ladylike ,1^ diloilO, a. and adv. [f. LADY sb.
+ -LIKK.] A. adj.
1. Of a woman: Having the distinctive appearance
or manner of a lady. Also (in early use chiefly 1 )
said sarcastically of men : Effeminately delicate
or solicitous about elegance or propriety, t In a
personification : Comparable to a lady ; queenly.
1601 R. JOHNSON Kingd. <$ Comimv. (1603) 30 And
Madera, famous for the Wines which grow therm, and the
ladylike Hand of all the Atlantujue sea. 1656 Art if.
Handsom. 179 Some of these so rigid, yet very spruce and
Ladylike preachers, think fit to graiifie as their own persons,
so their kind hearers and spectators. 1756 COWPKK Let. to
Town Wks. (1837) XV. 262 Those lady-like gentlemen,
whom we may distinguish by the title of their mother s own
sons. 1813 Examiner & Mar. 156/2 Miss Smith is a very
lady-like actress. 1818 HAZLITT Kng. Poets viii. (1870) 196
He is a very lady-like poet. 1828 SCOTT / . M. Perth xxxi,
Tell me now, how look I, thus disposed on the couch-
languishing and ladylike, ha? 1851 MRS. CAKI.YLE Lett,
II. 199 A pretty, ladylike, rather silly young woman.
2. Befitting a lady ; resembling what pertains to
a lady ; sometimes with depreciatory sense, effemi
nately delicate or graceful.
1586 WARNER Alb. Eng. n. ix. (1592) 37 With fingers
Ladie-like. 1687 DRYDEN Hind <y /*. n. 86 The dew-drops
on her silken hide Her tender constitution did declare Too
lady-like a long fatigue to bear. 1698 CROWNS Caligula i.
Dram. Wks. 1874 IV. 358 A manly daring soul lurks deep,
Under this gentle lady-like outside. 1739 CIBHKR Apol.
(1756) II. 31 After a few days of these coy lady-like com
pliances on his side, we grew into a more conver>able
temper. 1754 RICHARDSON CrantUson (lySij III. xvii. 137
Perhaps you mean no more than to give a little specimen of
I^ady-like pride in those words. 1816 SCOTT Aniiq. xi, The
controversy began in smooth, oily, lady-like terms, but is
now waxing more sour and eager as we get on. 1824 Miss
MITFORD Villog* Ser. I. (1863) 216 Her lady-like spirit
would have scorned the idea of selling them 1877 MRS.
FOKHESTEK Mignon 1. 53 You have not a very lady-like way
of expressing yourself. 1890 L. FALCONER Mile. Ixe i.
(1891) 20, I hope you will teach Evelyn some of these
pretty things , said Mrs. Merrinjjton. There is something
so ladylike about them 1 . 1900 SKEAT Chaucer Canon 139
Both [poems].. are wholly lacking in interesting touches of
personal character. Whatever opinions they express are of
a highly genteel and ladylike order.
Hence La dylikeness.
1875 How ELLS Foregone Concl. (1882) 305 He remembered
the charm of her perfect ladylikeness.
t B. adv. As a lady does ; in the guise of a
lady. 06s.
a 1635 CORBET Poems (1807) 126 Nor didst thou two
years after talk of force, Or, lady-like, make suit for a
divorce. .1650 Roxburgh Malta is (1888) VI. 544 Achilles
he was in disguise, When first he heard of this enterprize,
He Lady-like with a Lady lay.
Ladyling (l^ dilirj). rare. [f. LADY si). +
-LING.] A little lady.
1855 BAILEY Mystic 137 Ladylings and lordlings dancing,
piping, harping. 1895 F. THOMPSON Sifter Songs 5, I hid
them dance, I bid them sing, For the limpid glance Of my
ladyling.
La dy-love. Also pseud o-#;r//. ladye-love.
[f.L.VDYj/ .^in sense I appositive\ in sense 2 attrib.).]
1. A lady who is loved ; a sweetheart.
A supposed example quoted from R. Wilson s Coolers Pro-
phesie (1594! is not to the point ; Venus is called L:idy
Love by more than one of the dramatis personae.
1733 Theobald s Shaks. Rom, <y Jnl. \. ii. 102 Your Lady
love [1623 Ladies loue]. 1805 SCOTT Last Alinstr. iv. xix,
With favour in his crest, or glove, Memorial of his ladye-
love. 1841 JAMKS Brigand ii, What man is there without
a lady-love. 1871 Miss YONGE Cameos II. xxxii. 331 She
begged the King to consent to his., marriage with his lady-love.
2. Love for ladies.
1818 BYRON Ch. Har. iv. xl, The minstrel who . . Sang
ladye-love and war.
La dyly, a. Obs. exc. as nonce-wd. Also 5
ladily. [f. LADY sb. + -LY 1.] Befitting or char
acteristic of a lady, ladylike.
13.. E. E, Allit, P. A. 773 Oner alle ober so hy? bou
clambe, To lede with hym so ladyly lyf. ?<*i4oo Morte
Art/i. 3254 In a surcott of sylke .. with ladily lappes the
lenghe of a $erde. c 1477 CAXTON Jason 12 b, He brought
to his mynde her fair and fresshe colour her ladyly may-
tiene and her noble facoun and corpulence. 1840 Tait s
Mag. VII. 385 We do not refer to the fashionable annuals,
those very ineffable bulletins of lordly and ladyly inanity.
t La dyly, adv. Obs. [f. as prec. -t- -LY ^.] In
a manner befitting a lady ; as a lady.
1450 LOSELICH Grail xxvi. izq This duchesse .. nolde
therto assente . . and excused here ful ladyly.
Lady s cushion. Also 6 Our Lady s cush
ion. T a. The plant Thrift, Armeria maritivia.
Obs. b. The Mossy Saxifrage, Saxifragahypnoides.
1578 LYTE Dodoens iv. 1. 509 That kinde of grasse whiche
groweth by the sea syde, is called.. in Englishe our Ladies
quishion. 1597 GERARDE Herbal i:. clxxvii. 483 In English
Thrift, Sea grasse,and our Ladies Cushion. 1794 MARTYN
VOL. VI-
Rousseau s Hot. xix. 271 From the manner of its gnnvth in
a thick tuft, it [mossy Saxifrage] has acquired the English
name of Ladies Cushion. 1854 S. THOMSON Wild l* i. in.
(ed. 4) 201 The Lady s cushion mossy saxifrage.
Lady s finger, lady-finger, y/. occas.
ladies fingers.
1. sing, and //. The plant Anthyllis vulneraria t
the Kidney Vetch.
Also applied dial, to various other plants, as Lotas corni-
culatits [formerly called lady-finger grass] : see Britten and
Holland Plant-n.
1670 KAY Catal. Plant. AngL 24 Anihyllii legiuninosa. . .
Kidney-vetch, Ladies ringer. 1743 in W. Ellis Altnf, J/us-
bandin. (1750) II. I. xv, 148 Your Lady-finger-grass i or llirds-
fout Trefoil.. which is the botanical Name). 1756 WATSON
in Phil. Trans. XLIX. 842 Kidney Vetch, or Ladies Finger.
1848 C. A. JOHNS Week at Lizard yJsAnthyUis r nine ran ti,
variety Diltcnii, Lady s-fingers, occurs, .all along the coast.
2. Applied to various objects of long and slender
form. a. A kind of cake(cf. finger- In sctrif}. 1 Obs.
1820 KKATS Caf> fy Bells xlviii, Steep Some lady s-fingers
nice in Candy wine. 1828 Lights fy S/utdfs II. 1^,6 Honey
and ladies fingers for tea.
b. Austral. A kind of grape. Also, n banana.
1892 K. RKKVKS Homeward Hound 90 The very finest
ladies -fingers, sweet-waters and muscatels. 1893 MRS. C.
FRAUD Outlaw $ Lawmaker II. 91 They were sitting ..
in the banana grove, whither Elsie had gone on pretext of
finding some still ungathc-red Lady s fingers .
C. /.$ . (a] A variety of the potato ; f //) One
of the branchiae of the lobster; (c) A variety of
apple. (Ccnf. Diet.)
Lady s glove. Also 6-7 Our Ladies, 7 8
ladies gloves, 9 lady glove. [<*rig. I-MJY
sb. 3.] The foxglove, Digit&lis purpurea. The
name has been applied J;o several other plants, c. g.
f Lungwort, Pnltnonaria officinalis ; Kleawoit,
hnt/a Convza\ the Hird s-. r oot Trefoil, Lotus cor-
niculalus (dial.).
1538 VA.\QT J)ict. Addit., I>acckar..&r\ herbe..some do call
it .. our ladies Clones. 1611 COTGH., Ganttlfa, the hearbe
called Kox-gloucs, our Ladies gloues. 1621 HKAI/M. & Ki .
Pilgrim v. vi, Full of pincks, and Ladies gloves {mod, cdd.
lady-gloves], Of liartes-e.ise too. 1668 WH.KINS Real Char.
u. iv. 3. 80 Sage of Jerusalem, Ladies-glove [marg. Put-
)nonaria\. 1736 BAILKY Honsch. Diet. 369 Ladies Gloves,
The vertues of this plant [rleawort] are to warm and dry;
but it is also an opener. 1879 iliun I-:N & HOLLAND Plant-n. t
Lady glove, Digitalis f-nt piirca. Ibid., Lady s glove, Lotus
comic ultit its.
Ladyship l( Ti di[ip\ sb. Forms: see LAIJY
and -SHIP. Also 7-8 colloq. la ship.
1. The condition of being a lady ; rank as a lady.
a 1225 Atiir. R. 100 ^if bn hauest uor^iten nu bi wur3fule
lefdischipe, go .^ folcwe beos geat. ^1230 HaliMeid. j
And trukie for a mon of lam be heuenliche lauerd & hulin
her lafdischipe. 13. . /:. E. Allit. P. A. 577 Mure haf I of
ioye & blysse here-inne, Of ladyschyp gret & lyuez blom.
1623 MASSINGKR Bondman m. iii, How dost thou like Thy
ladyship, Zambia ? 1771 Contempt, Man II. 152 This Lady
did not enjoy her Title long she died in the fifth Year of
her Ladyship. 1856 KMKKSON Eng. Traits\JVf,. 1874 II.
13^ What facility and plenteousness of knighthood, lord
ship, ladyship, royalty, loyalty ! 1874 TROLLOPS Lady Anna
iv. 26 He hated the countess-ship of the countess, and the
ladyship of the Lady Anna.
2. The personality of a lady. In her^ your
ladyship^ a respectful substitute for she, you, re
ferring to a lady; in mod. use only to one whose
rank is designated by the titular prefix Lady .
Also used sarcastically.
c 1374 CHAUCER Anel. <y Arc. 191 She..drof hym for the,
vnnethe list her knowe That he was servaunt vn to hir ladi-
shippe. ci4oo Destr. Troy 3352 Ne trawes not, tru lady, (r-at
I take wolde Thy ladyship to losse, ne in lust holde. a 1400-
50 Alexander 3715, I leue it to gour ladyschip bis hinge no^t
vnknawen. a 1500 Flower $ Let\f\xx.\, Yet I would pray
Your ladiship . . That I might knowe . . What that these
knightes be in rich armour. 1551 CROWLEY Pleas, fy Pain
"Ded., I thought it my duty to dedicate the same vnto youre
La<.1ishyppes name. 1600 SHAKS. A. Y. L. i. ii. 120 If it
please your Ladiships, you may see the end. 1650 Nicholas
Papers (Camden) 174 Lord Jermyn in a jeering manner, as
her ladyshipp conceaved, told her he hoped now shortly
Sir Edward Herbert would returne to Paris. 1700 CONGREVK
IV ay of World n. v, O Mem, your Laship staid to peruse
a Pecquet of Letters. 1711 ADDISON Spect. No. 37 p i,
I waited upon her Ladyship pretty early in the morning.
a 1839 PRAED Poems (1865) II. 34 Her ladyship is in a huff.
fiS X 595 SHAKS. John in. i. IIQ Thou Fortunes Cham
pion, that do st neuer fight But when her humorous Ladi
ship is by To teach thee safety.
t b. concr. = LADY. Obs.
1390 GOWER Conf. II. 301 My sone, of that unkindship,
The which toward thy ladiship, Thou pleignest, for she
woll the nought, Thou art to blamen of thy thought.
c. nonce-use. One who is called her ladyship .
1784 COWPER Task n. 386 Constant at routs, familiar with
a round Of ladyships, a stranger to the poor.
t 3. Kindness or beneficence befitting a mistress.
1390 GOWER Conf. I. 128 This maide.,To whom this lady
hath behote Of ladiship all that she can To vengen her upon
this man. Ibid. III. 66 Tho quod the queue. .1 wol do the
such ladiship, Wherof thou shalt for evermo Be riche.
4. A district governed by a lady, nonce-use.
1709 STEEI.E Tatler No. 46 p 3 All that long Course of
Building is under particular Districts or Ladiships, after the
Manner of Lordships in other Parts.
Hence La dyship v. (nonce-wd.} trans., to give
the title of Your Ladyship* to. Also to lady
ship it.
LADY S TRACES.
1813 E. S. BARRKTT /frr0/// (1815) III. 9 Ladyship! Ob,
her ladyship ! and away he cantered, ladyshipping it, till
he was out of hearing. i8zo Hermit in London IV. 165
He so ladyshiped Lady what s her ugly name, that it
was quite disgusting.
t Lady-silver. Obs. Also 5 ladesilver. [? f.
LADY : possibly because payable at Lady-day.]
1425-6 Dnrh. MS. fiitrs. Roll, \\s. \\\}d, rcc. pro ladesilver
ejusdem ville per annum. 1536-7 Durham Ace. Rolls
i Surtees) 672 Et de 6s. 8rf. rec. de eodem Coll. pro ladysiluer
debit, tenentibus ibidem.
Lady s laces. fAlso lady-laces. The
striped garden variety of Phal&ris anindinacea.
1597 (ii-:KAimE Herbal I. iv. 5 The grasse called in Latine
Cramcn sulcatum t or Pictum : and by our English women,
Ladies Laces, bicause it is stript or furrowed with white and
greene sirakes, like silke laces. 1611 COTGK., Aigitillettes
<farmes t the hearbe, or grasse, called Ladies laces, white
Carneleon grasse, painted, or furrowed grasse. 1706 PuiLLirs
(ed. Kersey), Lady-laces^ a sort of striped (Irass. 1713 J.
PF.TIVKR in Phil. Trans. XXVIII. 179 Painted Grass, or
Ladies Laces, 1821 CLARK I ill. Minstr. II. 97, I .. Tried
through the pales to get the tempting flowers, As lady s
laces, everlasting peas.
t Lady s longing. Obs. In 7 ladies long
ing ; also 6 lady longing. A variety of apple.
1591 Lvi.y Endym. in. iii. 38 For fruit these, fritters,
niudlers, hartichokes and ladylongmgs. 1664 KVKLVN Kal.
Hort. in Syfoa, etc. (1729) 213 Apples. The Ladies Longing,
the Kirkham Apple, John Apple [etc.]. 1676 WOUUUGK
( ydt-r (1691) 2ii There is a curious apple newly propagated,
called Pome-appease. . . I suppose tliis is that which is called
the Ladies Longing.
Lady s mantle. Also 6 Our Ladies, 6 S
ladies. [LADY sb. 3 ; ef. G. Prawn-, J\Iaricn-
f>tan(el. ] A common name for the rosaceous herb
AlchemiUa wtlgaris. Also applied, with qualifi
cation, to other species (see quot. 1864).
1548 TURNER Natncs of Iferbes 82 A Ichiinilla . . is called
in cnglish our Ladies Mantel or syndow. 1578 LYTE Dodoctts
I. xcviii. 140 Great Panicle or Ladies M;mtell, groweth in
some places of this countrey. 1611 C oi(iK., Alchimille,
Lions foot, Ladies mantle, great Sanirle. 1794 MARTYN
Kottsseau s Bot. xv. 167 Ladies in:int!c lias a calyx of one
permanent leaf divided into eight -.c-tncnis. 1864 SOWI.KISY
lirit. Bot. (ed. 3* III. i^o Silvery Lady s- Mantle. Ibid. 141
Alpine Lady s Mantle. 1882 (id. ll erds 673 Silken Alpine
lady s mantle rare.
Lady-smock. Also lady s, ladies smock.
A common name for the Cuckoo-flower, Carda-
viine pratcnsis. (Applied locally also to Convol
vulus sepinm. }
1588 SHAKS. /,. L. L. v. ii. 905 Ladie-smockes all siluer
white. 1597 ^ KRAUDF. Herbal u. xviii. 203 They are com
monly called in Latine, Flos Cnculi \ in Knglisli Cuckowe
riowtrs..at the Nampiwich in Chisliiie .. Ladie smockes.
1648 HKHRICK: Hesper, (1869) 121 Dispose That lady-smock,
that pansie, and that rose Neatly apart. 1794 MAR I YN Rons-
scan s Bot. xxiii. 325 Ladies Smock, (forgive the vulgar
name) has the calyx gaping a little. 1796 H. HUNTER tr.
St. Pierre s Stud. Nut. (1799) I. 8j Some of the convolvu
luses, vulgarly called lady s-smock. 1874 ! . HARDY Farfr.
]\ I ad ding Crowd \. 239 Clear white huHes smocks. 1878
BROWNING Poets Croisic 96 Chains of lady s-smoek.
Lady s seal. ? Obs. Also 6 Our Ladies seale,
1. The plant Solomon s Seal, Polygonatum multi-
Jlorum.
? 1516 Crete Herl-all Z iij, Sigillum sancte marye or sigil-
lum Salamonis is al one herbe that is called Salomons scale
or our ladies seale. 1870 Treas. Bot.) Lady s seal, Conval-
laria Polygonatitm.
2. The Black liryony, Tannts communis.
1578 LYTE Dodoens in. xlvii. 383 Our Ladies Seale hath
long branches, flexible, of a wooddislie substance. 1597
GKRARDE Herbal \\. cccvil. 722 Called . . in English blacke
Hryonie, wilde Vine, and our Ladies Scale. 1712 tr. Pomet s
Hist. Drugs I. 30 Hie Black Vine, which some have given
the name of our Lady s Seal.
Lady s Slipper. Also 6 Our Ladies slip
per, 8-9 ladies , lady slipper.
1. A common book-name for the orchidaceous
plant Cypripcdium Calceolus. Also applied occas.
to the cultivated calceolaria, and the Kird s-foot
Trefoil, Lotus corniculatus.
1597 GtRARUE Herbal ii. cvii. 359 Ovr Ladies Shooe or
Slipper, hath a thlcke knubbed rooie. 1794 MARTYN Rous
seau s Bot. xxvii. 422 The Ladies Slipi^er .. its singular,
large hollow inflated nectary. 1861 Miss PRATT Flower.
PL II. 116 Lotus corniculattts. .commonly called Lady s
Slipper. 1872 OLIVER l-.letn. Bot. n. 266 Oneextiemely rare
British species, the Lady s Slipper (Cyfrifrdinm Calceolus).
1894 WILKINS & VIVIAN Green bay tree II. 161 The boxes
of geranium and lady-slipper in the window.
2. ? U.S. The garden-balsam, Jmpatiens balsa-
mina (Cent. Diet.}.
Lady s thistle. Also 6 Our ladies, 6-7
lady, 8-9 ladies thistle. [Cf. G. Frauendistel^ Du.
Vrouwendistell\ The thistle Carduus Mariamts.
1552 ELYOT Diet. s.v. Spina> Spina alba, Our ladies
Thistle. 1578 LYTE Dodoens iv. Ixii. 525 Our Ladyes Thistel
groweth.. in rough untoyled places. 1579 LANGHAM Card.
Health (1633)634 Lady Thistles. 1688 K. HOLME Artnoury
ir. 63/2 The Lady-Thistle is our common Thistle. 1776-96
WITHERING Brit. Plants (ed. 3) III. 190 Milk Thistle.
Ladies Thistle. 1831 J. DAVIES Manual Mat. Med. 436
Ladies thistle. Carduus tnariamis.
Lady s traces, tresses. Also 6-9 lady,
ladies* traces, lady s traces. Name for the
plants of the genus Spiranthes (N.O. Orchzdacese} ;
also locally applied to grasses of the genus Briza.
1548 TURNER Xames of Herbes 70 Satyrion . . bryngeth
LJEN.
furth whyte floures in the ende of harueste, and it is called
Lady traces. 1578 LVTE Dodoens n. Ivi. 222 The sweete
Orchis, or Ladie traces are moste commonly to be found in
high, untilled, and dry places. 1597 GKRAKDR Herbal i.
cii.-i68 Friezland Ladie traces hath two small round stones
or bulbes. 1611 COTGB., Stityrioii a trois couillons. Triple
urizfl rr(cuiu, (.uimiiuu qimMiig gioaa , muics n*.j.--.~. .
C. A. JOHNS Week at Lizard 310 Nfottia sf trails. Lady s
tresses, an orchideous plant about six inches high.
II Laeii J<? n). O.E. Law. [OE. lien : see LOAN.]
An estate held as a benefice.
<J988 in Birch Cart. Sax. III. 329 pa ^ewat Eadric zcr
.4lineh cwideleas & /Elfeh feng to his Izne. a 1000 /ELFRIC
Voc. in Wr.-Wiilcker 115/36 Precariimr, landeslain. 1844
LINGARU Anglo-Sax. C/i. 118581 I. App. K. 371 National
property at the disposal of the king, to be distributed by
him as laens (loans) or benefices. 1876 DK;BY Real J rvf.
l. i. 2. 17 The person having the laen possessing only
the usufructuary enjoyment to a greater or less extent.
b. Comb. : leen-land, land held as Izen ; Isen-
right, beneficiary light.
983 in Kemble Codex Dipl. III. 217 Fif hida 3e Oswald
. . bocab Eadrice . . swa swa he hit air hjefde to lainlande.
1872 K. W. ROBKRTSON Hist. F.ss. 117 Laenlands, or bene
fices. Jtiil. 153 In property held by Laen-right possessions,
privileges and obligations devolved upon the eldest born.
1874-5 STUBBS Ctmst. Hist. I. v. 77 Hither bookland or
folk jand could be,. . under the name of Ixnlaml, held by free
cultivators.
Ziaeotropic (l ~i" r ? pik)> a. Also erron. leio-.
[f. Or. \cuu- s left + rpom/c-us turning, f. Tpowri a
turn.] Turned or turning to the left : said of the
whorls of a shell ; opposed to dexiotropic,
1883 [see DKXIOTROPIC].
Leased, Laesion, variants of LKSED, LESION.
il laet .let?. Hist. [OE. Ixl (found only once)
= OIIU. /dg ?descendant of a freedman ; glossed
libertiinii) : O l eut. *lxto-z, app. related to OE.
Ixtan LET p. ] The Old English designation for
a person of status intermediate between that of a
freeman and a slave.
a 1000 LaU s .-Ethelb. (Liebermann) 26 Gif 1st of slzhfl,
bone selestan xxx sell, for^elde ; ^if bane oberne of slxhS,
lx. scillingum for^elde; 3am Imddan xl scillingum for-
St- lden. 1875 STI HHS Canst. Hist. I. iv. 64 The three ranks
of men, the noble, the freeman, and the 1st.
t Lae table, " Obs. rare- , [nA. L.lsetaliilis,
f. Ixtarl to rejoice, f. hvtits joyful.] Worthy to
bee reioyced at (Cockeram, 1623).
t Ltcta tioii. Oh. Also 7 letation. [ad. L.
l^ tation-tm, f. lale L. In liire to render fertile,
f. l:\t-tts fertile, joyful.] A manuring; also quasi-
concr. manure.
(Frequent in Evelyn; in the Advertisement prefixed to
ed. 3 of Syfca, 1679 he says that the meaner capacities
among his readers may read for letation, dung .)
1664 KVKLYM Sylva I. ii. (1670) n Meliorating barren-
ground with sweet and comminuted lietations.
Loetic (U-tik), a. Hist. [ad. late L. Isetic-us, f.
Ixlus (sec below); the word is usually viewed as
adopted from Teut. *lxto-z (see L.KT).] Of or
pertaining to the lifli, a class of non-Roman culti
vators under the later Romnn empire, who occupied
lands for which they paid tribute.
1839 KKIGHTI.CV Hist. fcng. I. 129 At a subsequent period
[in Roman history] lands denominated Laetic u ere i^iven in
the interior of the provinces to larger bodies of the Bar
barians on similar condition. 1874 STUBBS Const. Hist. I.
vi. 161 As the freemen were mingled more or less with Icetic
or native races. 1892 C. M. ANDREWS Old Eng. Manor
Introd. 39 Portions of the Teutonic lactic organization may
have lingered in Kent.
Laetl ficiuit, a. rare . [ad. L. laetificanl-
em, pres. pple. of Ixtificare to make glad, f.
littificiis gladdening, f. lxt-ns joyful.] Of a
medicine : Cheering, stimulating.
i67 tr. Bacons Life t Death (1651) 28 Vapours work
powerfully upon the Spirits, .by lauiticant Medecines, . .&c.
1855 MAVNI-: Expos. Lex. t Lxtificans,. .letificant.
t Lseti ficate, v. Ol>s. rare - . [f. L. hetiji-
cdt- t ppl. stem of laetijicd-re see prec.).] trans.
To make joyful, cheer, revive. 1623 in COCKERAM.
Hence flisetifloa tion, rejoicing ; also, a making
joyful, t liseti flcative ., adapted to cheer.
c 1485 Digby My^st. (1882) I. 26 The shepherdes of Cristes
birthe made letificacion. 1623 COCKERAM II, Reioycing,
. . Laetitication. 1657 TOMLINSON Kenan s Disp. 386*
Storax is a good ingredient for cordial and laetificative
antidotes.
Laevigate, obs. form of LEVIGATE.
Ii3BVO-, levo- (l ~vu), used as combining form
of L. Isnitis, in the sense (turning or turned) to the
left , in physical and chemical terms, chiefly having
reference to the property possessed by certain sub
stances of causing the plane of a ray of polarized
light to rotate to the left (cf. DEXTKO-). Among
these are : a. Lnvogy rate, Lsevogy rous adjs.,
characterized by turning the plane of polarization
to the left. Lsevo-rota tion, rotation to the left.
Ltevo-ro tatory a., = L.EVOGVRATE. b. Iisevo-
co-mpound, a chemical compound which causes
laevo-rotation. Iiwvo-(flu cose = L*vi LOSE. Ise-
vo-race rale, Lsevo-tarta-ric acid, the modifica-
26
tions of rncemic and tartaric acid which are Ixvo-
rotatory. Hence Iieevo-ra cemate, -taTtrate,
the salts of these.
a 1856 HAYDN (Cent. s.v. Levogyrate\ If the analyser has
to be turned from right to left to obtain the natural order
of colours, the quartz is called left-handed or *levogyrate.
Client, (ed. ID 779 Both are *levorOtatory. 1897 Alltmtt s
Syst. Med. III. 216 When the urine is laevo-rotatory after
trituration with Fehling. 1876 tr. Schutzenberger s Ftr-
intnt. 6 Paratartaric acid easily splits up .. into dextro-
tartaric and *laevo-tartanc acid.
Laevulin, levnlin Irviwlin). Chem. [f. L.E-
VUL-OSE + -IN.] A substance resembling dextrin,
obtained from the roots of certain composite plants.
Hence Lsemilinic, only in /. add (see quot. 1888).
1888 Syd. Soc. Le.r., Lxwtlin, CeHujOs- .Lxvulinic acid
.. CsHgOfr 1897 Naturalist 44 The root contains .. also
sugar, levulin, while its juice exposed to the air ferments.
Lsevulose, levulose (\r\\/t\os\ Chem. [f.
L./ets*jleft + -ULB 4--osE.] The form of GLUCOSE
which is Irevo-rotatory to polarized light; fruit-
sugar. (Cf. DEXTROSE.)
1871 ROSCOE Etem. C/itttii. 396 In manna and honey mixed
with levulose, or left-handed glucose. 1878 KINGZF.TT
Aniin. Chan. 404 Cane sugar is first resolved into dextrose
and Ucvulose before it ferments. 1897 AllbntCs Syst. Med.
III. 386 Cane sugar is partly left unchanged, partly con
verted into glucose and kevulose.
Hence Laevulosane [ + -AXE] (see quot.\
1876 HARLF.Y Mat. Med. (ed. 6) 792 Heated to 338kevu-
lose loses water and is converted into Ijevulosane.
Lafayette . lafcye-t). L .S. [f. the name of
the trench general Lafayette.]
1. A scicenoid fish of the Northern United States
(Liostomus xanthurus),
1859 BARTLKTT Diet. Awer., Lafayette fish (Leiostomus
pHiqrtHs), a delicious sea-fish, which appears in the summer
in great abundance at Cape Island on the Jersey coast. ..
The name Lafayette, .was given it on account of its appear
ance one summer coinciding with the last visit of General
Lafayette to America.
2. A stromateoid fish (Stromatcus triacanthits\
1884-5 Stand. Nat. Hist. (1888) III. 215 A much smaller
species .. otherwise known as Lafayette or Cape May
goodie .
Laf(e, obs. f. LAVE sb. ; obs. Sc. f. LOAF sb.
Laferk, obs. Sc. form of I, ARK.
Laff, Laffe, obs. forms of LAUGH. LAVE sb.
Lafful, obs. form of LAWFUL.
Laft, Sc. form of LOFT.
Laft(e, obs. pa. t. and pa. pple. of LEAVE.
Xiafter, dial, form of LAUGHTER *.
Iiafully, obs. form of LAWFULLY.
Lag (laeg), sf>. 1 and a. [Belongs to LAG v2\
the origin and mutual relation of the words are
obscure.
In some parts of England fog, ssg; lag> m foggie, seggit,
laggie, are u>ed in children s games as substitutes for
first, second, last 1 (see Eng. Dial. Dkt. s.v. Fog). This
suggests the possibility that lag may have originated in the
language of sports as an arbitrary distortion of last , but
even in that case the word may have coalesced with a
homophone of independent origin. The current hypothesis
that the adj. is a. Welsh Hag (earlier Mac), Ir. and Gael.
lag, slack, weak, is highly improbable. There is some
affinity of sense between lag and LACK n. and v. (cf. to
cow* lag and to conig lack) ; the former might conceivably
bean alteration of the latter under the influence of words
like FLAG P. 1 , FAG s6.* Cf. further MOa. lakke to go
slowly (Kalkar).J
A. sb. 1. The last or hindmost person (in a
race, game, sequence of any kind). Now rare exo.
in schoolboy use.
1514 BARCLAY isf Eclogue in Cyt. $ Uplondyshm. (Percy
Soc.) p. xii, In the tavern remayne they last for lag. 1587
DtAMT/fome*>4. Bvj, Since eche man bragges, the lagge
of vs Ashendefull shame him take. 1611 CoTGR.s.v./Vr/Vr,
Le dernier U tonp le mange., .lags come to the lash. 1641
M. FRANK Serin, vii. (1672) 112 The Hwissinnts virontm,
the lag and fag of all a very scum of men. 1687 MIKCK
Gt. Fr. Did. n, Lag, a School- Word that signifies the last,
If dernier. As the Lag of a Form, le dernier d^une L lasst.
1700 DRYDEN Iliad i. 337 In threats the foremost, but the
lag in fight. 1776 JEFFERSON Writ. (ed. Ford) II. 39 The
omission of H and B and my being next to the lag [in the
nomination of delegates] give me some alarm. 1777 JOHNSON
Let. to Mrs. Titrate 25 Oct., How long do you stay at Bright-
helmstone? Now the company is gone, why should you t e
the lag ? 1825 Sporting Mag. XVI. 310 Ward first mounted
the stage and Cannon was no lag. 1859 KARRAR J. Home
iv. 38, I say, Julian, I vote we both try for lag next trials.
It d save lots of grind. 1890 A. LANG SirS. Northcote 1. 1.
15 Stafford Northccte occupied the undistinguished place
of lag in his form.
b. Comb.: lag-out ( = Mast out 1 ), the name of
a boys game.
1845 in Brasenose Afej6 No marble in circles on the hall-
step rolls, We cannot play lag-out, nor yet three-holes.
f2. //. \Vhnt remains in a vessel after the liquor
is drawn off; dregs, lees. Obs.
15.. Regitl. Househ. Earl Northwnb. (1770) 57 That
Vinacre be made of the brokyn Wynes. .And that the Laggs
be provide by the Clerks of the Hous and markid after the!
be past drawing that thei can be set no more of brochc.
1594 PLAT Jewell-ho. in. 65 Transmutations .. of old lags
of Sacks or Malmesies .. into Muskadels. 1615 MARKHAM
Eng. Jlousew. n. iv. 11668) 116 Lag^s of Claret and Sack.
LAG.
1703 Art ff My st. Vintners 21 Muskadel is sophisticated
with the Lags of Sack.
f3. The lowest class. ,Cf. lag-end.) Obs.- 1
1607 SHAKS. Timon in. vi. 90 The Senators of Athens,
together with the common legge [Kowe (1709) and later
editors lag] of People.
4. [from the vb.] The condition of lagging.
1837 Fraser*$ Mag. XVI. 114 When Spaniard meets
Spaniard, then comes, not the tug, but the lag, of war.
b. Physics. The retardation in a current or
movement of any kind ; the amount of this retar
dation. Lag of the tide: the interval by which
the tide-wave falls behind the mean time in the
first and third quarters of the moon.
1855 OGILVIK Suppl. s.v., The lag of the tide. . . The lag of
the steam-valve of a steam-engine. 1881 CHAMBKHS in
A a/wrt XXIII. 399 The remarkable lag which takes place in
the occurrence of the critical barometric epochs at the more
easterly stations. 1893 Electrical Engineer 16 Sept. 287/1
It is- obvious that at the point where B cuts the axis the
induction is a maximum ; hence if there were no magnetic
lag and no currents in the iron, this point should occur at
the same time as that at which the current is a maximum.
B. adj.
1. t Last, hindmost (obs.} ; belated, lingering
behind, logging, tardy (now rare}. (In early in
stances only absol. or predicative, and hence hardly
distinguishable from the sb. f (To come} lag of :
short of, too late for, or in arrear of.
1552 HULOET, Lagge and last. 1568 Hist. Jacob ff Esau
v. v. F iv b, Haue not we well hunted, of blessing to come
lagge? 1^89 R. HARVEY / /. 7V/v. 22 Beshrow him that
comes lagge in so good a course. 1594 SHAKS. Rich. ///,
n. i. 90 Some tardie Cripple. .That came too lagge to see
him buried. 1605 Lear i. ii. 6, I am some twelue, or
Court eene Moonshines Lag of a Brother. i6ia Two Noble
K. v. iv. 8 Beguile The gout and rheum, that in lag hours
attend For grey approachers. 1624 SIR C. MOUNTAGU in
Bmcleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. CommJ I. 260 Your neigh
bour will struggle so long for place as he will be cast lagg.
a 1639 T. CAKKW To Mistresse in Absence 31 There seated
in those heavenly bowers, Wee le cheat the lag andlingring
hours. 1678-9 DBYDH & LEE QLtHpus in. 1, Then hell has
been among ye, And some lag fiend yet lingers in the
grove. 1691 WOOD Aih.Oxon. I. 594 A fourth person, who
comes lagg, as having lately appeared in print . . tells us . .
he died. 1742 R. BLAIR Grave 731 Even the lag flesh
Rests. 1785 BURNS Address Dtit iii, An faith ! thou s
neither lag nor lame. 1832-53 Whist tt-Bi ikie(Scv\. Songs)
Ser. n. loo Lauehie had looms, but was lag at the weaving.
b. as an exclamation at play (see quot. 1869).
1609 ARM IN Maids of More -Cl. C 3 Boy. Now lohn, i le
cry first. loh. And i le cry lagge. I was in hoblies hole.
1869 Lcnsdale Gfoss., Lag or Lag last is said by boys
when playing at pitch and toss, or other games, in order
tlwt they may bespeak the last pitch.
2. Special collocations (sometimes hyphened) :
lag-end, the hinder or latter part, the fag end
(now rare}\ flag-man, the last man, the one
who brings up the rear ; f lag-tooth, a wisdom
tooth (from its late appearance). Also Comb. :
lag-bellied a., ? slow-paced, tardy.
1596 SHAKS. i //<. /F, v. i. 24, I could be well content To
enteriaine the Lagge-end of my life With quiet hours. 1599
NASIIE Lenten Stuffe 37 The Essex calfe or lagman, who
had lost the cakfes of his legs by gnawing on the horslegs.
1611 FLORIO, Sofhronistcri, the two teeth which grow last
when a man is about twentie yeares ould, lag-teeth. 1624
HKVWOOU Gitnaik. \. 17 In the lagge end of the same troope
were driven a certaine number of faire and goodlie oxen.
1822 HOOD Lyctis the Cent an rte From the lag-bellied toad
To the mammoth. 1857 MRS. MATHKWS lea-Table T. I.
204 A shelter, .where they may ..wear away the lag-end of
their madness.
Lag leg .,j*.- Also 7 lagg. [*Pp.*.ON.4tfr,
recorded only in the sense rim of a barrel (cf.
I b) ; but the Sw. lagg means also stave , whence
laggkiirl vessel composed of staves, cask.]
1. A stave of a barrel. Now dial.
1672 HOOLE Comenins I is. World 165 The Cooper ..
maketh Hoops of Hassel-rods..and Lags of Timber. 1676
Knrgery of Sheffield 209 For mendyng the church yatis
andliarrell laggs and nayles 4J. 40*. 1869 in Lonsdaie Gloss.
tb. (See quot.} Obs. rare~.
1688 R. HOLME Armoury m. 108/1 Lag, is a piece put into
the top of a Barrel staff that is broken off at the Grooping.
2. One of the staves or laths forming the covering
of a band-drum or a steam boiler or cylinder, or
the upper casing of a carding machine.
1847 Sfrci/. Sykcs $ Ogdens Patent No. 1 1798 On these
bands [in a carding engine] we fix a continued series of
lags or small blocks of wood. 1875 in KNIGHT Diet. Mech.
3. Comb. : lag-link, a link for holding a lag or
bar (Cent. Diet.} ; lag-machine, a machine for
shaping wooden lags l^see sense 2); lag-screw,
(a) a flat-headed screw used to secure lags to
cylinders or drums ; (b} U. S. - coach- screw.
"1873 I. RICHARDS Wood-ivorking Factories 26 Almost any
kind of shafting can be hung with safety on wood screws, or
lag screws. 1875 KNIGHT Dut. Mech., Lag-m.ichine.
Lag, *M Obs. [Of unknown origin; cf. G.
lache cleft or mark in a tree. Cf. LAG v.- K >] A
cleft or rift in timber. Also Comb., as tag-clift
unless lagge in quot. 1579 be the adj.).
1579 HVLL Ord. AY{i6o8) 24 Thestocke thus cut asunder
af both the ends, couer with a faire sheete, lest any lagge
clifts appeare after the cutting. 1790 W. MARSHALL Midi.
Counties II. 333 The lag .. is a cleft, or rift, reaching
sometimes from the top to the bottom of the stem, and,
perhaps, to near its center.
LAQ.
t Lag, sb.l Cant. Obs. Also 6 lagge. [Pos
sibly f. lag, LAGE v. to wash.] Lag of duds : a
buck or wash of clothes.
1567 HARMAN Caveat 86 We wyll fylche some duddes of
the KufTemans, or myll the ken for a lagge of dudes. 1622
BEAUM. & FL. Beggars linsh v. i, If it be milling of a lag
of duds, a 1700 B. E. Diet. Cant. Crew, Lag-a dudds, a
Buck of Cloths. As ive cloy the Lag of Dndds, come let
us Steal that Buck of Cloths. 1725 in .Vtw Cant. Diet.
Lag Oaeg), sb Cant. [f. LAG f.3]
1. A convict who has been transported or sen
tenced to penal servitude.
1811 J. H. VAUX Flash Diet., Lag, a convict under
sentence of transportation. 1828 JON BlB 1 Living J ict.
Land, 39 A few are returned lags . 1887 \Vestm. Rei>.
June 383 It was no uncommon thing to see an old lag 1
enlarged for good conduct. 1894 H. NISBET Rush Girl s
Rom. 232 As Wildrake was walking along the beach, he met
a lag who had got his ticket-of-leave.
2. A term of transportation or penal servitude.
1821 HAGGART Life 84 Another prisoner, .under sentence
of lag for fourteen stretch. 1896 Daily Neivs 13 May 9/5,
I have had a look round with another man who did a lag
with me.
3. Comb. : lag-fever, -ship ( see quots .).
z8n Lex. Halatron., Lag-ferer, a term of ridicule applied
to men who being under sentence of transportation, pretend
illness, to avoid being sent from gaol to the hulks. 1812
J. H. VAUX Flash Diet., Lag ship, a transport chartered
by government for the conveyance of convicts to New South
Wales ; also a hulk or floating prison.
t Lag, s/>. G Obs. rare. ? A flock (of geese).
1624 MOUNTAGUE \fw Gagg t To Rdr, Hee hath stopped
the mouths of all Protestants for euer ; the proudest of them
dare not hiscerc hereafter against Himselfe, or any one of
his Lagg. Ibid. 180 Tin s Goose the (iagger may put bis
Gag into the Bils of many of his owne Ua.egle, as well as
into others Lagges. [1896 Eng. Dial. Diet., A-lag, Cum.,
the sporting term for a flock of geese.]
t Lag, v. 1 Obs. [Of obscure origin ; cf. DAG
v.l, CLAG z;.]
1. trans. To daggle,
render wet or muddy.
[a 1300 ? Implied in BELAG T.] < 1440 Promp. Parv. 283
Lageyd, or bedrabelyd, labcfactus, faludosus. Laggyn, or
drablyn, palustro.
2. intr. To daggle, become wet or muddy.
i68a BUNVAN Holy U ar 230 Let them [your new gar
ments] not lag witli dust and dirt.
Lag (Iceg), v? Also 6-7 lagg, 6-8 lagge. [See
LAG JjM and a.~\
1. intr. To fail to maintain the desired speed of
progress ; to slacken one s pace, as from weakness
or sloth ; to fail to keep pace with others ; to hang
back, fall behind, remain in the rear. Often with />e-
hind adv. or const, after, beh ind preps.; also with<vz.
1530 PALSGR. 601/1, I lagge behynde my felowes, je traync.
. .Why lagge you ever behynde on this facion? 1570 LKVIXS
Manip. 10/23 To I,a,/afigare, fatiscere. 1607 TouRNF.ru
Rev. Trag.\\. Eib, lo prison with the Villains. Death shall
not long lag after him. 1622 R. HAWKINS Voy. S. Sen
(1847) 173 The admiral! . .began to lagge a sterne, and with
him other two shipper 1651 DAVENANT Gondibert in. in.
xxvi, And lagg d like Baggage Treasure in the Wars. 1667
MILTON / . L. x. 266, I shall not lag behinde, nor erre The
way, thou leading. 1697 DRYDEN sEneid \n. 379 He lags
and labours in his flight. 1711 STEKLK Sfiect. No. 137 P 4
His Master . .wondered what made the lazy young Dog lag
behind. 1748 JOHNSON Van. Hum. It- is/tes 313 Super
fluous lags the vet ran on the stage. 1800 WOHDSW.
Brothers 363 He, at length Through weariness, .. lagged
behind. 1801 MAR. EDGEWOKTH Knapsack (1832) 298 My
poor fellows, how they lag ! 1824 W. IRVING Trav. II. 107
Suffering them [his mules] to lag on at a snail s pace. 1837
Capt. Bonneville II. 46 He grew silent and gloomy, and
lagged behind the rest. 1857 HUGHES Tom Brown n. iii.
(1871) 260 When they had crossed three or four fields
without a check, Arthur began to lag. 1897 Allbntt^s Syst.
Med. IV. 492 If the sign is present, the upper eyelids lag,
not closely following the movements of the eyeballs.
b. of immaterial things andy^f.
1591 SHAKS. i Hen. I L, in. iii. 34 Fortune, in fauor makes
him lagge behinde. a 1661 FULLER Worthies (1840) III. 498
And this our Gildas [the Fourth]; who lagge th last in the
team of his name sakes. 1703 J. SAVAGK Lett. Antients vi.
40 We lagg in the care ot Things of no kin to us. 1713
SWIFT Cadenns $ I anessa 355 Ideas came into her mind So
fast, his lessons lagg d behind. 1761 FOOTE Lyar in. Wks.
1799 I. 322 Think how the tedious time has lasg d along.
1775 BURKE Sp. Cone. Amer. Wks. III. 44 WheiVwe speak
of the commerce with our colonies, fiction lags after truth.
1820 W. IRVING Sketch Bk. II. 94 The vocal parts generally
lagging a little behind the instrumental. 1833 HT. MAR*
TIMEAU Fr. ll ines $ Pol. vi. 84 Business lagged in every
department of the administration. 1865 CARLYLE F redk.
Gt. xvn. ii. (1872) VII. 14 Military preparation does lag
at a shameful rate. 1874 GREEN Short Hist. vi. 6. 332
The work lagged for five years in the hands of the bishops.
1891 Electrical Engineer 16 Sept. 287 2 The maximum in
duction lags behind the maximum magnetising force.
2. trans. To cause to lag; to retard, to tire.
Obs. exc. dial.
i57<> [see i]. 1632 HEVWOOD isf Pt. Iron Age v. Wks.
1874 III. 338 The weight would lagge thee that art wont
to flye. 1638 R. liKATHWAir Psalm di. 298 Thine Armours
load, but laggs faint heart, for flight the more unfit. 1876
IV/iitby Gloss., Lagg d, tired as with carrying a load.
t 3. trans. To drag after one.
1530 PALSGR. 601/1 He laggeth the dogge at his horse
tayle : it trayne le chien a la queue dc son chcunL
Hence f Lagged ppl. a., delayed, tardy.
1601 MAXSTON Antonio s Rev. \. \. Wks. 1856 I. 75 O, I
uould eate Thy fumbling throat, for thy lagd censure.
27
Ii&ff (!% v >^
f 1. trans. To carry off, steal. Obs.
1573 TUSSER Ilusb. xx. (1878) 54 Some corne away lag in
bottle and bag. Some steales, for a iest, egges out of the
nest. Ibid, xxxvi. 86 Poore cunnie, so bagged, is soone
oner lagged.
2. a. To transport or send to penal servitude.
i8ia J. H. VAUX Flash Diet., Lag, to transport for seven
years or upwards. 1838 DICKENS O. Twist xvi, They ll
ask no questions after him, fear they should be obliged to
prosecute, and so get him lagged. 1870 READE Put } ottrself
in His Place II. 288 Let Little alone, or the trade will
make it their job to lag you.
b. To catch, apprehend.
1847 DE QUISCEY Schlosser s Lit. Hist. Wks. 1858 VIII.
58 Aladdin himself only escaped being lagged for a
rogue and a conjurer by a flying jump after his palace.
1858 A. MAYHEW Paved w. Gold in. i. 252 They tell him
adventures of how they were nearly lagged by the con
stables . 1891 NAT Goui.n Double Event xxxiv, I m a dead
un. You ll never lag me alive, you cur !
Iiag U 3 -^)* v> * D I AG s &- 2 ] trans. To cover
a bolter, etc.) with wooden lags , strips of felt, etc.
1887 EWING in Kncycl. Brit. XXII, 488/1 The loss of
efficiency due to this cause will therefore be greater in an
unprotected cylinder than in one which is well lagged or
covered with non-conducting material. 1888 in Sheffield
Gloss. 1891 Lal-nur Commission Gloss., Lagging a boiler,
covering a boiler in a steamship with some material to keep in
the heat. 1898 Dublin Rev. Apr. 423 Lagged outside with
layers of felt two centimetres thick.
Lag", w. 5 dial. [Cf. LAG sb.3\ (See quot.)
[1570: LEVINS renders lag v. by fatiscere, which it is
barely possible may be meant to express the sense of this
vb. along with that of LAG r-. 1 ] 1881 Leicestcrsh. Gloss.)
Lag, to crack or split from the centre like wood from heat
or hasty drying. 1888 in Sheffield Gloss.
Lag: see LAOK Cant (sb. and t .}.
Lag ail Jordan). Law. Also 6 lagen, 7, 8 lagon,
ligaii, 9 lagend. [a. OF. lagan, lagucn, lagand
(whence med.L. laganuni) ; pern, of Scandinavian
origin, from the root of LIE, LAY vbs. Cf. OX.
Ifgn, pi. lagnir* a net laid in the sea (Vigf.).
The spelling ligan seems to be due to pseudo-
etymology.] Goods or wreckage lying on the bed
of the sea. Cf. FLOTSAM and JETSAM.
[1200 Carta de Duneivic in Stubbs Scl. Charters 1895)
311 De ewagio de wrec et lagan.] 1531 Charterfarty in
R. G. Marsden Set. PI. Crl. Adm. 11894) 37 Yff the wiyd
shype take any pryse purchase any flotson or lagen. 1533
Ibid., Flotezon or lagason. 1591 Articles cone. Admiralty
2i July 6 Any ship, yron, leade, or other goods floating
or lying under the water or in the depth, of which there is
no possessor or owner, which commonly are called Flotzon,
Jetson.and Lagan. 1605 COKE /iV/.v. (1624) 106 b Lagan (vel
potius Hgiifi) est quand [etc.; translated in quot. 1641]. 1622
CAI.LIS Slat. Seiuers (1647) 18 [citing Coke] Flotsan, Jetsan
and Lagan are goods on or in the Sea, and . . they belong to the
King. 1641 Tertncs de la Ley 193 Lagan is such a parcell of
goods as the Mariners in a danger of snipwracke cast out . .
and fallen to them a boigh or coike, that so they may finde
them. . . These goods are called Lagan or Ligan a ligando.
1707 J. CHAMBBKLAYNB St. Gt. Brit. \. ii. ,\. 1431*0 the Lord
High Admiral belongs ..a Share of all lawful Prizes, Lagon..
that is, goods lying in the Sea, on Ground. 1865 KINGSLEY
/lerew. I. vi. 171 Prowling about the shore after the waifs
of the storm, deserted jetsom and lagend. 1894 Act 57-8
I ict. c. 60 g 510 In this Part of this Act.. wreck includes
jetsam, flotsam, lagan, and derelict found in or on the shores
of the sea or any tidal water.
Hence t La gander, an officer (at Calais) who
takes charge of lagan or wreckage.
1526 in Dillon Customs of Pale (189-2) 86 If ther be aiue
manner of W racks found by the sea coste, it muste be pre
sented to the Lagander or to the Sergeante . . broughte to
the foresaide Lagander s hous.
II Laga-rto. Obs. [Sp. lagarto : see ALLIGA-
TOU.] An alligator.
1577 FKAMPTON Joyful News n. 73 b, Pimple stones.,
whiche are founde in greate quantitie in the mawes of
Caimanes, y l are called Lagartos. 1596 RALEIGH Discov.
Gviana 48 We saw in it [the Orenoque] diners sorts of
strange fishes, & of maruellous bignes, but for Lagartos
it exceeded, for there were thousands of those vglie serpents.
1600 HAKLUYT l r oy. Ill, 489 In this riuer we killed a mon
strous Lagarto or Crocodile.
[Lage, lag, sb. Cant. Obs. Also 7 lagge.
[Origin and phonetic form uncertain.] \Vatfr; urine.
1567 HARMAN Caveat 83 Lage, water. 1610 ROWLANDS
Martin Mark-all E 3, Lagge , water or pisse. 1641 BKOMB
Joviall Crew n. Wks. 1873 III. 391, I bowse no Lage, but
a whole Gage Of this Til bowse to you. 1665 R. HEAD
Eng. Rogue \. \. (1680) 46 Lage, water. 1676-1708 COLES
Lage. 1859 MATSELL Voc. (Fanner), Lag.
llence t Laff(e v. a. intr. To make water.
b. trans. To water (spirits ). Also, to wash off.
1567 HARMAN Caveat 85, I will lage it of with a gage of
benehouse... I wull washe it of with a quart of good drynke.
1812 J. H. VAUX I- lash Diet., Lag, to make water. To
lag spirits, wine, &c., is to adulterate them with water.
La geii. Obs. exc. Hist. Also 6 laggon, 7, 9
lagan. [ad. L. lagona, lagena^ flagon, ad. Gr.
Xa-yuroy.] A liquid measure Csee quots.).
1570 "LKVINS Afatu p. 163/44 A Laggon, lagena. 1607
CowE(.L//trr/r., Clerk of t he market . .is an officer, .whose
dutie is to take charge of the kings measures . . : as of
elns, yards, laj;ens. 1676 COLES, Lagen. .a measure of six
Sectaries. 1841 TVTLEK Hist. Scot. (1879) I. 237 With an
obligation to sell their ale to the abbott at the rate of a lagen
and a half for a penny. 1891 J. TAIT Two Cent. Border
Ch. Life II. 218 The lagan was equal to 7 quarts,
Lagen, variant of LAGGIN.
LAGGER.
t Lagena rious, a. Qbs.rare- 1 , [f.L. lagena
a flagon -t- -ARIUUM.] Vlagon-shaped.
1657 TOMLINSON Ketwu s Disp. 241 Four sorts of Cucur-
bites, the greater, the lesser, or the lagenarious.
Lagend, Lagene, obs. ff. LAGAN, LAGOIN.
Lagenian (lad^rnian), a. Zoo I. [f. L. lagena
+ -IAN.] Like or pertaining to the genus Lagena of
Forammifera, having a straight chambered shell.
1890 in WEBSTER.
Lageiiiform (ladzrnifpim), a. Zoo/, and Bot.
[f. as prec. -t- -ll)FOKM.J (See quoO
1826 KIKHY & Si 1 . Entptnol. IV. 268 Lageniform. .bellying
out and then ending in a narrow neck, something like a
buttle. 1862 M. C. COOKK Man. Bot. Terms, Lageniform,
shaped like a Florence flask. 1868 W. U. CAKPENTER Micro
scope (ed. 4) 382. 500 The shell of Nodosaria is obviously
made up of a succession of Lageniform chambers.
Lager beer Ia g3i|bi3*i\ Also simply lager,
[ail. G. lager-bier beer brewed for keeping, f. lager
a store + bier beer.] A light beer, consumed
largely in Germany and America, and to some
extent in Kngland.
1853 UHE Diet, Arts fed. 4 I. 153 Beers at present brewed
in Germany. .. n. Wheat /r/tjvr-bcer (slowly fermented).
1858 N. Y. A .v/ri*w June (Bartlett>, The German drinks his
lager, and drinks it apparently in indefinite quantities. 1863
DICKY Federal St. II. 80 Neither for love nor money could
a stranger obtain a drink more intoxicating than lager beer.
attrih. 1882 SAI.A Atucr. Revis. 11885 4 01 Tinware shops,
butchers , bakers and lager beer Saloons.
l!liage tta,lage*tto. [West Indian.] A genus
of dicotyledonous trees of the W. Indies (N.O.
Thymefa acex\ ; also called lace-bark.
1756 1 . HKOWSI: Jamaica 371 The Lagetto or Lace-T>ark
tree. 773 Phil. Trans. LX.I1I. 492 Specimen of the
Lagetta Tree, and its lace-like Hark, from Jamaica.
Laggard Jx ga.id), a. and sb. Also 9 laggart.
[f. LA<; r-. 1 + -ARD.]
A. adj. Lagging, hanging back, loitering, slow.
Chiefly of living things, their actions, and attri
butes. Occas. of days, time, etc.
1702 ROWK Tamerlane \\ . i, Tho Laggard in the Race
. . I will pursue the shining Path thou tread st. 1706
[WARD] \\~oodcn SI orld Dissected (1708) 31 [The press-ganc;
lieutenant] beats up all Quarters .. and drives the laggard
J >og along the Streets, with as much noise and Hustle
as lintchers do Swine to Smith field. 7 I 3 J- HIGHIS
Ode to Creator World 4 Decrepit Winter, higgard in
the Dance .. A heavy Season does maintain. 1747 COL
LINS Passions 112 Than all which charms this laggard
age. 1814 Scorr Lord of Isles \\. xviii, And Lennox
cneer d the lani;ard hounds. 1842 MANNINC; Scri. xvi.
(1848) I. 235 Ours is a . . laggard obedience at the best.
1871 PALGHAVE I.yr. Poems 91 My heart outruns these lag
gart limbs. 1889 jFSSoi i 1 Coming of Friars iv. 183 The
An^el of Death moves at no laggard pace.
B. sb. One who lags behind ; a lingerer, loiterer.
1808 SCOTT Mann. v. xii, A laggard in love, and a dastard
in war. 1836 W. IKVING Astoria I. 8> He meant to let the
laggards off for a long pull and a hearty fright. 1860 RAW-
LIN SON Herodotus IV. ix. Ixxvii. 449 They declared them
selves to desei ve a fine, as laggarts. 1876 TAIT Rcc. Adi 1 .
Phys. Sci. x. (ed. 21 259 Formed of the laggards, as it were,
which have been thrown out of the race.
Hence La-ggard z ., to play the laggard. Also
La ggardism, Ia-ggardly adv. . I*a*ggardness.
1835 PUSEY Let. to yeivman, in Liddon, etc. Lijc J ns.y
(1893) II. i. 8 [It] hardly seems to come heartily, because
it has not come before, but comes laggardly. iStSgCARLYLE
Fredk. Gt. xv. \iii. 11872) VI. 40 Austrlans mainly are
gone laggarding with D Ahremberg up the Rhine. 1865
Sat. Rev. XIX. 75^/1 The insolent contempt of labour
on the one hand, and the petty aping of laggardism and
polite inanity on the oilier. 1869 GOULBVRN Purs. Holiness
1. 10 That laggardness of will.
Laggen, variant of LAGGIX.
Lagger (Ise gsj), sh\ [f. LAG Z/.- + -EK 1 .]
1. One who lags or hangs back ; a lingerer,
loiterer.
1523 LD. BEHNERS Froiss. I. xvji. 18 Theyr bole host, .are
all a norsebacke . . without it be the traundals and laggers
of the oost, who folow after a foote. 1682 DRVOEN Duke of
Guise iv. ii, The guard is mine, to . . lash the laggers from
the sight of day. 1789 MRS. PIOZZI Jonrn. France I. 286
The mob .. lash the laggers along with great indignation.
1844 STANLKV Arnold I. iv. 235 Himself always keeping
with the luggers, that none mi^ht strain their strength by
trying to be in front with him. 1852 R. S. SURTEES
Sponge s Sp. Tour li. 291 The laggers were stealing quietly
up the lanes and by-roads. 1878 FR. A. KKMBLK Record
Girlhood Il.iv. 131 The laggers who would fain have fallen
a few paces out of the sound of the dreary parrotry of her
inventory.
2. slang. A sailor. [? A distinct word : cf.L-AGE.]
i8ia J. H. VAUX Flash Diet., Lagger, a sailor.
Lagger U^ g 3 - 1 )* s ^-~ Cant. [f. LAG y.3 or sb]
A convict undergoing or having undergone penal
servitude.
1819 Sporting Mag. 111.230/2 The laggers had an intere*t
as to the result. 1880 S. LAKEMAN Kaffir-Land 19 Many
of them were what they termed at the Cape, laggers.. men
who, having got away from Norfolk Island, or other pen-
folds for black sheep, lag behind, under the guardianship
of Dutch laws.
tlia gger,^- Obs. [? f. LAG v. 2 + -ER - ; butcf.
Icel. laKra to loiter.] intr. To lag, linger, loiter.
ci6ao A. HUME Brit. Tongue Ded. 11865) 2_Heere my
harte laggared on the hope of your Majestie s judgement.
i6 R. PRESTON Godly Afaiis Inqnis. ii. 49 They shall
neuer come to the Lord, that lagger by the way.
4-2
LAQGIN.
e gin\ .SV. and north. Also6laggyne,
lagene, 8 legen, 8-9 laggen, 9 lagen. [f. ON.
fy&S f the same meaning : see LAG sb. ^ The
identification of the suffix is uncertain ; it may be
-ING - (cf. LAGGING vbl. j.3).]
1. The projecting part of the staves at the bottom
part of a cask or other hooped vessel.
1587 Sc. Acts Jas. VI (1814) III. 522/1 That..}>e edge of
\>e bottom, entring within the laggyne be pairit outwith,
toward be nethir syde. 1893 in Northnntbld. Gloss.
1825 BROCKETT N. C. Words, Laggins, staves.
2. The inner angle of a wooden dish, between the
sides and the bottom.
1786 BURNS Dream xv, But or the day was done, I trow,
The laggen they hae clautet Fu l clean that day. 1802 R.
ANDERSON Cumberld. Ball. 24 When on the teable furst
they set The butter d sops, sec greasy chops, Tween lug
and laggen ! oh what fun, To see them girn and eat !
transf. 1842 Chr. Jrnl. 309 The laggin of the Sowen-pot.
3. Comb. : laggen-gird, a hoop securing the
bottom of a tub or wooden vessel. Phr. 71? cast
a laggen-gird\ to have an illegitimate child.
1718 RAMSAY Christ is Kirke Gr. in. ix, I. .coosta Legen -
girth my sell, Lang or I married Tammie. 1821 fitackw.
Mag. Jan. 406 2 Ye ll souk the laggin-gird off the quaigli,
and mar yere minstrelsy and our mirth.
-ING Cj The action or condition of LAG v.%
1600 HOLLAND Li-oy vi. vii. 221 What meanes this strange
and unwonted lagging behind? 1862 DANA Man. Geol. 41
The westward tropical flow is due simply to a slight lagging
of the waters. 1867 DENISON Astron. without Main. 123
This is called the priming and lagging of the tides. 1897
Allbittt s Syst. A fed. II. 915 Cardiac irregularity is a fre
quent con-.equence of tobacco-smoking, lagging and inter-
mis.iion being the earlier forms of it.
Lagging (l^ gin), vbl. st>.~ [f. LAG v.^ +
-ING 1 .] A sentence or term of imprisonment or
penal servitude. Also attrib. (see quot. 1812...
1812 J. H. VAUX Flask Diet. , Lagging matter, any species
of crime for which a person is liable on conviction to be
transported. .. Speaking of a person likely to be transported
they say lagging dues will be concerned. 1838 DICKENS O.
Tu-ist xliii, If they do fget fresh evidence], it s a case of
lagging. 1844 Port Phillip Patriot 22 July 2/6, I remained
with him five years after I served my lagging .
Lagging Tse girj), vbl. sb.s [f. LAG zv* +
-ING !.] The notion of the vb. LAG *.
1. The action of covering a boiler, an arch ; a wall,
etc , with strips of wood or felt.
1870 Ettg. Mec/t. ii Feb. 516/1 This may be .. prevented
by careful lagging 1 with non-conductors of heat. 1895
HATCH CHALMERS Gold Mines of Rand vi. 121 Side
lagging is seldom necessary after the first 50 or 100 feet.
attrib. 1884 Leisure Hour Sept. 531/2 The old engine-
house was exchanged for part of the old lagging shop.
2. //. and collect, sing. The material with which
this is done. Also attrib.
1851 Pract. Mcch. Jrnl. III. 242 The boiler is covered
with lagging and Russia sheet iron. 1867 BEN HRIKRLKY
Metrlotks Merriton 68 The fence {his own making) was but
a rickety fabric of laggins , worn-out treadles [etc.J. 1869
Lonsdale Gloss., Laggins, the part of the wooden frame
work upon which the stones are laid when building an arch.
1870 Scott s Diet. Engineering it. 479 The term bolster has
also been applied to the pieces of timber placed across the
ribs of the centering of an arch to support the voussoirs ;
but these are more generally known by the name of laggings.
1881 RAYMOND Mining Gloss., Lagging, planks, slabs, or
small timber placed over the caps or behind the posts uf the
timbering.
Lagging ^loe-gin ), ///. a. [f. LAG z/. 2 + -ING -.]
That lags ; behindhand, lingering, loitering, tardy.
X S93 SHAKS. Rich. If, i. in. 214 Foure lagging Winters,
and to u re wanton springs End in a word. 1655 FULLER C/t.
Hist. v. i. 4 The lagging money which was last sent
thither. 1697 DRYDEN Virg. Past. vm. 25 Come, Lucifer,
drive on the lagging Day. 1735 SOMKRVILLE Chase i. 280
A lagging Line Uf babling Curs |>hall] disgrace thy broken
Pack. 1813 SCOTT Triertn. in. xxxiii, A lofty lay Seem d
thus to chide his lagging way. 183* HT. MARTI NEAU Detnc-
rara \. 6 The slaves came with a lagging step. 1859 *
MEREDITH A . Feverel xxxiii, The eager woman hastened
his lagging mouth.
Hence La gfglngly adv.
c iBiy HOGG Tali s <V .S". III. 50 Moves heavily and lag-
gingly along. 1872 LEVKR Ld. Kilgobbin xxxvi. (1875) 210
Thoughts that came laggingly.
Laggon, variant of LAGEN.
Laggoose(l3e gig). a (See GREY LAG GOOSE.)
f b. Gill Laggoose : a personification of sloth.
1573 TUSSER Hush. Ixxxv. (1878) 174 Beware of Gill lag-
goose, disordring thy house.
Lagh.e, lajhe, obs. forms of LAUGH, LAW, Low.
Laght, lajt, obs. pa. t. of LATCH z/.i
Laghter, -ir, etc., obs. forms of LAUGHTER.
Laghtnes, obs. form of LOWNESS.
La g-la:st. [f. LAG v? + LAST adv.] One who
lags or lingers to the very last. Also attrib.
1830 JAMES Darnley ix. 41 He ll be lag last. 1851
Prater s Mag. XLIII. 634 The hglasts, springing simul
taneously out of bed, turned the late quiet dormitory into
a very noisy assembly-room. 1862 CHK. ROSSETTI Goblin
Market , etc. (18841 84 One day in the country Is worth a
day and a year Of the dusty, musty, lag-last fashion That
days drone elsewhere. 1869 [see LAG a. \ b].
t La gly, adv. Obs. rare , [f. LAG a. + -LY .]
1611 FLORID, 149 DiretanawentC) lastly, lagly, behind all.
28
Xiagomorph Jarg^m^ji). Zool. [f. Gr. Ao-yi-s
i hare + t*op<pri form.] C)ne of the Lagomorpha, a
group of rodents of which the hares form one
family. Hence Iiagomo rphic a., having the form
and structure of a hare.
i88a Pof>. Sci. Monthly XX. 423 The lagomorphs hares),
almost exclusively of the northern hemisphere.
II Lagomys ( Ise g^mis). Zool. [mod.L., f. Gr.
\ayw-s hare + /iCs mouse.] The tailless hare, the
typical genus of the group LagomyidiK of rodents.
1869 I .UBBOCK Prch. Times ix. 297 1 he lagomys, or tailless
hare,, .has been identified by Prof. Owen among the bones
from Kents Cavern.
Lagon, obs. form of LAGAN.
LagOllite llEe gfSnsit). Mitt. [f. It. lagone
LAGOON-; named by 11 not, 1841: see -ITE.] A
hydrous borate of iron from the Tuscan lagoons.
1850 DANA Min. 446 Lagonite. An earthy mineral of an
ochreous yellow color. 1868 Ibid. (ed. 5) 600 Lagonite . .
occurs as an incrustation.
Lagoon (lagw n). Also 7-9 lagune, and 7-9
in It. form laguna, pi. laguue. [ad. K. lagune,
ad. It. and Sp. laguna : L. lacuna pool.]
1. An area of salt or brackish water separated
from the sea by low sand-banks, esp. one of those
in the neighbourhood of Venice.
1612 in Crt. ff Times jfas. 7(1848) I. 184 He was observed
that day to row to and fro in the laguna towards Murano,
to see what show his house made. 1673 RAY Journ. I-mu
C. 8 The Laii>ie or Flats about Venice. 1697 DAM-
riKR Voyages I. 241 They went into a Lagune, or Lake
of Salt-water [on the Mexican coast]. The mouth of this
Lagune is not Pistol-shot wide. 1716 Lond. Gaz. No.
5407/2 People .. have come over the Lagune on the Ice.
1763 \V. ROBERTS Nat. Il ist. Florida 8 This river. .forms a
lagune at the mouth. 1789 MHS. PIOZZI Journ. 1-rancc I.
187 Covering the lagoons with gaiety and splendour. 1803
\V. TAYLOK in Ann. Rev. I. 32 The ornithorhynchus, .. an
animal peculiar to the lagoons in New South Wales. 1818
SHELLEY Lett. Pr. Wks. 1888 II. 2 57 He took me in his
gondola across the laguna to a long sandy island. 1856
MRS. HROWSISG A itr. Leigk vii. 715 God alone above each,
as the sun O er level lagunes. 1874 LYKLL Elem. Geol. \. 4
Lag ons nearly separated by sand bars from the ocean.
1883 F. M. PEARD L\mtrad. I. i Behind them and beyond
the lagoons lay the tossing and flying waves of the Adriatic.
2. The lake-like stretch of water enclosed in an
atoll.
1769 COOK Jrn!. 4 Apr. (1893 55 Found it to be an Island
. .of an Oval form, with a Lagoon in the Middle, for which
I named it Lagoon Island. 1842 1 im HARD \,if. Hist. Man
3^6 Reefs of coral rock, generally disposed in a circular form,
and enclosing a lagoon. 1878 HUXLEY Pkysiogr. xv. (ed. 21
254 Inside the rim of land, there is a shallow lake, or lagoon,
of clear green water.
3. attrib. and Comb. .zz lagoon-channel; lagoon-
island, an atoll ; lagoon-whaling, the occupa
tion of hunting the grey-whale in the California!!
lagoons {Cent. Diet,}.
1845 DARWIN I oy. Nat. xx. (1852) 452 This is one of the
lagoon-islands (or atolls) of coral formation. Ibid. 469 The
depth within the Lagoon-channel, .varies much.
H encu Lagoo nish a . , characterized by the presence
of lagoons ; Lagoo nless a., having no lagoon.
1841 Tail s .Vrt^ . VIII. 348 The numerous creeks, islands,
and inlets in this lagoonish . . coast are minutely described.
1877 LE CONTK Elem. Cci l. ii. (r879) 1 4 2 Sometimes the
lagoon closes up, and a lagoonless island is the result.
IjagOOn : ;lag;7 n). rare. [Anglicized form (after
LAGooN 1 ) of It. tagone, augmentative of lago:
L. lacus LAKE sb.*] In Tuscany, the basin of a hot
spring from which borax is obtained.
1868 DANA Mix. (ed. 5) 882 Larderellite. .Occurs at the
Tuscan lagoons. 1885 GEIKIE Text-bk. Geol. Hi. l. i. 2
(ed. 2) 218 The lagoons of Tuscany.
l| Lagophthalmus (.la."-g|S>a;-lmys). Path.
[mod.L., ad. Gr. \aywil>9o.\fios adj. hare-eyed
(i.e. unable to close the eyes, as the hare was
supposed to be), f. \ayuis hare + o<0aX/<o! eye.
The disease is called by Galen TO kayuxp 0aA/*oi>.]
A morbid condition, in which the eye remains wide
open. Also called || Lagophtha Imia, and in an
glicized form f Iiagophtlia-lmy. Hence Lagopli
thalmic a., pertaining to, or affected with,
lagophthalmus.
1657 I kyskal Diet., Lagophtlialmus. 1656 BuOUKT.Laf
ophtliahiiy. 1676 COLES, Lagdfhtlialutia. 1888 .Vj-rf. Sac.
Lex.. Lagophthalmia, Lagoplithalmic, J.nf,ifltllialmus.
Lagopode (InrgiTpJud). [ad. Gr. \afwno5-,
Aa-Yiuirouj, f. Aa-yiu-s hare + iro5-, trows foot.] A
ptarmigan. (Cf. LAGOPL S.) In some mod. Diets.
Lagopodous (Iagfp( d3s),a. Zool. [f. as prec.
+ -ous.J Having feet like those of a hare ; having
the foot thickly covered with feathers or fur.
1855 in MAYNE Expos. Lex.
Lagopous (lagou pas 1 , a. Hot. [f. mod.L.
lagop-us (see LAOOPUS) + -ous.] Of certain plants :
Having rhi/comes resembling a hare s foot.
In some mod. Diets.
t LagO pUS. 06s. [a. L. lagopiis, Gr. Aa7<u-
7rot/s, f. ^0701; hare + jrous foot.] A bird with a foot
resembling that of a hare ; the ptarmigan.
1693 SIR T. P. BLOUNT Nat. Hist. 385 Some. .Birds, .live
upon the highest tops of the Alps, and that all the winter
too.. as.. the Lagopus among birds. 1773 BARRINCTON in
LAICIZATION.
Phil. Trans. LXIII. 224 The Lagopus of which M. dc
Button gives an engraving, is in its winter plumage.
Lag otic 4 lag^ p tik), a. [f. Gr. \ayw-s hare +
WT-, cvs ear + -ic.] Having ears like a hare s.
In some mod. Diet*.
II Lagre Uagr). [Fr.] In sheet-glass making :
A sheet of perfectly smooth i^lass, placed between
the flattening stone and the cylinder to be flattened.
1883 H. CHANCE Princ. Glassmaking 129 The flattening-
stone, from the slight irregularities of whose surface it is
protected by a lagre or sheet of glass laid upon the stone.
1890 \V. J. GORDON Foundry 148 In his furnace is a stone
with a piece of glass on it ; upon this so-called lagre the
cylinder lies with its split side uppermost.
Lagune, variant of LAGOON i.
Lagwort ;largw,wt). ff. LAG v. 2 + Wont.]
The plant Petasites Vulgaris (Britten & Holland).
1702 in J. K. Diet. 17*5 HHAIJLEY Fain. Diet. s.v. Symp t
The Roots of Lagwort, Elicampane, Sniallage and Fennel.
Lahe^n, langenn, obs. forms of LAUGH v.
Lalit, pa. t. and pa. pple. of LATCH v.^
t Lahter. Obs. Forms : I leahter, 2 lehter,
3 leihter. [OE. leahter, f, OTeut. *lahan (OE.
/</#) to blame.] A vice, sin, crime.
C$00 tr. Bxda s Hist. in. xi. [xiii.] (1890) 190 Ic ma syn-
num & leahtrum ^eowde, Jioniie Codes bebodum. 971
lUickl. Horn. 163 Ne hie naenig leahter ne drefde. <t 1x7^5
Cott. Horn. 243 In bes deofles heriscole fihteft agen us his
iferred jewerjed gastes, and un^eawes and unwraste lahtres.
< 1200 Trin. Coil. Horn. 79 )e fule lehtres him holden
bunden on here |>ralshipe. a 1225 Ancr. R. 156 Non empti
stude iSe heorte to underuongen flesliche leihtren.
Lahter, obs. form of LAUGHTER.
Lai, obs. f. LAY sb. and v., and of lay, pa. t. LIE.
Laic (1^ ik), a. and sb. Forms: 6-7 laik(e,
(7 laycke), 7-8 layick;e, 7-9 laick(e, 6- laic.
[ad. late L. laiciis, Gr. Aofror, f. Xaoj the people.
Cf. OF. laic, laique]
A., adj. Of or pertaining to a layman or the laity;
non-clerical, secular, temporal ; = LAY a.
1562 WINJET (title] The last Blast of the Trpmpet of Godis
worde . . Put furth..At the desyre of ye inferiour ordoure of
Clergie, and laic men. 1596 DALKYMPLE tr. Leslie s Hist.
Scot, 1. 105 war-.,Thrieordourisof the Realme, Ecclesiastik,
Nobilitie, and the laik sorte. 1626 MEADK in Ellis Orig.
Lett. Ser. i. III. 220 It understands the King not to be
merely laic, but a mixed person. 1634 SIR T. HERBERT
Trav, 86 A well voiced boy from the . . top of their
Churches sings Eulogies to Mahomet . . and then each
Laycke Pagan fals to devotion. 1662 J. BARGRAVE Pope
Alex. VII (1867) 38 To avoid the appearance at a laic
King s court. 1736 CHANDLER Hist, f ersec, 10 The prose
cution [of Socrates] was truly laick. iSai LAMB Elia Ser. I.
fmficrf. Sympathies, A kind of secondary or laic-truth is
tolerated, where clergy-truthoath-truth, by the nature of
the circumstances, is not required. 1861 TUI.LOCH Eng.
Piirtt. ii. 291 The common life, clerical and laic, is of a very
coarse kind.
B. sb. One of the laity ; a layman or lay person ;
one who is not an ecclesiastic.
1596 DALRYMPLK tr. Leslie s Hist. Scot. x. 297 He send is
messlngeris . . with the fyre crose in thair handes, . . sulde
shaw it out to al man baith laikis and kirkmen. 1609 Bp.
HALL Diss-was. fr. Poferie Wks. (1627) 642 How wretch
edly and f carefully must their poore layicks needs die ! 1660
R. COKE Prnver <y Subj. 167 If he be a Laick, he shall be
excommunicated from every Christian thing. 1739 J.TRAPP
Right, overmuch 10 For unletter d Laics to take upon them
to expound or interpret the Scriptures. 1787 SIR J. HAWKINS
Johnson 261 The clergyman was now become an amphibious
being, that is to say, both an ecclesiastic and a laic. 1813
LINGARU Hist, Eng. VI. 245 A committee of thirty-two
members, half laics and half clergymen. 1847 BUSHNELL
Chr. Nitrt. iv. (i860 114 No person, whether laic or priest.
1884 TKNNVSON Btcket I. i, Laics and barons, thro The
random gifts of careless kings, have graspt Her livings.
Laic, variant of LAKE sb* Obs., play.
Laical (U i- ikal), a. Also6 lai-, laycall. [f. as
prec. + -AL.] =prec. Also occas. t non-professional.
[1*90 Rolls of Parlt. I. 60/2 Exactionibus. .per quas plus
extorquent de populo quam omnes Cur laycales.] 1563-87
FOXE A, <$ M. (1596) 1050/1 The distinction used to be
made betweene the priestes communion and the taicall com
munion. 1596 BKLL -S wxr. Popery in. x. 408 The faithful
laycall people. 1656111 BLOUNT Glossogr. 1704 NELSON
Fest. <y Fasts x. (1739) 603 The Canon Law.. declares that
every Laical Person who.. shall take a Bribe for a Presenta
tion .. shall be excommunicated. 1818 LADY MORGAN
A ntohiog. (1859) 106 This religious house . . is almost laical.
1822-34 Good s Study Med. (ed. 4) I. 557 No complaint is
so common as fever; none in which mankind, whether pro-
fe-.sional or laical, are so little likely to be mistaken. 1864
LOWKLL Fin-side Trav. 175 A phrase commonly indicated
in laical literature by the same sign which serves for
Doctorate in Divinity. 1886 Ati*tMHim 17 July 79/2 The
special circumstances of Dulwich make its headmastership
one more laical, .than that of other leading schools.
absol. 1605 CAMDKN AVw., Wise Sp, 180 In all ages the
Clericall will flatter, as well [as] the Laicall.
Hence Laica-lity, the state or condition of a
layman; La ically adv., in a laical manner; after
the manner of a layman. In mod. Diets.
Laicization (l^isaiz^ Jan). [f. next + -ATioN.
Cf. F. laidsationl\ The action or process of ren
dering lay or subjecting; to lay control.
1881 Sat. Rev. o July 37 2 The example of England was
frequently quoted in support of this process of UictxatioD *.
1884 Ch. Times 13 June 445/3 There is one reform which
we desire to see carried out . . that is what we may call the
laicisation of the parish churches. 1889 Times 5 Jan. 5/3
The laiciiation of the hospitals has provoked, and still
LAICIZE.
provokes, extreme irritation. 1896 Speaker 25 July 102/2
The laicisation of elementary education may easily be
exaggerated.
Laicize fl *isaiz), v. Also -ise. [f. LAIC a.
+ -IZE. Cf. F. laiciscr,] trans. To make lay;
to deprive of a clerical character ; to secularize,
esp. to commit (a school, etc.) to the direction of
laymen ; to make (an office) tenable by laymen.
1870 Nonconformist 30 Nov. 1133 A measure tending
.. to laicise .. the constitution and government of the
Universities. i88a O. A*<t>. Oct. 491 Clerical fellowships
have been extinguished, and the Headships of Houses
laicised. 1885 Pall Mall G. 16 June 3/2 The proposal to
laicize the names of the Paris streets, and banish therefrom
the word Sainte . 1896 Kdin. A\T . July 211 It is com
petent for the authority to laicise a public school.
Hence La-icizing 1 vhl. sb, and ppl. a. Also La i-
cizer, one who laicize*. La icism (see quot. 1 79^)-
1796 Hist, in Ann, Rfg. 185 This occasional exercise of
the priestly function was denominated laicism, and repre
sented as sacrilegious usurpation of the sacerdotal rights.
1884 Athenaeum 19 July 79/3 The laici/ing of the staff of
masters. 1890 Ch. KtV. 22 Aug., First we had the laicising
of the dons, then the marrying of the fellows. 1891 Tablet
2 May 691 In five years the laicisers have squandered
15 millions of francs. 1893 Nation (N. Y.i 24 Aug. 133/3
Certain laicizing Catholics. 189^ DOWUKN />. Lit. 73
Whether it had its origin in a laicising of the irreverent
celebration of the Feast of Fools.
Laid (te d), ppf. a. (pa. pple. of LAY z/.] In
various senses of the vb. f Of a design : Deliber
ately framed. Laid drain (see quot. 1811) ; laid
paper (see quot. 1839) ; laid wool, tarry wool ;
laid-work fsee COUCHING vbl. sb. 2, quot. 1884).
(Cf. best-laid^ NEW-LAID.)
a 1547 SURRKV sEn. it. 954 My shoulders broad, and laied
neck [L. subjectaque coita\ with garments gan I spread.
1697 in Perry Hist. Call. Amer. Col. Ch. I. 46 A laiddesigne
to obstruct - . the business . . of the College. 1720 OZKI.L
tr. Vertot s Rom, Rep, I. in. 169 There seemed to be
a laid Design of making away with all the Senators.
1733 BERKELEY I ind. 1 lieory Vision 5 Wks. 1871 I. 374,
I think one may observe a laid design gradually to under-
mine the belief of the Divine Attributes and Natural
Religion. 1790 CKOSK Prov. Gloss, (ed. 2), Laid, just
frozen. When water is slightly frozen, it is said to be laid,
Norf. 1805 SOUTHKY Hat/ads, etc. Poet. Wks. VI. 266 The
Old Dragon s own laid egg was this. 1805 FOKSVTH
Beauties Scot!. II. 127, 25$ lib. of what is called laid wool
to the stone. i8ix G. S- KEITH Agric. Smv. Aberd. 426
It is generally found advisable to use a laid drain, i. e.
a row of stones laid on each side, .. and a cour*e of flat
stones laid above these. 1818 J. HASSELL Rides fy Il a/A-s
II. 106 Mr. Staines manufactures wove drawing papers and
laid writing ones. 1825 J. NICHOLSON Operat. Mechanic
373 Observing that tlie laid wires should be parallel with
the axis. 1839 UKK Diet. Arts 927 A strong raised wire is
laid along each of the cross bars [of the mould] to which
the other wires are fastened ; this gives the laid paper
its ribbed appearance. 1880 Paper $ fritting Trades
yrnl. xxx. 8 The thick cream laid paper on which this
work is printed. 1886 Fall Mall G. 28 July 6/1 There
are many good standing pieces [of wheat] . . A laid crop
being quite a rarity, except in some of the fens. 1900 // estnt.
Gaz. 10 July 10/1 Harvest labour . . is . . much greater for
laid fields than for good standing crops.
b. of rope, with some defining word prefixed,
as cable-, hawser-, short-^ slack-^ so//-, twice-laid,
for which see the first member.
C. with adverbs, as down, out, ///; ^ laid in
1 inlaid .
1598 In-! , in Willis & Clark Cambridge (1886) III. 325
A. .bedsteade of walnuttree varnished vpon layd in woorke.
1769 FALCONER Diet. Marine (1780), Laid-up, the situation
of a ship when she is either moored in a harbour during
the winter-season, or laid by, for want of employment : or
when by age and craztness she is rendered incapable of
further service. 1827 STKUAKT Planters G. (1828) 390 An
ill laid-out place . . is, generally speaking, the work of the
owner. 1851 GREKNWELL Coal-trade Terms North tint If. fy
Durk. 34 A laid out tub of coals is a tub of coals con
taining stones or foul coal beyond a certain specified
quantity, usually one quart. 1852 C. W. H[OSKINS] Talpa
60 However good in their way broad principles, and laid
down courses of cropping or of treatment may be. 1882
DE WINDT Equator 22^111 the midst of beautifully laid-out
gardens, is the. .Palace of the Raja.
Laid(e, Sc. and north, form of LOAD sb.
Laidly (.l^ dli), . Now Sc* and arch, (with
allusion to ballad use). Also 4 laithly, 5 lathely,
6 laithlie, 7, 9 laidlie, 8 laily. [Northern var.
of LOATHLY.] Offensive, hideous, repulsive.
a 1300 Cursor M. 2406 (Gutt.) Sore i me drede, par we wend
bi bis laithly lede. a 1400-50 Alexander 491 He . . Lete sa
lathely a late. 1513 DOUGLAS /R net s iv. viii. 100 Wynis gude
Anon returnit into laithlie blude. 1567 Gitde <V Godly Hall.
(S. T. S.) 40 Lickand the fylth furth of his laithlie flesche.
a 1605 POLWAHT Flytingw. Montgomery 132 With laidlie
language, loud and large, a 1800 Laily Worm t? Machrcl
ii. in Child Ballads (1884) I. 316/1 She has made me the
laily worm. That lies at the fit o the Tree. 1843 Bfaekw.
Mag. LIII. 177 When first the destrier eyed The laidly
thing, it swerved aside. 1849 LYTTON A". Arthur \>\. Ixvi,
The laidliest widows find consoling mates. 1878 iqth Cent.
992 Her laidly wooer, whose income was better than his looks.
1884 Q. Rev. Apr. 326 Long black boats, outri<;gered, and
manned, as one might think, by a lot of overgrown black
spiders, so long, so lank, so laidlie are the crew.
Laid-sterne, obs. form of LOADSTAR.
t Laidnre. Obs. [a. F. laidcur> f. /a*/ ugly.]
Ugliness, deformity.
1483 CAXTON Gold. Leg, 431 b/i, I wold fayne susteyn on
my lyppes suche Uydure or shame as long as I shal lyue soo
that alle the euyl vyce of sweryng were lefte and caste out
from aile our royame.
Laier, Laiety, obs. ff. LAIR sb., LAYER, LAITY.
Laife(o, obs. form of LAY FEE.
Laigh (lex) &&gt; &dv.t and sb. Sc. Also 4-9
laich e, 5 laych, 4 lawch, 5 lauch. [See Low a.]
A. adj. = Low a. in various senses : Near the j
ground, not elevated ; f inferior in rank or quality;
not loud.
1375 HARBOUR Bruce xin. 651 And it, that wondir lawch j
wer ere, Monlowpon loft in tliecontrere:> c \yj$Sc. Troy-
I k. n. 1719 Now as hillis hie yt schauris Now set laich
with ane no\>\v skift. c 1470 HENRY Wallace x. 622 The
lauch way till Enrawyn thai ryd. 1581 Satir. Poems j
Reform, xliv. 119 (".o hence then, lounis ! the laich vay in \
Abyssis. 1582-8 Hist. Jas. I f (1804) 75 Finding the len- i
tell stane of the bak zet to be sumciuhat laicbe. 1693
Scot. Prcsbyt, Kloq. (1738) 124 Christ .. rode upon an Ass, i
which is a Laigh Heast. 1728 RAMSAY Last Sp, A/iserxxv, |
Sic are but very laigh concerns, Compared with thee. 1753
Sf0fs Mag. Apr. 162/2 The comm^sioners .. shall meet
in the laigh council-house, Edinburgh. 1816 SCOT r Anfiy. \
i, A sharp-looking old dame . . who inhabited a laigh shop , |
aitglict, a cellar. 1881 STEVENSON Thraivn Jan<-t Wks. ,
1895 III. 253 It s a lang, laigh, mirk chalmer. Ibid. 257
When a of a sudden lie heard a laigh, uncanny steer upstairs.
1894 CROCKETT Lilac Sunbomtet 74 One of tbe farms at
the laigli end of the parish.
B. adv. In a low position ; to a low point ; in
a low lone.
1583 Satir. Poems Reform, xlv. 349 Laich in a lymbus, [
whair they lay. 1596 DALKYMVLE tr. Leslie s Hist. Siot. vn.
2 Quhen he saw tlie vertuesof the Bru.se. .and how laich [be]
was brocht. 179* BUKNS Jiessy fy Spinnin Wheel i, I ll
set me down and sing and spin, While laigh descends the
simmer sun. 1868 (i. MACDONALD R. Falconer \. 18 Speyk
laicher, man ; she ll maybe hear ye. 1893 STI-VKNSON
Catriona 20 IJut laigh in your ear, man Tin maybe no
very keen on the other side.
C. sb. a. A hollow, b. A low-lying ground.
i... Chart. Alerbrothok (Advoc. Libr. MS.) 79 I av-und
eist downwart to the greyn laigh to Gcmylis myr. 1768
Ross Helenore (1789) 47 A burn ran in the laigh, ayont |
there lay As many feeding on the other brae. 1798 Statist. \
Ace, Scot, XX. 232 The whole laigh of Moray had been ,
covered with the sea in the year 1010. 1811 (i. S. KEITH |
Aigric. Sunf. Aberd, 172 Low wet lands, called latghs.
Laik, Sc. form of LACK ; variant of LAKE.
-laik, suffix, in the Ormulum written -le^c, in
northern and north-midland texts usually -laik,
-layk(e, in the Ancren Riwle (MS. Nero) and a
few other i^th c. texts -leic, -lee, -leik ; appended
in ME. to adjs. to form sbs. of quality, none of
which have survived into mod. Eng. Ktymologi- ;
cally it represents the ON. -leik-r str. masc. which |
(with a parallel form -kike wk. masc.) is the or- i
dinary suffix in ON. corresponding functionally to !
the Eng. -ness ; its use in Eng. must have originated
in words adopted from Scandinavian, as godleftc
(Orm.) from ON. gdftleikr ; but already in the
Ormulum (c 1200) it is added freely to native
English adjs., as in ctonlejjc cleanness, gretii^ejy:
greediness. Ormin has in all 28 words of this ;
formation ; in some instances he originally wrote
-nesse, but -lejjc has been substituted in a ruder
but apparently contemporary hand (editorial note !
in Orm. II. 349); the reason was perh. metrical, :
as -lejjc and -rtesse were in Ormin s prosody equi- ]
valent only before a vowel. Except in the Ormulum
the suffix is somewhat rare, and no instance is known
of its being appended to an adj. of Romanic origin.
The ON. -leik-r corresponds in form with the OE. suffix
-lac (usually neut., rarely masc.), now -LOCK (q.v. for the ^
etymology) ; but in function the two are distinct, the ON. i
suffix being appended only to adjs., and the UK. suffix
only to sbs. or verb-stems to form sbs. expressive of action. !
Occasionally the suffix representing OE. -Idc was in northern
or north midland texts written -laik* so that it became i
coincident in form with the Scandinavian suffix, e.g. in
dwimerlaik (Alex.), ivedlaik (R. Brunne).
Laike, variant of LAKE v. 1 , sb.%, sb
Laill, variant of LEAL.
Laily, variant of LAIDLY a.
tLain, sb.l Obs. Also 5-6 layn(e, 6 lane,
[f. LAIN v. ; cf. ON. leyni neut., hiding-place,
/ leyni in secret.] Concealment; chiefly in luith-
mit (or hut } lain, without concealment or disguise.
a 1300 Cursor M. 13966 iCott.*, I sal spek of his sisters
tna, "pat was martha, wit-vten lain, and als sua mari inag-
dalain. c 1460 Towneley Myst. xvi. 146, I kepe not layn,
ithoutin lane. 1575 Wyfe Lapped in Morn- lies Skin 83
in Hazl. E . P. P. IV. 184 Her mother doth teach her, with-
outen layne To be mayster of her husband another day.
+ Lain, sb? Obs. Also 6 laine, 6-7 lane. [? f.
lain pa. pple. of LIE v.*] A layer, a stratum.
1577 HARRISON England 11. xii. (1877) I. 235 In plastering
. . of our fairest houses ouer our heads, we vse to laie first
a laine or two of white morter tempered with haire, vpon
laths. 1584 R. SCOT Discw. Witchcr. xiu. xxx. 279 The
hot tome being no deeper than as it may conteine one lane
of come or pepper glewed thereupon. 1677 PLOT Oxfordsk. ,
260 After every six inches thickness of Corn, a stratum of j
Pebbles,., then Corn again to the same thickness, and so SSS
[i. e. stratum super stratum] to ten lains apiece, c 1682
J. COI.UNS Making of Salt in Engl. 121 The Meat ..is I
LAIB.
pack d. .with Salt betwixt every Lane or Lay. 1706 PHILLIES
(ed. Kersey), Laities (in Masonry), Courses or Ranks laid in
the building of Stone or Brick-walls.
Lain, v. Obs. exc. Sc. Forms : 4, 6 leyn e, (6-7
lean(e,7lene),4-5(9vS-.)layn(e J 4-6lane,lain(e.
[a. ON. Ifyna to conceal, corresponding to OK.
// ^ ;^;/atodeny,(JS. lognian ( I")u. /ooc/ienf
long?} tun (MUG. lottgeneiii G. laitgnen,
Goth, (and OTetit. ) laugnjan; f. OTeut. *laitgm\
sir. fem. represented by OHG. loitgna denial, ON.
faun Sw., Da. Ion secrecy, concealment ; f. Tent,
root *laug- i : leug~ : fag-} : see LIE sb. 1 , v.~
Phonologically some of the foi ms might descend from OE.
(Anglian) *legnan\ but the examples seem to show the
.specially ON. development of sense.]
trans. To conceal, hide ; to be silent about, dis-
guisc (a fact). Also absoL JVotto orat)tain: not
to be concealed. Hence Laiuing, vbl. sb.
n 1300 Cursi f AT. 1549 (Cott.) In sua lang time, es noght
to lain, J>e planetes all ar went again, ibid. 2738 (Gott.)
Abraham . . fra be wil i noght leyne mi priuite. c 1350
// ///. Paleme 906, I wol it nou;t layne. r 1375 Sc. Leg.
Saints, Syn>n <y ludas 162 Of our kine gyf bou wil frane,
\\e are hebreis nocht to layne. Itii^oo Morle Arth. 419
(iret wele Lucius, thi lorde, and layne DOghte bise wordes.
t 1400 \ivainc <y Gaii . 703 Thou mon be ded, es noght at
laine, For my lord that thou has >layne. i 1400 tr. Sccreta
Secret., (10- . Lordsli. KHJ Hut hai layned it to his fiader.
t 1420 Av<fw. Arth. xxxiii, Hit is atte tlie queue wille Qwi
schuld I layne V .1440 York Myst. xxv. 101 This tydyngis
schall hauc no laynyng. 1535 STKWAKT Cron. Scot, (1858)
II. 648 Makdufe..in nothing wnld lane, How Makcobey
liayth wyfe and barnjs had slant. 1598 R. HKKSAKD tr.
Terence, Adt lphi in. iii.He tained nothing [I* nihil rctn uif\.
1638 iJKA i IIWAI r Kcssie Bt ll iv, Las, maidens must faine it ;
I love though I laine it. 111650 Rarlc II estnwrfd. 120 in
Furnivall / trey I olio I. 305 Duke lohn of Austria is my
Masters nantc, he will ncuer I.enc it vpon the sea. a 180*
*)atnie Tclfcr xxx. in Cliild Ballads (1890 IV. 7/1, I winna
layne my name fur thee. i86z Hisuor Pnn: Scot. 212
\\ omen and biiinis layne what they ken na.
Lain, pa. pple. of LIE.
Lain6 J^ n . local. A name given to certain
tiaots of arable land at the foot of the- Sussex Downs.
1794 A fin. A grit . XXII. 219 Rent of the arable, including
the 1 aines, is i5.v. per acre. Ibid, 230 The laines or bottoms. .
Laine land or arable. 1797 Ibid, XXVII I. 124 His cuiirse is
what is called in Sussex three laines, that is, wheat once in
three years. 1881 SAWYFR Land Tenure Brighton in / V.v.
Incorp. Land Soc. 95 [Outside the boundaries of Brighton]
were five large tracts of land, known as the Tenantry
Laines, and called the Kast Laine, Little Laine, Hilly
Laine, North Laine, and West Laine. ..These Laines were
again divided into furlongs. . . The Tenantry flock was.,
when taken from the Down, invariably kept in the fallow
lands or grattens in the Tenantry Laines . 18 . Spectator
No. 2137. 574 (Cent ; reference erroneous) Light falls the
rain on link and laine.
Lainer (l^- naj . Obs. in literary use. Also 4-7
layner, 5-7 laner, =1 lanyr. [a. F. lanib e \
afterwards re-adopted as lanyer, corrupted into
LANYARD.] A lace, strap, thong, lash.
c 1386 CHAUCKK A /. i 7 . 1646 Gig^inpe of sheeldes, with
layneres [Cawb. MS. lanyerys] lacinge. 1387 TKEVISA
///^/t (Rolls) V. 369 Hire hosen .. i-tcyecl wij> layners al
aboute. 14.. Sir Jieucs 2753 + 85 MS. K.i He>e layuerys
t/r//Cfi layuery.s] he took anon And fastenyd hys hawberk
hym vpon. c 1440 Prom p. Parr. 286 i Lanere, ligrtla.
c 1450 Merlin 697 A-noon brake the layners that he had
bounden vp his hosen of stiell. 1483 CAXTON Gold. Leg.
338/1 Layners or lachettes of theyre skynne were cutte
cute of theyr back. G, de la Tour Cj b, Yf I shold
sytte lowe I myght breke my poyntes or layners. 1485
Naval Ace. lleti. / // (1896) 37 Layners for the truss perell
.. j. 1610 HOLLAND Camdens Brit. i. 542 An oxe hide
cutout into very smal laners, that we call Thongs. 1616
KULI.OKAR, Layners [printed Layuers}, thongs of lether.
Mod, (Essex) This whip wants a new lamer.
Laing, Sc. form of LONG.
Laip, obs. Sc. form of LAP vJ-
Lair (le*j;, sb} Forms: i lexer, 3-6 leir, 5
layers, 5-7 lare, layre, 5-7 leyre, 6-7 lear(e,
laire, laier, (lieare^, 6-9 layer, 9 Sc. layre,
dial, lear, 4- lair. See also LAYER. [OE. leger
str. neut., corresponding to OKris. legor lying,
situation, OS. /^wrneut., bed, bed of sickness (Du.
leger bed, camp), OHG. leger masc., bed, camp
(mod.G. lager, influenced by fage t lying, situation),
ON. legr neut., seduction, Goth, ligi -s masc., bed
: OTeut. *legro- y f. root *teg- : see LIK i . 1 ]
f 1. The action or fact of lying. Obs.
Bcffivnlf (Or.) 3043 Se \sc. se draca] waes fifti^es fot^e-
mearces lang on le^ere. c 893 ^LFKKD Oros. i. i. 23 Mid
ban langan le^ere ba;s deadan mannesinne. 1513 DOUGLAS
sEneis vin. iv. 70 All the beisti.-; war Repaterit weyll
eftyr thair nychtis lair. 1631 MARKHAM Way to Get Wealth
v. u. xviii. (1668) 87 Touching the keeping of Corn after it
is thrasht and drest, it is divers wayes to be done, as by
stowage or place of lear.
fb. A lying with a person ; fornication. Obs.
1296 Durham Ifalmote Rolls (Surtees) i Eda filia Pater
Nosterpro leyr, 6rf. 1332-3 Ibid. 13 De Ivetta Homer, pro
leyr in adulterio, 2^. 1361 Ibid. 27 De Christiana ancilla
Willelmi capellani pro leyr cum capellano, 2J.
t c. Of land : The state of lying fallow. Obs.
1602 CAREW Cornwall 20 a, The Tiller, .is driuen to giue
it at least seuen or eight yeres leyre.
2. The resting place of a corpse ; a grave, tomb.
Now only Sc. t a plot in a graveyard.
c 1000 Laws Northumbr. Priests 62 in Schmid Gesetzt 370
LAIR.
police he claeneslejeres. ciooo Sax. Leechd. III. 288 Unsac
he waes on life beo on le^ere swa swa he mote. ? a 1400 Morte
Arth. 2293 Sir Arthure. .ledde hyme to the layere thare the
kynglygges. ci45WvNTOUNCrtj.v[i. x.3243 Hechesydhis
layre in till Kelsew. ^1470 HARDING Chron. LXXXIV. iii,
The mynster churche. . Of Glastonbury, where nowe he hath
his leyre. 153^ STEWART Cron. Scot. (1858) L 118 Ane feild
full fair, Quhair that him self befoir chest t his lair, a 1578
LINOESAY (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (S. T. S.) I. 154 Sanct
Salvatouris cplledge quhairin he maid his lair verri cureous-
lie and costlie. 2862 McQuEEN in Macm. Mag. XLVI.
162 Some of the inhabitants .. had their family lair ^or
burying-place in the graveyard of a village. 1890 [Notice
in Stromness Ch.-yard] The Committee appointed by the
Heritors to take charge of the new Burial Ground have had
before them alternative plans for placing of lairs.
3. That whereon one lies down to sleep ; a bed,
couch, f At or to lair: in or to bed. f To take
ones lair: to take to one s bed. Now chiefly
with some reference to sense 5 b.
a xooo Wifes Comj>l. 34 Frynd le^er weardia^ bonne ic
on uhtan ana gonge. c noo Trin. Coll. Ifoin. 103 He be8
neSer banne he er was a!se fro sete to leire. a 1300 Cursor
M. 29091 In askes and in hare, and weping and vneses lair.
ci4S Dispute Mary ff Cross 96 in Leg. Rood (1871) App.
200 My love I lulled vppe in hys leir. 1494 Acta DOM.
Cone. 11739) 372/2 His wiff wes liand in cheld bed lare.
1619 H. HUTTOS / allies A nut. \ Percy Soc. 35 Robin has
for tobaccho sold his chaire, Reserving nothing but a stoole
for s lare. 1633 T. ADAMS Comnt.^ 2 Pet. i. 9 (1865) 107
The physician coming to his patient inquires the time when
he took his layre. i8at_ CLARE / ///. Minstr. II. 24 The
shepherd .. on the sloping pond-head lies at lair. 1831
CARLYLE Setrt. Res. (18581 13 Wretchedness .. shivers
hunger-stricken into its lair of straw. 1851 MAYNE RKID
Scaty Hunt. xx. 139 There were lair-; among the under
wood, constructed of branches. 1899 F. T. BUI.I.KN Log of
a SeA tvaififo The villainous den beneath the top-gallant-
forecastle, far in the fore-part of the ship, which is the lair
of seamen in most Knghsh ships.
trans/, and y?;-. 1814 SCOTT Ld. of Isles iv. iv, Till
stretch d upon the bloody lair Each rebel corpse was laid !
i8ai SHELLEY Prometh. Unb. i. 687 \Ve make there our
liquid lair.
4. A place for animals to lie down in. a. for
domestic animals. f Also, a haunt or range.
Now spec, an enclosure or large shed for cattle on
the way to market.
By Spenser, if the reading be correct, used pseudo-rtn^A.
for pasture .
(" 14x0 ballad, on Ifnsb. I. 52 Take heede ek if the
dwellers in that leir Her uombis sidis, reynysswelle or ake.
1513 DOUGLAS .-Ends xin, Prol. 44 Ail stoyr and catall
seysit in thar lair. 1573 TCSSKR //its/ , cxiii. (1878) 206
Borne I was.. In Essex laier, in village faier, that Riuen-
hall hight. 1596 SI-KSSER F. O. iv. viii. 29 More hard for
hungry steed t abstaine from pleasant lare. a 1605 MONT-
UOMERIK Mindcs Mel., Ps. xxiii. 5 He makes my leare In
feelds so fare. 16441 BLM HI-; Kng. /mflroi . I infir. (1653) 1 10
The Warmest parts of many Pastures, which Sheep and
Cattell chuse al way for their Lieare. 165, DRYi>tN I irg.
Georg. in. 233 Nature sliall provide .. Mossy Caverns for
their Evening lare. 1725 BRADLEY /* /. Diet. s. v. fore,
You must.. fill up the Holes carefully that are in the Cow
house-yard or Layer. 1810 in Risdotfs Surv. Devon 406
Each flock of sheep has its particular range, . . These places
are called lears. 1821 CLARE } ill. Minstr, II. 105 Low of
distant cattle . . dropping down to lair. 1865 Daily Tel.
22 Aug. 5 5 These lairs . . are tolerably comfortable places,
and the cattle have food and water while staying there. 1887
Times 27 Aug. 11/4 Hay, straw, and forage for use in the lairs.
b. for beasts of chase or of prey. Phr. At lair :
in his or their lair.
1576 TUKBERV. \ en< rie 115. 1591 NASHE P. Peuilcsse
fed. 2) 31 b, All the nimble Citizens of the wood betooke
them to their Laire. i6a6 BKKLON l- autasttcks, Summer
( 857) >24 The stately Hart is at Layre in the high wood.
1667 MILTON P. L. vn. 457 Out of the ground up rose, As
from his laire the wilde Beast. 1735 SOMKRVILLE Chase in.
294 Fierce from his Lair springs forth the speckled Pard.
1840 THIRLWALL Greece vn. Iv. 96 They were hunted like
wild beasts into their lairs. 1870 MORRIS Earthly Par. I.
it. 535 In that forest was the lair Of a great boar.
transf. and_/7^. 1814 BYRON Lara IT. ix. He had hoped
quiet in his sullen lair. 1860 \V. COLLINS ll otn. White in.
viii, 383, I had stii-red in its lair the serpent-hatred of years.
1870 SPURGKON Treas. Dai: Ps. xxxii. 6 Before the great
devouring floods leap forth from their lairs.
C. of other animals.
1841 BROWNING Pi/>fia 167 That mossy lair of lizards.
1860 EMERSON Cond. Lift\ Fate Wks. f Ljohn) II. 324 Every
creature, wren or dragon, shall make its own l:ur. 1867
F. FRANCIS Angling v. (1880) 182 A fish feeding in his lair.
5. Agrie, Nature or kind of soil, with reference
to its effect on the quality of crops, or of the
animals pastured upon it.
1519 HORMAN 1 iilg. 178 The tyllar wyll .. shone it as
poysonde leyre. 1530 PALSGH. 237/2 Layre of a grounde,
terroy[r}. 1573 TUSSKK Hnsb. (1878) 141 What laier much
better then there, or cheaper (thereon to doowell?) 1610
FOLKINGHAM Art of Survey \. viii. 15 Virgill infers the
best layer for Tillage to be an Earth which is blackish
and darke. 1616 SURFLKT & MARKH. Count rev Fanne
117 Sheepe bred either of a fruitfull ground, and rich leare,
or vpon barren ground, and poore leare. 1623 MAKKHAM
Cheape $ Good Hn$b. (ed. 3) 104 Leare, which is the
earth on which a Sheepe lyeth, and giueth him his colour,
is much to be respected ; the red Leare is held the best.
1655 MOFFET & BENNET Health s fnif>ro-,<. (1746) 158 Chuse
the Female before the Male [rabbit],, .and both from out a
chalky Ground and a sweet t Layer. 1688 R. HOLME
Armoury \\. 135/2 Sheep at their I^ear. Some say, Feeding
or Grasing. 1799 A. YOUNG Agric. Lines. 211 Where
the soil is so good as to run well to grass good layers are
easily formed. 1847 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. vin. i. 64 Manure
ts used heavily on clover-layers.
fig. 1565 JEWEL Refl. ffarding (1611) 355 Lacke of Deuo-
30
tion both in the people and in the Priest, is a good leare to
breed Masses. 1602 KRKTON ff^MMimfiwMAtfxfrfiv(GrOMrt)
8/1 His Bride and hee were both Rabbets of one Laier.
6. Comb. : lair-holder Sc. t the owner of a grave ;
flair-stall, f -stead, a grave within a church;
f lair-stone, a gravestone ; f lair-stow, a burial-
place.
1864 A". /> . Mail 2 Nov., Tlie subcommittee of the *lair-
holders thought it would [etc.J. 1541 Mem. A /y*<7(Surtees
III. 195 Pro denariisdebitis pro le "layrestall infra ecclesiam.
1672 vestry &ks. iSurtees) 338 For laying downe layerstalls,
5.1. 1559 Richmond. Wills (Surtees 1853) 130, I gyue for
my *lare stede in the churche iij\ iiij d . 1538 Invent, in
Archteologia. LI. 71 Inn the laton on the *larestones, \d.
1565 II ills -v Inv. -} " (Surtees 1835) 247 For his lairstone
in ye church iij\ iiij d . ^1633 in Brand Hist. Newcastle
(1789) I. 370 ttotCf One swea tree with two rolles for taking
and laying down lairstones. c 1000 ^LKRIC Horn. (Th.) I.
430 Ypolitus 3a bebyrijde 5one hal^an lichaman on 3a:re
wudewan *le^er-stowe. < 1205 LAY. 22874 ^ e nom alle
t>a dede & to leirstowe heom ladden.
Lair (Ic-a), sb* Now dial. Also 4, 8 lare,
4-5 layre, 4-5, 9 laire, 8 laier. [a. ON. />^Sw.
fgr, Da. leer) : OTeut. type */aizo-rt, ? cogn. w.
/at mo- LOAM.] Clay, mire, mud. t Under lair:
under the ground.
^11300 Cursor M. 519 O watur his blod, his fless o lair, His
hete o llr, hijs and of air. a 1340 HAMPOI.E Psalter Ixviii.
18 Out take me of the lare that .i. be not infest id.
a 1400-50 Alexander 4445 All sail leue }ow at J>e laste and
in-to laire worth, c 1440 York Mysi. xxxi. 213 One Lazar
.. Lay loken vndir layre fro I y mine and fro light.
1637 RUTHERFORD Lett. (1862) I. 276 My short legs could
not step ouer this lair or sinking mire. 1787 GROSE
J rov. Gloss. t J.aier, soil, dun^. Kss. and Sun. Lare^ a
quagmire. N. 1803 W. S. ROSE Amadis 76 He sees two
damsels o er the laire advance. 1825 BROCKI-.TT N. C.
It- ort/s, Lm r, mire, dirt. 1893 Xorthumbld. Gloss., Lair,
mud, sleek , quicksand, or any soft yielding surface. 1895
CROCKETT Men of Moss Hags 31 He was covered with the
lair of the moss-hags.
t Lair, sb$ Obs. Also 5-6 layer, 6 leyar,
leire, laire. A ewer.
1491 \Villofl~aughtiti (Somerset Ho.), A layer of siluerouer
gilt. 1508 SfOtueUts L. Marye 25 in Cainden Misc. (1895),
Nosalte.cuppe, or layer, .set on the borde. 1565 in LelamCs
Collect. (1770) I. 11, 691 The Communion Table was richly
furnished with Plate . , viz. . . Two great Leires, garnished
with stones. 1576 in H. \Valpole i ertue s Anecd* Paint.
(1786) I. 287 A fair bason and lair guilt.
Lair ^leXi ,z>. 1 Also 2 leire. [f. LAIK s&.*]
f 1. trans. To prostrate, lay on the ground.
(, 1200 Trin, Coll. Ifoin. 103 pe rihte bileue and be so5e
luue. .ben leirede and slaine on his lieorte.
2. a. intr. To lie, repose (on a bed), b. Of
cattle: To go to their lair. c. trans. To place
in a lair. Also refl. To find one s lair. d. To
serve as a lair for ; in quot. 1^70 _/?.
1607 TOKSKI.L Serpents (1658) 766 Vnder this herb a
Snake full cold doth lear [ = L. latet anguis suit he>{<a\.
i66a G. SWINNOCK Life of Christ Pref., O how sad is it
that so many precious souls should be laring on their beds
of security and idleness. 1821 CLARE I ill. Miiistr. 11-74
The berries of the brambly wood .. Which, when his cuttle
lair, he runs to get. 1851 MAYXE RKID Rifle Rangers \.
13 The jaguar is not far distant, laired in the secret depths
of the impenetrable jungle. 1853 ALEX. SMITH Life Drama
x. 183 I d rather lair me with a fiend in fire Than look on
such a face as hers to-night. 1870 LOWELL Cathedral Poet.
Wks. 11879) 453 As a mountain seems To dwellers round
its bases but a heap Of barren obstacle that lairs the
storm. 1890 Daily Tel. 22 May 5 6 At this moment there
are over 7,000 beasts laired in Deptford Market,
Lair :Je*j), v.~ Also 6 lare. [f. LAIR sb,~]
1. intr. To stick or sink in mire or bog.
a 1572 KNOX Hist. Ref. Wks. (1846) I. 86 Some Scottismen
. , not knowing the ground lared, and lost thair horse.
a 1575 Diurn. Occurr. (Bannatyne Club) 252 In the quhilk
passage ane of thair greit peices of ordinance larit. 1785
BURNS Winter Nt. iii, Silly sheep, wha ..thro the drift,
deep-lairing, sprattle. 1805 State, Leslie o/Pwis 74 (Jam.)
His cattle sometimes laired in the waggle. 1880 in Antrim
*r DownGloss. 1897 CROCKETT Lads Love xxix. 290, 1 feared
o 1 lairin in the moss mysel .
//>. 1859 CAIRNS in Life (1895) 438 The subject [origin of
Evil] is the deepest bog in which the human mind can lair.
2. trans. To cause or allow lo sink in mire or
a morass. Also refl.
c 1560 A. SCOTT Poems uS. T. S.) xx. 46 Thow wald no 1
rest but raik, And lair thee in be my re. 11578 LIXDESAY
(Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (S. T. S.) I. 405 TtMTOOOH to ane
place catlit the Solloun mose .. and thair in lairit and mis-
cheiflit thair horse. 1712 RAMSAY Three Bonnets iv. 76
But past relief lar d in a midding, He s now oblig d to
do her bidding. 1830 LYELL Prittc. Geol. (1875) II. III.XUV.
510 In Scotland. .Cattle venturing on a quaking moss , are
often mired or laired . 1875 W. M*Il,WBAITH Guide Wig
townshire 76 Watery flows, in which sheep and cattle some
times lair themselves. 1894 CROCKETT Raiders (ed. 3) 213
They say that King Robert . . laired and bogged a hale army
o the English there.
fig. atBio TANNAHILI. Peews (i&tf) 83 Some .. polemic
wight.. Wha lairs himself in controversy.
Lair, obs. f. LAYER ; Sc. f. LORE, learning.
Lairage ;lcTed,5). [f. LAIR j.i orz*. 1 + -AGE.]
1. The placing of cattle in a lair or lairs.
1881 Daily News 31 Jan. 2/6 The lands and buildings at
Birkenhead approved by the Privy Council for the landing
or lairage of foreign animals. 1881 Cork Constitution 12 Apr.,
The housing and lairage of stall-fed cattle.
2. a. collect. Space where cattle may lie down
and rest. b. An establishment where cattle are
placed in lairs.
LAISSEZ-ALLER.
1883 Summary 26 July 6/4 Cattle lairage will be provided.
1887 ISfiool Daily Post 14 Feb. 3/7 He visited the lairages
and found several oxen suffering from suppurating wounds
on the head. 1893 Standard 15 Aug. s/i The butchers . .
; prefer to attend the lairages at Birkenhead.
3. off rib. and Comb.
1871 Daily News 16 Sept., His duty being to collect the
\ outdoor lairage accounts. 1882 Pall Mall G. 26 July 7/2
Increasing the lairage accommodation at Deptford Cattle
j Market. 1883 ROSHER Princ. Rating 25 Lairage dues,
j levied on the consignees of foreign cattle. 1896 Times
I (weekly ed.) 599/2 Lairage-slaughtered beef and mutton.
Lairbar : see LAKBAU.
Laird le^id . Sc. Also 5-7 lard(e. [The re
gular Sc. form of LORD (repr. northern ME. lavenf),
: surviving only in a special sense.
The southern form lord was as early as the i4th c. intro-
duced into Scottish use in the"* English senses of the word.
; The native form lard appears occasionally in the igth c.
i instead olitnt: for examples see LORD sl>.]
A landed proprietor. In ancient times limited to
. those who held immediately from the king.
(-1450 HOLLAND Hmulat 193 Pure freris..That, with the
i leif of the lard, Will cum to the corne }ard At ewyn and at
morn. 1508 KI-NNEDIE Fly ting it . Dunbar 515, I sail ger
bake the to the lard of Hillhouse. 1535 STK WART Cron.Scot*
(1858) I. 65 Ouir all the land lord or laird wes nane, Bot he
i tuke part at that tyme \\itht the tane. 1596 D.M.RVMI-LK tr.
Leslie s Hist. Scot. ix. 177 The lard of Cesfurde .. meites
him. 1647 CLARENDON Hist. Reh. n. 19 A petition drawn
up in the names of the nobility, lairds, clergy and burgesses,
to the King. 1716 Lend, Gas. No. 5424/2 Our Detachment
j burnt the Laird s House. 1721 RAMSAY H /tin-Bnsh Club
i, Tho , to my loss, I am nae laird, By birth, my title s fair.
1786 BURNS Tiva Dogs 51 Our Laird gets in his racked
rents. 1846 M*CULLOCH Ace. Brit. Etn/>. (1854) II. 205 By
the lesser barons were meant the proprietors of the smaller
class of estates, provincially called lairds. 1872 E. W.
ROBERTSON Hist. Ess. 138 note, In Scotland every tenant
in capite, holding in Ward and Blench, continued to be
reckoned as a Baron and was known as the Laird.
Hence (chiefly nonce-wds. " Lai rdess. a laird s
wife ; Lai rclie. a petty land ; Lai rdly <2., having
the rank or quality of lairds ; Lairclo cracy [after
aristocracy\ lairds as forming a ruling class.
17. . in Hogg Jacob. Relics (1819) I. 83 Wha the deil hae
we gotten for a king But a wee wee German lairdie? 1819
Metropolis III. 83 The Highland and Border Lairdies.
1848 Taifs Mag. XV. 123 1 he Scotch lairdocracy may-
take it into their heads. 1857 AITON Domest. Econ.
51 The Court of Teinds, . . by their cruel bias to the lairdo
cracy, starve the ministers of the kirk. 1863 BUKTON Book
Hunter 10 Her sister lairdesses were enriching the tea-
table conversation with broad descriptions of the abomin
able vices of their several spouses. 1877 Tiusley s Mag.
XXI. 46 He yet was descended from an ancient lairdly
j,tock in that northern county.
Lairdship (le- udijip). [f. LAIRD + -SHIP.]
1. The condition or dignity of a laird. Also
quasi-<~0//tv". Lairds as a whole.
1854 H. MILLER Sch. <r Schm. (18581 395 The august
shadow of lairdship lav heavy on society. 1870 RAMSAY
; Rcinin. (ed. 18,1 p. xxviii, The annals of Forfarshire I,aird-
1 ship .
2. The estate of a laird.
1649 Hi . CirTHRiK Mem. 11702) 91 Mr. A. M.. .having l>een
i . .preferred to the Lairdship of Balvaird. a 1693 Urq it hart s
Rabelais m. ii. 26 He wasted, .the.. Revenue of his Laird
ship. 1725 DE FOE Journey thro 1 Scotl. (1729) 4 (Jam.) A
lairdship is a tract of land with a mansion house upon it,
where a gentleman hath his residence. 1816 SCOTT Old
Mart, xl, When ye tak up the lairdship, ye maun tak the
auld name and designation again. 1864 BURTON Scot Ajbr.
1 1. ii. 182 An estate held directly of the crown was a laird
ship.
Jig- J 794 BURNS Contented TC/* Little ii, My Freedom s
my lairdship nae monarch dare touch.
Ijairg^e, obs. Sc. form of LAKGE.
Lairock, obs. form of 1, AUK.
t Lairwite. Old Law. Also i lexerwite, 3
learwite, 4 leyrewite. [OK. /eqerwtc t f. /egtr
lying, LAIK sb, 1 + wlte fine.] A line for fornica
tion or adultery, esp. with a bondwoman.
[a, 1135 Ltiivs of Hen. /, xxiii. 23 in Schmid Gcsetze 447
Si quis blodwitam, fightwitam, legerwitam et hujusmodi
forisfaciat.J c 1*30 Halt Mcid. 47 pii. .wakles warpe me as
wrecche ibi learwite. 1387 TRKVISA //igdfti < Rolls) II. 97
Leyrewite, amendes for liggynge by a bond wumman. 1670
BLOUNT Law Diet. s.\. Adultery, The penalty of this >in
was called Lairwite by our Saxons.
f Larry, sb, Obs. rare~. In 6 layrie, 7 lairie.
1598 FI.ORIO, Couata, .. any birds hatching or sitting, a
nc-itfuH, a layrie [1611 lairie], an eyas.
Lairy (leVri), a. Also 4 lay,e)ry. [f. LAIK
j/,.ii + _yi.j fa. Karthly, filthy (obs. j. b. Boggy,
miry, swampy.
a 1340 HAMPOLE Psalter xvii[ij. 36 [32], 1 lepe ouer all he
thorny and be lairy besynes of j>is warld. 1-1340 Prose
Tr. (18661 15 AH bat it duellis in it lyftes abowne layery
lu^tes and vile couaytes. 17.. Donald ^- Flora 10 (Jam.)
Did ony [ewes] .Come near the lairy springs. 1855 MORTON
Cycl, Agric. II. 724 Lairy (Scot.) wet, swampy. _ 1897
CROCKKTT Lads Love xxix. 290 Wallowing mid-thigh m
the lairy depths of the Muckle Flowe.
Lais, obs. Sc. form of LACK.
Laisar, -er, obs. forms of LKISUHE.
Laise : see LEKSE v.
ItLaissez-aller v V-s^ &\e\ Fr. 1$* ak).
Also laisser-aller. [Fr. ; as next + aller to go,
i.e. let (persons or things go.] Absence of re
straint : unconstrained ease and freedom.
LAISSEZ-FAIRE.
1841 THACKERAY Miss Lo me Misc. Ess. (1885) 310 As
Wilder said with some justice, though with a good deal too
much laisser-aller of tongue. i86a Philip II. xxi, Sir
John . . was constrained to confess that this young man s
conduct showed a great deal too much laiacz alkr.
attrit. 1818 I.AUY S. MORGAN / /<-. Macarthy 1 1. iii.
178 He . . found or fancied in her what he called the
delicious laissez aller ease of a charming French woman .
1832 Ln. LYTTON Godolphin xx, Those well-chosen laissez
allcr feasts. 1839 DICKENS Nidi. Nick. Pref., A magnificent
high-handed laissez-allcr neglect.
II Laissez-faire [\t [- *e feJ ; Fr. \pe ffr). Also
laiaser-faire. [Kr. ; laissez imp. of laisser to let
+/airetodo, i.e. let (people) do (as they think
best).
Laissez faire et laissez passer was the maxim of the
French free-trade economists of the iStll c. ; it is usually
attributed to Gournay (Littre s. v. laisser).}
A phrase expressive of the principle that govern
ment should not interfere with the action of indi
viduals, esp. in industrial affairs and in trade.
Also attrit. Hence laissez-faireism.
1835 [MARQ. NOKMANBY] Eng. in Italy I. 296 The laisse:
faire system of apathy. 1848 Siiiimonds s Colon. Maf.
Aug. 338 Mammonism, laissez-faireism. Chartism, cur
rency-restriction [etc.]. 1873 H. SPENCER Stiul. Social, xiv.
____ -------- ...... z-f,iire poll
SCRIVENER Our Fields f; Cities 168 Laissez-faire is the
motto, the gospel, of the person who lives upon the work
of another.
Laist, Sc. form of Laced pa. pple. of LACE v.
Laistoff, -stowe, variants of LAYSTOW.
tlait, sb. 1 Olis. Forms: i 16set(u,liset(u,-yt,
16se, 3-4 leit, 2, 4 leyt, 3 li^t, 4 laite, layt(e,
ley;t, 4-5 leate, late, 6 layth. [OE. l^et,
liget masc. and neut., ligetu fern., f. leg, lie flame.
Cf. LAIT zi.l] Lightning; occas. flash of fire.
<rgoo tr. Baeda s Hist. iv. iii. (1800) 268 Drihten . . le^elas
sceotaS of heofonum. 971 Blickl, Hani. 91 /Kfter ^aem
wolcne cyme[> le^etu. c 1000 Ags. Gosf. Matt, xxviii. 3
Hys ansyn waes swylce lixyt [c 1160 flatten, leyt). c 1175
.
Lamb. Horn. 43 Heore e^>em scean swa de5 J?e leit a-monge
(>unre. c laos LAY. 25599 Me (>uhte . . (>at |>a sae gon to berne
of leite & of fure. 1297 R. GLOUC. (Rolls) 6283 Ech dunt
j>c?te li?t [MS. B. ley?!] as it were and bondring. 17. . d am.
H Gr. Knl. 199 He loked as lay! so lyjt. 1340 Ayenb, 66
Lhapb(>et smei)efter be layt. 1381 WYCI.IF Exoii. ix. 23 The
Lord ?af. .dyversly rennynge leytis upon the erthe. c 1449
PECOCK Kefr. 482 Leit gooth out of the eest and apperith
into the west. 1470-83 MALORY Arthur xvn. xi, Ther Wle
a sodeyne tempest and thonder layte and rayne. ? <i 1500
Chester PI. II. 85 Leate, thounder, and eirth beganne to
quake, Therof I am adreade. 1513 IlnAnsiiAw St. It er-
bitrge u. 121 Thondryng and layth, erth-tiuake moost terrible.
tlait, sb* Ots. [f. LAIT v*] In 5 laytt.
Searching, search.
cufio Tcmnttley Myst. xxiv. 238 Lefe syrs, let be youre
laytt and loke that ye layn.
tlait, v. 1 Ots. Forms: 3-4 leite(n, 5 layt,
pa. t. 3 leited, 5 layt, laytid. [? OE. *Ugettan,
f. /t^, I ifg (\~*laugi-z) flame ; cognate and parallel
formations are Goth, lauhatjan, OHG. laliajjait,
lohejlii, -$n, lougazzait.] intr. To flash, gleam,
lighten. Hence t Leitende ( = "laiting) ppl. a.
C1205 LAY. 18539 Of te ne ^* re lkede on & leitede mid
eyerie, a 1215 Leg. Kutll. 1370 Ibe leitende fur, bet warpen
euch fot. a 1225 St. Marker. 13 Ich loki tie mei, swa l>an
liht Ieome5 ant leiteS. a 1225 Alter. K. 356 Ne kUBMD non
into Parais bute buruh bisse leitende sweorde. i39oGowER
Con/. III. 95 The thunder-stroke smit, er it leue. 1:1425
Seven Sag . (P.) 2228 Hyt laytyd, thondred, and reynned
among. Ibid. 2234 Hyt raynyd ne thondryd ne layt nout
Sythen thou wentyst out of thys toune.
Lait (,1^ t), v? 06s. exc. dial. Forms : 4 latt,
4-5 layte, lait(e, 5-9 late.olait. [a. ON. leita,
corresponding to OE. wlatian to behold, Goth.
wlaitSn (ir(pi0\fir(aSat) ; related by ablaut to ON.
lit-r, OE. tv/ite aspect, appearance, OS. loliti face,
form, Goth, wlit-s face, and ON. Ilia, OE. wlltan
to look.]
1. trans. To look or search for; to seek, try to
find. Also with inf. or clause as object.
a 1300 Cursor M. 7323 Omang bir puple sal bou latt
A stalworth man bat Saul haitt. 13.. E. E. Allit. P. C.
277 He lurkkes & laytes where watz le best, a 1350 St.
James 305 in Horstm. Altengl. Leg. 11881) 101 Graithly
up he laites and lukes All his bagges and all his bokes.
a 1400 Sir Perc. 255 The grete Godd for to layte Fynde
hyme whenne he may. c 1400 Ywaine ff Gnw. 237 Aven-
tures for to layt in land, a 1400-1450 Alexander 2341 (Dubl.)
Lates ane ober lodesman, alosed more of strenth. c 1440
York Myst. xvii. in Vn-witty men 36 werre To lepe ouere
lande to late a ladde. 1674-91 RAY N. C. Words, To Late,
Cumb. to seek. 1787 GROSE Prov. Gloss., Lait, to seek
any thing hidden. N. 1864 ATKINSON Stanton Grange 122
Now, all you can do is to late her poor little body. 1891
Moorland Par. 136 Are you laiting goud?
t b. To search or look through ; to examine.
13.. St. Erkenwoliie 155 in Horstm. Altengl. Le?. (1881)
269 We haue oure librarie laitid bes longe seuene dayes.
2. absol. or intr. To look, search. Also dial.
To look for a word ; to hesitate in speech.
c 1300 Cursor M. 5975 Quar-to suld yee ferrer lait. 13. .
E. E. Allit. P. B. 97 Sayde be lordt to bo ledez, laytez
}et ferre. c 1400 Destr. Troy 7669 All. .laited aftur be lede
with a light wille. c 1460 TOVHUttf Myst. x. 137 And this
is, who wyll late, The sext moneth of hyr conceytate, That
geld is cald. Ibid, xviii. iSoThise ar thecommaundmentys
31
ten, who so will lely layt. 1804 R. ANDERSON Cumberld.
Bull. 87 He ne er lies a tealewidout laitin.
Lait, Sc. and north, form of LATE.
Laiter, obs. variant of LAUGHTER i .
Lai tli, Laith-: see LOATH, LOATH-.
Laithly, obs. form of LAIDLY a. dial.
1 Lai tiiig. Obs. Also 4 leityng e. [f. LAIT
z.l + -IN .] Lightning.
c 1340 Cursor M. 533 tTrin.) ponder & leitynge [Cott.
leuening]. 1388 WVCI.IF Ecclus. xxxii. 14 Leityng schal go
bifore hail. 1422 tr. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 141 Of
the Reyne also com yth. . many harmes, As thondyr, laitynge.
Laity (U 7i iti). Forms: 6 layetie, 6-7 lai-,
laytie, 6-8 laiety, 7 lay(e;ty, 7- laity, [f. lai,
LAY a. -t- -(I}TY. An AF. laitt occurs, with the
sense of lay property (cf. realty, spiritualty], in
Year-bk. 33 Ed. 7(1864) 411.]
1. The condition or state of a layman ; the not
being in orders.
1616 BULI.OKAR, Laitie, the estate or degree of a lay
man. 1726 AVI.IFFF. Parcrgon 208 The more usual Causes of
this Deprivation are such as these, vi/. a mere l.aity, or
want of Holy Orders [etc.]. 1831 MANNING Let. in Life
(1895) I. x. 72 The objection against my laity has been
strongly urged.
2. The body of the people not in orders as op
posed to the clergy; laymen collectively. (The
older term for the laity was LAY FEE. In 1548
a synonymous lenity occurs app. as a nonce-wd.)
? 1541 Constitiitid T. Craniueri et aliornm in Wilkins
Concilia (1737) III. 862/2 In the yere of our Lord MDXLI
it was agreed . . that if any of the inferiour degree dyd
receave at their table any Arch-bishop, i!ishop,.,or any
of the laitie of lyke degree, as Duke. Marquess (etc.).
1546 LANGI.EY tr. Pol. l e> g. DC Invent, iv. iii. 85 In the
Christen common welthe there bee two sortes of menne one
called the laytie. 1579 FKNTON G tiicciard. III. (1599) 143
The diuision being no lesse amongst the sphilualtie
then the layetie. 1660 R. COKK J mver $ Snl j. 82 Both
of them have power to consecrate the Sacrament of our
Lord s Supper, and give it to the laity. 1710 PRIDFAI X
Orig. Tithes iii. 162 The Alienations . . of Tithes which
fave unto the Laiety in France a civil Ri.yht to them. 1780
V. COLE in Willis & Clark CamMdge (18861 III. 68 Most
of the Clerical Subscribers, and possibly many of the
Layity. 1837-9 HAU.AM Hisl. Lit. I. i. iii. 42 The clergy
were now retrograding, while the laity were advancing.
1870 DICKFNS /. . Drood ii, You may offer bad grammar
to the laity, or the humbler clergy, but not to the Dean.
3. Unprofessional people, as opposed to those
who follow some learned profession, to artists, etc.
1832 AUSTIN Jnrispr. xxxviii, The laity lor non-lawyer
part of the community) are competent to conceive the more
general rules. 1875 HKI.PS Ess., Organic. Daily Life 107
Artists are wont to think ihe criticisms of the laity rather
weak and superfluous. 1880 H. QUII/IKR in Macm. Mag.
Sept. 391 Most of the laity still connect the word pre-
Raphaelitism with visions of gaunt melancholy women.
1898 Allbutt s Syst. M<-d. V. 281 The disease being one of
the existence of which the laity may be said to be ignorant.
Hence La ityship iionce-wd., the position or
personality of one of the laity; in quot.ajocular title.
1670 EACHARD Cotit. Clergy 128 Should I make thy laity-
ship heir of such an estate .. thou wouUlcst count me the
wisest man that ever was since the creation.
Laizer, obs. form of LAZAR.
Lak, obs. form of LACK ; var. LAC - .
Lakay, Laka(y ii), obs. ft. LACKEY, LAKIN!.
t Lake, sb.l Obs. Forms: i lac, 2-3 lac,
(lak- , 3 loo, (lok-), loac. [OE. lac (: prehis
toric *laiko m , *laika) neut. and fern. ; not found
with the same meaning in any other Teut. lang.,
but usually identified with the Com. Teut. *laiko-
play , LAKE sbt With regard to the sense, it
may be compared with OE. liciati to please, LIKE
v., from another grade of the same root.] An
offering, sacrifice ; also, a gift. Only OE. and
early ME. To lake (dat.), as a gift.
Beowulf (I,.) 1584 He..o5er swylc ut of-ferede Ia5-licu lac.
c 1000 Ags. Gosp. Matt. viii. 4 Ac gang aet-eowe pe bam
sacerde and bring hym ba lac be moyses behead on hyra
^ecySiiesse. c 1175 Ltitnb. Horn. 39 Ne con him crist na
mare b on g bene bah he slo3e bin child and here be his
heaued to lake, c 1200 Trin. Coll. Horn. 45 pe bre loc be
ich er nemde bat is gold, and recheles and mirre. a 1225
Leg. Katk. 63 De riche reo5eren..hrohten to lake. 41225
Ancr. K. 152 pe breo kinges . . offren Jesu Crist beo deore-
wurSe breo lokes. c 1250 Gen. $ Ex. 1798 And iacob sente
fer bi-foren him riche loac, and sundri boren.
t Lake, sb.- Ots. p orms : 2 Orm. lej^k, 3
leyk, 4 laic, 4-6 laik(e, layk(e, 5 lak(e. [a.
ON. leik-r play, corresp. to OE. lac neut. or masc.
warlike activity (once only ; but see LAKE sb^,
OHG. leich masc. and nent. song, melody, Goth.
laik-s dance :-OTeut. *laiko-, a verbal sb. from
*laikan to play, LAKE z.l]
1. Play, sport, fun, glee. In //. games, tricks,
goings on.
i 1200 ORMIN 2166 Inn xgjede and in le^kess. e 1300
Havelok 1021 For it ne was non horse-knaue . . That he
ne kam thider, the leyk to se. 13.. E. E. Allit. P. B. 274
pat for her lodlych laykez alosed bay were. 1340-70 A lex.
<5- Dind. 465 We ne louen in our land no laik nor no mirthe.
a 1400 Sir Perc. 1704 The childe hadd no powste His
laykes to lett. a 1400-50 A lexantier 4685 pe cursed laike
o couatis ware clene with it drenchid. c 1460 Tfflvneley
Myst. xvi. 66 Welcom hym worshipfully laghyng with lake.
1570 LEVINS Manip. 198/15 A layke, play, litdus.
LAKE.
b. A stake at play.
1597 MONTGOMERIE Cherrie <$ Slat nog, I pledge, or all
the play be playd That sum sail lose a laike.
2. A. fight, contest.
[a 1000 Gnthlac 1007 Wi^a nealceceS unlset laces.] c 1400
Destr. Troy 10408 pe lyght wex lasse, and J laik enait.
r 1420 Antnrs of Art h. 538 (Douce MS.) Lordcs and ladies
of bat laike likes, c 1470 dolaeros $ Gtnv. 832 Thus may
ye lippin on the lake, throu lair that I leir. 1515 Scot.
Fie Id 569 in L hetham Misc. 11856} II, This laykelasted on
the lande, the lengthe of fower ho>vers.
Lake (Wk), sfi.* Obs. exc. dial. [OE. lacu
str. fern. ; the sense shows that it is not ad. \..lacus
(see next) but a native word, from a Teut. root
*/<?- denoting moisture ; cf. OE. iff can to moisten,
LETCH v. t also LEAK sb. and v.
The OHG. lahha i(i. lache) pond, bog, is formally co
incident, but is perh. of Latin origin.]
A small stream of running water ; also, a channel
for water. Obs. exc. dial.
955 Charter of F.dred in Earle Charters 382 Daet to
MajftSe forda amllnng lace ut on Teme?e. 1235-52 Kentalia
Glnston. (Somerset Kec. Hoc.) 35 Pro decem acris inter Lak.
1:1450 HOLLAND Hoivlai 19 This riche Revir dovn ran..
Throwe ane forest . . And for to lende by that laike
thocht me levar. 1559 MORWYNG Eronyni. 346 The matter
must . . l.e by and by tied and pressed in a little presse of
\vood, with a little lake or gutter of wood, c 1630 RISDON
Sffrv. Devon 341 (1810) 351 I.yn, a pretty lake, streameth
out of the Kxmoor hills. 1630 T. WESTCOTE Dtron. 11845)
265 We shall lind him [Taw] a very small lake at his birth
in Dartmoor. 1841-71 PULMAS Rustic Sk, 6 Vrem rise to
tnoitth there s lots o lakes, An rivers zum that into n
fall. 1880 E. Corniv, Gloss., /.nA-e, a small stream of
running water. 1885 rail Mail (/ . n June 4/1 Kach tiny
drain, called locally a * lake , was edged broadly by a band
of great saffron -hued king cups.
b. Comb. : f lake-frith, the close-time for fish
ing in a stream; t lake-rift, a gully made by a
stream.
1235-52 Kcfiinlia Glaston. (Somerset Rec. Soc.) 141 Et
clebet ser\ are I.akefiithe. 13.. K, K. Allit. P. II. 536
And lyonne/ and Itlxirdez to ^e hike ryftes.
Lake v lf ^0 s &-* Forms: 3, 5 lac, 3, 4 lak,
4 5 laake, leke, 4-6 lacke, 5-7 Sf. laik e, 6 Sf.
layk, 7 laque, 3- lake. [Karly ME. /af t a. OF.
iafj ad. L. lacns basin, tub. tank, lake, pond ; the
popular form of the word in OF. was lai. The
present Eng. form lake ; recorded from the i4th c.)
may be due to confusion with prec., or perh. rather
to independent adoption of L. lac us.]
1. A large body of water entirely surrounded by
land ; properly, one sufficiently large to form a
geographical feature, but in recent use often applied
to an ornamental water in a park, etc.
(.1205 LAY. 1279-80 Ouer J>en lac of Siluius & ouer
^en lac [c 1275 lake] of Philisteus. a 1300 Cursor At.
2863 A stinkand see, ^>at semes als a lake of hell. 13.-
E. E. A /fit. / . B. 438 penne lasned l>e llak fat large
watz are. t 1375 .SV. Leg. Saints xx. (Blasins} 226 (Juhy
thule 5e fame oure godis tak, |<is to kast fame in Je lak ?
c 1400 MAUNIJKV. (Roxb.) xxi. 98 In be grund of fat lac er
funden faire precious stanes. c 1450 -V/. Cufhbert iSuitces)
799 par is a grete lake nere hand. 1513 DOUGLAS sKntis
vn. xii. 150 Of thair bruyt resoundis the river And all the
layk of Asia f^r and neyr. 1520 L a.rfans Chron. Eng.,
Descr. Irel. 5/1 The ryver lian renneth out of the leke into
the north ocean. 1657 HUWEI.L I.ondinop. 382 Heing built
on the South side of a large Laqtie. 1696 WHISTOS Theory
Earth \\. 11722 362 Tliere were only smaller Lakes and
Seas, but no great Ocean before the Deluge. I774GOLDSM.
Nat. Hist. 11776) I. 84 Nothing can exceed the beauty of
the landscape which this lake affords. 1813 HVRON Let.
5 Sept., in Moore Lett. $ Jrnls. (1830} I. 426 Rogers wants
me to go with him on a crusade to the Lakes. 1835
WORDSWORTH (title] A Guide through the District of the
Lakes. 1836 W. \n\itiGAstoria I. 210 The navigation of
the lakes is carried on by steamboats. 1853 M. ARNOLD
Sohrab <$ Rttstttm Poems 1877 L 108 Never more Shall
the lake glass her, flying over it.
b. transf. and fig. (perh. in some instances from
sense 2).
a 1225 St. Marker. 14 Ich leade ham. .i| e ladliche lake of
the suti sunne. 1526 TISUALE Rev. xx. 14 Deth and hell
were cast into the lake of fyre. 1669 STURMY Mariner s
Mag. Verses 34 Over the Ocean s Universal Lake. 1866
G. MACDONAI.D Ann. Q. Neig/tb. ii. (1878) 21 Close by
the vestry-door, there was this little billowy lake of grass.
1890 W. J. GORDON Foutidry 109 We can see the wide lake
of liquid metal simmering and spurting like porridge.
c. The Great Lake (a phrase borrowed from
the North American Indians) : the Atlantic ocean.
The Great Lakes : the five lakes Superior, Huron,
Michigan, Erie, and Ontario, which form the
boundary between Canada and the U. S.
1727 C. COLDEN Hist. Five Indian Nations 64 We have
put ourselves under the great Sachem Charles, that lives on
the other side of the great Lake. 1857 G. LAWRENCE Guy
Liv. xxxi. 308 The most terrible tempest that ever desolated
the shores of the Great Lake.
f2. A pond, a pool. Obs.
a 1000 O. E. Chron. an. 656 (Laud MS.) purh aelle ba
meres and feonnes fa liggen toward Huntendune porte and
fas meres and laces, a 1300 Cursor M, 11934 parbi salt
lesus on his plai, And lakes seuen he made o clai. c 1325
Song Mercy 162 in E. E. P. (1862) 123 We slepe a[s] swoile
swyn in lake. 17x386 CHAUCER Ib ife s Prol. 269 Ne noon so
grey goos gooth in the lake, a 1400 Pistili of Susan 229
He lyft vp be lach and leop ouer J>e lake, fat ;outhe.
? 1500 Chester PI. (E. E. T. S.) vii. 291 Lye there, lydder,
in the lake. 1609 .SV. Acts Jots. F/ fi8i6> IV. 432/1 All
vtheris, garthis, pullis, haldis, Laikis and netiis.
LAKE.
f 3. [after Vulg. /acus.] A pit ; a den (of lions) ;
occas, a grave. Obs.
c 13*0 R. BRUNNE Medit. 347 For bey to my soule deluyn
a lake, a 1340 HAMPOLE Psalter vii. 16 pe lake he oppynd
and vp grofe it. 138* WYCLIF fsa. xxxviii. 18 Thei shul
not abyden thi treuthe, that gon doun in to the lake, a 1450
Cov. i\/yst. (Shaks. Soc.) 350 Whan he dede ryse out of liis
lake Than was ther suche an erthe quake That [etc.}.
1506 GUVLFORDE Pilgr. (Camden) 35 And set hym in y B
lake of lyons where Danyell the prophete was.
Jig. a 1400 Prymer (18911 83 He ladde me out of be
laake of wrechchednesse.
fb. An underground dungeon ; a prison. Obs.
138* WYCLIF Jer. xxxviii. 6 Thei putte doun Jeremye in
cordis and in to the lake. 1447 BOKKNHAM Seyntys (Roxb.)
73 Cristyn thus entryd was In to that horribyl and lothful
lake.
t4. Used after L. locus = a wine-vat. Obs.
1382 WYCLIF Ret , xiv. 20 And the lake is defoulid with
oute the citee, and the blood wente out of the lake vn to
the brijdels of horsis. 1657 ^- THORNLEY Daphnis fy Chloe
48 Daphnis cast them {sc. grapes] into the presse, and trod
them there ; and then anon, out of the Lake, tunn d the
Wine into the Butts.
5. attrib. and Comb. : a. simple attrib., as lake-
fishery, -fowl, -level, -shore (in quot. attrib.}, -side,
-system ; also lakeward*&). and adv. Also in the |
names of fishes, as lake-herring, -shad, -sturgeon,
-trout, -whiting, for which see the second member.
1883 F. A. SMITH Swedish Fisheries 13 (Fish. Exh. Pu" "
wake was heard no more. 1860 MAURV Phys. Geog, Sea
(Low) jtii. 538 A lowering of the "lake-level. 1896 HOWELLS (
Impressions <y Exp. 7 In that cold Make-shore country \
the people dwelt in wooden structures. 1560 J. DAUS tr. ]
Sleidane s Comm. 323 After they couche them selues in a
pece of grounde, by the *lake side. 1737 Philip Qna.rU
(1816) 31 He attended me to the lake side. 1871 W. MORRIS
in Mackail Life (1899 I. 258 A swan rose trumpeting
from the lakeside. 1861 Times 22 Oct., Canada and the !
lake system, .cut into the States on the north. 1871 W. i
MORRIS in Mackail Life (1899) I. 270 The slope on the
*lakeward side.
b. instrumental, as lake-moated^ -reflected, -sur-
rottnded* adjs. c. locative, as lake-diver ; lake-
resounding atlj. Also lake-like adj.
^1657 REEVK God s riea 23 What art thou? .. Adam s
Ulcer, .. the *lake-diver, the furnace brand, the brimstone-
match of that cursed man. 1843 RUSKIN Mod. Faint. I.
H. in. iv. 251 White and lake-like fields [of mist]. 1820
SCOTT Abbot xxxviii, The locked, guarded, and lake-moated
Castle of Lochleven. 1821 SHELLEY Prometh. Unb. \. \. 744
He will watch .. the "lake-reflected sun illume the yellow
bees. 1717 PARNELL Homers Batt. Frogs 4- Mice 5 The I
*Lake-resoundtng Frogs selected Fare. 1821 SHELLEY Pro-
mctk. Unb. n. ii. 38 Like many a "lake-surrounded flute, ,
Sounds overflow the listener s brain.
6. Special comb. : lake-basin, a depression which
contains, or has contained, a lake; lake-country
LAKE-LAND; lake-crater, a crater which contains
or has contained a lake; lake-fever U.S. local,
malaria; lake - fly U.S., an ephemerid (Ephe
mera simulant, which swarms in the Great Lakes .
late in July (Cent. Dict.^\ lake-lawyer 7. J>\, a
jocular name &iven to two different fishes, the bow-
fin and the burbot, in allusion to their voracity ; I
lake-lodge, -ore (seequots.); lake-weed, water-
pepper (Polygonum hydropiper}. Also LAKE-LAND, i
1833 LYELL Princ. C,eoL III. 9 The whole assemblage |
must terminate somewhere ;.. where they reach the bound- i
ary of the original lake-basin. 1875 LOWELL M ks. (1890) |
W. 363 The greater part of Wordsworth s vacations was
spent in his native Lake-country. 1833 LVELL Princ.
GeoL III. 197 If we pass from the Upper to the Lower
Eifel we find the celebrated Make-crater of La.ich. 1859
BARTLETT Diet. A mer. t * Lake lawyer, the Western
Mud-fish. .. Dr. Kirtland says it is .. called the lake
lawyer, from its ferocious looks and voracious habits .
1884 Evangelical Mag. May 212 [Beavers ] lodges are
built sometimes on the shores of lakes .. These are called
"lake-lodges . 1864 T. L. PHIPSON Utiliz. Minute Life x. ,
256 In the lakes of Sweden there .are vast layers of iron \
oxide almost exclusively built up by animalcules. This ,
kind of iron-stone is called "lake-ore. 1693 Phil. Trans.
XVI I. 876 Tis branched and seeded something like Spinage .
or Mercury, but leaved rather like *Lakeweed. 1760 J. LEE
Introd Bet. App. 316 Lakeweed, Polygonum.
b. Lake poets, school, terms casually applied i
to the three poets, Coleridge, Southey, and Words
worth, who resided in the region of the English
Lakes ; lake poetry, the poetry written by them.
1817 Edin. Ret>, Aug. ^09 When we have occasion to
consider any new publication from the Lake school. 1837
Penny Cycl. VII. 343/2 The appellation of Lake-poets, given
32
12 Researches into the lake-dwellings of West Scotland.
1865 LUBUOCK Preh. Times 69 The piles used in the Swiss
Stone age "Lake-habitations were evidently, .prepared with
the help of Stone axes. Ibid. (1878) 54 A. -piece of pottery
apparently intended to represent a Lake-hamlet. 1884 \V.
WESTALL Content?. Rev. July 70 The brain of (he *lake-
man was equal to that of the men of our own time. 1863
LVELL Antig. ilfnn 23 The reindeer is missing in the Swiss
lake-settlements. 1865 LUBUOCK Prek, Times 126 The
* Lake- villages of the Bronze a.^e were contemporaneous.
t Lake, sb$ Obs. Also 6 Sc. laik, 7 layke.
[First found in Chaucer; prob. a. Du./<z/-, corresp.
to OE.fac/ien clamidem* (\Vr.-WUIcker 377/22^,
OFris. leken, OS. lakan mantle (ch/amys\ veil of
the temple, OHG. lahhan (MHG. lachen), mod.G.
lakan from LG.] Fine linen.
1386 CHAUCER Sir Thomas 147 He dide next his white
leere Of clooth of lake fyn and cleere. 1447 BOKKMIAM
Seyntys (Koxb.) 73 Bryngyng hir brede als whyt as lake.
1501 DOUGLAS Pal. Hon. \. Hi, Thir fair ladyis in silk and
claith of laik. 1535 STEWART Cron. Scot. III. 234 guhilk
causit hes to lurk wnder the laik Richt mony cowart durst
nocht cum to straik. 1603 Philotus Ix, The quhytest layke
bot with the blackest asse.
ably called the Lake Poetry. 1874 L. STEPHEN Hours in
Library \\. 307 To the whole Lake school his [Hazlitt s]
attitude is always the same justice done grudgingly.
C. Lake-dweller, one who in pre-historic times
lived in a lake-dwelling or lake-habitation,
i.e. one built upon piles driven into the bed of a
lake; lake-hamlet, -settlement, -village, a col- I
lection of such dwellings; lake-man lake-dweller.
1863 LYELL Antiq. Man 21 In the stone period the "lake- I
dwellers cultivated all these cereals. Ibid. 18 The Swiss
"lake-dwellings seem first to have attracted attention during
the dry winter of 1853-4. 884 Times (weekly ed.) 19 Sept.
Lake (.U k), $b$ [Orig. a variant of LAC.!]
1. A pigment of a reddish hue, originally obtained
from lac (cf. LAC! 2), and now from cochineal
treated as in 3.
1616 BULLOKAR, Lake, a faire red colour vsed by painters.
1622 PEACHAM Compl. Gent. xiiL (1634) 130 Lay your colours
upon your Pallet thus : first your white lead, then Lake.
1674 Beales Pocket Bk. in H. Walpole Vertue s Anec<i.
Paint. (1786) III. 131 Several parcells of Lake of my own
makeing. 17*8 DESAGI LIRRS in Phil. Trans. XXXV. 608
Instead of Vermilion the red Paper may be painted with
Carmine or Lake. 1816 J. SMITH Panorama Sci.ff Art\\.
751 Deep Prussian blue and lake, .form a purple of the next
degree of excellence. 1859 (IULLICK & TIMUS Paint. 224
The common lake is prepared from Brazil wood.
2. transf. as the name of a colour.
1660 Albert Durcr Revived ii Lake ..is an excellent
Crimson-colour. 1686 AGLIOSBY Painting Illnstr. i. 23 In
imploying of fine Colours, as fine lacks Ultra Marine Green,
&c. 1882 Garden 7 Oct. 312, 3 Of new flowers there are
Constancy, yellow, deeply edged with lake.
3. In extended sense : A pigment obtained by
the combination of animal, vegetable, or coal-tar
colouring matter with some metallic oxide or earth.
Often preceded by some qualifying word, as crim
son, Florence, green, madder, yellow, etc. lake.
Indian lake : a crimson pigment prepared from
stick-lac treated with alum and alkali.
1684 R. WALLER Nat. Exptr. 137 How to take the Lake
of any Flower. 1791 HAMILTON Berthollat s Dyeing\, 1. 1.
ii. 37 If a solution of a colouring substance be mixed with
a solution of alum .. [and] if .. we add an alkali .. the
colouring particles are then precipitated, combined with the
alumine..this compound has got the name of Lake. 1812
SIR H. DAVY Client. Philos. 430 The red juices of fruits
were fixed by it [tungsten] so as to make permanent and
beautiful lakes. 1822 IMISON .SV/. $ Art II. 410 The lakes
chiefly used are red colours, and these are of different quali
ties. 1853 W. GREGORY Inorg. Chent. ^ed. 3) 204 Carmine
is a lake of cochineal. 1866 ROSCOE Elem. Chem. xx. 180
Alumina .. has the power of forming insoluble compounds
called lakes with vegetable colouring matter. 1877 O NEILL
in Kncycl. Brit. VII. 573/1 The precipitate is usually called
the lake of the particular metal and colouring matter.
4. Comb,, as lake-red, vermilion sbs. and adjs. ;
lake-coloured adj.
1764 -Ins. Kits!. I. 166 note, The lake-red used by the
painters in enamel is composed of fine gold dissolved
in aqua regia, with sal armoniac. 1796 WITHERING Brit.
Plants (ed. 3* IV. 214 Pileus fine lake red, changing with
age to a rich orange and buff. 1882 Garden 25 Mar.
196/2 A leafy cluster of blossoms. .of a brilliant lake-vennil-
lipn hue. 1898 P. MASSON Trot. Diseases i. 25 The black
pigment shews up very distinctly in the homogeneous lake-
coloured sheet of free haemoglobin.
Lak6 (\t k),v. 1 Now chiefly dial. Forms: i
lacan, 4 leyke, laiky, 4-6 laike, layke, 6, 9 laak,
8 9 laik, 4- lake. [A Com. Teut. reduplicative str.
vb., OE. /dean, pa. t. Mole, Itc = ON. leika, pa. t. Itk
(Sw. leka, Da. lege], Goth, laikan, pa. t. lailaik,
MHG. leichen, pa. t. leichte, pa. pple. geleichen.
The word seems in ME. to have been re-adopted in
the Scandinavian form. Its currency is almost
entirely northern, no forms with o being known.
The inflexion has been weak since the i^th c.]
fl. intr. To exert oneself, move quickly, leap,
spring ; hence, to fight. Obs.
Beowulf (Z.\ 2848 Da ne dorston aer dareSum lacan on
hyra man-dryhtnes miclan btarfe. a 1000 Juliana 674 Heli-
seus . . leolc ofer la^uflod longe hwile on swonrade. c 1205
LAY. 21270 Ar5ur him la;c to swa hit a Hun weoren. Ibid.
28522 Hit tec toward hirede folc vnimete. ,1400 Destr,
Troy 9997 Thus |>ai laiket o be laund the long day ouer.
t b. trans. To move quickly.
c 1205 LAY. 29662 Up he lasc bene staf pat water |>er after
lop.
2. intr. To play, sport ; occas. in amorous or ob
scene sense ; dial, to take a holiday from work ;
to be out of work. Also with about, away.
c 1300 Havclok 950 The children.. with him leykeden here
fille. 13.. /;. E. Allit. P. B. 872 Laykez wyth hem as
yow lyst & letez my gestes one. 1393 LANGL. P. PI. C. i.
187 And yf hym luste for to layke J>anne loke we mowe.
c 1400 Destr. Troy 12734 This Clunestra . . For lacke of hir
lord laiked besyde. c 1440 York Myst. xxvi. 238 How |?is
losell laykis with his lorde. 1570 LEVINS Manip. 198/15.
LAKIE.
1599 T. CCTWODK Cciltha Poet. Pref. (1815) A v, Let the
lasses gme over laaking in the greene. 1674 RAY A . C.
It ords 28 To Lake : to Play, a word common to all the
North Country. 1803 R. ANDERSON Cumber Id. Ball. 62
J he peat-stack we us d to lake roun 11 be brunt ere this !
a 1804 J. MATHER Sang. s (1862) 9: (Sheffield Gloss.) Why
don t these play-acting foak lake away? 1818 SCOTT tlrt.
Mitll. xxxiii, Any tidy lass .. that .. would not go laiking
about to wakes and fairs. 1859 MRS. GASKELL Round the
Sofa II. 101 The men [in Westmoreland] occasionally going
off laking..that is, drinking, for days together. iBji Spec
tator 16 Apr. 529/1 The Yorkshire word to signify playing,
as generally understood, is laking .
t b. quasi-/raj. To sport with, mock. Obs.
13.. Seuyn Sag. (W.i 1212 A! hou wimmen conne hit
make Whan thai wil ani man lake !
f 3. reft. To amuse oneself, play. Obs.
1:1350 Will. Palerne 31 (He] layked him long while to
lesten ^iat mer|je. c 1380 Sir Ferumt. 3356 pai hadden . .
burdes brijte & bolde . . to layky hem wan |>ay wolde. a 1400-
50 A It. \andtr 1 770 Se quat I send to |>e, son H-selfe witli
to laike. c 1415 WYNTOL-N Crcn. II. xiv. 1271 As this Quej-ne
apon a day Hyr laykand in a inedow lay.
tLake, vl Obs. [f. LAKE j^.lj trans. To
present an offering or sacrifice to.
< 1200 OK.MIN 1172 (>a lakesst tu Drihhtin wi)>|> shep Cast-
like i (>ine Jewess. Ibid. 7430 J)a bre kingess lakedenn Crist
Wib}) brinne kinne lakess.
Lake (l^k), v* [f. LJKK rf.c] trans. To
make lake-coloured.
1898 Allhitl s Sjst. 1(1 ed. V. 446 This difficulty [number
of chromocytes obscuring leucocytes] may be overcome by
using Thomas 0-3 acetic acid solution for diluting the
blood, this having the effect of laking the chromocytes.
Lake, obs. form of LAC sl/.^, LACK.
Jjakeism : see LAKISM.
La-ke-land, la keland. [f. LAKE jA.-i .
LAND.] Tlie land of lakes ; spec, the region of the
English lakes, consisting of parts of Cumberland,
Lancashire, and Westmoreland. Also attrib.
1829 SOUTHEY Sir T. More II. 150 Those contests were
carried on at a distance from our Lake-land. 1883 Spectator
21 July 928/1 Lovers of English lakeland. 1884 llliistr.
Loud. Neit s 22 Nov. 491 Will you enlighten us lakeland
folk? 1895 Daily A ra j 19 Aug. 3/1 How delicious are
these lakeland gardens.
Hence La Icelander, a dweller in lakeland.
1895 Daily Keios 19 Aug. 3/1 As to the rain, Lakelanders
seemed to think their district is greatly maligned.
Lakeless iU -kles , a. [f. LAKE sfi.* + -LESS.]
Having no lakes.
1881 G. ALLEN Colin Clout s Cat. (1883) 216 Relatively
hilly and lakeless Kurope 1893 Daily A trws 17 Nov. 5/4
In respect of equability of flow.. the Thames is probably
superior to all other lakeless rivers in this country.
Lakelet U< -l;,let). [f. LAKE sfi* + -LET.] A
small lake. Also transf.
1796 \V. MARSHALL W. England I. 13 Dosmary Pool, a
small lakelet, .lies among the mountains. 1865 LIVINGSTONE
Zambesi xix. 393 The fine fish which abound in the lakelet.
1883 STEVENSON Silverado Xq. (1886) Si A little white lake
let of fog would be seen far down in Napa Valley.
Laken, obs f. LACK zi.i; variant of LAKIN.
Laker (l^-ksi) i. [f. LAKE ^.3 + -BR 1.]
) 1. A visitor to the English lakes. [A pun : see
quot. 1805.] Obs.
1798 [J. PLUMPTRE] (tilled The Lakers; a Comic Opera
in Three Acts. 1805 Hi . WATSON in R.Watson Li/e(rtrtt II.
169 Lti&frs (such is the denomination by which wedistinguish
those who come to see our country, intimating thereby not
only that they are persons of taste who wish to view our
lakes, but idle persons who love laking : the old Saxon
word to lake, or play, being of common use among school
boys in these parts). 1806 SOUTHEY in C. C. Southey Life
III. 41 You would come as a mere laker and pay a guide
for telling you what to admire. 18*9 Sir T. More (1831 >
I. 42 A stepping-stile has been placed to accommodate Lakers
with an easier access.
2. One of the Lake poets .
1819 Miss MITFORD in L Estrange Life (1870) II. 73
Apropos to Mr. Jeffrey and Mr. Wordsworth, I want you
to read one fair specimen of the great Laker. 1876 E. FITZ
GERALD Lett. 11889 I- 381 The Lakers all .. first despised,
and then patronised Walter Scott .
3. (t/.S. local.) A fish living in or taken from a
lake, spec, the lake-trout of N. America.
1846 J. WILSON Let. in Hamilton Mem. vii. (1859) 234
Fresh-water ones [trout] found in the river, but more like
lakers. 1876 Forest <y Stream 13 July 368 2 He pulls like
a laker, and you ll think you ve got a whale.
4. A boat constructed for sailing on the great
lakes of America.
1887 Century Mar. Aug. 484/2 A twenty-foot laker can
slip tnrough any lock without scratching her paint.
La ker - . [f.I.AKEr. 1 t--iiK 1 .] One who lakes .
1805 [see LAKER ij. 1876 in U hitby Gloss., s.v. Lake.
Lake-wake, erroneous form of LIKK-WAKE.
Lakey, obs. form of LACKEY ; var. LAKY a. 2
Lakh: see LAC 2.
Lakie (1^-ki). Sc. Also 8 leaky. An
irregularity in the tides observed in the Firth of
Forth (see qnot. 1795)- Also If kit-tide.
1710 SIBBALD Hist. Fife (1803) 87 There are lakies in the
river of Forth, which are in no other river in Scotland.
1795 SINCLAIR Statist. Ace. Scot. XIV. 612 The tides in
the river Forth . . exhibit a phenomenon not to be found
(it is said) in any ther part of the globe. This is what
the sailors call a leaky tide. ..When the water has flowed
for 3 hours, it then runs back for about an hour and a
half ; . . it returns immediately, and flows during another
LAKIN.
hour and a half to the same height it was at beforehand
this change takes place both in the flood and ebb tides.
1885 D. BEVERIDGE Cnlross $ Tulliallaji I. i. 35 The lakie
tide never recedes much more than two feet before returning
on its regular course. ..When the lakie has run its course,
the tide flows or recedes, as the case may be, to the proper
limit of high or low water.
Lakin * v^ kin). Obs. exc. dial. Also 5 lakan,
Inkayn, 5-6 laykin, -yn, 8 laken, laking, 9 (in
glossaries) lairkin. [app. connected with LAKE
v\ ; cf. ON. leika plaything.] A plaything, toy ;
in quots. 1440, 1460 said of a baby.
Bp. Kennet (c 1700), quoted in Promf. Pat ., gives
Leikin, a sweetheart. Northuinb?
c 1440 Gttsta Rom. xxxii. 123 lHarl. MS.) He putt vp in
his bosom bes lij. lakayns. c 1460 T<nvnel<y Myst. xiii. 242
Ilk yere that commys to man She bryngys furth a lakan.
1570 LEVINS Manip. 134/5 A Laykin, babie, crepundia.
1790 (!ROSE Prov. Gloss, (ed. 2) Supp!., Lakings> playthings
for children. North. 1790 MRS. WHEKI.KR Westmld. Dial.
(1821) 87, I brout her a Lunnon laken, a conny bab. 1855
ROBINSON Whitby Gloss., Lairkins, children s toys ; trinkets
in general.
I- Lakin- . Obs. Also 5, 7 laken, 61akens. See
also BYKLAKIN. [Contracted f. LADY + -KIN ; cf.
bodikinSi pittikins] Only in By (our] lakin t a
trivial form of By Our Lady.
1496 Dives fy Panp. (W. de W.) n. xii. 121/2 Some [swere]
by Taken, some by our lady. 1533 MORE Apol. iv. Wks.
849/2 By our lakens brother husband .. yet woulde I rather
abyde the perill of breding wormes in my bely. 1610 SHAKS.
Temp. in. iii. i Hy r lakin, I can goe no further, Sir, My old
bones akes. 1616 [W. HAUGHTON] English-men for my
Money 04, Bir laken sirs, I thinks tis one a clocke. a 1615
[see BVRLAKIN].
taking (1^ kin), vbl. sb.\ Now dial. [f. LAKE
v\ 4. -ING l.] Playing, amusement. Also attrib.
1340 HAM POLE Pr, Consc. 594 When he es yhung and
luffes laykyng. ( 1425 WVNTOUN Cron. vm. xxxv. 5188
Than he Sayd .. God mot at yhoure laykyng be ! a 1816
[see LAKER]. 1857 E. WAUGH Lane. I*t /e 216 They were
used to call this pastime .. Making wiV Hoggart ; that is,
playing with the Boggart. 1884 H. SKKUOIIM firit. Birds
II. 436 These laking -places, as they are locally termed,
are frequented by a great number of males, who fight for
possession of the females.
Laking M^ -kiq),^/. $b [f. LAKE </>. 4 + -INGI.]
a. Visiting the English lakes, b. Writing poetry
in the style of the Lake school.
i82 J. WILSON Lakes Note, Wks. 1856 VI. 105 We should
suppose that Spring was a season by no means amiss for
Laking. 1837 Foreign Q. Rev. XIX. 301 German romanti
cism and English laking are one.
Lakish (1^ kiJ), a. [f. LAKE J<M + -ISH.]
fl. a. Abounding in lakes or pools, b. In
habiting a lake. Obs.
1590 GREENE Orl. Fnr. (1599) F3, 1 know he knowes that
watrie lakish hill. 1661 LOVKLL Hist. Antin, <y l\Iin.
Introd., Fishes which are., lakish, as the Umbla, trout,
carp [etc.]. 1681 CHETHAM Angler s V ade-m. xi. i (1689)
no All Fishes, whether Marine, Fluviatile, or Lakish.
2. Of or pertaining to the Lake poets ; resem
bling the productions of those poets.
1819 Abelard fy Heloisa 222 Oh ! that we had the Lakish
pow r To dwell on owls ! for half an hour. 1822 Blackiv.
Mag. XI. 478 The Edinburgh Reviewers would say it was
A Lakish rant. 1831 Ibid. XXIX. 218 This couplet .. was
pronounced * lakish .
Hence La-kishness.
1831 Blacfnv. Mag. XXIX. 218 Talking of lakishness
the bouthrons..have a strange idea of the Lakes.
Lakist (1^ kist). [f. LAKE $b. + -IST. Adopted
m Fr. as takiste.] A member or adherent of the
* Lake School of poetry ; a Lake poet.
1822 New Monthly Mag. V. 546 Voted at last a rhymer
and a pedant by the lakists and cockneys, a 1849 POE
Cockton Wks. 1864 III. 462 The cant of the Lakists would
establish the exact converse.
2 Apr. 5/1 Th
followed him.
e last surviving so
1883 I? ham Daily Post
n of another Lakist has
So La-kism, affectation of the style of the Lake
poets.
1822 Blacbiv. Mag. XI. 462 The third canto of Childe
Harold .. which from beginning to end is Lakeism rank
Lakeism.
Lakka, Lakke, obs. forms of LAC i, LACK.
Laky (l^ M), a- 1 [f. LAKE sb. + -Y i.] Of or
pertaining to a lake ; lake-like.
1611 COTGH., Lacnstre, lakie, belonging to a lake. 1808
SCOTT Marni, v. Introd., By., flanking towers, and laky
flood, Guarded and garrison d she stood. 1826 W. ELLIOTT
Nun. 43 And all the Italian glory of the day, seems sweetly
sleeping in each laky ray.
Laky (1^-ki), a? Also 9 lakey. [f. LAKE s6.&
+ -Y 1 .] Of or pertaining to lake ; of the colour of
lake ; spec, of the blood, when the red corpuscles
are acted upon by some solvent.
1849 Blackiv. Mag. LXVI. 420 The gray stones, .are of a
delicate hue, blue intermingling with pale greenish and
lakey tints. 1898 P. MANSON Trap. Diseases xxxi. 457 note,
The haemoglobin has become diffused and the blood lakey.
Lakye, obs. form of LACKEY.
La -la (la - la*), a. [adj. use of la la interj.: see
LA int. b.] * So-so , not so good as it might be,
poor.
1800 in Spirit Pnbl. Jrnls. (1801) IV. 253 Finding my
appetite very la, la, took two glasses of bitters. 1806 SURR
Winter in London I. 240 As to his singing, it is but la la.
11849 HARTLEY COLERIDGE Ess. (1851) II. 94 A species of
composition so la-la and lackadaisacal.
VOL. VI.
t Lale, v. Obs. rare. [Cf. Da. lalle to prattle.]
intr. To speak.
13., E. E. Allit. P. B. 153 pen be lorde wonder loude
laled & cryed. Ibid. B. 913 pen laled Loth, lorde what is
be>t? [1877 -V. /K. Line. (>toss. t Lall^ to cry out.)
Lall ,Utl), v. [Echoic, after L. jal/are.} intr.
To say Mai, lal ; to speak childishly. Hence
La lliug vbl, sb. Also attrib.
1878 tr. Zionssen s Cycl. Med. XIV. xxxv. 844 When
stammering attains such a grade that the speech is thereby
rendered very indistinct or entirely unintelligible, it is
called lalling {lallatio}. Ibid., When the attendants are
silly enough to imitate this lalling, . .the speech may retain
a childish, lalling character.
Lallan (Ise lan). a. and sb. Sc. [variant of
LOWLAND.] A. adj. Belonging to the Lowlands
of Scotland. B. sb. (Also Lallans.) The Low
land Scotch dialect.
1785 BURNS Addr. to Deil xix, But a* your doings to
rehearse ..Wad ding a Lallan tongue, or Erse, In prose
or rhyme. To H^. Sini/>son t Postscr. ii, They . . spak
their thoughts in plain, braid Lallans. 1791 A. WILSON
Laurel Disputed Poems (1816) 40 (Jam.) Far alTour gentles
for their poets flew, And scorn d to own that Lallan .songs
they knew. 1887 R. L. STEVENSON Mem. <y Portraits, Pas-
/orrt/99, I translate John s Lallan, for I cannot do it justice,
being uorn Britannis in wontibus.
i La llate, v. Obs. rare , [f. ppl. stem of
L. fallare : see next.] * To speake baby-like *
(Cockeram, 1623).
Lallatioil ^Iccl^ Jim). [n. of action f. L. laUart
to sing lalla or lullaby (Lewis & Sh.). Cf. F.
la!tation.~] fa. Childish utterance (obs.}. b. An
imperfect pronunciation of r, by which the sound of
that letter is confused with that of /; lambdacism.
1647 R. BARON Cyprian Acad. Aij b, Tin s makes me hope
that you will di-^pence with the LaUation and Low dialect
of this babe [sc. a book], whose tone is rude. 1864 R. F.
UUKTON Dahonte I. 158 The Popos and Dahomans have the
same lallation as the Chinese, who cull rum lum .
Lam (Ittm), si . 1 [?f. LAM v. (sense 2 b).] A
kind of fishing net. Also lam-net. (Cf. LAMMKT.
1626 SPBLMAN Gloss, s.v. Luma, Sed nos hodie retis genus
quo vtuntur piscatores, a lam vocamns. 1895 E. Angl.
Gloss. , Lam net, a net into which fish are driven by beating
the water.
Lam (Iccm), sb.~ Weaving, [ad. F. lame (lit.
* blade ) in the same sense.] (See quot. 1883.)
1801 J. BUTTERWORTH in A. Barlow Weaving (1878) 317
The generality of weavers couple the first and third healds
or shafts, and so are enabled to weave it with only two
lams. 1883 Almondb. $ Hnddcrsf. Gloss. t Laws, pieces of
wood in a loom, connected with the treadles by strings,
which are connected also with the jacks (above) in a similar
way, and work the yelds.
Lam (la;m\ v. Forms : 6-8 lamme, lamb,
7 lambe, 8 lamm, 6- lam. [Cf. ON. tynja (pa. t.
tam9a} t \\t, < tolame l ("*OE./fw;a?/, f. tamaL.JME, ),
but chiefly used with reference to beating.]
1. trans. To beat soundly; to thrash; to whack .
Now colloq. or vulgar.
1595 [implied in BF.I.AM]. 1596 THOMAS Diet. (1606),
I)?J nsto t to lamme or bumbast with strokes. 1631 Ccleslina
ix. in They will not sticke to strip them and lamme them
soundly. 1719 OZELL tr. Misson s Mem. 306 A Fellow,
whom he lamb d most horribly. 1783 AINSWORTH Lat. Diet.
(Morelh I, Lammed, Vcrbcratns. i8iz H. & J. SMITH
Rfj. Addr., G. Barmvell, Quoth he, I would pummel and
lam her well. 1869 F. H. LUDLOW Little Bro. 16, I wish
I d been there ; I d ha lammed him, I would !
trans/. 1898 ll esttn. Gaz, 20 July 7/2 The Lancashire
amateur . . woke up in astonishing fashion and lammed the
ball in every direction to the delight of all beholders.
2. intr. Chiefly school-boy slang, as to lam (if)
into one, to lam out.
1875 A. R. HOPE My Schoolboy Fr. 179 ( I had six cuts. .
and Vialls did larn into tne.^ 1882 F. ANSTEY Vice Versa
(ed. 19) 84 * Let him undress now, and we can lam it into
him afterwards with slippers. 1894 CoHAH DOYLK Round
Red Lamp 276 Lam out with your whip as hard as you
can lick.
b. dial. (See quot.) Cf. LAM sbl
1893 Angl. Gloss. , Lamming for cels^ thrashing the
water to make the eels go into a net.
Hence La mming vbl. sb., a beating, a thrashing.
1611 BEAUM. & FL. King fy no K. v. iii, One whose dull
body will require a lamming. 1611 COTGR., Ganlee^ .. a
cudgelling, basting, thwacking, lamming. 1883 Almondb. <$
Hnddersf. Gloss. t Lat/unin, i.e. lamming, a beating.
Lam, obs. form of LAMB, LAME, LOAM.
Lama l (la-ma). Also 9 erron. llama. [Thi
betan blama, the b being silent.] The title given
to the Buddhist priests of Mongolia and Thibet.
The chief Lamas of Thibet and Mongolia are called
respectively Dalai (dalae or dellty-lama, or simply
Dalai t and Tesho- or Teshu-lama ; the former is
the higher in dignity, and is known to Europeans
as the ( Grand Lama .
The Dalai Lama lives In the strictest seclusion, and is
worshipped with almost divine honours. When he dies, the
lamas profess to search for a child who gives evidence that
the soul of the deceased pontiff has entered into him ; when
found, the child succeeds to the office.
1654 tr. Martini s Cong. China 13 This Letter . . he sent by-
one of their Indian Priests (whom they call Lama). 1698
J. CRULL Muscovy 64 A certain High Priest, whom they
call Dalae-Lama, or Lamalamalow. 1753 HANWAV Trav.
(1762) I. n. xvi. 68 Their supreme deity is the delli lama.
1807 W. IRVING Life 4- Lett. (1864) 1. 199 When surrounded
LAMB.
like the grand Lama, .by a crowd of humble adorers. 1876
Times 15 May 5/2 The greater in this last respect .. is the
Dalai (or Ocean ) Lama of Lhasa; the other is the
Panchen Rinboche l Jewel Doctor ), or Teshu Lama of
Tashi-lunpo. 1881 Ck. Bells 10 Dec. 24/1 In spite of the
determined antagonism of the preaching of the Shamans
and Lamas from Mongolia. 1895 WAODKI.L Buddhism of
Tibet i Tibet, the mystic Land of the Grand Lama, joint
God and King of many millions.
attrib. 1799 W. TOOKE View Russian Emp. II. 119 We
find in the russian empire .. the lama, and the schamane
religions. 1861 SWINHOK N. China Camp. 366 The majority
of the llama temples were situated outside the wall.
Hence La maic a., of or pertaining to the lamas ;
believed or taught by the lamas. La maism (also
1 larnism), the system of doctrine and observances
inculcated and maintained by the lamas. La ma-
ist, one who professes lamaism ; also attnb.
Iiamai stic a., of or pertaining to the lamaists.
La iuaite LAMAIST. Lamai tic a. = LAMAISTIC.
1814 tr. Klaproth s Tra-n. 115 This is the greatest festival
of the Lamaitcs. 1817 Edin. Rev. XXVIII. 313 Prayer is
one oi the principal duties enjoined by Lamaism. 1827
H. E. LI.OYD tr. Timboi-vskis Trav. II. 207 Before the
introduction of the Lamaic religion among them [the
Mongols]. 1834 Good s Study A/fit, (ed. 4) III. iu8 The
cruel and senseless penances and punishments sustained in
many of the convents ami nunneries of Lam ism. 1840
CARLYLE Heroes (1858) 188, I find Grand Lamaism itself
to have a kind of truth in it. 1852 tita^kiv. Mag. LXXI.
3.47 The Lamaitic worship. 1883 Athcnxnm 24 Feb. 242 i
The Lamaistic deviations from the simplicity of Gautama s
teaching. 1889 Century Mag. Mar. 657/2 The great annual
festival of the lamaists in July. 1895 WADDKLL Buddhism
of Tibet 287 The Lamaist temple is called God s house .
Ibid. 298 The Lamaist sceptre or Dorjc..
II Lama 2 la-ma). [Sp. ; lit. plate .] Gold
l or silver cloth, originally made in Spain.
1818 La Belle Assemble? XVII. 133 2 A gold embroidered
| lama drapery .. Uorders of silver lama on crimson satin,
: 1821 in Mrs. Armytage OldCrt. Customs (18831 3~ A dre^s
of silver lama over French lilac.
Lama, erroneous form of LLAMA.
t La manism. Obs. [After F. lamanisme
(Hue).] = LAMAISM. So Lama nical a. =* LAMAIC.
1852 lilnck .i . Mug. LXXI. 339 The Tibetan portion . .
is inhabited by a rough race, .. retaining many primitive
superstitions beneath the engrafted Lamanism. 1867 M.
JUNKS //uc s Tartary 243 The foundation of the lamanical
hierarchy, framed in imitation of the pontifical court< Ibid.
252 It is with this view [of enfeebling the strength of the
Mongol princes] that the Emperors patronise lamanism.
Lamaiitin JamarntmX Also 8-9 lamen-
tiue, lamentin, 9 lamantine. [a. F. lamantin^
lamenting The manatee.
1706 PHILLIPS (ed. Kersey), Lamenting. 1762 Gentl.
Mag. 208 Tortoises also and lamantins are found here in
great plenty [in Granada]. 1797 Naval Chron. VII. 333
The lamentin (sea-cow or manattee). 1827 G. HIGGINS
Celtic Druids 138 The bones of mammiferous sea animals
namely, of the Lamentin and of seals, 1865 Lu SHOCK
Prch, Times viii. (1869) 250 The Manatee or Lamantin.
Lamar, variant of LAMBEK l, amber.
Lamarckian ^lamaukian), a. and sb. [f.
Lamarck, the name of a French botanist and
zoologist (1744-1829) + -IAX.]
A. adj. Of or pertaining to Lamarck or to his
theory respecting the cause of organic evolution,
which he ascribed to inheritable modifications pro
duced in the individual by habit, appetency, and
the direct action of the environment. B. sb. One
who holds Lamarckian views.
1846 DANA Zooph. vii. 106 (1848) 107 These remarks are
intended to support no monad or Lamarckian theory. 1858
DARWIN Life <y Lett. II. 121 To talk of climate or Lamarck-
ian habit producing such adaptations to other organic
beings, is futile. 1893 Athen&um 12 Aug. 220/2 Hegel was
a keen enough scientific critic to see the defects of the
Lamarckian theory.
So LaniaTckiaiiism.LamaTckisiii, the doctrine
of the origin of species as laid down by Lamarck.
Xiama rckite =LAMAKCKIAX sb.
1884 Stand. Nat. Hist. (1888) I. p. Ivi, These views essen
tially agree with what is known as Lamarckianism. 1884
RAY LANKESTER in Athenxnm 29 Mar. 412/2 Lamarckism
looks very well on paper, but ,. when put to the test of
observation and experiment it collapses absolutely. 1890
Times^ (weekly ed.) 10 Jan. 7 3 There are [in biology] pure
Darwinists, Wallaceists, Weissmanmsts, Lamarckites, and
Komanesists.
Lamasery (lama-sari). Also lamasary, lama-
serai, lamassery, lamastery, lamestery. [a. F.
lamaserie, app. formed irreg. by Hue from Jama :
see LAMA 1 .
The spelling lamaserai indicates that the word has been
supposed to be a compound of Pers. saral inn (see SERAI).]
A Thibetan or Mongolian monastery of lamas.
1867 M. JONES Hue s Tartary 36 During our stay at
Tolon Noor, we had frequent occasion to visit the Lamas
eries, or Lama Monasteries. 1870 Pall Mall G. 23 Nov.
ii, I was for seven years steward of the grand lamasary of
Ga-den. 1882 BABER in R. Geog. Soc. Suppl. Papers I. i.
96 It contains many lamaserais of 200 or 300 monks, some
indeed of 2000 or 3000.
Laniasse, obs. form of LAMMAS.
Lamb (Isem), sb. Forms: a. i lam(b, lamp,
Igmb, 2, 4-6 lam, 4-6 lame, 4-7 lambe, 5-6
lamme, 7 lamm, 2- lamb. PI. i lamb, 3
lambre, Orm. lammbre, 3-5 lambren, 4 lam-
LAMB.
berne, 4-5 lambryn, 5 lamber, lamborn, lam-
bres, lambron, 6 lambes, lames. Sc. lammis),
6- lambs. /3. 1-5 lomb, lombor, 2-5 lombe,
3 lombbe, 4 lome, loombe, (lowmpe), 4-5
loomb, 5 loom. PI. i lomber, lombern, lom
bor, lombro, lombur, 3 lombren. [Com. Teut. :
OK. lamb, lambor (Ifinfr, If tabor), l$tnb str. neut.,
corresponds to OS. lamb (Du., MLG. lam), OHG.
Iamb MHG. lam(b, lamp, mod.G. lamm), ON.
lamb (Sw. lamm, L)a. lam), Goth, lair.b : OTeut.
*la:nboz-, *lambiz- ; no certain extra- Teut. affinities
have been found.
-tiberti} :
34
names of the o declension. In ME. the plural was
assimilated to that of the - declension (cf. children, [
calveren, brethren)]
1. The young of the sheep.
^725 Corpus Glass. (Hessels) 216 Enixa est gemtit
agnam idest ceolbor lomb. c8*$ Vesp. Psalter cxiii. 6
Muntas for hwon uphofnn ?;e swe swe rommas 8: hyllai
swe swe lomberu sccpa. 858 Charter of sEthclberht in
O. E. Texts 438, xx lamba & xx fehta. a 900 Kent. Glosses
in Wr.-Wiilcker 61/29 Et quasi ngmts fasciuietu, and swa
ple^ende lamp. ^950 Lindisf. Gasp. Luke x. 3 Ic sendo
mih sua lombro bi-tuih ulfum. ciooo /ELFRIC Exod. xii. 5
Witodlice ba:t Inmb sceal beon anwintre pur lamb clxne
and unwemme. c 1175 Lamb. Horn. 87j>et i-offrede lomb }>et
be engel het otTVian bitacneS cristes deo>e. a, 1225 Ancr. R.
66 Monie cunieS to ou ischrud mid lombes fleo-,e, & beo5
wode wulues. 1297 R. GLOUC. (Rolls) 7609 Wolues dede
hli nimeb vorb, bat er dude as lombe. a 1300 Cursor M.
11302 Wit hir child suld offer bare, A lamb if sco sua
riclie ware. 1387 TRKVISA Higden (Rolls) II. 229. label.,
departide kydes from lambren. c 1425 LYDG. Assembly of
Gods 801 Humylyte was the furst : a lambe he bestrode,
c 1440 Jacobs II ell 38 pe tythe owyth to be payed of lam
bryn. 1486 lik. St. Aibans C vij b, Take pressure made of
a lombe that was borne in vntyme. 1500-20 DUNBAK Poems
xxxviii. iK He for our saik that sufierit to be slane, And lyk
a lamb in sacrifice wes dicht, Is lyk a lyone rissin vp agane.
1535 COVKKUAI.I; Is. Ixv. 25 The wolff and the lambe .shal
fede together, a 1550 Christis Kirkf Gr. xx, Uludy berkit
we-; thairbaird, As thay had worriet lammis. 1586 I estry
fibs. (Surteest 21 Item received of Nicolas Newbye for twoe
laniL-s . . ijs. vjd. 1621 MUUJI.ETON Sun in Aries Wks.
fli illen VII. 348 Illustrated by proper emblems .. as ..
Sincerity by a Lamb. 1667 MII.TOX P. L. xi. 645 Ewes
and tliir bleating Lambs. 1735 SOMEKVILLE Chase \\\. 26
The poor defenceless Lamb, .. Supplies a rich Repast.
1784 Cowi-EK Task vi. in Sheepwalks populous with
bleating lambs. 1813 SHELLEY Q. }Iab viii. i-j3 His teeth
are harmless, customs force has made His nature a* the
nature of a lamb. 1884 KCSKIN Pleas. En?*. 11885) *33
A Lamb means an Apostle, a Lion an Evangelist.
trans/, and Jig: 1450-1530 Myrr. our Lotiye 87 Vf we be
hys trew sliepe, fruytfull in wolle of verteues .. and in
lambren of good dedes. 1591 SHAKS. Two Gent. iv. iv. 97
Alas poor Proteus, thou ha-t entertain d A Foxe, to be the
Shepneard of thy Lambs.
fo. Proverbs.
1620 SHKLTON Qui.r. n, vii. 40 As soone goes the yong
lambe to the roste, as the olde sheepe. 1748 RICHARDSON
Cliirissa I. x. 60 In for the lamb, as the saying is, in for the
sheep. 1768 [see GOD 5 b]. Mod. As well be hanged for
a sheep as a lamb.
2. fig. Applied to persons, a. A young member
of a flock, esp. of the church.
c 1000 Ags. Gosf>. John xxi. 15 He cwzeS to him heald
mine lamb {c 950 Lindisf. , cix6o Ilatton lombor]. c 1200
OKMIN 13329 To stanndenn gaen be labe gast, To werenn
hise lammbre. n 1225 St. Marker, 12 Icham mi iauerdes
lomb, ant he is min hirde. c 1386 CHAUCER Pars. T. p 718
Therfbre shul they neuere ban part of the pasture of lambes,
that is the blisse of heuene. 1526 Pil^r. Per/.(\V. de W.
1531) 2 To shewe the waye of vertue to his yonge pilgrymes
& tender lambes. 1761 WESLEY Jrnl. 21 Jan. (1827) III.
38, I spent a hour with one who was as hot as any of the
lambs at the tabernacle ; but she is now a calm, reasonable
woman. 1864 TENNYSON Aylmcr s F. 361 LeoHn, I almost
sin in envying you : The very whitest lamb in all my fold
Loves you.
b. One who is as meek, gentle, innocent, or weak
as a lamb.
ciooo /ELFRIC Hom. I. 390 He ^efullode Sone wulf and
^tiworlite to lambe. 13 . Cursor M. 20010 + 671 (B. M. Add,
MS.) lesu crist, godes sone, of a wilde hounde hal> ma^e a
lomb. (1460 Tmvueley Myst. xxiii. 391 Maria. Alas,
my lam so mylde, whi wille thou fare me fro Emang
thise wulfeswylde. 1500-20 DUNUAK Poems lii. 4 He is na
Dog ; he is a Lam. 1589 PL-TTENHAM Eng. Poesie in. xxiv,
(ArTx) 299 It is comely for a man to be a lambe in the house,
and a Lyon in the field. 1819 SHELLEY Cenci \\. i. 136
Innocent lambs! They thought not any ill. 1858 LYTTON
// hut will he do i. xiv, The Baron was a lamb compared to
a fine lady.
c. used as a term of endearment.
a 1553 UDALL R oyster D. \. iv. (Arb.) 27 Ah sir, be good
to hir, she is but as gristle, Ah sweete lambe and coney.
i673KiRKMAN UnluckyCit. 165 But Lamb \sc, his wife], you
mistake the matter quite. 1715 DE FOE I- am. Instruct. \.
iii. (1841) I. 59 To hear the dear lamb ask me, Father, will
not God be angry with me. 1820 SHELLEY Fiordispitia 76
And say, sweet lamb, would you not learn [etc.]?
d. A simpleton ; one who is cheated ; esp. one
who speculates and loses his money.
1668 Leathermore"s Adv. cotic. Gaining (ed. a) 5 When
a young Gentleman or Prentice comes into this School
of Vertue unskil d in the quibbles and devices there
practiced, they call him a Lamb. 1680 COTTON Compl.
Gamester (z&. 2) 5 And then the Rooks .. laugh and grin,
Raying the Lamb is bitten. 1881 J. MILLS Too/ast to last
III. x. 127 In order That we may not be among the
skinned Iambs , interrupted William Bottles. ri/fyChicago
Tribune Feb., Lamb is an outsider who goes into the
market and leaves his money. 1886 GLADDEN Applied Chr.
204 A recent estimate . . puts the amount of which the
lambs are shorn in this New York stock market alone at
eight hundred million dollars a year.
3. The Lamb, f God s Lamb t the Lamb of God.
(After John i. 29, Rev. xvii. 14, etc.)
a looo Guthlac 1015 Gr.i Ic oOfiu mot..godes lomber in
sindreamum siSSan awo for5 folgian. c 1000 Ags. Go$p.
John i. 29 Her is godes lamb, her is se be deS awe^ middan-
eardes synnrc. c 1100 OKMIN 12649 Crist Wass Godess
Lamb sehatten. 13.. E. E. Allit. P. A. 413 My lorde
be lombe, bur} hys god-hede, He toke my self to hys
maryage. 1340 Ayenb. 232 Vol;eb bet lamb of mildenesse
bet is lesu crist. a 1400 Prymer (1891 1 68 Loomb of god . .
haue mercy on us. c 1430 Hymns I irg. 53 pis lomb, y spak
of him pat albe worldis synne a-batys. 1567 GudefyGodlie
Ball. (S. T. S. i 43 That Lamb for sober surnnie was sauld.
1611 ttiBLE Rer, xxii. i A pure riuer of water of life . . pro
ceeding out of the throne of Gud, and of the Lambe. 1784
COWPER Task vi. 702 One v )!| g employs all nations, and all
cry, * Worthy the Lamb, for He was slain for us ! 1843
TtSNYSON St. Agnes Eve 17 So shows my soul before the
Lamb, My spirit before Thee.
b. Her. Holy Lamb = Aoxus DEI b.
1823 in CRABH Technol. Diet. 1843 FOSBKOKE Cycl.
Antiq. 815 Holy-Lamb. This was anciently a lamb with
St. John pointing to him, and was ordered to be changed
into the human form by the Trullan canons made in 653.
1882 CUSSANS Her. vi. (ed. 3) 100 The Paschal or Holy
Lamb is a Lamb passant supporting with its dexter fore-leg
a staff, usually m bend-sinister, from which depends a
Banner, charged with a Cross of St. George.
4. //. a. The name given to the proverbially
cruel and rapacious soldiers of Col. Kirke s regi
ment in 1684-6, in ironical allusion to the device
of the Paschal Lamb on their flag. l>. The name
given to bodies of * roughs hired to commit acts
of violence at elections. (The * Nottingham
Lambs were notorious about 1860-1870.)
1744 RALPH Hist. Eng. I. 888 So infamous was the Be
haviour of his own particular Corps, that he [Kirke] him
self, by way of Irony, call d them his Lambs; an appella
tion which was adopted by the whole West uf England.
1757 Hi ME Hist. II. 387. 1844 Times 4 Nov. 5/2 Upwards
of 200 lambs were employed by the same political party
to carry off voters. Nofe. Lambs ., means ruffians em
ployed at elections to impress upon the persons and property
of the peaceable inhabitants the physical force doctrine.
1849 MACAULAY Hist. Eng. iii. L 334 As they had been
levied for the purpose uf waging war on an infidel nation,
they bore on their flag a Christian emblem, the Paschal
L:i nb. .. These men, the rudest and most ferocious in the
English army, were called Kirke s Lambs. 1869 Latest
News 17 Oct., Samuel Dawson was examined at some
length in reference to the employment of a number of
1 lambs , or roughs, in Stracey s interest at the last election.
5. In various applications, a. The flesh of the
lamb used as food.
1620 VENXKR I ia Recta iii. 50 Lambe of two or three
moneths old is the best. 1683 TRYON tt ay to Health 92
There is no flesh either more healthy or grateful than Lamb.
1841 LANK Aral>. Nts. I. 123 Lamb or Mutton cut into
small pieces.
Jig. 1809 MAI.KIN Gil Bias x. xii. (Rtldg.) 384 The
happy man.. seemed to be very little less happy than his
partner .. ; and one would have sworn .. that he liked
mutton belter than lamb. [Said of a bridegroom and his
elderly bride.]
t>. short lor LAMBSKIN.
1527 Lane. H ills (Chetham Soc.) I. 6 My gowne furrett
w* whyte lambe. 1567 R. MULCASTKR F ortcscuc s De Laud.
Leg. (1672) 123 b, The Serjeants Cape is ever Furred with
white Lambe. 1889 Daily News 24 Dec. 2/7 Allow me to
state what means are employed to procure the Persian lamb
or Astrakhan.
C. Vegetable lamb: BABOMXTZ.
1698 A. BRAND Emb. Muscovy to China 125, I am not
very apt to give credit to the Relations of the vulgar sort in
Muscovy, among which, that of the Vegetable Lamm is a
general received Fable.
6. attrib, and Comb. : a. simple attributive, as
lamb-cote, \-fell, -flesh, -fold, -glove, hurdle,
-meadow, -shepherd, -trade, b. objective, as lamb-
hymning, -shearing, c. instrumental (sense 5 b)
as Iamb-lined.
1459-60 Durham Ace. Rolls (Surtees) 320 Pro tectura
apud le *Iambecote. 1:1500 in Arnold Chron. (1811) 75
"Lambefelle for the C...i. d. c 1400 tr. Secreta Secret.,
Gov. Lordsh. 78 Meene metys engendrys noght bolnynges
ne superfluytes, as *lombe fflessh, motoun and Capouns. 1884
GILMOUR Mongols 91 Most of the west side [of the tent]
was taken up by a *lamb-fold. 1811 Self Instructor 121,
3 pair of fine *larab gloves. 1805 R. W. DICKSON Pratt.
Agric. (1807) 1. 160 Fig. 7 represents a *lamb-hurdle. a 1711
KEN Edmund Poet. Wks. 1721 II. 366 As we wander o re
the blUsfut Plains, You daily shall compose *Lamb-hymn-
ing strains. 1591 SYLVESTER Du Btirtas i. iv. 706 A
payr of *Lamr>lyn d buskins on her feet. 1459-60 Durham
Ace. Rolls (Surtees) 320 Pro falcacione de le "Lammedowe.
1774 * Lamb-shearing [see lamb-ale in 7 below], 1886 C.
SCOTT Sheep- Farming 130 Lamb-shearing has long been an
established practice^ in East Cornwall and other ^parts.
a 1711 K.KN Sion Poet. Wks. 1721 IV. 331 May 1, like
you, sing the * Lamb-Shepherd s Love. 1895 Daily Neivs
31 May 8/7 Lamb trade firm.
7. Special Comb. : lamb-ale (seequot.); lambs -
cage (see quot.) ; lamb-creep, a hole in a hedge
or hurdle just lar^e enough for lambs to get in and
outofthefold (seeCBKEp sb.^\ lamb-emptied a. t
emptied of lambs ; 1 mib-fashion, after the fashion
of a lamb ; used in prov. phr, mutton dressed
LAMB.
lamb-fashion, applied to an old woman dressed in
youthful style; lamb-florin Hist., a florin stamped
with the Agnus Dei ; lamb s fry (see quot.);
lamb-hog, a lamb of the second year ; lamb-
house see quot.) ; ~\ lamb s-lease, a meadow
in which lambs are reared ; \ lamb s leather,
lambskin ; lamb-ram, a ram under two years old ;
lamb-stones, the testicles of a lamb; lamb-
suckler, lamb-suckling , see quote. \
1774 WARTON Hist. Eng. Poetry (1840) III. 119 * Lamb-
ale is still used at the village of Kirtlington in Oxfordshire,
for an annual feast or celebrity at lamb-shearing, 1857
TOULMIN SMITH Parish 503 The Ales were numerous.
Brand mentions . . Lamb- Ales, Leet-Ales, [etc.]. 1813 T.
DAVUv4jpr&. Wilts 264 * Lambs -Cages, cribs for foddering
sheep in fold ; they are usually made semi-cylindrical, with
cleft Ash-rods about six to seven feet long and about one
foot diameter. 1886 C. SCOTT Sheep-Fanning 167 If the
ewes and lambs are folded, *Iamb creeps <hn be brought
into use. 1898 ROLF BOLDREWOOD Rom. Canvass J tnvn
96 The ewes of the *lamb-emptied small yard are then care
fully counted out. 1810 Splendid Follies \. 131 Ewe mutton
without garnish Ls a tough bite, to be sure; but methinks
she s dished herself off to day, * la ml; -fash ion. 1885 R.
SHARPK Ctil. City Letters 107 The i7o*lamb-florins in their
keeping. 1888 ELWORTHY W. Somerset l\ ord-bk. s. v.,
The product of lambs castration are called * lamb s-fries.
1891 HARDY Tess (1900) 8/2, I should like for supper,
well, lamb s fry. 1607 TOPSELL Four-/. Beasts \i6s8i 495
As, the first year, we call it in English a Lamb, so, the
second year, a Hog, *Lam-hog, or Teg if it be a female
1891 Times 28 Sept. 4/1 Lamb-hogs, i8j. to 285. per head.
1819 REHS Cycl. XX, * Lamb-house, ..the place where
lambs are fattened. 1609 Bp. W. BARLOW Answ. Nameless
Cath. 58 Wherein, if the Reader obserue (as if he had
beene brought vp in *Lambs-lease> he seemes for the most
part very tenderly affected. 1607 T. COCKS Ace. 27 Apr.
\Cnnterb. Cath. Libr. MS. E. 31) *Lambes lether gloves
6d. 1886 C. SCOTT Shetf Fanning 74 A good strong
*lamb ram will serve as many as twenty-five ewes without
hurt. -11613 OvERBL RV Charac., Ordinarie Fencer Wks.
(1856) 112 For an inward bruise, "Iambs tones and sweet
breads are his onely sperma ceii which he eats at night.
1677 Cowpleat Servant-Maid 87 Put in Lamb-stones and
sweetbreads. 1819 REES Cycl. XX, * Latnb-snckler, ..a
person who. .carries on the business of fattening house-
lamb. Ibid., ~ Lamb-suckling,, .the art of fattening house-
lamb.
b. In various plant names, as lamb s cress, Car-
damine hirsuta ; lambkill, (a) Andromeda mar-
tana (Syd. Soc. Lex. 1888 ; (6) (/.S. the sheep-
laurel, Kalmia angustifolia\ lamb s lettuce =
CORN-SALAD ( Valerianella olitoria}\ lamb s quar
ter s, (a) Atriplex hastata or patula ; (b) Cheno-
podiitin album ; lamb s tails, the catkins of the
hazel, Corylns AvcUana\ lamb x *s toe s, a name
for Lotus corniculatus, Anthyllis Vulneraria t and
filedicago lupitlina. Also LAMB S TONGCE.
c 1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 24 Cersan sades, sume men hataS
*lambes cersan. a 1100 / oc. in Wr.-Wiilcker 300/14 Thias-
pis, lambcscerse. 1882 in FRIEND Devonshire Flant-n.
1851 S. JUDD Margaret xiv. (1871) oo Cymes of viburnums,
rose-blooming *lambkill. 1597 GERARDE Herbal \\. xxxv.
i. 242 *Lambes Lettuce. 1830 LINDLEV Nat. Syst. Bot.
197 The young leaves of the species of Valerianella are
eaten as salad, under the French name of Mache, or the
English one of Lamb s Lettuce. 187* OLIVER Elem. Bot.
n. 192 Corn-salad, or Lamb s-lettuce .. is eaten as a salad.
1773 HAWKKSWORTH Voy. III. 442 We also once or twice
met with a plant like what the country people in England
call *Lamb s quarters, or Fat-hen. 1869 E. A. PAKKES
Pract. Hygiene ted. 3) 233 A salad made of the lamb s
quarter 1 { henopodinm all ian\ was found very useful.
188* Garden 4 Feb. 77/1 That modest kind of beauty which
these catkins, pussies , and *lambs -tails , as the country
people call them, suggest. 1896 Wanvicksh. Gloss., Lambs -
tails, the male catkins of hazel and filbert trees. 1821 CLARE
Vill. Minstr. II. 94 Handfuls .of rose and "lambtoe sweet.
Lamb (tern), v. [f. LAMB sb.]
1. trans, (passive only?) To bear or bring forth ;
to drop (a latnbX
164.1 BEST Farm. Bks. (Surtees) 5 It. .inableth the lambe
to seeke after a livinge soe soone as it is lambed. 17*5
BKADLFY Fam. Diet. s.v. Lamb, If he be like to dye when
first Lambed, it is usual to open his Mouth and blow therein.
*793 Hollym Inclos. Act 13 A modus of one shilling a score
of all lambs lambed and living at Midsummer, c 1817 HOGG
Tales <y Sk. IV. 199 The. .shepherd.. found her with a new-
yeaned lamb on the very gair of the Crawmel Craig, where
she was lambed herself; 1829 (t /over s Hist. Derby I. 214
Not one of these [rams] was lambed before Feb. 6, 1828.
2. intr. To bring forth a lamb ; to yean.
1611 COTGR., Agnehr, to lambe. 1641 BEST Farm. Bks.
(Surtees) 5 An ewe putt into a goode pasture three weekes
afore shee lambe, is as goode as to lett her goe in a goode
pasture three weekes after. 1701 J. KRAND Zetlttnd (1703)
75 As for the sheep, . . they I,amb not so soon as with us.
1846 J. BAXTER Libr. Pract. Agric. (ed. 4) II. p. xxii, Each
ewe. .lambing at two, three, and four years old.
3. Of a shepherd : To tend (ewes) at lambing-
timc. Also, to lamb down.
1850 JrnL R. Agric. Soc. XI. I. 76 The flocks are usually
lambed down about the latter end of March. 1851 Ibid.
XII. n. 574 Every shepherd considers himself an adept at
lambing his ewes. Mod. Advt., Wanted, a Cowman, one
used to lamb-down a few Ewes preferred.
4. Lamb down. Austral [? a transferred use
of sense 3.] trans, a. To part with, pay down
(money), esp. recklessly. Also absol.
1890 Melbourne Argus ^ June 4/2 The paying off of
drovers, the selling off of horses, the lambing down* of
cheques. Ibid. 9 Aug. 4/5 The old woman, of course,
LAMBA.
thought that we were on gold, and would lamb down at the
finish in her shanty.
b. To induce (a person) to get rid of his money ;
to clean out . Also absol.
1873 M. CLARKE Holiday Peak, etc. 21 Trowbridge s did
not lamb down so well as the Three Posts. 1890 Mel
bourne Argus i6Aui;. 4/7 One used to serve drinks in the bar,
the other kept the billiard-table. Between them they lambed
down more shearers and drovers than all the rest on the river.
Hence Lambed///, a., La mbing (down} vbl.sb.
1611 COTGR., Agneti, lambed. 1844 STEPHENS Ilk. Farm
II. 599 Of the lambing of ewes. Ibid. 601 Think also what
sort of care is bestowed on a newly lambed flock. 1850 Jrtil.
R. Agric. Soc. XI. I. 76, I have kept 500 ewes in lamb this
way. .and had them in very high condition, .on their lambing
down. 1867 Gainsborough Xtnvs 23 Mar., 200 lambed and
in-lamb ewes and gimmers. 1873 J. B. STEPHENS Black -
Gin 51 It is the Bushman come to town.. Come to do his
lambing down . 1880 G. WALCH Victoria in 1880. 130
The operation combining equal parts of hocussing, over
charging, and direct robbery . . and facetiously christened
by bush landlords lambing down .
Lamb, obs. form of LAM v.
Lamba (larmba). [Malagasy.] A large cloak
worn by the natives of Madagascar.
1880 J. SIBREE Gt. Aj[r. Island xvi. 326 The specially
national article of dress is the lamba, a piece of cloth about
three yards long and two wide. 1895 Daily News 21 Nov.
5/3 The natives in their white lambas.
t Lamback, v. Obs. Also 6 lambacke,
lambeak(e. [? f. LAM v. + BACK sb.] trans. To
beat, thrash. Also fig.
1589 Rare Triumphs Love ft Fort. iv. in Five Old Plays
(Roxb.) 122 You are no devill ; mas, and I wist you were, I
would lamback the devill out of you. 159 NASHU I rag-
nostication 17 Sundrie tall fellowes .. armed with good
cudgels, shall so lambeake these stubborne hus-wiues. 1592
G. HARVEY Four Lett. iii. 21 That brauely threatned to
coniure-vpp one, which should massacre Martins witt, or
should bee lambackd himself with ten yeares prouision.
1601 MUNDAY Death Earl Hnntington v. i.R i a, With this
dagger lustilie lambackt.
Hence t Lamback sb., a whack, a heavy blow.
Also f Lambacker, one who beats or drubs.
1591 GREENE Disc. Coosnage (1592) 25 Fine or _sixe wiues
. . gaue him a score of sound lambeakes with their cudgels.
159* G. HARVEY Pierce s Super. 131 Out upon thee for a .
cowardly lamhacker.
Lambaste (la- mW-st), v. slang and dial.
Also 9 larabust. [? f. LAM v. + BA.STE v.] trans.
To beat, thrash. Hence Lamba sting vbl. sli.
1637 I. JONES & DAVENANT Brit. Tri. 18 Stand off a while
and see how He lambaste him. 1678 J. PHILLIPS Taaer-
rtitr s Trav. I. viii. 52 Otherwise they would be fin d, and
lambasted with a good Cudgel. 1694 MOTTEUX Rabelais
iv. xii. 48 If they were long without a tight Lambasting.
1837 HALIBURTON Ctockm. i. xxiii, I am six foot six in my
stockin feet, by gum, and can lambaste any two of you in
no time. 1867 SMYTH Sailor s Word-bk., Lambasting, a
starting with a rope s end. 1877 -V. \V. Line. Gloss., Lam
baste, to beat.
Lambative, variant of LAMBITIVE Obs.
Lambda (IfE mda). Also7lamda. [Gr. \afi@Sa
(or Aa05o).]
1. The nth letter of the Greek alphabet, A, X.
c 1400 MAUNDEV. (1839) iii. 20 Thei clepen hem . . n Alpha
..K Kappa, A. Lambda. 1603 HOLLAND Plutarch s Mor.
1324 Whether in the Future tense it [the verb /SoAAiuJ
should lose one of the two Lamdaes? 1799 KIRWAN Geol.
Ess. 285 The calcareous mountains of Savoy are often arched
like a lambda.
2. Anat. The point of junction of the sagittal
and lambdoidal sutures (Syd. Soc. Lex. 1888).
[c 1400 Lanfranc s Cirnrg. 109 A boon ]tc which is clepid
alauda. (The Latin has : ad modum liters laudse grecae,)]
8. Lambda moth, a moth so called from a mark
on its wings, resembling the letter (Webster 1890).
1798 NEMNICH Polyglot Lex. Nat. Hist., Eng., Lambda
moth, Phalaena gamma.
Lambdacism (Irc-mdasiz m), labdacism
(loe bd-). [ad. L. lambdacisnnts, labdacismus, a.
Gr. Aa(/x)/35aio7(or, f. Aa(^)/38a LAMBDA.]
1. A too frequent repetition of the letter / in
speaking or writing.
1658 PHILLIPS, Labdacisme, Lambdacisme. 1676 COLES,
Lambdacism. 1753 CHAMBERS Cycl. Supp., Labdacism,
Aa/35ai0>io s, in rhetoric, the too frequent repetition of the
letter L.
2. A faulty pronunciation of the letter r, making
it sound like /; lallation.
1864 R. F. BURTON Dahome I. 158 Allada is called by
older authors Ardrah, another instance of lambdacism, con
fusing the L and the R.
t La mbdal, a. Obs. rare - . [f. LAMBDA +
-AL.J =LAMBDOIDAL.
1634 T. JOHNSON tr. Parey s Cliirurg. x. viii. (1678) 234 If
that part of one of the bones of the Bregma, which is next
to the Lambdal suture [orig. suture la.mbdoide\ be smitten.
Lambdoid (larmdoid), a. [a. F. lambaoide,
ad. mod. L. lambdoides, ad. Gr. Xo^^SotiS-iJs : see
LAMBDA and -OID.] = LAMBDOIDAL i.
1597 A. M. tr. Guillemeau s Fr. Cliirurg. 42/2 In the end
of the suture lamdoid, behind vnder the eare. 1741 MONRO
Altai, (ed. 3) 70 The old Anatomists reckoned the proper
Lambdoid Suture to terminate at the Squamous Sutures.
1866 HUXLEY Preh. Rein. Caithn. 88 There is a large
Wormian bone in the right crus of the lambdoid suture.
Lambdoidal (Isemdoi dal), a. Also 7-9 lam
doidal. [f. prec. + -AL.] Resembling the Greek
letter lambda (A) in form.
35
1. Anal. Lambdoidal suture (t commissure}, the
suture connecting the two parietal bones with the
occipital. Also lambdoidal ridge (seequot. 1888).
1653 URQUHART Rabelais i. xxvii, If any thought by flight
to escape, he made his head to flie in pieces by the Lam-
doidal commissure, which is a seame in the hinder part of
the scull. 1698 TYSON in Phil. Trans. XX. 148 The Lamb
doidal Suture. 1741 MOXRO Anat. (ed. 3) 70 The Lamb
doidal Suture, begins some way below, and farther back
than the Vertex or Crown of the Head, whence its two i
Legs are stretched obliquely down and to each Side, in
Form of the Greek Letter A. 1866 HUXLEY Preli. Rein.
Ctiithu. 86 The coronal suture is traceable throughout ; the
sagittal and the middle part of the lambdoidal are almost
completely obliterated. 1888 Syd. Soc. Lex., Ltnnbdoiditl
ridge, the edge of the occipital bone forming the lambdoid
suture, which in some animals, as the cat, forms a salient
ridge for the attachment of muscles.
"2,. nonce-use. Resembling the shape of the small
Greek letter lambda A.
1818 J. BROWN Psyche 189 Kid her forbear when males are
by, To stand like an inverted Y. Since modesty and sense
avoid all Postures and attitudes lamdoidal.
Lambe, obs. form of LAM v.
Lambeak(e, variant of LAMBACK v. Obs.
II Lambeau. Obs. Also 6 lambewe. PI.
lambeaux (also erroneously used as sing.). [Fr. :
see LABEL.] A strip or fillet hanging from a
head-dress or garment. In Her., one of the
dependent points of a label (see LABEL 5) ; occas.
the label itself.
1562 LEIGH Artiwrie (1597) 107 He beareth Argent, a fyle
with iij Lambeaux Azure, for a difference. Some will call
them a Label! of three pointes. .. The field Argent, a File,
and one Lambewe Vert. 1599 HAKH YT l r oy. II. n. 81 At
his cappe hang certaine Lambeaux much like vntoa Bishops
Miter. 1610 GriLi.iM Heraldry I. vi. (1611) 22 Some other
authors call them files, and others Lambeaux or labels.
1688 R. HOLME Armoury I. 108/2 Lambeaux, Plaits of a
Garment. 1828-40 BERRY Encycl. Herald. I, Cross l;un-
beanx is the bearing of a cross upon a lambeaux or lal.el.
Hence t La mbeauxed ., dovetailed (Gloss.
Her. 1847).
[I Lambel (lx-mbel). Her. [Fr. ; older form
of LAMBEAU (see prec.).] In Fr. Heraldry, a file
used as a mark of cadency.
1847 Glass. Her., Lambel, see Label. 1896 Daily .Vitas ^
Apr. 5/4 Before the death of the Comte de Chamboid, the
Comte de Paris had a horizontal bar or lambel on his shield.
This showed that he belonged to a younger branch of the
Royal family. .
Lambency (Inrmbensi). [f. next : see -ENCY.]
1. The state or quality of being lambent or shin
ing with a clear soft light like a flame. Also (with
//.). an instance or occurrence of such shining.
1817 L. HUNT Day l>v the Fire in Hazlitt s Round Table
II. 146 Sometimes a little flame appears at the corner of the
grate like a quivering spangle ; sometimes it swells out at
top into a restless and brief lambency. 1835 New Monthly
Mag. XLIII. 305 The morning star, melting into the east
with its transcendent lambency and whiteness. 1845 DK
QUINCEY Suspiria de Profitndis I. in Blacku . Mag. LVIL
279 The fitful gloom and sudden lambencies of the room by
fire-light suited our evening state of feelings. 1856 RUSKIN
Mod. Paint. IV. v. viii. 9 The soft lambency of the
streamlet.
fig. 1866 CARLYLE Kemiit. (iSSi) I. 86 But there were
sacred lambencies, tongues of authentic flame from heaven
which kindled what was best in one. 1873 SYMONDS Grk.
Potts viii. 250 So that his [Aristophanes ] splendour is like
that of northern streamers in its lambency, though swift and
piercing as forked lightnings in its intensity.
b. trails/. Hrilliance and delicate play of wit or
fancy.
1871 CARLVLE in Mrs. Carlyle s Let!. I. 153 Thought,
flowing out in lambencies of beautiful spontaneous wit and
fancy. 1871 MORLEY Veufvenarguesva Crit. Misc. i. (1878)
14 The presence of a certain lambency and play even in
the exposition of truths of perfect assurance._ 1886 STEYEN-
SON Pr. Otto i. iv. 51 A man of great erudition and some
lambencies of wit.
*i 2. In etymological sense : The action of licking.
1834 Oxf. Univ. Mag. I. 176 The mother s tongue . . with
assiduous lambency has licked the unsightly cubs into shape.
Lambent (larmbenO, a. [ad. L. lainbenl-em,
pr. pple. of lambcre to lick.]
1. Of a flame (fire, light. : Playing lightly upon
or gliding river a surface without burning it, like a
tongue of fire ; shining with a soft clear light and
without fierce heat.
1647 COWLEV Mistress, Answ. Platonicks, As useless to
despairing Lovers grown, As Lambent flames, to men i 1 lh
Frigid Zone. 1636 Pindar. Odes, Destinie iv, The Star
that did my Being frame, Was but a Lambent Flame, And
some small Light it did dispence, But neither Heat nor
Influence. 1697 DRYDEN sEneid vn. 114 Lambent Glories
danc d about her Head. 1781 CAVALLO in Phil. Trans.
LXXI. 330 Because its light.. was stationary and not lam
bent. 1834 MRS. SOMERVILLE Connex. Phys. Set. xxviii.
(1849) 323 Those lambent, diffuse flashes of lightning with
out thunder, so frequent in warm summer evenings. 1854
THACKERAY Nemcomes I. 284 The lambent lights of the
starry host of heaven. 1871 ROSCOE Elem. Chem. 13 Sul
phur, which in the air burns with a pale lambent flame.
b. transf. and^ff.
1682 DRYDEN Afac Flecknoe in His brows thickfogs instead
of glories grace, And lambent dulness played around his face.
1748 RICHARDSON Clarissa. tiSii) III. xxxi. 187 My next
point will be to make her acknowledge a lambent flame, a
preference of me to all other men at least. 1841 MYERS Cath.
Th. iv. xxxiii. 340 A mild and lambent light of Prophecy may
LAMBING.
be considered as encircling their {the Jews ] whole consti
tution. 1866 G. MACIJONALD Ann. Cj. Xcighb. xii. (18781
235 His intellect was rather a lambent flame than a genial
warmth.
C. By extension, of eyes, the sky, etc. : Emitting,
or suffused with, a soft clear light ; softly radiant.
1717 POPK Eloisti 64 Those smiling eyes, attempting ev ry
ray, Shone sweetly lambent with celestial day. 1808 J.
BARLOW Colntnb. \. 304 A general jubilee, o er earth and
heaven, Leads the gay morn and lights the lambent even.
1867 LYDIA M. CHILD Kent. Repnb. i. 3 Her large brown
eyes were, .lambent with interior light. 1873 BLACK Pr.
Tluile vi. 94 The strange lambent darkness . . of those
northern twilights. 1877 Green Past. iv. (1878) 29 The
great acacia spread its feathery branches into a cloudless
and lambent sky. 1887 RrsKiN Pr&terita II. 159 The
Rhone flows like one lambent jewel.
d. fig. Ot wit, style, etc. : Playing lightly and
brilliantly over its subjects; gracefully sportive.
1871 MORLEY 7- dc Maistre in Crit. Misc. I. (1878) 112
A humour now and then a little sardonic, but more often
fenial and lambent. 1879 (). W. HOLMFS Motley viii. 59
.ambent phrases in stately articles. 1880 DISRAKLI Endyin.
Ixxvii, The style so picturesque and lambent !
2, In etymological sense : Licking, that licks,
f Also = LAMBITIVE a. rare.
1706 PHILLIPS (ed. Kersey). Lambent, licking with the
Tongue ; as, Lambent Medicines, i e. such as are taken by
licking off from the end of a Stick of Licorish, &c. 1784
COWPER Task vi. 782 To dally v.ith the crested worm . . or
to receive The lambent homage of his arrowy tongue. 1826
KIRHY & Si-. Entomol. (18281 IV. 492 The Hymenoptera
generally lap their food with their tongue and may be
called lambent insects.
Lambeiltly (lurmbentli). adv. [f. prcc. +
-I.Y -.] In a lambent manner.
1819 SiiKLi.EY P. Ki llyd \\. xxvi, In the death hues of
aguny Lambently flashing from a fish. 1883 F. M. Cn.\-
KORI* Mr. Isaacs xiii. 289 The blazing eyes flamed, lam-
bently under the bla k brows. 1889 L nh-ersal AY:-. III.
143 Its wit played lambently over tin 1 doings of Society.
tLa mber . Obs. Chiefly north, dial. Also
4 (> liimbr.-. ; laumb(e,re, lambur, lawmer,
6, y lammer, 9 lamar, -er, -our. [a. F. I atnbrc,
applied csp. to ambre, jaunc yellow amber , i. e.
amber as distinguished from ambre gris or A.MBKR-
(iitis.] Amber. Also atlrib., as lamber beads,
colour.
a 1387 Sine"!. Hnrthcl. (Anecd. Oxon.) 26 l\a<abre, i.
lambre. c 1400 MAI NDKV. iKoxb.) xxi. 97 Bedesof latimlire.
1429 7..v/. l:l ( r. ^urteesl I. 417 A pare of lambre bedes.
c 1430 Two Cookery- b/.-s. 26 Take. . Safron, bat it haue a fay re
I.ainnbere coioure. c 1450 A /. . < urtasyc 480 in Uabccs lik.,
Bedys of coralle and lambur. 1550 LYNUESAY Syr. Meldritm
1008 Than scbo passit vntobir Cbabner, And fand hir madin-
nis, sweit as Lammet, Sleipand full sound. 1552 HULOKI,
Ambre called lambre or yelow Ambre. 1603 E. FAIRFAX
Eclog. iv. in KHz. Cooper Muses Libr. (1737 L 368 Crown thy
Lumber Horns with Corall Roses. 1610 MARK HAM Maslcrf.
l. xiv. 38 If the vrine . . be. .high-coloured, bright and cleare
like lainber and not like amber. 1724 RAMSAY Tea-t. Misc.
(1733) L 107 Her locks that shin d like lammer. 1806 K.
AMIKSON Pap. Ballads I. 181 It is your lady s heart s
.jjood ; "I is as clear as the lamer. 1818 SCOTT llr!. Midi.
xiii, Dinna ye think poor Jeanie s een wi the tears in them
glanced like lamour beads, Mr. Saddletree? Br. Lamm.
xii, A grogram gown, lammer beads, ami a clean cocker-
nony.
Lainber- (Jarm^,. [f. LAMHZ/. + -EK.I.]
1. One who tends ewes when lambing.
1809 I). PRICE in Spurgeon Tress. Dav. Ps. Ixxviii. 71
Many lambs may be lost without its being possible to charge
the lamber with neglect or ignorance. Ibid, in H. Stephens
Bk. 1 arm (18491 1- 59 1 / 1 Lambing presents a scene of con
fusion, .which it is the lamber s business to rectify.
2. A lambing ewe.
1886 C. SCOTT Sheep Farming 80 At the end of the first
week the second lot of lambers may be brought in.
Lamber(ne, obs. pi. form of LAMB.
Lambetive, variant of LAMDITIVE Obs.
Lambewe, variant of LAMBEAU Obs.
Lambhood (Isrmhud). [f. LAMB sli. + -HOOU.]
The state of being a lamb ; the youth of a sheep.
1853 LD. COCKBUKN Circuit Journeys (1888) 397 It was a
leg which told how it had strayed among mountains from
ils lambhood to its death. 1891 E. & D. GEKARD Seiuit.
Plant I. II. vii. 279 They themselves will have left their
lambhood behind them for ever.
Lambie (lae-mi). Sc. Also lammie, lammy.
[See -IE, -Y.] A term of endearment for a lamb
and hence for a child or young person.
1718 RAMSAY Christ s Kirk Gr. in. xx, She her man like
a lammy led Harae. 1768 Ros.s Helenorc (1789) 14 For
tweesh twa hillocks the poor lambie lies. 1785 BURNS Holy
Fair iii, The third cam up, hap-step-an -lowp, As light as
ony lambie. 1801 MACNEILL Poems II. 84, I held her to
my beating heart, My young, my smiling Lammie !
Lambiness (las mines). nonce-wd. [f. LAMB**.
+ -Y (adj. suffix) + -NESS.] Lamb-like quality.
1886 STEVENSON Pr. Otto n. iv. 105, I have always abomin
ated the lamb, and nourished a romantic feeling for the
wolf. O, be done with lambiness !
Lambing (Irc mirj), vbl. sl>. Also 6 lamming,
[f. LAMB v. + -ING .] The parturition or yeaning
of lambs ; (of a lamb) birth, time of birth. Also
attrib., as lambing fold, season, time.
573 TUSSER Husb. xxxv. (1878) 80 Now therefore thine
ewe, vpon lamming so neere, desireth in pasture that_ ail
may be cleere. 1611 COTGR. s-v. Agneler, At lambing time
we find what Ewes were full. 1616 SURFL. & MARKH.
Country f anue in When the Ewe is in Lambinj.
5-2
LAMBING.
1797 Monthly Mag. III. 486 A premium of five guineas to
the owner of the best South-down wether, to be two years
old last lambing-time. 1813 Examiner 3 May 279/2 The
lambing has been . . successful. 1861 PEARSON Pearly <V
Mid. Ages Eng. 141 The tithes .. were due three times a
year, at the lambing season, at harvest-time, and at Mar
tinmas. 1881 A. C. GRANT Bush Life Queensland x\x\\.
(1882) 328 Stone had also done very well ; his lambings had
been good. 1886 C. SCOTT Sheep-Farming 79 Admirable
lambing folds can be constructed very readily . . with no
other materials than wattled hurdles and straw.
La p mbing, ///. a. [f. LAMB v. + -ING 2 .] Of
a ewe : Breeding, with young.
1861 Times 24 Sept., The roots are .. carted to lambing
ewes on the pastures. 1883 Pall Mall G. 17 Mar. 4/1 They
smash the farmer s gates, level his fences . . frighten the
lambing ewes.
Lambisli (larmij), a. rare. [f. LAMB sb. +
-ISH. Cf. sheepish.] Lamb-like, meek as a lamb.
c 1374 CHAUCER Former Age 50 The lambisshe pepyl voyd
of all vice, Hadden noo fantasye to debate. ^1470 HARDING
Chron. LXII. ii, He had also a lamhish patience To here all
pleyntes mekely with sobernes.
t La mbitate, " Obs. rare . [f. V,. Iambi tat- 1
ppl. stem of lambitare y frequentative of lambcrc to
lick.] To lick or lap (Cockeram, 1623).
t Lambi tion. Obs. rare" . [n. of action f. L.
lambtre to lick.] (See quots.)
1658 PuiLLirs, Ltiwbition, a licking, or la;. ping with. the
tongue, also a guing over a thing with a soft touch. 1676
in COLES. 1721-1800 BAILEY, Lambition, a Licking.
t La mbitive, a. and sb. Obs. Also 7-8 lam-
bative, lambetive. [ad. mod.L. lanibitiv-tun
( = B. below), f. lanibefe to lick : see -JVE.]
A. adj. Of medicines : Taken by licking up with
the tongue. B. sb. A medicine so taken.
1646 SIR T. BROWSE Pseud. Ep. iv. viii. 198 In affections
both of Lungs and weazon, Physitians make use of syrupes,
and lambitive medicines. 1656 W. I), tr. Cfftitettfur Gale
Lat. Unl. 818. 255 Lambatives, or medicines to be lickt
in. 1671 HI.AGKAYE Astrot. Physic 87 These lambetives are
usually taken with a liquorish stick. 1684 tr. Bonefs Merc.
Compit. xiv. 479 Some Physicians do ill in prescribing
Lambitives at the first visit. 1696 J. EDWARDS Demonstr.
Exist. God \i. 44 Lohocs and the like lambitive medicines
for distempers in the lungs. 1710 STEELE Tatlcr No. 266
P 3 Upon the Mantle Tree . . stood a Pot of Lambetive
Electuary. 1710 T. FULLER Pkarm. Fvtemp. 273, I have
utterly denied the immediate descent of La-nbativcs into the
Lungs.
Lambkin (Ice mkinX [f. LAMB sb. + -KIX.]
1. A little lamb, young lamb.
1579 SPENSER .Shepft. Cal. Dec. 8 O soveraigne Pan ! . .
Which of our tender Lambkins takest keepe. 1613-16 W.
BROWNE Brit. Past. i. iii, Doridon-.Goes sadly forth . . To
ope his fold and let his Lamkins out. 1693 DKYDEN tr.
Chritfs Met. xiil. Acts 129 In their warm folds their tender
lambkins lie. 1725 Pw&Odyss. ix. 160 The kid distinguish d
from the lambkin lies. 1870 J. H, NEWMAN Gram. Assent
i. v, 108 The new-dropped lamb recognizes each of his
fellow-lambkins as a whole.
2, transf. A young tender person ; chiefly used
as a term of endearment.
1597 SHAKS. 2 Hen. /T, v. iii. 121 Sir John, thy tender
Lamb-kinne now is King. 1599 Hen. / , n. i. 133 Let
vs condole the knight, for (Lambekins) we will Hue. 1681
OIWAY Soldier s Fort. in. i. Wks, 1728 L 370 Poor Fool!
ror Uirdsnies ! poor Lambkin ! 1741 RICHARDSON Pamela
162 Well, well, Lambkin i which the Foolish often calls
me). 1812 SHELLKY DeviCs Walk vii. 3 One would think
that the innocents fair, Poor lambkins ! were just doing
nothing at all. 1860 RRAUE Cloister .y //. Ixxviii, We will
pray for her, won t we, my lambkin ; when we are old
enough ? 1889 H. F. WOOD Eng. Rue Cain ii, It staggered
me, and I m no lambkin.
Lamb-like, lamblike (larmbiio, a. Like
a lamb, or that of a lamb ; gentle, meek.
1599 ? KYD Soliman <y Perscda i. A 4 Put Lambe-like
mildenes to your Lyons strength. 1616 K. SHELDON Sut~i>.
Miracles Ch. Rome 161 What else doth the beast, .portend
by his lambe-Iike homes but Anti-christ ? i6ai QUARLES
Estlter (1638) 105 Thy Lamb-like Countenance so faire, so
meeke. a 1711 KEN Sion Poet. Wks. 1721 IV. 334 With
nerves of Lambs, Soul, .string your Lute, They ll best with
Lamb-like Agnes sute. 1840 MRS. CARLYLE Lett. I. 119,
I am very Iamb-like to-day. 1843 CARLYLE Past cj- Pr, \.
iii. (1845) IQ What a lamblike Insurrection !
Lambling (Ice-mlirj . rare. [See -LING.] A
young or little lamb, a lambkin.
1591 SYLVESTER Dn Bartas i. ii. 181 The Lambling tender.
1839 BAILEY Festits (1840) 77 Like lambling strayed from
some gold-Heecy flock. 1857 THACKERAY Virgin. (1858) I.
v. 36 It was over the black sheep [negroes] of the Castle-
wood flock that Mr. Ward somehow had the most influence.
These woolly lamblings were immensely affected by his
exhortations.
Lambly (lae mli), a. nonce-wd. [See -LY *.]
Resembling (that of) a lamb, lamb-like.
1868 BUSHSELL Serm. Living Snbj. 437 Yet in Christ
there is a godly or rather lambly sorrow.
Lambmass, -mes(se, obs. ff. LAMMAS.
Lamborn, obs. pi. form of LAMB.
Lamboys (Irc-mboiz 1 ). Anttq. [In quot. a 1548
(the source from which the word is derived) the
meaning is obscure, and it has been suspected
that lamboys is a mistake for some form of JAM-
BERS or JAMBEAUX.] The name given by mod.
antiquaries to : An imitation in steel of the * bases
or skirt, reaching from the waist to the knee ;
occasionally found in armour of the Tudor period.
36
If the word meant what Meyrick supposes, there is an
anachronism in Hall s use of It.
a 1548 HALL Chron., Hen. II 12 The tasses, the lamboys,
the backpece. 1824 MKYRICK Anc. Armour II. 220 The
large puckered plates of steel, which cover each thigh to the
knee, and continue behind, except where hollowed out for
the saddle. These plates are . , in imitation of cloth, and called
lamboys. 1834 PLANCHI-: Brit. Costume 225 The lamboys, . .
a sort of petticoat of steel in imitation of the puckered skirts
or petticoat of cloth or velvet worn at this time. 1841 J.
HEWITT Tower 66 On the edge of the lamboys or skirts are
the initials of the royal pair. 1863 THORNBURY Trite as
Steel I. 132 The spreading lamboys or steel skirts of the
period.
Lamb-pie.
1. //"/. A pie made of lamb ; "^fig. applied to a
young woman.
a 1625 BEAUM. & FL. Custom Country \. i, A Surgeon, I
must confesse an excellent desector; One that has cut up
more young tender Lamb-pies .
2. punningly. (Cf. LAM v., LAMBSKIN.)
1607 MARKHAM Caval, vtn. (1617) 6 This beating of horses
thus amongst Horse-coursers is called giuing them Lambe-
pye, from a knauish iest of a horse-coursers Boy. 1609
DEKKEK Lanthornc fy Candle-light x. Wks. (Grosart) III.
280 How a Horse-courser makes a lade that has no stomach
to eate Larnb-pye. a 1700 B. E. Diet. Cant. Crew, Lamo-J>ye,
Beating or Drubbing. 1791 PEGGE Derbicisms Ser. it. 109
Lam, to beat ; hence Lamb-fye^ a drubbing- a 1825 FORBV
Yoc, E.Anglia.
Lambre^n, obs. pi. forms of LAMB.
Lambrequin (larmbrekin). Also 8 ?lame-
quin, 9 lambrikin. [a. F. lambrequin.}
1. A scarf or piece of stuff worn over the helmet
as a covering. In Her. represented with one end
(which is cut or jagged) pendant or floating. (In
iSth c. works explained as = LABEL or LAMBEAU.)
1725 J. COATS Diet. Heraldry, Lambrequin, the Point of
a Label ; or Label of a File. 1780 EDMONDSON Heraldry
II. Gloss., Lambrequin^ or Lamequin. a 1843 SOUTHEY
Comm.-pl. Bk. (1851) IV. 202 Lambrequins, ribbands
embroidered with silver and gold, which hung from the
armets of the knights. 1869 CUSSANS Her. (1893) 190
The Mantling, Lambrequin or CointLse is the ornamental
accessory which generally appears behind and around the
Escutcheon. It was probably devised to protect the Helmet
from the rain and sun, in the same manner that the Surcoat
protected the armour. 1891 Cornlt. Nag. May 456, I might
bear it as a token or lambrequin upon my helm.
2. U. S. A cornice with a valance of pendent
labels or pointed pieces, placed over a door or
window ; a short curtain or piece of drapery (with
the lower edge either scalloped or straight) sus
pended for ornament from a mantel-shelf. Also
transf. and attrib.
1883 F. M. CRAWFORD Dr. Claudius iii, Mr. Barker
smiled under the lambrikin of his moustache. 1885
HOWELLS Silas Lapham (1891) II. 55 Heavy curtains.,
hung from gilt lambrequin frames at the window. 1885
Century Mag, Aug. 581 At dull times it is usual to renovate
an entire floor [of a Hotel] with carpets, curtains and
lambrequins. 1888 T. W. HIGCINSON women <y Men 162
The carved marble mantle-piece was concealed by a
lambrequin.
3. Ceramics. Ornamentation consisting of solid
colour with a lower edge of jagged or scalloped
outline. Also attrib.
1873 MRS. PAI.LISEK tr. Jacquemarfs Ceram. Art 362
Let us explain what we understand by lambrequins, den-
telles and style rayonnant. 1878 J. J. YOUNG Ceram. Art
(18791 127 On others are. .lace or lambrequin patterns.
Lambres, -ron, -ryn, obs.pl. forms of LAMB.
Lambskin (he mskin), sb. Also lamb s skin.
1. a. The skin or hide of a lamb with the wool
on. Proverbial phr. a wo/f (or fox) in a lamb s
skin. b. The same dressed and used for clothing,
for ornamentation of dress, for mats, etc. Often
in collect, sing., denoting the material or fur so
prepared.
? a 1366 CHAUCER Rom, Rose 229 A bumet cote . . Furred
with no menivere, But with a furre rough of here, Of lambe-
skinnes hevy and blake. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xxv.
(Julian} 506 For he resemblyt fore to be worthy and gud ;
bot jet he wykyt wolfe wes withlne, & heylyt in a lame-
skine. Ibid, xxxi. (Eugenia) 378 He is wolf in lamskine
hyd, 8: ful verray ypocnte. 149* Ld. Treas. Ace. Scot I. I.
202 Item, for quhyie smal cotton lamskynnis to lyne this
gowne. 1500-20 DUNBAR Poems xiii. 37 Sum in ane lamb
skin is ane tod. 1561 Act 5 Eliz. c. 22 x Yt shall
not bee lawful .. to pull, sheare, clippe, or take away the
wool of anie sheepe skinne or lambe skinne. 1571 Satir.
Poemjs Reform, xxix. 45 Schawing quhow, wolhs in lam
skynis ! ^>e puire scheip^e rnisgyde. a 1586 SIDNEY Arcadia.
n. (1622) 115 Like rich Tissew furd with Lambe-sklns.
1603 SHAKS. Meas. for M. in. ii. 9 A fur d gowne to keepe
him warme ; and furd with Foxe and Lamb-skins too.
i68z OTWAV Venice Preserved i. i. Wks. 1727 II. 276 A
Rogue that uses Fieauty like a Lamb-skin, Barely to keep
him warm. 1834 L. RITCHIE Wand, by Seine 139 A kind
of cloak, .furred with lambskin.
2. Leather prepared from the skin of lambs.
1745 De Foe s Eng. Tradesman xxvi. (1841) I. 266 Her
gloves, lambskin, from Berwick and Northumberland, or
Scotland. 1899 IVestm. Gaz. i June 3/2 The volumes, .are
bound in limp fambskin, gilt lettered.
3. Woollen cloth made to resemble lambskin
(Ogilvie).
\-4i.p2inningly. A heavy blow. Obs, (Cf. LAMB
SKIN v., LAM v.)
[1546 J. HEY WOOD Prov. (1867) 62 She must obey those
lambs, or els a lambs skyn,Ye will prouyde for hir, to lap her
LAMB.
in.] 1573 G. HARVEY Lettcr-bk. (Camden) 14 Les if you get
ous within the half swurd you chaunc to give us the lam-
skin. 1600 S. YQVMM* A*t0H*f. (1849) 7, I did give her
three or four lambskines with the yerd. 1622 R. HAWKINS
Voy. S. Sea xli. 97, I discovered their slynesse, and with
a truncheon, which I had in mine hand, gaue the Indians
three or foure good lamskinnes.
5. Mining. Anthracite slack, culm.
1873 locates Diet. Terms (ed. 4), Lamb-skin, a name given
to a variety of anthracite coal sold at Swansea.
6. attrib.\ f lamb -skin -man (see quot.).
(7 1700 B. E. Diet. Cant. Crew, Latnb-skin-men, the
Judges of the several Courts.
t Lambskin, v. Obs. [f. LAMBSKIN sb.] trans.
To beat, to thrash.
1589 Marprel. Epit. B, He hath giuen the cause sicken a
wipe in his hricke, and so lambskinned the same, that the
cause will be the warmer, .for it. 1592 G. HARVEY Piercers
Super. 131 To lamback him with ten yeares preparation,
that can lamskin thee with a dayes warning. 1635 HROME
Sparagus Card. iv. v. Wks. 1873 III. 185 Or if I baste you
not well a fine, and Lambe-skinne your jackets till your
bones rattle i your hides.
Lambskin-it : see LANSQUENET.
Lamb s tongue.
1. A name given to species of plantain (tr. med.
L. arnoglossa, Gr. apvoy^waaov), and other plants.
1578 LYTE Dodoens i. Ixiii. 92 Plantayne is called in Greeke
api"6yA(rffOf that is Lingua Agnina^ Lammes tungue. 1597
GERARDE Herbal 11. xcii. 6. 340. 1688 R. HOLME Armoury
n. 64 2 A bunch of Plantan Leaves .. some call it Lambs
Tongue. 1803 Trans, Soc. Arts XXI. 171 A sort of weed
provmcially termed Lamb s Tongue (somewhat resembling
the siveet gale in appearance, but not in smell).
2. A sort of plane ^see quot.) ; also the moulding
shaped by this plane.
1858 Sky rings Builder s Prices (ed. 48) 36 If astragal and
hollow, lamb s tongue or other modern bar, add i$</. 1875
KNIGHT Diet. Mec/t., Lamb s- tongue, a plane with a deep,
narrow bit for making quirks.
Lamb s-wool (Ice-mzwul).
1. The wool of lambs ; soft fine wool used for
hosiery and other clothing ; clothing-material made
of this wool.
1552 Act 5 # 6Eiiw. K7, c. 6 i Some by myngelinge Fell
Wooll and Lambes Wool . . withe Fleese Wooll. 1631 Star
Chamb. Cases (Camden) 13 They changed the markes of the
sheepe, and deteyned the lambes wool), and when it was de
manded it was denyed as if it were upon the sheepes backes.
1830 Miss M ITFORD Village Ser. iv. (1863) 163 The poor little
creatures, shivering tho wrapt in lamb s-wool and swan s-
down. 1854 EMERSON Lett. $ Soc. Aims, Resources Wks.
(Kohn i III. 199 The invalid sits shivering in lambs-wool
and furs.
Jig. 1869 TROLLOPE Ht knew iv. (1878) 19 Wrapping
himself up for life in the scanty lambswool of a fellowship.
b. attrib.
1836 E. HOWARD R. Reefer xxiii, White lamb s-wool
stockings. 1837 J. F. PALMER Deyonsh. Gloss., Lambs-
wool-sky, a collection of white orbicular masses of cloud
(cirrostratus). 1886 Fortn. Rev. Feb. 179 The sponges are
sorted . . into glove, reef, lamb s wool, grass, &c.
2. A drink consisting of hot ale mixed with the
pulp of roasted apples, and sugared and spiced.
1592 G. HARVEY Pierce s Super. 33 Drinking a Cupp of
Lammeswool. 1595 PEEI.E Old ll ives T. Wks. (Rtldg-T
446/1 Lay a crab in the fire to roast for lamb s-wool. 1621
BURTON Anat. Mel. n. v. in. i. (1651) 399, 1 finde those that
commend use of Apples in Splenatick and this kinde of
Melancholy (I.ambswooll some call iO. 1666 PEPYS Diary 9
Nov., We to cards till two in the morning, and drinking
lamb s-wool. 1725 SLOANE Jamaica II. 147 They roast
4a ripe plantain and mix It with a pint and half of water,
and it is like Lamb s Wool. 1766 GOLDSM. Vie. IV. xi,
The lamb s wool, even in the opinion of my wife, who
was a connoi.^eur, was excellent. 1839 MRS. PALMER
Devon. Dial. iv. 59 There is two special stubberd trees, vor
making squab pies and lambs wool.
Lambur, variant of LAMBER* Obs., amber.
Lamda, Lamdoidal : see LAMBDA, -DOIDAL.
Lame (l m), sb. { ? Obs. Also 6-7 la mm, 7-
lame. [a. F. /ameiL. /dm(m}itia, lamna thin piece
or plate.] A thin plate, esp. of metal ; a thin piece
of any substance, a lamina ; spec, applied to the
small overlapping steel plates used in old armour.
a 1586 SIDNEY Arcadia\\\. (1590 288 He strake Phalantus
hist vpon the gorget, so as he battred the lamms thereof.
1611 FLORIO, A/t\ wings. AIs6 among armorers called
lamms. 1633 J. DONE Hist. Septuagint 47 Thinke not it
was couered with Plates or Lames of Gold .superficially but
was made all of solide, massie, pure and fine Gold. 1725
URADLEY Fam. Diet. s. v. Nose* It has a great Kxtent in a
small Space, because it wraps up all the bony Lames that
btick to the cribrous Bone. 1834 PLANCK^: Brit. Costume
223 The helmet assumes the form of the head, having move-
able lames or plates at the back to guard the neck. 1869
HOUTKLL Arms <y Arm. viii. 147 To the lower part of this
demi-cuirass there was attached a system of articulated
lames, or narrow plates, in their contour adapted to cover
the figure. 1894 Antiquary Jan. 26 The most curious part
of the present suit is the tonlet, a system of lames or half-
hoops of steel, which, supported by leather straps inside,
descend nearly to the knees in form of a short petticoat.
t Lame, sb? Obs. [f. LAME a.] Lameness ;
infirmity.
a 1300 Cursor M. 22323 iCott.) A mikcl man..Luued wel
wit-vten lame, wit-vten last al his licani. c 1340 Ibid. 5153
tTrin.), I may not rise he seide for lame, c 1425 WYNTOUN
Cron. vm. xxxv. 5243 Hesayd, that he wald[ayl] na-thyng.
..Thus hapnyd till hym off this lame. 1500-20 DUNBAK
Poems xxviii. 34 Off God grit kyndness may 30 clame, That
helpis his peple fra cruke and lame.
LAME.
l ^ it a. Forms: i lama, (lame),
loma, 3 lomme, 3-4 lome, 4 lam, 2- lame.
[OE. lama, fyma (the \vk. declension is, from some
unexplained cause, used in indefinite as well as
definite context, the form in -a being, moreover,
commonly used for all genders), corresponding to
OFris. /am, lorn, OS. lanto (Du. lani], OHG. lam
(MHG. lam, mod.G. lahni}, ON. lame (wk.) :
OTeut. *lamo- ; an ablaut-variant is *lomjo~ in
OHG. htomi t MHG. liieme dull, slack, gentle,
early mod.G. lumtn, whence liimmel blockhead.
From the same root is OS1. lomiti to break.]
1. Of a person or animal : a. Crippled or im
paired in any way ; weak, infirm ; paralysed ; un
able to move. Const, on, of(cf. i c). Obs, exc. arch.
cj*$ Corpus Gloss. 815 ConclamatitSi comtnotus loma.
cooo tr. Bsedas Hist. \. v. (1890) 396 He waes loma& ealra
his lioma begnunga benumen. c 1000 Jigs. Gosp. Matt.
ix. 2 Da brohton his n >" m senne laman [L. faralyticHin] on
on ober schome hat ich am on mine ejen lome. a \yx> Cursor
.}, I may noght rise, i am sualame. i53oPALSGR.
A Germaine. .who was lame of halfe his body, and simple.
1878 B. TAYLOR Denkalion I. iv. 37 One gets old and lame,
And then the Gods themselves forget their words.
b. Crippled through injury to, or defect in, a
limb ; spec, disabled in the foot or leg, so as to
walk haltingly or be unable to walk.
Proverb. To help a lame dog over a stile : see DOG sb. 15 f.
c 1000 /ELFHIC Saints Lives (1885) I. 220 pa la;^ ba^r sum
creopare lama fram cild-hade. cizos LAY. 19479 Uder be
lome [c 1275 lame] mon. a 1300 Cursor M. 8136 An here-
mite bar bai fand at ham, In pat montan, was halt and lam.
1388 WVCLIF 2 Sam. v. 8 A blynde man and lame schulen
not entre in to the temple, a 1529 SKELTON E. Rummy ng
512 Up she stert, halfe lame, And skantly could go For
payne and for wo. 1611 BIBLE 2 Sam. xix. 26 Thy seruant
sayd, I will saddle me an asse that I may ride thereon, ..
because thy seruant is lame. 1762-71 H. WALPOLK I e fine s
Anecd. Paint. (1786) III. 76 He hurt his hip at the fire of
London and went lame for the rest of his life. 1871 Miss
YONGE Cameos II. xxx. 314 He kicked her downstairs, so
that she broke her leg, and went lame ever after. 1875
JOWETT Plato (ed. 2 V. 364 In the use of the hands we are
in a manner lame. 1880 Times 18 Sept. 9/5 Lame men
might be illustrious warriors like Agesilaus, bold horsemen
like Scott, extraordinary swimmers like Byron.
C. Const, of, in, -\-on, ^with (the crippled part").
a. 1300 Cursor J/. 12260 pat be poneral get sum bote, And
ganging J>at ar lame o fote. c 1460 Play Sacram. 768
Jonathas on thyn hand thow art but lame. 1581 SAVII.E
Tacitus Hist. iv. Ixxxi. (1591) 232 Another lame of a hande
[L. mamun xger\. c 1645 T. TuLLY^iV^v of Carlisle 11840)
36 Hinks, .. being lame in that hand he was shot in. 1646
SIR J. TEMPLE Irish Rebell. (1746) 206 Her hand grew black
and blew, rankled, and she was extreme lame with it. 1676
HOBBKS lliad\\. 193 Lame of one Leg he was. 1685 Lon /.
Gas. No. 2072/4 A Man, .. ruddy Countenance,, .and lame
of one ofhis little fingers. 1766 ENTICK London IV. 285 If
they were lame in their arms. 1870 L EsTKANGE Miss Mit-
ford I. v. 132 Poor Marmion is lame in one of his hind legs.
d. absol.
ft loooElenc 1214 (Gr.) Oft him feorran to Laman, limseoce,
lefe cwomon. a 1300 Cursor M. 19096 pe oncall of his hali
nam, has lent ushele nuto bis lame. 1377 LANGL. /". PL B.
xix. 120 He made lame to lepe. 1484 CAXTON Fables oj
Alfonce vii. (1889) 272 Of euery lame scabbed and of alle
suche that had ony counterfaytour on theyr bodyes he tooke
a peny. 1500-20 DUN BAR Poems Ixxxii. 53 Through
streittis nane may mak progres, For cry of cruikit, blind,
and lame. 1535 COVKKDALE Job xxix. 15, I was an eye
unto the blynde. and a fote to the lame, a 1619 DANIEL (J.\
Who reproves the lame, must go upright. 1715 GAY Trivia
II. 51 But above all, the groping blind direct, And from the
pressing throng, the lame protect.
e. said of the limb ; also of footsteps, etc.
a 1300 Cursor M. 17950 His lymmes. .^it are lame. 1592
DAVIES Immort. Soul xxx. xiii. (1714) 93 Most Legs can
nimbly run, tho some be lame. 121656 BP. HALL Soliloq.
26 What have I got by it but a lame shoulder and a galled
back? 1675 W. HAKBORD Let. to Earl Essex in Essex
Papers (Camden) I. 318 Had not my lame foote compelled
me to make use of my Coache. 1710 Loud. Gaz. No. 4784/4
The Thumb on his Right Hand is Lame. 1775 JOHNSON
Let. to Mrs. Thrale 17 June, Her present qualifications
for the niceties of needlework being dim eyes and lame
fingers. 1840 R. H. DANA Bef. Mast xxix. 99 Tossing. . from
eight to ten thousand hides, until my wrists became so lame
that I gave in. 1859 TENNYSON Enid 628 Myself would
work eye dim, and finger lame. 1885 R. BRIDGES Eros <V
Psyche, Apr. 24 With footsteps slow and lame They gather d
up their lagging company.
\ f. transf. of trees. Obs.
1600 SURFLKT Country Farm in. xlvii. 522 Trees become
lame when they be planted in too drie a place. Ibid.
{margin} Lame trees.
2. Jig- Maimed, halting; imperfect or defective,
unsatisfactory as wanting a part or parts. Said
esp. of an argument, excuse, account, narrative,
or the like, f Phr. lame to the ground (cf. Antrim
& Down G/oss. s. v. Lame * A stab of a bayonet
which has lamed me to the ground ).
c 1374 CHAUCER Troylus n. Prol. 17 Disblameth me yf ony
word be lame. For as myn auctor seyde so sey I. 1390
GOWER Con/. II. 218 The gold hath made his wittes lame.
1531 ELYOT Gov. I. xxv, That the knowlege and contempla
tion of Natures operations were lame and . . imperfecte,
37
if there followed none actuall experience. 1381 J. BELL
Haddon s Answ. Osor. i64b, Let us yet helpe his lame
Logicke as well as we may. 1604 SHAKS. Oik. \\. i. 162
Oh most lame and impotent conclusion. 1634 CANNE Nccess,
Separation (18491 2 ^7> I W H not contend much with him
ahout the proposition, which is lame to the ground. 1668
HALE Prcf. to Rollers Abridgm. g Tables, or other Re
pertories . . are oftentimes short, and give a lame account
of the Subject sought for. 1670 TEMPLE Let. to Sir y.
Tentple Wks. 1731 II. 245, I found the Business of ad
mitting the Emperor into the Guarantee, went downright
lame, a 1677 BARROW Serin. Wks. 1686 III. 208 Nothing of
worth or weight can be atchieved. .with a faint heart, with
a lame endeavour. 1699 BENTLEY Phal. 251? Our Argument
from the Date of Phrynichus s Phccnissce will be very lame
and precarious. 1703 MOXON AfrcA. Exerc. 253 Alterations,
or Tearing and pulling the Building to pieces after it is
begun .. makes the Building lame and Deficient. 1726
SWIFT Gulliver in. iii. 197 The theory of comets, which at
present is very lame and defective. 1800 MRS. HERVEY
Mourtray Fai. II. 104 Her account was so lame and im
perfect, that Mrs. Mourtray lost all patience. 1818 HAZLITT
Eng. Poets iv. (1870) 100 His grammatical construction is
often lame and imperfect. 1867 FREEMAN Norm. Conq.
(1876) I. iv. 218 This certainly seems a very lame story.
b. Const, of, in (the defective part) : cf. I c.
Also with to and inf.
13,66 CHAUCER A. B. C. 76 And who so goth to you |>e
rihte wey Him thar not drede in soule to be lame, a 1420
HOCCLEVE De Reg. Princ. 2797 Swich vnbuxumnesse Suf-
fred, vs make wol of seuerte lame. 1578 BANISTER Hist.
Man vui. 99 Idiotes and foolish bod yes, who hauyng defect
in this [reason], are lame in all the rest, c 1586 C TESS
PEMBROKE Ps. cm. i, What gratious he. .hath done for thee, \
Be quick to mind, to utter be not lame. 1604 SHAKS. Oth.
i. iii. 63 lieing not deficient, blind, or lame of sense, a 1656
BP. HALL Soliloq. 35 Alas, we cannot be but lame in all our
obediences. 1819 SHELLEY Peter Bell yd yi. xxi. 4 His
thoughts grew weak, drowsy, and lame Of their intelligence.
1860 MOTLEY Netherl. {i868j I. iii. 77 This course seemed
to be lame in many parts.
c. Said of metrical feet or the verses composed
of them : Halting, metrically defective.
1600 SHAKS. A. V. L. in. ii. 178 Cf!. That s no matter:
the feet might beare y e verses. Kos. I, but the feet were
lame and could not beare themselues without the verse.
1608 Per. iv. Prol. 48 The lame feete of my rime. 1693
DRYDKN Persiiis, Sat. i. (1697) 406 The Prose is Fustian,
and the Numbers lame. 1751 CHATHAM Lett. Nephew \. i
Your translation, .is very close to the sense of the original
. .the numbers not lame, or rough.
3. Phr. Lame duck*, see DUCK sfi.l 9. f To
come by the lame post : ;of news, etc.) to be behind
time.
1658 OSOORN Jas, f iii. Wks. (1673) 469 Till by a lamer
Post he was advertised of his being joyfully Proclaimed in
London by the Lord Mayor and Aldermen. 1701 MOTT in
Sir J. Floyer Hot fy Cold Bath. n. 240 Yours of the 24" of
May I received, but it had the misfortune to come by the
Lame Post, or else you had sooner received an Answer.
4. Comb., as lame-born, -footed, -horsed, -legged,
f -limb adjs.
1823 BENTHAM Not Paul 306 The *lame-born cripple.
1614 RALKIGH Hist. World \\\. (1634) 67 Seldome the villaine
though much haste he make * Lame-footed Vengeance failes
to overtake. 1881 BLACKMORE Christ owcll xl, Labouring
along with the *lame-horsed guns. 1610 HOLLAND Catnden s
Brit. i. 515 Being skornfully rejected by Judith the mother
for that he was *lame-legged. 1583 T. WATSON Ccnturie of
Lone xcviii. Poems (Arb.) 134 Loueis. .A*Lamelimme Lust.
2jame (1^ m), -v. [f. LAME a. ; OK. had Ionian
of equivalent formation ( = ON. Zynjti] which did
not survive into ME.] trans. To make lame; to
cripple.
c 1300 Haidok 2755 Hwan he hauede him so shamed, His
hand of plat, and yuele lamed, c 1330 R. BRUNNE Chron.
IVace (Rolls) 1836 pen was Coryneus a-schamed pat he was
for be geaunt lamed. 1375 BARBOUR firuce iv. 284 The
kyng, throu his cheuelry, Wes laid at erd and lamyt bath.
c 1440 Pronift. Paris. 286/1 Lamyn, or make lame, acclan-
dicfl (MS. K. claudicd]. 1460 Lybcaus Disc. 1917 Hys
stede was lamed. 1607 SHAKS. Cor. iv. vii. 7, I cannot
helpe it now, Vnlesse by vsing meanes I lame the foote Of
our designe. 1650 W. BROUGH Sacr. Princ. (1659) 219
Covetousness. .lames the hand togood works. 1700 DRYDEN
Fables, Cock <y Fox 644 The son and heir Affronted once
a cock of noble kind, And either lam d his legs, or struck
him blind. 1735 DE FOE Kiy. round World (18401 338 They
killed eleven or twelve . . and lamed as many. 1859 J KN NYSON
Elaine 487 A spear Down-glancing lamed the charger.
b. transf. mAfig. To cripple, maim, disable.
1568 Satir. Poems Reform, xlvii. 51 Now }e ar lamit fra
labour, 1 lament it. 1611 SHAKS. IVint. T. v. ii. 62, I neuer
heard of such another Encounter; which lames Report to
follow it. Cynib. v. v. 163 For Feature, laming The
shrine of Venus, or straight-pight Minerva. 1699 DAMPIER
Voy. II. n. 129 We kept firing at her, in hopes to have lamed
either Master Yard, i860 CAKLYLE .>%&. Gt. IV. x. 11872)
11.37 The Spanish Navy got well lamed in the business.
1868 TENNYSON Lucretius 123 My mind Stumbles, and all
my faculties are lamed. 1878 E. JENKINS Ha-verholme 45
Lamed by the reticence imposed on him as a condition of
his office, he had made a halting explanation.
Hence Lamed (1^ mcl), ppl. a.
a 1586 SIDNEY. 4 mz<7Y,7 in. (1590) 293 b, His mindewas euill
wayted on by his lamed force, so as he receyued still more
and more woundes. 1602 F. HERING Anat. 4 One-eyed or
lamed Fencers. 1839 C\RiSii& Chart ism iii. (1858) 15 That
was a broken reed to lean on .. and did but run into his
lamed right-hand.
alwl. 1567 Gude fy Godly Ball. (S. T. S.) 67 He haillit
the seik, sair, lamit, and blinde.
Lame, obs. f. LAMB; Sc. and north, dial. f. LOAM.
Iiamel (be mel). Now rare. [ad. L. lamella
(see next).] LAMELLA.
LAMELLIFEROUS.
1676 COLES, Laim-l, a little thin plate. 1677 GREW Anal,
Plants iv. in. i. 8 (1682) 180 From this utmost Paren
chyma Nine or Ten Insertions or Lamells are produced.
1681 H. MOKE Postscr. to Claim i 1C s Sadditcismus 39 By
vertue of any Lamels or Plates of Metal. 1848 in CRAIG.
1871 Miss YONGE Cameos (1877) II. xiv. 159 Every mottoed
laniel, so tersely and correctly sculptured, associated also so
closely with his historical and English recollections.
II Lamella (lame la). PI. lamellce (lame-U ).
[L. lamella, dim. of LAMINA.] A thin plate,
scale, layer, or film, esp. of bone or tissue ; e.g.
one of the thin scales or plates which compose
some shells, one of the gills forming the hymenium
of a mushroom, one of the erect scales appended
to the corollas of some flowers.
1678 Phil. Trans. XII. 977 These Lamellae, wherewith the
said Tunick is roll d up in so many more folds. I74 1 MONKO
A Hat. Bones led. 3 87 The nasal Lamella of the ethmoid Bone.
1777 G. FORSTKR Voy. round World I. 502 A talcous stone,
which when exposed to the sun and air .. dissolves into la
mellae. 1830 LINULKV Nat. Syst. Bot. 244 Corolla monopeta-
lous..5-lobec!, with 2 lamella: at the base of each lobe. 1841-
71 T. R. JONES A nit. Kitigd. (ed. 4) 428 The ventral surface
of the central lamella of the terminal fin. 1879 RUTLEY
Study Rocks x. 87 More than fifty lamellae have been noted,
under the microscope, in a single crystal.
Lamellar (Jamc lai), a - Chiefly scientific, [f.
prec. + -Ait. Cf. F. famellaire.] Consisting of,
characterized by, or arranged in, lamellce or thin
plates or scales.
1794 SULLIVAN Vieiv Nat. I. 439 Its texture, lamellar or
scaly. 1796 KIRWAN Elem. IMiti. (ed. 2) I. 244 Lamellar,
by some called foliated, or sparry quartz. 1849 DANA Gcoi.
iii. (1850) 274 The lava is lamellar in structure. 1870
HOOKKK Stud. I lom 244 Convoivulacea;. .Stigmas capitate
linear or lamellar. 1881 MAXWELL Elect r. ty Magn. II. 34
If a magnet can be divided into simple magnetic shells,
either closed or having their edges on the surface of the
magnet, the distribution of magnetism is called Lamellar.
Hence Lame Uarly adv., in thin plates or scales
(Webster, 1828).
Lamellate (larrneU t), a. [ad. mod.L. lamel-
lattts : see LAMELLA and -ATK-.] Furnished with
or arranged in lamella; ; lamellar.
i826KiRBvSp. Entomol. IV. 311 Lamellate (Lawclltiti),
when the last joint is divided into transverse lamella;. 1846
DANA Zoopk. (1848) 359 Cones acervate and proceeding from
lamellate cells.
Hence Lame-llately adv.
1846 DANA Zoopk. iv. 48 (1848) 54 The lamella; of the
stars in an Astreca .. extend throughout the interstitial
spaces between the cells, striating lamellately the surface.
Lamellated Jarmel^U-d), a. [formed as LA
MELLATE + -KD 2 .] = LAMELLATE.
1713 DERHAM Phys.-Thcol. vin. iv. 402 The lamellated
Antennae of some, the Clavellated of others. 1780 J. T.
DILLON Trav. Spain (1781) 211 This lamellated metal is
composed of various plates. 1831 R. KNOX Cloquefs Anat.
413 A true lamellated lobule, composed of a great number
of parallel transverse lamina;. 1851-6 WOODWARD Mollnsca
24 The lamellated tentacles of the nudibranchs.
Lamellibraildl ^laine-librajrjk), sb. (a.) Zoo/.
[ad. mod.L. lamdliln-anchia pi., f. L. LAMELLA +
Gr. @pdyx ta gills-] A lamellibranchiate or bivalve
mollusc ; one of the Lamellibranchiata.
1855 H. SPKNCER Princ. Psychol. (1872) I. r. ii. 15 In the
Lamellibranchs several such . . ganglia are distributed . . in
different parts of the body. 1872 NICHOLSON Palxont. 188
No Lamellihranch is destitute of a shell.
b. attrib. or adj. = LAMELLIBRANCHIATE a.
1867 J. HOGG Microsc. n. ii. 377 The contents of the
stomachs of most Lamellibranch molluscs .. exhibit a_ con
siderable admixture of the minute calcareous Forarmnifera.
Lamellibrancliiate (lamelibrse-gkii^t), a.
(sb?) Zool. [ad. mod.L. la me llibranc hiatus (im
plied in -ata sb. pi.) : see prec. + -ATB.] Belong
ing to the group Lamellibranchiata of molluscs (so
called as having lamellate gills) of which the ordi
nary bivalves (oysters, mussels, etc.) are typical.
1855 OGILVIE, Suppl., Lainellibranchiate, relating to the
lamellibranchiata. 1863 LYKLL Antiq. Man xx. 404 The
existing lamellibranchiate bivalves. 1880 HUXLEY Crayfish
356 The little lamellibranchiate mollusk, Cyclas fontinalis.
b. sb. A lamellibranch ; a bivalve mollusc.
1842 URASDE Diet. Sci. etc.. Laviellibranchiates^ Lantelll-
branduata, an order of Acephalous Mollusks.
Laiuelliconi (lame lik^m), a. and $b. Ent.
[ad. mod.L. lamcllicomis, f. L. lamella thin plate
+ cornu horn.] A. adj. Belonging to the Lamelli-
cornes of Latreille s system or the modern group
Lamellicornia of beetles, having antennae charac
terized by a lamelliform club. B. sb. A lamellicorn
beetle, as the dung-beetle, cockchafer, etc.
1842 BRANDE /?/<:, Sci. etc. Lametticorns. f8MKlKBY&
SP Entomol. II. 314 The dung-chafers . . and others of the
lamellicorn beetles. 1871 DARWIN Desc. Man I. xi. 390 We
know that ants and certain lamellicorn beetles are capable of
feeling an attachment for each other.
So Bamelliccfrnate, -COTUOUS adjs.~ prec. adj.
1852 ! H. Ross Hitmboldfs Trav. I. vii. 257 The Indians
assured us that the guachara does not pursue .. the lamelli-
cornous insects. 1853 MAYNE Expos. Lex.* Lamellicornis
. .lamellicornate.
Lanielliferous Clffimeli ferss),^. [f. LAMELLA
+ -(I)FKBOUS.] Having a lamellate structure.
1832 LYELL Princ. Geol. 1 1. 1 1 1 The madrepores, or lamelH-
ferous polyparia. 1876 PAGE Adv. Text-Bk. Geot. xiv. 245
Lanielliferous corals.
LAMELLIFORM.
Lamelliform (lame-lif^m^ a. [f. LAMELLA
+ -^I)FOBM.] Having the form or structure of a
lamella or thin plate.
1819 G. SAMOUELLE EntomoL Compaui, 233 Antenna:
lamelliform, small, [etc.]. 1869 GLLLMORE tr. 1 ignie-rs
AV//. *j- Birds ii. 253 The Scoters have the bill broad, with
dilated margins, and coarse lamell.form teeth. i88a VINES
Sachs Bot. 338 The hymenium .. covers the surface of the
iamelltform, peg-shaped, or tubular projections of the under
side of the pileus.
Lamelliped Jame liped;,a. and.r. Zool. [ad.
mod.L. lamellipedia (pi.), f. L. lamella thin plate
+ped-, pes, foot.] A. adj. IJelonging to the
Lamellipedia, a division of conchiferous molluscs,
having a flattened lamelliform foot. B. sb. One
of the Lamellipedia.
1855 OGILVIE, Suppl., Lamellipeds, a section of cpnchifers
containing bivalves with the foot broad and thin, as in
Cardiacez, &c. 1888 Syd. Soc. Lex. t Lamellifedc, having
flattened and lamelliform feet.
Lamellirostral (lamelirfstral), a. and sb.
Qrnith. [f. mod.L. lamclliroslris, f. LAMELLA +
L. rostr-um beak + -AL.] A. adj. Belonging to
the Lamellirostres, the fourth family of Cuvier s
sixth order {Palmipedes} of birds, so called as hav
ing lamellose bills. B. sb. A lamellirostral bird.
1835-6 TODD Cycl. Anat. L 277/2 The lamellirostral
Palmipedes. 1839-47 Ibid. III. 387/1 The flat and sensitive
bill of a lamellirostral bird. 1842 BfiANDB Diet. Set. etc.,
LamelliroslralS) Lauiellirostres^ a tribe of swimming birds
. .comprehending those in which the man-in of the l>eaksare
furnished with numerous lamella; or dental plates, arranged
in a regular series, as in the swan, goose, and duck.
Also Lamelliro strate a. = prec. ailj. i^Mayne
Expos. Lex. 1855) ; Lamelliroster = prec. sb.
(Cent. Diet.}.
Lamellose (lame-l^s , a. scientific, [f. LAM-
KLLA + -OSE.] Arranged in or composed of lamella;.
1751 SIR J. HILL Hist. Amin.^iR The beak of the Anas
is convex . . the whole verge is furnished with transverse,
lamellose teeth. 1846 DANA Zoopk. 118481 571 Glomerate
or lamellose. 1854 WOODWARD .Vlallnsca n. 237 Up, er
valve limpet-like, smooth or concentrically lamellose. 1875
BLAKE Zool. 266 The branchitu are at the sides of the body,
..mostly lamellose.
b. Comb, lamellose- (also quasi-L. lamellosoO
dentate a., having lamelliform teeth, as the bill
of a duck ; lamellose-stellate a., having lamellce
arranged in star-shaped groups,
1855 MAYNE Expvs. Lex.^ Lawt llos0ifent(ittts..\a.n\<i\\v*o-
ilentate. 1856 8 \V. CLARK I an der Hoi. Vtut s Zool. I. 88
Polypary conical, with base acuminate, tell single, terminal,
lamellose-stellate. /^/rf. I L 383 llill with margins lamellosc-
dentate internally.
XiP.mellous lame bs" , a. rare. [f. LAMELLA
+ -OUS.] =L.\MELLUSK.
1803 Med, Jrnl. X. 43 A lamellous or fibrous matter.
Lamellnle (lame*lil). [f. LAMKLLA + -ULE.]
A small lamella. 1888 in Syd. Soc. Lex.
Lamely (Ic -mli), adv. [f. LAME a. + -LY-.]
In a lame manner; with hailing steps or limbs;
haltingly; imperfectly, defectively, inefficiently.
1591 SHAKS. Tivo Gent. n. i. 07 I al. She enjoin d me, To
write some lines to one she loves... Speed. Are they not
lamely writt? 1594 Rich. ///, i. i. 22 Deform d, vn-
linish d . . scarse halfe made vp, And that so lamely and
vnfashionahle, That dogges barke at me, as I halt by them. ,
1599 Life More in Words w. Keel. Biog. 1.1853) U- 94 This i
booke .. is translated .. into English absurdly and lamely. !
1614 T. ADAMS in Spurgeon Trcas. Dav, Ixxi. 18 A comedy
that . . goes lamely off in the last act, finds no applause.
1679 PHYUKN Troylus <\ Cr. Pref., So lamely is it left to u>,
that it is not divided into Acts. 1709 STEELE & SWIFT
Taller No. 66 P i They who speak gracefully, are very
lamely represented in having their Speeches read or repeated
by unskilful People. 1739 HUME Hum. Nature (1874) L In-
trod. 305 Principles taken upon trust, consequences lamely de
duced from them. 1837 CARLYLK />. Rei>. I. iv. iv, Halting
lamely along, thounoticest next Bishop Talleyrand-Perigord.
1885 R. W. Dixos Iftst. C/i. Kng. III. 201 Cardwell lamely
tries to screen Ridley.
Lamen, variant of LAMIN.
Lameness OtM-mnes). [f. LAME a. + -NESS.]
The condition or quality of being lame ; unsound-
ness of a limb causing halting movement; fig. im-
perfectness, defectivene^s.
1530 PALSGR. 237/1 Larnenesse, mehaygnete, 1597 A. M.
tr. (Juitlemeait s Fr. Chirurg. 31/1 The patient is wholye
cured, without retayninge any lamnes in his arm. 1658 A.
Fox \yurtz Surg^. ii. ix. 78 On the Temple is a sinew,
which if that be cut, it causeth lameness in the jaw bone.
1658-9 Burton s Diary (18281 III. 18, I love not to hear it,
that there is a lameness in this House. 1670 DRVIJEM -2nd
Pt. Cong. Granada 163 The lameness of their plots. 1723
S. MORLAND Spec. Lat. Diet. 9 As for the Law, care has
been taken to help the lameness of their Latin. 1783
WILSON in Phil. Trans. LXXIII. 161 The lameness of the
views . . may .. proceed .. from our . . imperfect knowledge.
1841 CATLIN N. Amcr. hid. (1844) II. xl. 50 Complaining
of the lameness of our bones from the chase on the former
day. 1846 GROIE Greece (1862) II. vii. 189 Respecting the
lameness of Tyrtaeus, we can say nothing.
Lamenrie, -y, variants of LEMANRY.
Lament (lame-nt), sb. [ad. L. lament-urn
wailing, weeping, lamentation.]
1. An act of lamenting, a passionate or demon
strative expression of grief. Also/0fS. the action
of lamenting, lamentation.
38
iS9< SHAKS. j Hen. J-Y, i. I. 103 To adde to your laments
. . I must informe you of a dismall right, Betwixt the stout
Lord Talbot, and the French, c 1592 MAR [.OWE Jtxv of
Malta i. ii, Why btand you thus, unmoved with my laments?
1629 MILTON Christ s Nativity 183 A voice of weeping
heard, and loud lament. 1697 DRYUES Virg. Geortr. iv, 666
All her fellow Nymphs the Mountains tear With loud
Laments. 1715-20 POI*E Iliad xxin. 17 The troops, .thrice
in order led ..their coursers round the dead; And thrice
their sorrows and laments renew. 1768 BEATTIE Minstr. i.
xxxiv, When the long-sounding curfew from afar Loaded
with loud lament the lonely gale- 1821 SHELLEY Hellas 868
Voices Of strange lament soothe my supreme repose. 1869
J. MARTI NEAuA w. II.283\Vhat is this but the morbid lament
of scepticism? 1870 BRYANT Iliad I. v. 136 On his knees
With sad lament he fell.
2. A set or conventional form of mourning ; a
song of grief, an elegy ; esp. a dirge performed at
a death or burial ; also, the air to which such a
lamentation is sung or played.
1698 M. MARTIN Pay. St. Kilda (17^9) 57 Upon those Occa
sions [they] make doleful Songs, which they call laments.
1791 BURNS (title) Lament for James, Earl of Glencairn.
1814 SCOTT Lord of Isles \. xxvii, Soon as the dire lament
was play d. 1822 p. STEWART.S X.-. Highlanders I. 81 Solemn
and melancholy airs or Laments (as they call them) for their
deceased friends. 1882 OUIDA In Mareitmia I. 154 It was
rarely that she chose other themes than the passionate
laments of the provincial canzoni.
Lament (.lame-nt), v. [ad. L. lament-art, f.
lament- urn LAMENT sb. Cf. F. lament er^\
1. trans. To express profound sorrow for or con
cerning; ; also, in mod. use, to feel sorrow for; to
mourn for the loss of (a person ; to bewail (an
occurrence, etc. : with simple ohj. or clause],
iSSSCovERUAi.E Lnkcx\\u. 37 There fulowed him agreate
multitude of people and of wemen, which bewayled and
lamented him. 1548-9 (Mar.) Bk, Com. Prayer Collect
Ash- Wednesday, Wee worthely lament yng oure sy nnes.
1611 BIBLE i Saw. xxv. i Samuel died, and all the Israelites
..lamented him. 1667 MILTON P.L. i. 448 Thammuzcame
next behind, Whose annual wound in Lebanon allur d The
Syrian Damsels to lament his fate In amorous dittyes all a
Summers day. 1712 HEARNE (. oiled. ((_). H. S.i III. 453
He died in the 32* Year of his Age, and is much lamented.
1756-7 tr. Krysler s Trav. 1760) IV. 94 This stone laments
the death of Andrea Pisano. 1794 MKS. KADCUFFE Afyst.
Udolpho xxx, For your own sake I lament this. i8pi Med.
Jrnl. V. 559 As she was thus lamenting her situation, she
was sei/ed by a very violent convulsive fit. 1856 FRODDE
Hist. I -ng. (1858) II. vl. 12 The parliament had lamented
that the duties of the religious houses were left unfulfilled,
2. intr. To express (also, simply, to feel) pro
found grief; to mourn passionately. Const, for^
rarely after ; also with indirect pass.
1530 PALS<;R. 603 2, I lamente, I make mone for a losse,_/V
laincntc. a 1533 LD. BEKNERS Ifnou Ixxxii. 256 It wolde
haue made a hard herte to lament. 1595 Locrine in. i. 160
He ioves not most that doth lament the most. 1603
KNOLLES Hist. Turks (1638) 106 Greatly lamented for by
all the Christians in Syria. 1611 BIBLE i Saw. vii. 2 All
the house of Israel lamented after the Lord. 1667 MiCros
/ . L. xi. 671 Adam was all in tears, and to his guide
Lamenting turnd full sad. 1697 DRYUEN Virg. Georg, iv.
743 Her Children gone, The Mother Nightingale laments
alone. 1738 GLQVKB Leonidas \, 245 Forget not her, who
now for thee laments. 1830 TENNYSON Dying Sivan 7 With
an inner voice the river run, Adown it floated a dying swan,
And loudly did lament.
b. reft, in the same sense, arch.
1749 FIELDING Tom Jones it. vii, Because he does not cry
out and lament himself, like those of a childish or effeminate
temper. 1768 STICRNE Sent. Jttttnt. (1775) 124 (Fragment)
The poor notary .. lamented himself as he walk d along in
this manner. 1788 CHARLOTTE SMITH Emtnelitte (i8i6j IV.
1 78 She. .bursts into tears, and laments herself over him. 1850
MRS. JAMKSON Leg. Afonast. Ord. (1863 99 When Hugoliti
returned, he began to lament himself because of the robbery.
f 3. causative. To cause grief to, distress. Obs.
1580 LUPTON Sivqila i. 131 What paines he hath put me
to euer since, bothe nighte and day, it would lament you
if you knewe it. 1583 STOCKER tr. Civ. li arres Lowe C.
i. lisa, It greatly lamenteth, and maruellously amazeth vs.
1704 in Ashton Social Life Q. Anne (1882) I. 124 He lay
much Lamented and wonderfully affrighted with the Old
Woman coming to afflict him.
Lamentable (larmentab lV a. (sbC] [a. F.
lamentable or ad. L. lamentabil-is, f. lamenta-rl to
LAMENT : see -ABLE.]
1. Of persons, their appearance, actions, voice,
song, etc.: Full of or expressing sorrow or grief;
mournful, doleful. Now rare or arch.
I 43 z ~So tr - Hidden (Rolls) I. 317 In whiche place . .lament-
able voices be herde ofte tymes. 1494 FABYAN Chron. iv.
Ixxv. 53 The lamentable request made vnto hym by the
sayde Ambassade. 1501 IVill of Auncell (Somerset Ho.),
An Image of o r blessid lady of grace as lamentable as can
be devised. 1513 DOUGLAS sEneis n. vi, Iv.] 38, I see stand
me befor, . . maist lamentable [L. nixstissimns} Hector, With
large fluide of tens. 1599 Act 21 Hen. / ///, c. 16 n Our
true and faithful Subjects, .exhibited unto us a lamentable
Hill of Complaint, a 1548 HALL C/tron., //<. H f 9 With
a lamentable voyce and a sorowfull countenance. 1600
HAKLUYT Voy. (1810) III. 380 Dancing and singing in a
lamentable tune. 1656 B LOU NT Gfo$sogr. t Klegiografikcr,
a writer of Elegies, or lamentable verses. 17*5 POPE Odyss.
x. 61 1 Where . . Cocytus lamentable waters spread. 1739 LD.
CASTLEDURROW in Sivift s Lett. 11766) II. 261 A lamentable
Hymn to Death, from a lover, ascribed to his mistress. 1848
C. BRONTE J. Eyre (1873) 2 With ceaseless rain sweeping
away wildly before a long and lamentable blast. 1851 HAW*
THORNE Sttmu /wage, Old News (1879) 154 The lamentable
friends, trailing their long black garments. 1873 SVMONUS
Grk. Poets xi. 370 With this wail the thin lamentable voice
of the desiccated rhetorician ceases.
LAMENTATION.
2. That is to be lamented ; such as to call r ur
lamentation, sorrow, or grief; pitiable, deplorable.
c 1430 LYDG. Mitwr P. 145 That owgly careyn lamentable.
1490 CAXTON Eneydos ii. 16 It is a greuous thyng to me to
passe ouer so lyghtly the lamentable circumstaunces. .in >oo
fewe wordis. a igbo Assembly of Ladies 686 The case
itself is inly lamentable. 1545 BHINKLOW Compl. xxiii.
(1874) 58 What a lamentable thing is this, that men shuld
be dryuyn from the Gospel of Christ. 1587 COLLINCWOOO
in Border Papers (1894) 1. 259 The .. lamentable estayt of
thisruinose and waysted cuntre. 1590 SI-KNSER/". Q. in. iv.
42 They..strowe with flowres the lamentable beare. 1639
WOODALI. Wks. Pref. (1653) 18 The most lamentable
diseases of poor men require the most care of the Surgeon.
1667 MILTON / . /,. n. 617 Thir lamentable lot. 1712
SrttLE Spect, No. 509 P2 A lamentable change from that
simplicity of manners. 1855 MACAULAY Hist. hng.\\\\. III.
331 Another Macdonald, destined to a lamentable and
horrible end.
b. In jocular or trivial use : Pitiful, despicable
(J.I ; wretchedly bad. Cf. deplorable.
11699 STILLINGFL. (J.), This bishop, to make out the dis
parity between the heathens and them, flies to this lament
able refuge. 1876 STEDMAN Victorian Poets iii. 65 But
when he [Landor] .. attempted to regulate the orthography
of our language the result was something lamentable.
fB. sb.pl. Laments, complainings. Obs.
1748 RICHARDSON Clarissa (1811) VIII. 5 Come, come,
good Norton,, .you are up again with your lamentables !
Hence Iia mentableness.
1589 RIDER Eng,-Lat. Diet., Lamentablenes, clegia, 17*7
BAILEY vol. II, La)ntntablcness t wofulness, pitiableness.
Lamentably (larmentabli), adv. Also 6 la-
raentablely. [7, LAMENTABLE + -LY 2 .]
1. \Vith lamentation or passionate expression of
sorrow ; mournfully, dolefully. Now rare.
1470-85 I\\\\.OV.Y Arthur v. v, They lefte her shryking
and cryenge lamentably. 1533 LD. BERNEKS f- roiss. I. vii.
<; She . . lamentably recounted to hym all the felonyes and
iniuries done to her by Syr Hewe Spencer. 1534 MORE
Com/, agst. Trib. n. Wks. 1201/2 Lette him lamentablye
beseche God of hys gracyous ayde and helpe, to strength
hys infyrmitie. 1575-85 ABP. SANDYS Ser/tt. xv. 260 Of this
his great miserie he complaineth him lamentably in diuerse
of his Fsalmes. 1611 SHAKS. Wint. T. iv. iv. 190, I loue a
ballad but euen too well, if it be dolefule matter merrily set
downe : or a very pleasant thing indeede, and sung lament
ably. 1679 Hist. Jetzer 3.2/1 She complains Lamentably
of the affront done her. 1783 \\ OLCOT (P. Pindar) Odes to
A . A. svi. Wks. 1812 I. 64 Pity it is! tis true tis pity.
As Shakspeare lamentably says. 1847 JAMES J. Marston
Hall xii, He spoke learnedly and lamentably upon the evils
and inconveniences of his own profession.
2. So as to call for lamentation or mourning ;
pitiably, deplorably ; hence (with weakened mean
ing), woefully, grievously.
1577-87 HOI.INSHED Chron. III. 355/2 A hundred and
twentie temporall men with diuerse preests and manie
women were drowned and lamentablie perished. 1585 J.
NOR DEN Sinf. Man s Solace i. 13 b, Lazarus, who lament-
ablely oppressed with hunger .. begged at his gate. 1606
SHAKS. Ant. <y Cl. in. x. 26 Our Fortune on the Sea is out
of breath, And sinkes most lamentably. 1671 GLANVILL
Disc. M. Stnbbe 23 What you add .. is lamentably imper
tinent. 1678 WAN LEY Wond. Lit. World \. ii. 78. 472/1
The miserable Emperour being lamentably trod to death in
the Throng. 1816 T. L. PEACOCK Headlong //a//ii. It will
grow small by degrees and lamentably less. 1849 MACAULAY
Hist. Kng. ii. L 212 He had a strong though a lamentably
perverted sense of duty and honor. 1885 Leeds Alercury
24 June 4/4 The new Government will be so lamentably
weak in debating power.
tLamenta do. Obs. rare 1 . [quasi-Sp. f.
LAMENT.] Lament, lamentation.
1618 LITHGOW (title) The Pilgrimes Farewell to his native
Country, .with his I-amentado in his second Travels, his
Passlonado on the Rhyne, &c.
Lamentation (L-ement/ -Jan). [a. F. lamen
tation or ad. L. lamentation-em, n. of action f.
lamentarl to LAMENT.] The action of lamenting ;
the passionate or demonstrative expression of gtief ;
mourning; in weakened sense, regret.
1375 HARBOUR Btvce xx. 282 The lameniacioune . . That
thai folk for thair lord maid. 1382 WYCLIF Luke vii. 32
We han maad lamentacioun, and ,< han not wept, i 1400
Destr. Troy 7156 Myche weping it wo,. .And lamentacioun
full long for loue of hym one. a 1533 LD. BERNERS f/uon
xxxv. no They all made gret lamentasyon for his depart-
yng. 1535 COVERDALE Ps. Ixxvii. 64 Their prestes were
slayne..and there were no wyddowes to make lamentacion.
1601 SHAKS. All s Well i. i. 64 Moderate lamentation is the
right of the dead, excessiue greefe the enemie to the lining.
1667 MILTON / . L. u. 579 Cocytus, nam d of lamentation
loud Heard on the ruful stream. 1819 SHELLEY Ccnci iv. i.
185 There shall be lamentation heard in Heaven As o er an
angel fallen. 1850 M*CosH Div. Govt. in. iii. (1874! 435
Another subject of general lamentation is the evil produced
by party spirit.
attrib. 1817 COBBETT Pol. Reg. XXXII. 122 The Morn
ing Chronicle . . treated the town with some neat lamentation
puffs.
b. An instance of this ; a lament. The Lamenta
tions of Jeremiah, or, shortly, Lamentations [Vulg.
Lamentationes, LXX. Qpijvot] : the title of one of
the poetical books of the Old Testament, tradition
ally ascribed to the prophet Jeremiah, and having
for its subject the destruction of Jerusalem by the
Chaldeans.
1382 WVCLIF 2 Chron. xxxv. 25 As lawe it is hadde in
Irael, Loo ! it is told writen in the Lamentaciouns, a 1533
Li>. BEKNERS Hiton Iv. 189 He caused his Nephew to be
buryed with sore wepynges and lamentacyons. 1535 COVER-
LAMENTATIOUS.
DALE Jer. xlviii. 5 At the goinge vp vnto Luhith there shall
arise a lamentacion. 1611 BIBLE Ezek. xix. t Take thou vp
a lamentation for the princes of Israel. 1723 UB ^OF, I oy.
round World (1840) 87 A sad lamentation and howling.
1836 W. IRVING Astoria II. 45 The lamentations of women
who had lost some relative in the foray. 1841 LANE Arab.
Nts. I. no, I will call it the House of Lamentations. 1855
KINGSLKY Heroes, Theseus \\. 237 A great lamentation arose
throughout the city.
C. Reel* One of the lessons (taken from Lamen
tations} in the office of Tenebrge.
1853 DALE tr. BaldeschFs Ceremonial 185 The latter
having made a genuflection to the Altar, and a reverence
to the choir, sings the Lamentation, without asking the
Benediction.
Hence Lamenta tional a.
1817 BKNTHAM H ks. (1838^3) X. 61 Half lamentational,
half congratulational, rhythmical commonplaces.
! Lament a "tious, a. 06s. rare- 1 . In 4
lament acious. [f. LAMENTATION: see -ous.J
Marked by lamentation.
1387-8! . USK Test. Love i. i. (Skeat) 1. 128 The soune of
my lamentacious wepyng.
t Lamentatory, a. Obs. rare- 1 , [f. L.
lamentarl to LAMENT: see -OHY.] = prec.
1576 FLEMING Panofl. Epist. To Rdr. P 5 b note t Nunci-
atorie, Lamentatorie, Mandatorie, Laudatoi ie.
Lamented ,lame-nted), ///. a. [f. LAMENT v.
+ -ED 1 .] Mourned for; bewailed; regretted.
1611 COTGR., Regrettt, .. bewayled, lamented. 1667
FLAVEL Saint Indeed (1754) 73 Involuntary and lamented
distractions. 1709 POPE Ess. L n t. 733 This humble praise,
lamented shade ! receive. 1784 C ou TKK Task iv. s?6
Lamented change ! 1859 M. THOMSON Cawnfiore 83 We
thought it a more savoury meal than any of the recherche
culinary curiosities of the lamented Soyer. 1864 LE FANU
Uncle Silas I. xxiv. 297 V our late lamented father.
Hence f Lame ntedly adv.
1645 MILTON Colast. 24 Somtimes they are not both actors,
but the one of them most lamentedly passive.
Lanieiiter (lame-ntaj). [f. LAMKNTV. + -KH.V]
One who laments or mourns.
58.9 RIUER Eng.-Lat. Diet., A Lamentour, lainentator.
1607 HIERON Wks. I. 362 The renued spirit .. for sinnes
past and committed is an vnfained lamenter. c 1610 Women
Saints 206 This spake I with as highc a voice as I coulde,
to the end that I might drowne the sounde of the lamenters.
1748 RICHARDSON Pamela IV. 405, I might have continu d
on in the Words of the Royal Lamenter. 1748 Clarissa
(1811) IV. 7 What a cruelty in my fate! said the sweet
lamenter. 1861 TULLOCH Eng. Purit. iii. 366 He was a
great lamenter of the extremities of the times.
Lamentful (lame ntfuT),^. rare 1 , [f. LAMENT
sb. + -FUL.] Charged with lament ; mournful.
1876 DOWDEN Poems 82 But thou art terrible, with the un-
revealed Burden of dim lamentful prophecies.
Lamenting, variant of LAMANTIN.
Lamenting (lame ntin), vbl. s/>. [-ING i.] The
action of the verb LAMKNT ; lamentation.
1513 DOUGLAS ^Eneis xi. ii. 7 To be present at the lament-
yng Of his fadir, to confort his murnyng. 1530 PALSGR.
237/1 Lamentyng, regret. 1605 SHAKS. Macb. n. iii. 61
Our Chimneys were blowne downe, And (as they say)
lamenting* heard i th Ayre. 1680 OTWAY Orphan iv. vi.
1562 Should st thou know the cause of my lamenting. 1819
SHELLEY Julian fy Matidalo 216 Fierce yells, and howling^,
and lamentings keen.
Lamenting (lame-ntii)) f ///.rt. [-ING S .] That
laments or mourns.
1581 SIDNEY Apol. Atfr4r(ArfaJ 28 The. . lamenting looke
of Lucrecia. Ibid. 44 The lamenting Elegiack. 1593 SHAKS.
Liter. 1079 By this, lamenting Philomel had ended The
well-tuned warble of her nightly sorrow. 1674 R. GODFREY
Inj. fy Ab. Physic 122 He domineering through deficiency
in Medicine, causeth the lamenting Patient to cry out..
Give me a Medicine or else I die. a iSaa SHELLEY Dante s
Convito 10 How the lamenting spirit moans in it. 1857
RUSKIN Pol. Econ. Art i. (1868) 4 They saw kings and rich
men coming down to the shore of Acheron, in lamenting and
lamentable crowds.
Hence lame ntingrly adv.
c 1610 SIR J. MELVIL Mem. (1735 10 Then said the
Treasurer lamentingly, My Life or Warding is a small
Matter 1 . 1655 SIMEON ASHE Fnneral Serm. R. Robinson
18 June 7 Laying lamentingly to htfait the death of righteous
and mercifull ones. 1804 J. GRAHAME Sabbath (1839) 25/2
When sad the voice of Cona, in the gale, Lamentingly the
song of Selma sang. 1831 Erasers tag. III. 435 He
informs [them], very lamentingly, that they must grow old.
Lamer, variant of LAMBER 1 , amber.
Lamesse, obs. form of LAMMAS.
Lamester (1^-mstai). [See -STER.] = next.
1639 W. SCLATER Worthy Communicant Rewarded 19 As
those Lamesters at the poole of Bethesda. 1850 JAMKS
Old Oak Chest III. 12 A rude man . . who would not even
ask an old lamester like myseP to sit down.
Lanieter, laniiter (l^-mitai). Sc. and dial.
Also 9 lametar, laimeter. [f. LAME a. ; the
formation is obscure.] A lame person ; a cripple.
1804 J. STRUTHERS Poor Man s Sabbath Wks, 1850 I. 43
A lisping lamiter, of feeble frame, c 1817 HOGG Tales fy S&.
V. 358 He proved a lame tar to the day of his death. 1848
C. BRONTE J. JSyrexxxvi. (1857) 448 You have, .friends who
will .. not suffer you to devote yourself to a blind lameter
like me. 1884 J. PAYNE 1001 Nts. VIII. 119 The king ..
sent after her that one-eyed lameter, for that he was his
chief vizier. 1896 CROCKETT Men of Moss Hags xliii. 307
A foot, .came into the passage, dunt-duntin 1 like a lameter
hirplia* on two staves.
attrib. i8 GALT Entail I. xiit. 95 Jenny Hirple, a
lameter woman, who went round among the houses of the
heritors of the parish with a stilt.
39
Lametta (lame-ta). [It, dim. of lama =
LAME j/>.l] Urass, silver, or gold foil or wire.
1858 SIMMOSDS Diet. Trade.
\\ Lamia (l< 7i mia). Forms : 4 lamya, 4- lamia.
PI. 4 lamie, 7, 9 lamiae, 9 lamias. Also (angli
cised} 4 lam^e, 4, 6 lamye, 8 lamie. [L. lamia
a witch who was supposed to suck children s
blood, a sorceress, also, a kind of flatfish, a species
of owl, a. Gr. Adpia a fabulous monster, also, a
fish of prey. Cf. F. lamie. ]
1. A fabulous monster supposed to have the body
of a woman, and to prey upon human beings and
suck the blood of children. Also, a witch, she-
demon.
The word is used in early translations of the Bible in
Art.xxxiv. 1 5 and Lam. iv. 3, where the A. V. has respectively
shrichowle , marg. Or, night-monster ,and sea monsters ,
marg. Or, sea calues .
1382 WYCI.IF Isa. xxxiv. 15 There shal lyn lamya. .and tie
fyndeth to himself reste. Lam, iv. 3 The cruel beestis
clepid lamya, nake-len ther tetes, jeeuen ther whelpus
souken. 1398 TKKVISA Karth. De P, R. xvm. xlviii. (1495*
809 In Sicia ben beestys wyth shape of men and fete of
horses: and suche wonderful I beestys ben call yd Lamie
amongemany men. i6 I>URIOX Arid/. Mel. in. ii. i. i. 11660)
438 Apollonian, .by some probable conjectures, found heror.t
to be a Serpent, a . Lamia. [Hence 1820 KKATS (titli <
Lamia.] 16*2 MASSINGKK I irg. Mart. iv. i, Where s the
lamia That tears my entrails? 1674 COTTON Compl. Gamester ,
(1680) 13 For here you shall be quickly destroy d under
pretence of kindness, as Men were by the Lamia; of old. i
1757 E. PKKKOXKT Mitre i. xi, As plump as Lnmies fed with
fawn. 1865 BAKING-GOULD ll trewol- fs xv. 255 Troops of
lamias, female evil spirits, 1871 B. TAYLOR I- unst (1875) 1 1. ,
ii. iii. 113 They are the Lamia;, wenches vile, With bra/en |
brows and lips that smile.
t 2. Ichth. In Willonghby s and some later i
classifications, a genus of sharks. Obs.
1727-41 CIIAMHKKS Cycl. s.v. Fish, The cam s carcharias t
or liiniiii. the white shark. 1776 J. NKILL Serm. 214 [
Whatever kind of fish it was, whether it was a whale or a
lamia,, .where is the occasion for. .condemning this passage
of Holy Writ as fabulous?
3. Ent. A genus of longicorn beetle! (J.GFabri-
cius, 177.0.
In recent Diets.
Lamiger (Ue miclgw). dial. Also lamrniger.
[Cf. LAMETEK.] A lame person, a cripple.
1847 HALLIWELL, Lameter^ a cripple. North. In the
West of England a lamiger. 1886 T. HARDY Mayor of
Casterbr. II. 220 What can we two poor lammigers do
against such a multitude !
Lamiil (lormin). Forms : 5-6 lamyufe, 6 7
lamine, 6- lamin, 7- lamen. [Anglicized form
of next. Cf. F. lamine. } A lamina ; a thin plate
or layer (of metal, etc.) ; a plate of metal used as
an astrological instrument or as a charm.
1489 CAXTOS Eaytes of A. \\. xxxv. 147 Thys en^yn is
called Towre. It behoueth hym to be couered that may
with lamynes of yron lest fyre sholde be caste or sette
therin. 1576 BAKKK Jewell of Health 42!), Spreade that
sediment on a Lamyne of Iron polyshed and burning, or
redde hote. 1647 LILLY Chr, Astral, xcvii. 485 Without
exact knowledge of the Astrological! planetary hour, no
worthy work can be done, with it wonders, either ri collect
ing Hearbs, framing Sigils, Images, Lamens, Sic. 1678
/ ////. Trans. XII. 976 The cavities hereof [the Nose] are
fill d with many Cartilaginous Lamines distinct one from
another. 1682 Phil. Collect. XII. No. 5. 159 The increase
of the Oyster shell is caused by the addition of a new lamen .
or plate in the shell. 1783 W. F. MAKTYN Geog. Mag. II.
508 An exfoliated circular lamen of the green part of the
tree. 1816 SCOTT Antvj. xxiii, You have used neither
charm, lamen, sigil, talisman, spell, crystal, pentacle . . nor
geomantic figure. 1875 BLACKMOKE.^. Lorraine III. xxvii.
340 Its lustre and versatile radiance flow from innumerable
lamins, united by fusion in the endless flux of years.
II Lamina (Ire-mina). PI. lamin Ice-min/V
Chiefly scientific. [L. lam(iii}ina. Cf. LAME sb\\
A thin plate, scale, layer, or flake (of metal, ctc.%
1636 BI.OUNT Glossogr.) Lamina, a thin plate of" any
mettal, most commonly such as Sculpters use to engrave
upon. 1670 J. BEALE in Phil. Trans. V. 1159 Tis. .full of
very small and thin Laminae, seeming to be Metalline, and
bright like the purest Silver. 1674 PKTTY Disc. DiipL
Proportion 122, I think it easiest to consider Elastic,
Springing, or Resilient Bodies, as Laminx, Laths, or Lines.
1709 K. HAUKSHEF, Phys. Mech. A .r/cr, Snppl. (17191 329
Pieces of Brass Lamina;, whose Thickness when laid one
upon another, . . made a Distance between the Planes equal
to ^ of an inch. 1792 BELKNAP Hist. Neiv-Hampsh. III.
98 This bark is composed of several laminae. 1797 M.
HAZLUS Morl>. Anat. (1807) 51 Many small broken larnuue
of the coagulable lymph. 1800 tr. Lagrange s Chem. II. 63
Lead, .may be reduced Into laminae and plates thinner than
paper. 1832 CELL Pompdana II. xiii. 22 The chamber
was covered with laminae of rare marbles. 1860 TVSDAI.L
Glac. i. x.\i. 148 At some places the ice had been weathered
into laminai not more than a line in thickness.
b. Anat., etc. A thin layer of bone, membrane,
or other structure.
1706 PHILLIPS (ed. Kersey) s.v., In Anatomy, Lamins are
the Plates or Tables of the Scull, two in number. 1815
W. PHILLIPS Out I. Mitt. % Geol. (1818) 105 These shells, .are
. .extremely brittle, and readily separate into laminae. 1843
VOUATT Horst ^75 The Horny Laminae [of the foot]. 1859
DARWIN Orig. Spec. vii. (18721 183 The middle and longest
lamina in the Greenland whale is ten, twelve, or even 15 feet
in length. 1864 MAYHEW Illnstr. Horse Managemt. 95
The laminae, or the highly-sensitive covering of the internal
foot, secrete the inward layer of horn. 1881 MiVARrCVz/35 A
superior broad and flat portion called the neural lamina.
LAMINATE.
C. Geol. The thinnest separable layer in strati
fied rock deposits.
1794 SULLIVAN View Nat. I. 421 In caverns and fissures
laminae of spar .. crystallize in various forms. 1849
MURCHISON SUmria vii. 129 The laminae of deposit being
marked by layers of shells and corals. 1872 NICHOLSON
Palxont. 6 The finer beds of clay or sand will all be
arranged in thicker or thinner layers or laminae.
d. Bot. (a) A thin plate of tissue, as in the
gill of a mushroom. (/;) The blade, limb ,
or expanded portion of a leaf. (f) The (usually
widened) upper part or * limb * of a petal. (</) The
expanded part of the thallus or frond in algce, etc.
1760 J. LF.E Introd. Bot. i. iii. (1765) 7 Lamina, a thin
Plate, which is the upper Part, and usually spreading.
1776-96 WITHERING Urit. Plants (ed. 3} I. 393 The 2 lamina
[sic] or plates which constitute each gill. 1830 LINDLF.Y
\at. Syst. Bot. 153 Leaves radical, with a hollow urn-shaped
petiole, at the apex of which is articulated the lamina. 1861
COOKE Man. Struct. Bot. (1893)63 The upper or free portion
[of a petal] is called the lamina or limb. 1875 BENNETT &
I)VI.K Sac/is Bot. 296 A cellular lamina or a mass of tissue
which fixes itself by root-hairs and produces the lhallus by-
growth at its apex.
e. Kinematics.
1837 WHKWELL /list. Induct. Sci. vin.vi. II. 331 Any com
bination of rods, strings, and lamina;. 1878 WOLSTENHOLME
Math. Probl, (ed. 2) 416 A lamina moves in its own plane
so that two fixed points of it describe straight lines with
accelerations f, f . 1882 MINCMIS I nipl. Kinemat. 39 The
locus traced out in the body, .is a circle concentric with the
lamina.
Lamiiiable (Ise minab l), a. [f. L. *laminare
(see LAMIXATK v.) + -ABLK.] Capable of being
formed into thin plates or layers.
1796 KIKWAN Elem. J//. (ed. 21 II. 103 Laminable as
Gold. 1856 Leisure Hour V. 268/1 Beautiful white metal,
..ductile, laminable, fusible, and tough.
Hence Lam inability, laminahle quality.
1839 URE Diet. Arts s.v. Laminable, A table of the relative
lammability of metals. 1881 Mature No. 627. 14 Iron, .com
bines the qualities of tenacity and laininability, with a
greater sensitiveness in its electric resi>tance to temperature
changes than either guld, platinum, or .silver.
Iiamiual (Uvminal , a. [f. LAMIXA + -AL.]
Formed into lamina,- ; laminar.
1825 J. NICHOLSON Oferat. Mechanic 727 Until the whole
be precipitated upon the /inc, which will assume the form
ofa tree or bush, wlmse leaves and branches are laminai, or
plates ofa metallic lustre.
Laminar lanmniu), a. [f. LAMINA + -AH.]
Cf. F. laniinaire.] Cun>Uting of or arranged in
lamina-, thin plates, or layers.
1811 PIXKEKTON Pftral. I. 22u Laminar pitch-stone, in
thin hori/ontal layers. 1845 PKIKIK Ruund Towers Ircl.
ii. iii. 210 Bracteati by which is understood, thin laminar
pieces, usually of silver. 1854 WOODWARD Moilusca ii. 214
Discina and Lingula consi>t almost entirely ofa horny
animal substance, which is laminar. 1875 BLAKE Zool. 202
dills laminar, with a small proportion of the border free.
1876 HAKLEY Mat. Mcd. ied. 6) 75 Soft laminar crystals.
Lamiiiariaii Uvminc- Tian , a, [f. mod.L.
Laminaria name of a genus of seaweeds (see quot.
1883), f. L. lamina thin plate.] Laminarian zone :
the /-one of the sea, extending from low-water
mark to a depth of ninety feet, in which seaweeds
of the genus Laminaria are found.
1851-6 WuomvAuii Mollusca 149 The key-hole limpets..
chiefly inhabit the laminarian zone. 1883 Good Words Aug.
530/1 Below the littoral we come upon the great laminarian
/one, the region of waving laminaria, or sea-tangle.
Laiiiinari te (Ite ininarsit). Geol. [i. as prec.
+ -ITE.] A broad-leaved fossil seaweed supposed
to be allied to the genus Laminaria.
1839 P enn y. CycL XIII. 283 2 Laminaritts. Brongniart,
classing fossil fuci according to the analogy they offer to
recent tribes, uses this term for one species found in the
secondary strata of Aix, near La Rochelle.
Lamiiiary (Ise min&ri), a. [f. LAMINA + -AKY.
Cf. F. laminai re] Laminar.
1830 MAUNDER Trcas. Ktunvl. I., Lanrinary, composed
of layers. 1853 1 "- Kas&Hwnboldfs Trav. lll.xxxu. 381
I egmatite, composed of laminary felspar.
Laminate (1^-min^t), a. [ad. mod.L. lami-
nat-iis\ see next and -ATE-.] Having the form
of or consisting of a lamina or thin plate; furnished
with a lamina or lamince,
1668 WiLKiNsAVrt/C//<ir. u." v. 6. 128 Exanguious animals
..having a broad head with two short, broad, laminate
prominencies from it. 1826 KIHUY & SP. Entomol. IV. 300
Laminate Horn (Cornu lasuinatujii}^ a horn dilated at its
base into a flat plate. Ibid. 346 Laminate (laminatx), when
the posterior coxse form a broad thin plate which covers the
trochanter and the base of the thighs. 1853 DANA Crust, i.
316 Upper finger laminate.
Laminate (Jre min^t), v- U- L. *lamm&t* 9
ppl. stem of *lamiii(!re, f. LAMINA : see -ATE 3.
Cf. F. laminer, It. lam ware.]
1. trans. To beat or roll (metal) into thin plates.
1666 BOYLE Orig. Formes $ Qnal. 370 We take then the
finest Gold we can procure, and having either Granulated it,
or Laminated it, we dissolve it. 1684 Po rousn. Anini.
<y Solid Bod. vii. 108 We took good Copper laminated to the
thickness of a shilling or thereabouts. 1823 J. NICHOLSON
Operat. Mechanic 633 Milled lead is laminated, .by means
ofa roller or flatting-mill. 1831 J. HOLLAND Manuf. Metal
I. 122 The art of laminating ductile metal by passing it
between a pair of rollers.
2. To separate or split into layers or leaves.
Also frttr. for reft.
LAMINATED.
1668 Phil. Trans. III. 783 Very many vasa lacrymalia
of Glass, which by length of time were become laminated
into divers leaves. 1864 "J.rnl. R. Agric. Sac. XXV. n. 373
When dried by exposure, it laminates like thin slate. 1866
ROGERS Agric. <y Prices I. ii. 19 Where stone was easily
laminated, a rude drain was formed by laying large stones
in the course.
3. To cover or overlay with plates (of metal).
1697 EVELYN Nttmism. vi. 213 Laminated only with a thin
Foil. .of. . Metal. 1869 Latest .\ cws 3 Oct. 15 Gold richly
laminated with flowers or texts from the Alcoran.
4. To manufacture by placing layer upon layer
of material.
1838 GREENER Gunnery 224 My method of laminating
steel. 1888 Scribner^s Mag. Aug. 180/2 Laminating the
armature core , that is, making it up out of a great number
of thin sheets of iron.
Hence La minating vbl. sb. (in comb.).
1813 P. NICHOLSON t ract. Build. 406 In the operation of
making it [milled lead], a laminating-roller is used. 1873
KNIGHT Diet. Mech., Laminating-machine, a gold"-beater s
rolling-mill for reducing the ingot of gold to such a thickness
that a square inch will weigh 64 grains.
Laminated (lanmnAM), ///. a. [f. LAMI
NATE v. + -ED !.] Consisting of, arranged in, or
furnished with laminae ; formed or manufactured
in a succession of layers of material, as some
metallic objects, etc. In armour (see quot. 1869).
Laminated tubercle : the nodule of the cerebellum (Srrf.
Sac. Lex. 1888).
1668 WILKINS Real Char. \\. iii. 2. 61 [Stones] of a
laminated figure, either natural, or factitious. 1677 PLOT
Oxfordlh, 71 Those [lumps of pyrites] from Clifton aforesaid
seem to be laminated. 1768 PKNNANT Zool. 1. Pref. 4 The
laminated lead ore of Lord Hoptoun s mines. 1794 SL T L-
LIVAN View .\ at. II. 332 Crystals and gems . . are all found
to be of a foliated or laminated structure. 1833 LVELL
Princ. Gfol. III. 78 Volcanic tuff thinly laminated. 1831
Ilhislr. Calal. Gt. Exhib. 311 Section of rail and laminated
beam. 1851 RICHARDSON Geol. viii. 230 They respire by
laminated branchia:. 1858 GREENER Gunnery 222 A lamin
ated steel barrel has never been known to burst. 1869
BOUTELL Arms ft Arm. iii. 51 Laminated corslets .. of iron
or steel corslets, that is, formed of rows of metal scales sewn
upon garments of leather or linen, in such a manner that the
scales in each row would overlap those in the row below
them. 1873 HUXLEY Phys. xi. 262 Overhanging the fourth
ventricle is a great laminated mass, the cerebellum. 1873
KNIGHT Diet. 3Iech., Laminated Arch, a timber arch made
of successive thicknesses of planking bent on to a centreing
and secured together by tree-nails.
Lamination (Isemin^ JM). [f. LAMINATE v. :
see -ATIOX]
1. The action of laminating or beating metal
into thin plates, rare*", b. In Midwifery, ap
plied to the method of reducing the size of the
skull in embryotomy by cutting it into slices (Syd.
Soc. Lex. 1888).
1676 COLES, Lamination, a beating into a Lamina.
2. The condition of being laminated ; arrange
ment in lamince ; laminated structure. Also concr.
in pi. laminae.
1830 LYELL Princ. Geol. I. 205 The lamination of some of
the concentric masses of San fr ilippo is so minute, that sixty
may be counted in the thickness of an inch. 1843 TODD &
BOWMAN Phys. Anat. I. 120 The lamination of bone. 1858
GEIKIE Hist. Boulder xi. 226 A few thin laminations of
coal. 1860 TYNDALL Glac. i. xxi. 148 Near to the moraine
. .a magnificent lamination was developed. 1870 ROLLESTON
Anim. Life Introd. 53 Its grey matter however is consider
able in quantity, owing to its transverse lamination.
La-ruing, sb. dial. iObs. [?f. LAME s6.i -t-
-ING 1 ; or var. I.AJII.V.] (See quots.)
1686 PLOT SJnJfordsh. 131 The partings or lamings which
the coal has in it self; . . all coale-Mines . . haveing divers
partitions in the body of the coal it self, made by thin sub
stances called partings or lamings. Ibid. 141 The Laming
(that lyes between the measures of the coal!. 1847 HALLI-
WELL, Lamings, the partings of coal. Staff.
Laming (l^-min\ vbl. sb. [f. LAME v. + -i\o .]
The action of the verb LAME; rendering lame,
halting, or defective.
1583 BABINGTON Commandm. vi. (1637) 49 Hurting and
laming of our brethren in fight. 1399 Life More in Wordsw.
Eccl. Biog. (1853) II. 118 To the laming and blemishing of
a most notable sentence. 1849 GROTE Greece n. Ixi. (1862)
311 The laming of their horses on the hard and stony soil.
1863 MRS. CARLYLE Lett. III. 181, I have given myself a
bad headache in addition to my other lamings.
Lamini- ilae mini), comb, form of LAMINA,
as in Lamini-ferous a., having a structure
consisting of laminje or layers (Ogilvie 1851).
Lami uiform a., laminar in form or structure.
Laminipla-ntar a. Ornith. [L. planta sole],
having laminate tarsi ; pertaining to the Lamini-
plantares of Sundevall s classification. Laiuim
planta-tion, the quality or condition of being
laminiplantar.
1834 MCMURTRIE Cnvier s Anim. Kingd. 345 The four
last [feet] are compressed, ciliated, or laniiiiiform. 1872
CODES Key -V. Amer. Birds (1884) 126 This results from
the laminiplantation . . and is equally well exhibited by most
passerine birds, whether they have booted or anteriorly
scutellate tarsi. 1888 Syd. Soc. Lex., Lnminiplantar,
applied to the metatarsus of birds when the integument
forms a continuous horny sheath along its anterior and
lateral surfaces, as in thrushes.
II Laminitis (loeminai-tis). [f. LAMINA + -ITIS.]
Inflammation of the sensitive laminae of a horse s
hoof.
40
1843 YOUATT Horse 382 Chronic laminitis. .is a species of
founder.
! Laminose (l;e niin<7i s\ a. [f. LAMINA + -OSE.]
Consisting of or having the form of laminae.
i8z6 KIRBY & Sp. Entomol. IV. xxxviii. 57 Laminose or
foliaceous respiratory appendages distinguish the sides of
the larvae.. of the Ephemera. 1871 COOKE Brit. 1 ungi 1.
314 Thelefhora fnstidiosa .. Effused, soft, amorphous, in-
crusting, white, passing into laminose branches.
Laminous ^Ise minas), a. [f. LAMINA + -ous.j
= prec.
1798 LANDOR Gebir n. g Wks. 1846 II. 490/1 Some raise the
painted pavement, some on wheels Draw slow its luminous
length. 1800 Aiiai. Ann. Keg. 276/1 Leaves opposite,
. . fruit lammous. 1807 VANCOUVER Agric. Devon (1813)
1 1 The whole of this rock is of a laminous character.
Lamish ;U -miJ), a. [i. LAME . + -ISH.]
Somewhat lame.
1592 NASHE P. Penilesse Wks. (Grosart) II. 68, I could
no refraine but bequeath it to the Priuie, leafe by leafe as I
read it, it was so vgly, dorbellicall, and lamish. 1689 Land.
Gaz. No. 2448 4 One Grey Gelding about 14 hands and a
halfe high, goes lamish behind. 1711 IHd. No. 4895 4
Trots lamish with his off Leg behind. 1881 CARLYLE in
Remin. I. 164 Something lamish about one of the knees or
ankles. 1887 JESSOHP Arcady ii. 41 He was lamish and
walked with a stick.
Lamism : see under LAMA.
Lamkin, obs. form of LAMBKIN.
Lamm. obs. form of LAM v., LAMB, LAME sb.1
Lammas (Is mas), s6. Forms : i Hldf-, Hlam-
m8esse,-messe, 2-7 Lammasse, 3 Lanmasse, 3-4
Lamasse, 3-5 Lam(m)es(s>, 6-7 Lambmes^se,
Lammes, 7 Lamas, S Lambmass, 5- Lammas.
[OE. hlafmsesst. f. IMf bread, LOAF + miesse
MASS; alterwards popularly apprehended as if f.
LAMB + MASS.]
1. The ist of August (Festum Sancti Petri ad
Vincula in the Roman calendar ; see also GULE),
in the early English church observed as a harvest
festival, at which loaves of bread were consecrated,
made from the first ripe com. (In Scotland, one of
the usual quarter-days.) Also, the part of the year
marked by this festival.
(-893 K. ALFRED Oros. v. xiii. 2 pat (wss) on bsere tide
calendas Agustus, & on bam daije be we hataS hlaf.
majsse . 1154 O. E. Chron. an. 1135 (Laud MS.) On pis
Jaere for se king, .puer sa; at te Lammasse. c 1290 .T. Eng.
Leg. I. 37/124 Bi-fore lamasse seuenijht. ? 01400 Morte
Arth. 421, I salle at Lammese take leue. 1440 Promt.
Parv. 286 i Lammesse, feslum agnorum, vel l- estum ad
Vincula Sancti Petri. 1480 CAXTON Chron. Kng. ccxliv.
LAMP.
fields in England, his arable resuming the character of
common pasturage as soon as the crops were off the
ground. 1787 MRS. TRIMMER CEcmunay Charity 113 The
privilege of the people to turn in on the "Lammas lands
is insensibly sliding away. 1870 LUBBOCK O rig. Civiliz. x.
(1875)445 Thus our Lammas Lands were so called, be-
gondynye (in 1567), [his stipend] iiijxx//. [So], and xx//.
mair sen Lambmes, 1569. a 1631 CALDF.RWOOD Hist. Kirk
(1843) II. 393 Adam, called Bishop of Orkney, was delated
for not visiting the kirks of his countrie, from Lambmesse
to Allhallowmesse. 1716 ADDISON Drummer v. i, Six years
old last Lammas. 1833 TENNYSON in Mem. (18971 I. 112 A
voice ran round the hills When corny Lammas bound the
sheaves.
t 2. Short for Lammas-wheat. Obs.
1677 PLOT Oxfordsh. 151 The white Lammas has both
ears and grain white, and the red Lammas both red.
3. Latter Lammas \-\day), a day that will
never come. At latter Lammas : humorously for
Never .
1567 GASCOIGNE Instruct. Making- Verse Posies (1575)
U ij, Many writers . .draw their sentences in length, & make
an ende at latter Lammas. 1576 Steele Gl. (Arb.) 55
This is the cause (beleue me now my Lorde). .That courtiers
thriue, at latter Lammas day. 1642 FULLER Holy <y Prof.
St. iv. xv. 316 This your will At latter lammas wee I
fulfill, a 1734 NORTH Lives (1826) 1.4 The very expecta
tion of them puts me in mind of latter Lammas. 1803 W.
TAYLOR in Ann. Rev. III. 244 This convocation was some
what unbecomingly postponed to latter Lammas. 1857
KINGSLEY Two Y. Ago vii, A treatise .. which will be pub
lished probably . . in the season of Latter Lammas, and the
Greek Kalends.
4. attrib. and Comb. : chiefly with the sense of
occurring or (of fruits ) ripening at Lammas, as
Lammas-apple, -assize, -eve, -feast, -month, -night,
-tide, -time; Lammas-day, August I ; Lammas-
laud (see quot. 1870) ; similarly Lammas-Jield,
-mead, -meadow-ground, -rights; Lammas-tower
(see quot. 1 792) ; Lammas- wheat = winter wheat.
1886 ELWORTHY IV. Somerset IVord-bk., * Lammas-apple.
ri6os Ace. Bk. IV. IVray in Antiquary XXXII. 213 This
yeare (1604) was "lammasse sysies holden at Rippo . c 1000
Sttjc. Leechd. III. 290 Nim of Sam ^ehalgedan hlafe be man
halite on "hlafmxsse dae^. 1*97 R. Gi.ouc. (Rolls) 8669 In
a boresdai it was & pe morwe al so After lammasse day bat
bis dede was ydo. 1387 TREVISA lligden (Rolls) V. 239 Of
hem is be fe*te [of] Lammesse day, pey Peter were brou}t
out of prisoun aboute Ester tyme, a 1337 Dinrn. Occurr.
(Bannatyne Club) 9 \Vpoun the Lambes day, the king
desyrit fra all his orBciaris renunciatioun of thair offices.
1677 W. HUGHES Man of Sin n. viii. 122 On the first of
August (Lammas Day; that the Reader may not forget it. .
1591 SHAKS. Rom. ff Jul. I. iii. 17 Of all daies in the yeare
come "Lammas Eue at night shall she be fourteene. 1820
COMBE Consol. I. 132 I m sure he ll grieve From Midsummer
to Lammas Eve. 1721 RAMSAY Richy % Sandy 40 We ll
meikle miss his blyth and witty jest, At spaining time, or at
our "Lambmass feast. 1872 E. W. ROBERTSON Hist. Ess. 246
The Roman tribesman . . would probably have followed the
early custom retained in the regulations of the "Lammas
Lond. Gaz. No. 2989/4 [It) has the henefit of a good Com
mon, and several Acres of *Lammas Meadow-Ground 1387
TREVISA Higden (Rolls. IV. 369 Claudius bygan to regne in
Lammesse monbe [L. mense AuqustoJ. 1197 R. Gl.ot C.
(Rolls) 11650 In a "lammasse ni?! ..Out of Wurcetre he
wende. 1891 Law Kef. Weekly Notes 165/1 Lands which
were subject to "lammas rights had been acquired by the
haling Local Board, c 1330 R. BRUNNE Chron. (1810 221
pe fift day it was after "Lammesse tide, & writen is in bat
pas, at Euesham gan bei ride. 1391 SHAKS. Rom. * Jnl.
I. in. 15 How long is it now to Lammas tide! 136* LANGL.
/ . PI. A. ix. 314 hi this lyflode we mot lyue till "Lammasse
tyme. 1791 Archsrol. Scot. I. [194 Each of these communi
ties agreed to build a tower in some consp...::oiis place ..
which was to serve as the place of their rendezvous on
Lammas day. Ibid.] 198 The name of "Lammas towers
will remain, .after the celebration of the festival has ceased.
594 CAREW Huartc s Exam. H its (16161 6 Some bring a
plentiful! encrease of good *Lammas Wheat. 1832 I eg.
Subst. l- ood 31 Winter, or Lammas Wheat Triticvm
hvbernunt.
Lammbre, obs. pi. form of LAMB.
Lamme, oLs. form of LAM v., LAMB.
Lammer, variant of LAMBEK 1 Ots., amber.
Lammergeyer (las-majgaiaa). Also lammer-
geier. [a. G. Idmmergeier, f. Idmmer, pi. of lamm
lamb + geier vulture, GEIR, hence lit. lamb-vul
ture .] The Bearded Vulture, Gypaetus barbatus;
it is the largest European bird ol prey, and inhabits
lofty mountains in Southern Europe, Asia, and
Northern Africa.
1817 L. SIMOND Switzerland (1822) I. 239 An inaccessible
shelf of rock, .. upon which a lammergeyer .. once alighted
with an infant it had carried away. 18. . MRS. Hi MANS
Cavern Three Tells Poems (1875) 341 They start not at.,
the Lammer-geyer s cry. 1867 A. L. ADAMS Wand. Nat.
India 78 The Lammergeyer is easily distinguished from the
other vultures by its pointed wings and wedge-shaped tail.
t Lammet. Obs- [Cf. LAM **. ] A kind
of fishing-net.
1558 Act i Kliz. c. 17 i No Person . . with . . Weblister,
Seur, Lammet, or with any Device or Engine, .shall take. .
Spawn or Fry of Eels, Salmon, Pike or Pikerel.
Lammie, lammy (la-mi). [Perh. a parti
cular use of lammie, LAMBIE.] A thick quilted
woollen over-garment worn by sailors in cold
weather. In quot. attrib.
1886 Gentl. Mag. Oct. 390 The look-out, who, wrapped in
his lammy suit, was stationed in the bows.
Lammie, -y, variants of LAMBIE.
Lamnoid (lie-mnoid), a. and sb. Zool. [f.
mod.L. Lainna (a genus of sharks ; a. Gr. Kafuva
some kind of fish of prey) + -om.] A. adj. Per
taining to or resembling the Lamnidse, a family of
sharks. B. sb. One of the Lamnidst.
In some recent Diets.
Lamour, variant of LAMBEB! Obs., amber.
Lamp (l:emp), sbl Eorms : 2-7 lampe, 3-6
laumpe, (4 lompe, 5 lawmp(e), 4- lamp. [ad.
F. lampe (recorded from 1 2th c.) = Pr. and It.
lampa, ad. L. lampas, Gr. \aftiras, f. Aa/mix to
shine.]
1. A vessel containing oil, which is burnt at
a wick, for the purpose of illumination. Now
also a vessel of glass or some similar material,
enclosing the source of illumination, whether
a candle, oil, gas-jet, or incandescent wire. Often
preceded by some defining word, as arc, Argand,
Davy, electric, gas, spirit, still, Vesta lamp.
< iaoo Vices HT Virtues 33 Hit wile on lampe bernen
brihte. c 1230 Half Meid. 45 As is wicSute lihte oile in a
laumpe. 13. . A . A Us. 5253 Tofore the kyng honge .. two
thpusande mumpes of gold. 1393 LANGL. / . / /. C. n. 186
Hit is as lewede as a lamp bat no lyght ys ynne. c 1449
PECOCK Refr. n. xviii. 258 A laumpe hangith bifore Seint
Kateryn. 1477 EARL RIVERS (Caxton) Dictes 70, I haue
putte more oille in my lampe to studie by. 1326 Pilgr.
Perf.^ (W. de W. 1531) 128 b, Apperynge to hym .. in y
similitude of the good aungell, with great lyghtes and
lampes. 1584 R. SCOT Discoi . IVitchcr. XIV. i. (1886) 295
Also their lamps, . . alembicks, viols, croslets, cucurbits,
[etc.]. 1605 SHAKS. Macb. n. iv. 7 Darke Night strangles
the trauailing Lampe. 1685 Lond. Gaz. Xo. 2092/4
A Patent . . for enligntening the Streets, by a new sort of
Lantern with Lamps. 1756-7 tr. Keyslers Trav. (1760)
III. 186 Seven golden lamps are continually burning before
the image. 1806 A. DUNCAN Xcfson s Funeral 13 Lamps,
having two candles in each. 1829 Nat. Philos., Heatlx. 47
(U. K. S.) A quantity of the liquid. .was . . rapidly distilled
into the globe, by the heat of an Argand lamp. 1850 L.
HUNT Autobicg. III. 251 Their [actors ] only one object in
life is to keep themselves, as they phrase it, * before the
lamps ; that is to say, in the eyes of the audience, and in
the receipt of personal applause, r 1865 LETHEBY in Circ.
Sci. I. 113/1 Among the disadvantages of the Vesta lamp,
are its liability to smoke, and its disagreeable smell. 1892
Electrical Engineer 16 Sept. 283/1 Forked terminals fixed
on the ends of the connecting wires serve to complete the
circuit between lamp and battery.
LAMP.
b. (Saul of a literary composition,. To smell
of (or f taste] the lamp : to be the manifest pro
duct of nocturnal or laborious study.
15751 NORTH Plutarch, Demosthenes (1595) 889 Pytheas. .
taunting him on a time, tolde him, his reasons smclled of the
lainpe. Yea, replied Demosthenes sharply againe : so is there
great difference, Pytheas, betwixt thy labor and myne by
lampelight. 1615 in Breton s C/iarac. Essaies iGrosart) 4/1
He that shall read thy characters . . must say they are well
written. They taste the lampe. 173* BERKELEY AUiphr. v.
20 That dry .. pedantic, .style, which smells of the lamp and
college. 1768 CHKSTKRP. Lett. 268 Hut they [Familiar Let-
ters] should seem easy and natural, and not smell of the lamp.
1887 SAINTSHURY Elizal>ethan Lit, iv. 91 Hardly any poet
smells of the lamp less disagreeably than Spenser.
C. Used fur torch ; (\n quots. i 72 J and 1848-9 with
allusion, after Plato Legg. 776 B and Lucret. II. 79,
to the Grecian torch-race: see LAMI>AI>EDKOMY).
1382 WYCLIF Song Sol. viii. 6 The laumpis of it the
laumpes of fir, and of flaumes. 1610 SHAKS. Temp, iv. i. 23
Therefore take heede, As Hymens Lamps shall light you.
1721 Wou. ASTON Kclig. Nut. vi. 136 Or death extinguishes
him and his title together, and he delivers the lamp to DM
next man. 1848-9 KIXGSLEY Poenis^ Worlifs Age ii, Still
the race of Hero-spirits Pass the lamp from hand to hand.
d. - safety-lamp.
1839 URK DM. Arts t Lamp of Davy. 1883 in GRESI.EY
Gloss. Coal Mining.
2. transf. a. sing. One of the heavenly bodies, j
the sun, moon, a star or meteor; also, a flash (of j
lightning). //. The stars or heavenly bodies in i
general. Also lamp(s of the night, the world.
1423 JAS. I, A i/iffis Q. Ixxii, Esperus his lampis gan to
light. 15.. in Dunbars i\>ein$ 118^3) 329 The Sterne of
glory is rissyn ws to gyd, ..Abone Phehus, the radius lamp
divrn. 1591 HAUISGTON Or/. Fur. ix. Ixix, Straight like a
lampe of lightning out it flies. 1601 HOLLAND riiny I. 17
Those lampes or torches make long traines. 1613 PIRCHAS
Pilgrimage > 1614) 13 It is high time for me to descend from
these measures of time; the lampes of the world. 1665
SIR T. HEKBERT Trai>. 11677! 5 When they see Sun, we see
the Lamps of night. 1792 WOLCOT (P. Pindar.i Wks. Ill,
198 Mild and placid as the light Shed by the Worm, the
lamp of dewy night. 1813 SCOTT Tritrm. in. ii. Thus as he
lay the lamp of night Was quivering on his armour bright.
1821 SHELLEY Prometh. Unh. \. i. 362 Von clear lamps that |
measure and divide the weary years. 1830 HOGG in Klackw.
^fng. XXVII. 767 I^amps of glory begemm d the sky.
b. //. The eyes (formerly poet. ; now slang).
1590 SHAKS. Com. Err. v. i. 315 My wasting lampes
some f.iding glimmer left. 1647 FANSHAWE b aithf. S/u f/i. ,
(1676) 77 Behold that proud one on me turn Her sparkling
lamps. 1812 J. H. VAUX {- lash Diet., Lamps, the eyes; to i
have queer liitnfs, is to have sore or weak eyes.
3. Jig. A source or centre of light, spiritual or
intellectual. Also, lamp of beauty , joy, life, etc.
* Seven lamps are freq. mentioned in Biblical passages
either as part of the Temple furniture or in symbolic
references (e. g. Ex. xxv. 37, Zech. iv. 2, Rev. iv, 5 ;
hence allusive uses as in quots. 1582, 1849.
1500-20 DUNHAK }\>ems Ixxvii. 2 Blyth Aberdein, .. The
lamp of bewtie, bountie, and blythnes. Ibid. Ixxxvi. 13
O lamp lemand befoir the trone devyne !..O mater Jhesu,
salue Maria ! 1567 Gitdt fy Godlie Ball. (S. T. S.i 162 Go,
hart, vnto the lampe of lycht, . .Go, hart, vnto thy Samour.
1576 FLEMING Panapl. E/>. 434 note, Cambridge and Oxen-
ford the twoe lampesof England, for learning, knowledge, etc.
1582 BKNTLEY (title) The Monument of Matrons; contein-
ing seven severall Lamps of Virginity, a 1626 BACON Ntnu
Atl.(\t>y>\ 33 We have Three that take care, .to Direct New
Experiments, of a Higher Light, . .These we call Lamps.
1633 lip. HALL Mcdit. fy Vows 11851 78 Blessed be God, that
hath set up so many clear lamps in his Church. 1633 K.
BOLTOS Cotnf. AJft. COMSC. xviii. (ed. 2) 331 Hold out a lamp
of goodly profession to the eye of the world. 1717 L. HOWKL
Desiderius (ed. 3) 86 This Lamp is called by the Name of
Good Conscience. 1719 DE FOE Crusoe \. xiv. (1840) 249
The great lamp of instruction, the Spirit of God. 174*
YOUNG Nt. Th. in. 2 Reason, that heav nlighted lamp in
man. 1780 COWPER Table T. 556 Ages elapsed ere Homer s
lamp appeared. 1814 SCOTT Ld. of Isles iv. xi, Quench d
is his lamp of varied lore. 1828 CARLYLE MUc. (1857) 2I &
Quesnay s lamp, .kindled the lamp of Adam Smith. 1849
RUSKIN (title) The Seven Lamps of Architecture. 1878
J. P. Hot PS Jestts ii. ii Whoever despaired of the world,
he, at least, kept the lamp of hope burning brightly in his
soul.
4. attrib. and Comb. : a. simple attributive, as
lamp accident, f basitt, -bracket, -burner, -chimney,
-cotton, -file, -fire, -glass, -globe, -house, f -micro
meter, -room, -scissors, -sconce, -shade, -soot, -stand,
-stead, -stove, -student.
1895 Daily News 17 Oct. 6/6 Switzerland appears to share
with Germany practical immunity from *lamp accidents.
1531 MS. Ace. St. John s Hosp., Cantcrb., Paid for mend-
yng of the *lamp basyn viijt/. 155* / . in Archxol. Cant.
VIII. 101 Item an old lampe-bason oflaten. 1875 KNIGHT
Diet. Mech., * Lamp-bracket. 1851 Illitstr. Cutal. Gt. Ex-
hib. 1106 "Lamp-burners indifferent numbers. 1782 Hr.R-
SCHKL in Phil. Trans. LXXII. 167 The wick of the flame
consists only of a single very thin *lamp-cotton thread. 1899
WATTS-DUNTON Aylivin (1900) 82/2 It is one of the great
*lamp-fetes of Sais. 1707 Curios, in Husb. fy Card. 344
Make a *Lamp Fire under it. i$ai !\IS. Ace. St. "JokiCs
Hosp., Cantero., Paied for a *lampe glasse jrt . 1876 F. S.
WILLIAMS Midi. Railiu. 655 The driver . . now takes his lamps
to the *lamphouse to be cleaned and trimmed by the lamp-
men. 1782 HRRSCHEL in Phil, Trans. LXXII. 165 The
instrument I am going to describe, which I call a *Lamp-
Micrometer, is free from all these defects. 1895 Daily
News 25 Sept. 7/2 The boatswain was in charge of the
*lamp-room, hut did not trim the lamp. 1766 AMOHY y.
Buncle (1825) II. 82 The golden *lamp-sconce of seven
golden candlesticks. 1853 KANE Grinnell Exp. xxxix.
(1856) 355 Our clothing .. was black with *lamp-soot.
VOL. VI.
1897 MICKLKTHWAITE Ornaments Rubric 3o\Ve find a *lamp-
stead in a wall in the form of a niche. 1875 KNIGHT Diet.
Mech., * Lamp-stove. 1681 W. ROBERTSON Phraseol. Gen.
(1693) 798 *Lamp students, that study by the lamp, or candle.
b. objective, as lamp-bearer, -bearing, -cleaner,
-maker, -trimmer, f -waster ; lamp-lighting adj.
and sb.
1849 JAMES Woodman xiv, You must be my "lamp-bearer.
1824 J. SYMMONS ^-Ksdiylus A^mn. 31 Such is the course of
the * lamp-bearing games. 1808 Daily A ews 17 Nov. 5/4
He gossiped with the * lamp-cleaner and the porter. 18*3
BYRON Juan xi. xxvi, The French were not yet a "lamp- j
lighting nation. 1872 .MARK TWAIN Innoc. A fir. xii. 82 I
We went out to a restaurant, ju^t after lamp-lighting. 1598
FLORIO, Latnparo, a y lainpe-maker. 1875 Carpentry .y Join. \
100 A disc of talc, to be had of any larnpniaker, will
answer even better than tin. 1882 A avjf List July 466 ,
*I,amptrimmer. .in ist Class Ships. 1641 MARMION Anti
quary in. i. F3b, Head-scratchers, thumb-biters, ^amp-
wasters.
C. instrumental, as lamp-decked, -heated, -lighted, \
f -lined, -lit, -warmed adjs. Also lamp-like adj.
1826 MILMAN A. Bolcyn (1827) 33 Around the *lami)-
deck d altar high and dim. 1875 CnrJ>entry $ Join. 95 We
will now describe a better class of lamp-heated case. 1844
DICKENS Mart. Chnz, \, The now *lamp-Hyhted streets.
1674 PETTY Disc. Dnf>l. l*>oportion 95 Let there be a
*Lamplike Vessel of common Aquavita. . 1819 SHMLI.ET
Cyclops 615 Fire will burn his lamp-like eyes. 1650 FULLKK
Pis fah ii. viii. 174 Gedeons men by order from him brake
their lamp-lined pitchers. 1835 Court Mag. VI. 82 In
*lamplit vistas cold and grey, The streets deserted stretch
away. 1847 TKNNVSON Princess iv. 8 No bigger than a
glow-worm shone the tent Lamp-lit from the inner. 1852
R. S. SUHTKES Sponges S/>. 7>r{i893) 286 Sundry lamp-
wanned dishes of savoury grills.
5. Special comb. : f lamp-beam, ?a chandelier ;
lamp-tinh (see quot.) ; lamp-fly, ? a glow-worm ;
lamp-furnace, a furnace in which a lamp was used
as the means of heating ; lamp-hole, a hole or
opening to receive a lamp ; in sewers, a hole to
admit of the passage of a lamp; f lamp-iron,
a projecting iron rod from which a lamp was
suspended ; in the French Revolution sometimes
used as a gallows; lamp-jack f/.S. (see quot.) ;
lamp-man, (a) a manufacturer of or dealer in
lamps ; (^ one who has charge of or tends lamps ;
lamp-moss, moss used as material for lamp-wicks ;
lamp-shell, a brachiopod, csp. one of the genus
Terebratula or family Terebratulidw, lamp-wick,
(a} the wick of a lamp ; (^) the labiate plant
rhlomis Lychnites.
1365 GoLuiNG OviiCs Mef. xir. (1567) 151 b, He ran And
pulled downe a "Lampbeame [L. fmtai^ full of lyghtes.
1883 C. F. HOLDER in Harpers Mag. Jan. 186/1 The
Scofelus resplendent . . is called the brilliant *lamp-fish
..from the fact that it has upon its head at night a glowing
light. 1840 BROWSING Sordello ni. 105 Thorn-rows Alive
with * lamp-flies. 1641 FRENCH Distill, v. (16111 153 There
is another sort of *Lamp furnaces with three candles.
1660 WORLIDGB Syst, Afrit. (1681) 195 Therefore may you
with much facility hatch three or four douzen of Eggs
in a Lamp-furnace made of a few Boards, only by the heat
of a Candle or Lamp. 1770 HEWSON in Phil. Trans. LX.
385, I therefore prepared a lamp-furnace with a small
vessel of water upon it. 1884 Health Kxhib. Caial. 55/2
Ventilator with Dirt Boxes and *LatnphoIe Cover com
bined. 1890 W. J. GORIXJN Foundry 151 The second-class
Eassengers .. drenched by the rain pouring through the
imp-hole ! 1790 BUKKK / /: Rer. \Vks. V. 171 1 hough
the latter should act with the libel and the *lamp-iron.
1831 Soc. Life Eng. fy f-r. 411 The lamp-iron yet remains
at the corner of the Place de Greve, to which Foulon
..was suspended in July 1700. 1849 Miss WARNER Wide
ivt Je World \, As he hooked his ladder on the lamp-irons,
ran up and lit the lamp. 1884 KNIGHT Diet. Mech. Suppl.,
* Lamp jack (Railway), a liood over a lamp chimney on the
roof of a car. 1704 Land. Gaz. No. 4060/6 *Lamp-men,
Ironmongers, Brasiers. 1797 MRS. A. M. BENNRTT Beggar
Girl (1813) V. 240 Fiddlers, tailors, lampmen, and all
sorts of trades. 1876 [see lamp-house^ m 4], 1892 Daily
News 3 Mar. 5/6 The lamp man inside .. hands out the
check and a lamp to collier No. 46. 1865 LUHBOCK Preh.
Times 401 The women have lamps and stone- kettles, *lamp-
mosj [etc.]. 1854 WOODWARD Mollusca n, 209 The Brachio-
poda are bivalve .shell-fish. . . Their forms are symmetrical,
and so commonly resemble antique lamps that they were
called lampades or ^lamp-shells by the old naturalists.
1876 HUXLEY Amer, Addresses ii. (1877) 36 One of the
cretaceous lamp-shells (Terebratula). 1863 BERKELEY Jirit.
A/osses ix. 39 One species [of moss] affords a substitute for
*lampwicks to the Esquimaux.
t Lamp, sb Obs. rare~ l . [? for *lampne } ad.
L. lamina (cf. LAME sb. 1 }. ] ? A plate.
1:1386 CHAUCER Can, Yeom. Prol. fy T, 211 And in an
erthen potte how put is al. . And wel y-covered with a lampe
[i .r. lamp, laumpe] of glas.
Lamp (Ixmp), z/. 1 [f. LAMP sby\
1. intr. To shine. Also jfe.
1609 DANIEL Civ. Wars vm. Ixiv, A cheerliness did with
her hopes arise That lamped cleerer then it did before.
1820 L. HUNT Indicator No, 22 (1822) I. 175 An evil fire out
of their eyes came lamping. 1827-35 WILLIS Scholar of
Thebet Ben Khorat^ White-brow d Vesta, lamping on her
path Lonety and planet-calm. 1875 BROWNING Aristoph.
ApoL 5345 Fire with smoke All night went lamping on !
S3. trans. To supply with lamps.
?ci6oo Distracted Emp. i. L in Bullen O. PI. III. 172 To
play with Luna or newe lampe the starres. 1602 MAKSTON
Antonio s Rev. m. i. Wks. 1856 I. 105 Set tapers to the
toumbe, and lainpe the church. 1889 G. FINDLAY Eng.
Railway 128 Men engaged at out stations in cleaning,
lamping, and examining carriages.
LAMPAS.
3. traits/. To lifjlit as with a lamp.
1808 J. BAKLOW Colitmb. ix. 5 Like one surrounding sky
Lamp d witll reverberant fires. 1839 BAILEY Festns xx.vi.
(1852)515 Falling stars. . Lamping the red horizon fitfully.
1868 BROWNING King ty Bk. vr. ! 173 Scattered lights Lamp
ing the rush and roll of the abyss.
Jig. 1890 K. Ciossi: in Athenaeum 10 May 605/2 A star to
lamp Man s heart to heaven.
Hence Lamped///, a.
i8aa IX \V. PHUCILK Let. of Boccaccio iv, Some lamped
feat.
Lamp (Jscmp), v.- Sc. [? An onomatopoeic
formation suggested by LIMP v. C!. LAMPEU v.]
itttr. To go quickly by taking long steps (Jam.).
a 1605 MONTGOMKRIK Misc. Poems xli. 39 The stoned
sleed Btampin 1 hrou curate and crampis, Syn on the land
lainpis. 1819 W. TKNNAXI J afisliy Sfar/n\t 118271 :*
Lampin alang in joyous glee Krae jaw to jaw athort the
sea. 1820 ScorT .liomistety x.\xiii, It was all her father s
own fault, that let her run lamping about the countty, riding
on hare-backed nags. 1884 T. SI-KEUY Sport xvi. 278 Those
who . . >hoot down the hares as they come unsuspectingly
lamping forward.
Iiampad (Jarmpa-dX poet. rare. [ad. Gr. Xa/x-
naS-, Aa^iras, I, AMI st>. 1 ] In//., the seven lamps of
fire binning before the throne of God (Rev. iv. 51.
1796 COI.KHIDGK Ode Departing Year v. 76 Till whet-ling
round the throne the Lampads seven. (The mystic Words
of Heaven) I ermisMve signal make. i86j TKKNCH Poems
132 Now 1 know To what was likened the large utterance
sent By Him who mid the golden lampads went.
Lampaclary (Isc mpad&ri). [ad. I.. lanifai/a-
rius, ii\zantine Gr. Aa/*jra?apiO?, f. Aa/^Tra? (see
l.AMi .(/ . ) ; in sense 2 ns if ad. L. * lampcularittm.
Cf. ] . lampadaire.]
1. Hist. An officer in the church of Constantinople,
whose duty it was to provide for the lighting of
the church, nnd to bear a taper before the emperor
and the patriarch in processions.
1727-41 in CHAMBERS Cyct. 1731 in BAILF.Y vol. II.
2. A cluster ol lamps; a candelabrum, rare.
1885 / fill Mitll G. i June 7 : At nightfall thirty-two
i&mpadaries were lighted, the lamps in the Champs Kly^ues
and the streets being covered with crape.
Lampadedromy lae^mpade ilromi). Gr. An-
tltl. fad. Gr. \(t^Tm^Tj^pu^ia, f. Aa^jraS-, Aa/xnas
torch + -Spo/iia running.] A torch-race; a race
(on foot or horseback) in which a lighted torch
was passed from hand to hand.
1848 CKAIG has the incorrect form Lainpadrciiic. So in
many later I )icts. 1889 Century Diet., LatHpadedrotny.
Lampadephore Ise mp5difoj). Gr. Antiq.
[ad. Gi. Aa^7ra5r/(/iopoy ; f. Aa/xTraS-, Aa/ijraj torch +-
</ op~, </ fp-, stem (jf (friptiv to bear.] A torch- bearer ;
spec, a competitor in a torch-race.
li Lampadephoria, lampadophoria
impid/-, ]a :mpa<:offria\ Gr. Antiq.
a/iirr SruJto
DhlmoMY.
(l
Aa/iirr
Jtopia, Aa/iTraSo^opt a, f. as pre
[a. Gr.
ntiq. [a. Gr.
ec.] = LAMPA-
1848 CKAH;, Lainfaife/ lioria. 1850 LEITCH tr. C. O. Miil-
Icr s AHC. Art 423 (ed. 2) 608 On a vase found at Kertsch
..the beginning of a lampadophoria.
Lampadist (kvmpadist . Gr. Antiq. [ad.
(jr. AajiTraSicriTJs, agent-n. f. \a^iraSi^nv to run a
torch-race, Aa^waS-, Aaurds :orch, LAMP.] A com
petitor in a torch-race.
1838 Fniser s Mai;. XVIII. 5T2 As amid the race of
torches one Succeeds another Lampadist in the course.
1848 in CHAII;; and in later Diets.
Lainpaclite Isrmpadoit). Alin. [Named by
Iluot in 1841. after Irof. \V. A. Lainpailiiis, who
first described it : see-iTE.] A cupriferous vaiiety
of wad.
1850 DANA Mix. 461 Wad, Earthy cobalt. . . I.ampadite.
1892 I/ iif. 258 Lampadite is found at Schlackenwald.
Lampadomaiicy (liE mpa<1<?ma-nsi). [ad.
nied.L. *lampadtnantia, {. (Jr. AajmaS-, Aa/Jjra?
LAMP sl>.^ + fiavTtia divination.] (See quots.)
ifyaGAVlJtAfag asfrfftH.xix. i66Lampadomancy, [divining]
by candles and lamps. 1888 Syd. Sac. J.e.r., Lainpado-
infimy. a mode of divination by the observation of substances
burned in a lamp.
Lanipas (la.-mpas), si. 1 Forms : 6 lampysse,
6-7 lampasse. 7 Tiilg. lamprey(e>, 8 lampars,
lampra yX lampus, 8-9 lampers, 6- lampas.
[a. \! . lampas (in i6thc. also /a;/a.tf ; , in 12-ijthc.
gen., a disease producing intense thirst (e.g. attri
buted to Dives in hell), later only a disease of
horses.
pi ._ .--
lam fosse (Her.) langued (see LAMPASSING) ; some Fr.
dialect glossaries, also, have the word with the sense
[ uvula . Florio has It. lainpasco as the name of the
. disease, and Littre cites a Fr. dial, form empas, which is
due to mistake of the initial / for the article.]
A disease incident to horses, consisting in a swel
ling of the fleshy lining of the roof of the mouth
behind the front teeth.
1523 FITZHF.RB. Hush. 81 In the mouthe is the lampas,
& is a thycke skyn full of bloude, hangynge ouer his tethe
aboue, that he may not eate. 1547 SALESBURY IVelsk Diet.
Mintag, Lampysse. 1596 SHAKS. Tarn. Shr, in. ii. 52 His
horse, .troubled with the Lampasse. 1607 TOPSELL J- oitr-f.
LAMPAS.
Beasts (1658) 282 The Lampass, called of the Italians,
Latnpascus, proceedeth of the abundance of bloud, 1701
Lond. Gaz. No. 3868/4 A Strawberry Gelding with a bald
Face, . . newly burnt of the Lampus. 1741 Cotnpl. Fatn.-
Piece in. 446 Let a Smith burn it down with a hot Iron;
this is a compleat Cure for the Lampars. 1772 NUGENT tr.
Hist. Fr. Gerund II. 418 My girl thy cuzxen Isidora first
of all had the lamprays or soare mouth, then she had the
small-pox. i88 Sporting Mag. XXIII. 127 The Lam pas
is. .a swelling, .of some of the lowermost ridges or bars if
the palate. 1884 Bradford Observer 15 May, He mentioned
. . that the horse did not eat well, and said it was suffering
from lampas *.
Laillpas Ire mpas), sb2 Also 4 lawmpas, 6
lampors. [The combination lampas doiick (Du.
doek cloth 1 ! in the second quot. suggests that the
word may be adopted from Du. ; the recorded form
in MDu. and early mod.Du. is tempers (cf. the Eng.
form lampors} ; mod.Du. has lamfer (the MDu.
lamfeter, denoting some appurtenance of a hawk,
is identified with this by Verwijs and Verdam, but
with doubtful correctness). The etymology is quite
obscure ; derivation from Gr. \apTrp6s, shining, was
suggested in the i6th c. In sense 2 the Eng. word
is a. F. lampas, recorded only from the iSth c., and
possibly a different word.]
f 1. A kind of glossy crape. Obs.
1390 Test. Ebor. (Surtees} I. 130 Half a pes of lawmpas. .
A volet of lawmpas ncu. a 1548 HALL Chron., Hen. I ll I
(1809) 519 Ye orrelettes were of rolles wrethed on Lampas
douck holow so that the Golde shewed thorow the Lampas
douck. 1559 Letter (N.), Hefore the stoole of estate salt
another mayde, all clothyd in white, and her face coveryd
with white lampors.
2. A kind of flowered silk, originally imported
from China.
1851 Illnstr. Catal. Gt. Exhib. 1262 Piece of figured
lampas, in Algerian silk, crop of 1850, manufactured at
Lyons. 1889 ^all Mall G. 17 Apr. 2/1 The new-made
Countess, who is in white lampas, with spotless ermine and
yellow for relief. 1894 Daily News n Apr. 3 i The over
dress is in rich lampas of the same period.
t La inpas, v. Obs. rare* 1 , [f. LAMPAS sb.i}
trans. To cure a horse of the lampas.
1536 MS. Ace. St. John s Hosp., Canterb., Payd for
lampasyng off owre mare j^.
t La iiipassing, vbl. sb. Obs. rare~ l . Her.
[f. F. tempass langued, f. lampas : sec LAMPAS
sb. 1 ] The manner iu which an animal is langued.
1586 FEKSE Bias. Centric 306 The difference of the cullors,
in their attyring arming lampassing or membring, will so
differ and make diuers the sayde arines.
tLa*mpate. Chem. Obs. [f. LAMP-IC 4- -ATE.]
A salt of * lampic acid ; an aldehydate.
1819 J. (i. CHILDREN Chem. Anal. 282 Lampate of mag
nesia. 1839 URE Diet. Arts s.v.
t Lampatram. Obs. rare- 1 .
a 1529 SKKLTON E. Rummyng y& Quake, quake, sayd the
duck In that lampatrams lap.
Lamp-black (lse"mpblse*k, Ire^mpblte k). Also
7-8 (and 9 dial.} lam-black. A pigment consisting
of almost pure carbon in a state of fine division;
made by collecting the soot produced by burning
oil or (now usually) gas. Also atlrib. t as in lamp
black-ink \ lamp-black furnace, an apparatus
for making lamp-black.
1598 HAYDOCKE tr. Lomazzo in. iv. 99 The shels of
almondes burnt, ball blacke, Lampe-blacke. 1612 PKACHAM
Gent. Exerc. \. 76 The making of ordinary lamp blacke.
Take a torch or linke, and hold it vnder the bottome of
a latten basen, and as it groweth to be furd and blacke
within, strike it with a feather into some shell or other, and
grind it with gumme water. 1723 J. SMITH Art Paint, in
Oyl (ed. 5) 29 Lani-blackj a Colour of so greasy a nature.
1772 VAN HAAKR in Abr id g. Specif. Ship Building (1862)
23 [To the deposit on the interior of a vessel held over
the cylinder in which the mineral is heated so as to receive
the smoke] I give the name of lamp black. 1799 (J. SMITH
Laboratory II. 37 Draw with the lamp-black-ink lines from
one side to the other. 1879 PKKSCOTT .S;*. Telephone 38 The
best substance for these disks is lamp-black, such as is pro
duced by the burning of any of the lighter hydrocarbons.
Lamp-black (Irempblse-k), v. trans. To paint,
smear, or coat with lampblack.
1676 WYCHERLEY / /. Dealer u\. i, The Clerks Ink is scarce
off of your fingers, you that newly come from Lamblacking
the Judges shooes, and are not fit to wipe mine ! a 1704 T.
IJKOWN Praise Poverty Wks. 1730 I. 98 A . . scoundrel who
knows no pleasure beyond.. lampblacking signs.
Hence Lamp bla cked ///. a.
1864 Morning Stiir 25 May 4 The lamp-blacked nigger
melodists. 1889 Lond. fy Edinb. Phitos. Mag. Ser. v.
XXVII. 2 A thickly lampblacked thermometric apparatus.
1899 WATTS-DUNTON Aylwin 1,1900) 132/2 Piles of lamp-
blacked coffins.
Lamper (loe-mpaj), sb. U.S.colloq. [f. LAMP
sbJ- + -EH 1 .] (See quot.)
1886 Pall Mull G. 23 Sept. 12/1 In Philadelphia, women
make a good living as professional lampers . They con
tract to call each day, and trim and keep in perfect order
the lamps of the household.
Lamper;l3e mp3a),z/. dial. [?freq. of LAMPz*. 2 ;
see -Eit r >.] intr. (See quot. 1895.)
1727 URAULEY Fam. Diet. s.v. Hart, Now there are three
ways to know when a Hart is spent, i. He will run stiff,
high and lampering. 1895 E, Angl. Gloss.) To tamper
along, to take big strides.
Laiuper-eel. [?f. lampre t var. of LAMPREY
4 EEL. But cf. LAMPKEL.]
42
1. = LAMPREY.
1824 MACTAGC;ART Gallmnd. Encycl.^ Lamper eels, . . com-
mon in spring wells during summer, a 1825 FORBV i^oc. E.
Anglia, Lampcr-ccl, the lamprey. 1885 Harpers Mag,
Mar. 659/1 Lamper-eels ascended the river. 1897 Outing
(U. S.) XXX. 440/1 The lamprey, or lamper-eel, may once
have been considered a delicacy.
2. U.S. The mutton-fish or eel-pout (Zoarccs
anguillaris) of N. America.
1885 Stand. Nat. Hist, (1888) III. 239 Mutton-fish, .. eel-
pout, and lamper-eel are names bestowed on the Zoarces
anguillaris.
Lampern (larmpa-m). Forms : 4-5 laumprun,
lamprouu, 4-8 lampron, 5 lampren, lamprone,
lamprun(e, 5-6 laumpron, lawmprou, lawm-
perowne, 5-7 lampurne, 7 lamperne, lam-
proon, 7- lampern. [a. OF. lamproyon, lam-
prion , la mpreon , dim. of lamprcie L A M PH E v . ]
The river lamprey (fetromyzon flnviatilis)*
1324-5 Durham Ace, Rolls (Surtees) 14, 60 Lamprouns.
1382 WVCLIF Job Prol. 671 As if ihou woldest an eel or a
laumprun holde with streite hondis. c 1460 J. RUSSELL Bk.
Nurture 588 Elis & lampurnes rosted. 1589 COCAN Haven
of Health 11636) clxxx. 165 Lamprayes or Lampurnes bee
partly of the nature of Eeles. 1655 MOUFKT A BENNET
Health s hnprov. (1746) 277 The little ones called Lamprons
are best broil d, but the great ones called Lampreys are best
baked. 1730 MRS. DELASY in Life *y Corr. (1861) I. 265
Many thanks for the lamperns. 1838 JOHNSTON in Proc.
Benv. Nat. Club I. No. 6. 176 The Lampern or River
Lamprey. 1883 Fisheries Exhib. Catal. (ed. 4) 125 Weels
used on the Apron of Weirs for taking Lamperns.
attrib. 1565 Richmond, li t /ts (Surtees 1853) 178 Fyve
long spets, j lampron spet. 1688 R. Hot, ME Armoury n.
325/2 A Lainpron-tjrigg, then a Lampret, then a Lamprell,
then a Lamprey. 1883 Fisheries E.vhib. Catal. 57 Eel
Wheels or Traps. Lampern Spurts as used in Thames
Fishery.
Lampers, variant of LAMPAS sb,\
Lamper t, obs. form of LIMPET.
Lampful (Ice mpfuT, a. poet. [f. LAMP sbl +
-FUL.] Of the sky: Full of lamps , starry.
1598 SYLVESTER Du Bartas n. ii. i. Ark 500 A temporal
beauty of the lampfull skies. 1866 W. STOKES Goidelica
(1872) 125 Let lampful heaven s Sovran spare us from our
misery.
t Iia mpic, a. Chew. Obs. [f. LAMP sb. + -ic.
(The name was proposed by Daniell ; the substance was
fir^t prepared by burning ether in a lamp with a platinum
wire twisted round the wick.)]
In ! am pic acid: an earlier name of aldehyde.
1819 J. F. DANIELL in Jrnl. Sci. $ Arts VI. 320 After
much consideration, it is but with diffidence that I venture
to propose for it the appellation of Lamfiic add, 1819
J. G. CHILDRRN Cheat. Anal. 282 Lampic ticid formed from
ether is a colourless fluid, with an intensely sour taste, and
pungent odour. 1839 UnE Diet. Arts 738.
Lamping (larmpirj), vbl. sb. [f. LAMP v. 1 +
-ING 1 .] A sudden blaze of light.
1814 GARY Dante, Par. xxv, 80 A lamping [It. lawflo}, as
of quick and vollied lightning, Within the bosom of that
mighty sheen, Play d tremulous.
Lamping (larmpirj), ///. a. [f. LAMP vl +
-ING 2 . Pern, suggested by It. lampanfe.] Flash
ing, beaming, resplendent.
1590 STENSER F. Q. in. lii. i Most sacred fyre, . . ykindled
fii>t above Emongst th 1 eternall spheres and lamping sky.
1610 G. FLETCHER Christ s I ict. i. x, Her eye with heav ns,
so, and more brightly shin d Her lamping sight. 1828
Blackw. Jlfaff. XXIII. 688 His bright forehead .. and his
large lamping eyes. 1859 LD. LVTTON Wanderer 8 Hot
oleanders in a rosy vale Searched by the lamping fly. 1885
R. F. BURTON Arab. Nts. V. 353 She flew off, like the
wafts of the wind or the lamping leven.
Lampion (lee mpian). [a. F. lampion, ad. It.
lampions carriage or street lamp, augmentative of
lampa LAMP $hl\ A pot or cup, often of coloured
glass, containing oil or grease with a wick, used in
illuminations.
1848 THACKERAY Van. Fair Ixiii, At the French Chan-
cellerie they had six more lampions in their illumination
than ours had. 1855 BROWNING Men. <$ Wom. t Respect
ability iii, Eh ! down in the Court three lampions flare
Put forward your best foot ! 1889 G. W. GABLK Stories
of Louisiana no Hidden among the leaves were millions
of fantastically colored lampions seeming like so many
glow-worms.
Lampist (Ise mpist). [ad. F. lampisfe t f. lampe :
see LAMP sb^ and -IST.]
1. One skilled in, or employed in, the construction
or management of lamps.
1839 URE Diet. Arts, etc. 735 The operations of the
lampist .. belong to a treatise upon handicraft trades.
1855 SH.LIMAN in Cone& Johns Fetrolia iv. (1870164, 1 have
submitted the lamp burning Petroleum to the inspection of
the most experienced lampists who were accessible. 1858
LARDNER Hand-bit. Nat. Phil. 124 One of the difficulties
with which lampists have had to struggle was, to [etc.J.
2. nonce-use. (See quot.)
1887 RiBTON-TuRNER Vagrants <fr Vagrancy xxvu. 559
Allatnjxidati, or Lampists, who during Passion Week and
at the great festivals begged oil for the lamps which are
lighted in front of the host, or the images of the virgin.
Lampistry (lse*mpiitri). rare. [ad. F. lampis-
terie, f. lampiste: see prec. and -EBV.] The kind
of plastic art appropriate to the decoration of
lamps.
1874 Edin. Kczi. July 199 We may observe the difference
between lampistry and sculpture.
Lampit, Sc. form of LIMPET.
LAMPOONERY.
Lampless (loe-mples), a. [f. LAMP^.I + -LESS.]
Destitute of lamps.
a i6zs FLETCHER Mad Lover \\. i, Your Ladies eyes are
lamplesse to that vertue. 1819 SHELLEY Centi v. iv. 59 The
wide, grey, lampless, deep, unpeopled world ! 1849 J- &TER-
I.ING in Frasers Mag. XXXIX. 411 A lampless archway,
1884 A. J. BUTLER Anc. Coptic Ch. I. i. 36 More often in
the present day they are Mncol cured and fampless.
Lamplet (lormplet). [f. LAMP sb.^ + -LET.]
A small lamp.
1621 QUARLES Argalus $ P. (1678)97 Enter you Lampleis
of Terrestrial fire. 1855 BAILEY jMmrx4i Emerald lamp-
lets ranked around it, tempered this with cooler ray. 1884
Chr. Comi/tw. n Dec. 119/5 Electricians will probably have
invented a lamplet which will last for months.
.
Lamplight (lae mpilait). [f.LAMP^. 1 + LIGHT.]
The lignt afforded by a lamp or lamps.
*579 (see LAMP sb.* i b]. 1705 HICKERINGILL Priest-cr. i.
(1721) 53 Juglers play their Tricks, .by Candle-light, or dim
Lamp-light. 1822 BYKON Werner in. iii. 23 A distant lamp
light is an incident. 1832 G. DOWSES Lett. Cant. Countries
I. 397 We descended by lamp-light to a considerable depth.
1884 ROE Nat. Ser. Story iii. in Harf>er s Mag. Feb. 457/1
Lamp-light and fire-light revealed a group.
Lamplighter (larmpitoitsa). [f. LAMP j^. 1 +
LIGHTER.]
1. One who lights lamps ; one \\hose business it
is to light the street lamps.
Like a lamplighter . said with allusion to the rapidity with
which the lamplighter ran on his rounds, or climbed the
ladders formerly used to reach the street lamps.
1750 KAKKB in Phil. Trans. XLVI. 601 A Lamp-lighter
was giving an Account, that [etc.]. 1776 Court <$ City Reg.
167/2 John Bird, master lamp lighter, a 1813 A. WILSON
Hogmenae Poet. Wks. (1846) 293 .^o Dempster, and Brodie,
in Co., Like lamplighters ran to the baker s. 1830 MARKYAT
King s Oivn xxxiii, Skim up the rigging like a lamplighter.
1843 BETHUNE Sc. Fireside Star. 68 That s Lucifer, flying
about like a lamplighter. 1874 BLKNAND My time\\. 12 The
arrival of the lamplighter in the winter-time was quite the
event of the day.
2. L 7 . S. A contrivance for lighting lamps ; e. g.
a spill of paper, a torch, or an electric appliance.
1859 EMILY DICKINSON Lett. (1894) I. 194 Please, now I
write so often, make lamplighter of me.
3. local U.S. The calico bass.
In recent (American) Diets.
Lamp oil. Oil used for burning in a lamp;
alsoy?^. nocturnal labour or study.
1581 SiDNF-Y./4/W. Poe trie (1595) H b, Some of my Maisters
the Phylosophers, spent a good deale of theyr Lamp-oyle, in
setting foorth the excellencie of it. 1598 BARRET Theor.
Warres 135 Common lampe oyle. 1657 W. COLES Adam
in Eden cli. 231 The Countrey-man .. that had eaten Fish
fryed with Lamp-Oyl. 1842 S. LOVER Handy Andy iii,
Andy, .returned with a can of lamp-oil to Dick. 1895 Daily
News 17 Oct. 6/7 The question of the safety of the lamp oils
that are now finding their way into the English market.
at tril . 1888 Syd. Soc. Lex., Lamp-oil seeds, the seeds of
Kicinus viridis.
Lampoon (lampw n), sb. [a. F. lampon^
recorded from i;th c. ; the vb. -\larn pointer, to
ridicule, is cited from lirantome (died 1614).
The Fr. etymologists regard the sb. as f. lampons let us
drink , imperative ^Hamper (slang) to booze, guzzle.]
A virulent or scurrilous satire upon an individual.
1645 EVELYN Mem. (1857) I. 174 Here they still paste up
their drolling lampoons and scurrilous papers. 1689 SHAD-
WKLL Bury F. \. i, I pepper d the Court with libels and
Lampoons, a 1704 T. BROWN Pindar. Petit. Lds. Council
Wks. 1730 I. 61 Should you order Tho. Brown, To he
whipp d thro the town, For scurvy lampoon. 1779-81
JCHNSON L, P., Pope Wks. IV. 3 On his master at Twyford
he had already exercised his poetry in a lampoon. 1830
D LsKAELi Chas I, III. vii. 153 This circumstance only
appeared by two bitter lampoons in the works of Jonson.
184^ DE QUINCEV Paaan Oracles Wks. 1858 VIII. 172 The
rancorous lampoons of Gregory Nazianzen against his sove
reign. 1871 MINTO Kng. Prose Lit. i. ii. 145 Taking the
lampoons of the time as documents of literal fidelity.
Comb. 1721 STRYI-K Keel. Mem. II. vii. 54 Among the rest
[of the ballads] there was published a very unlucky one,
lampoon-wise.. pretending to take the part of the papists
i against the preachers.
Lampoon tUx. mpw rO.Z . [f.LAMPOOH/J.] trans.
To make the subject of a lampoon ; to abuse or
satirize virulently in writing.
a 1657 LOVELACE Poems (1864) 233 The noblest matrons of
the isle lampoon. 1706 FAKVUHAK Recruiting Ojficcr i. i.
Wks. 1892 II. 131 Suppose we lampooned all the pretty
women in town, and left her out V 1768-74 TUCKFR Lt. Nat.
(1834) II. 362 Thwarted in the cabinet, baited in parliament,
and lampooned in public. x8zz HAZI.ITT Tahle-t. \. vi. 125
He lampooned the French Revolution when it was hailed
as the dawn of liberty by millions. 1878 MACLEAR Celts
vii. 115 The bards, .did not scruple to defame or lampoon
any who annoyed them.
Lampooner (Uempfi nai). [f. LAMPOON z/. 4-
-KE 1 .] One who lampoons.
1693 DRYDEN Jnvcnal (1697) p. lix, How few Lampooners
are there now living, who are capable of tins Duty. 1779-81
JOHNSON L. / ., Pope Wks. IV. 77 A lampooner, who scat
tered his ink without fear or decency. 1862 MERIVALE Rom.
Emp, (1865 i IV. xxxiii. 103 Augustus had the good sense to
bear with temper the virulence of clandestine lampooners.
1879 SALA Paris herself again (1880) II. xxv. 359 The stern
Republican, the unsparing lampooner of Louis Philippe.
Lampoouery (UwBpafi narl). [f. LAMPOON sb.
+ -EKY.J The practice of writing lampoons ; lam
pooning quality or spirit.
1715 Key to Lock (1718) 2: A very artful Pun to conceal
his wicked Lampoonery. 1889 Voice (.N. Y.J 12 Dec.j We do
LAMPOONIST.
43
LANCE.
not complain of the lampounery and ferocity of the expres-
sions.
Lampoonist (Urmp/rnist). [f, LAMPOON sb.
+ -1ST.] A writer of lampoons.
1880 Standard 12 July 4/8 The shafts of that lively lam
poonist [M. Rochefort] will now be directed against the
Republic.
Lampors, obs. form of LAMPAS sb?
Lamp-post [lB*mpip>8t). [f. LAMP sb. +
POST.] A post, usually of iron, used to support a
street-lamp. Sometimes with allusion to its use
during the French Revolution for hanging a victim
of popular fury.
1790 Rov in Phil. Trans. LXXX. 164 Th* same socket
that fitted the top of the flag-staff, or lamp-post, could be
applied to the tripod. 1790 ISuRKii Fr. Rev. Wks, V. 109
This sort of discourse does well enough with the lamp-post
for its second. 1865 DICKENS Mitt. 1-r. i. v, He contrived
a back to his wooden stool by placing it against the lamp-
Kst. 1880 L. WALLACE: Ben-Hur-z^ A platform garnished
some lamp-posts.
Lampras, -ays, obs. forms of LAMPAS sb.^
t Lamprel. Obs. Forms : 6 lawmprell, lam-
prile, 6-7 lamprel/1, 7 lamproel, -pril(l. [? f.
lampre LAMPREY + -EL 1. Cf. F. lamprillon.] Some
fish resembling the lamprey ; according to R. Holme
the lamf>rey at a certain stage of growth.
1526 f/oHSf/i. E.vj>. Sir T. Le Strange (B. M. Add. MS.
27448. If. 30 b), Item, .ij lawmprells and acounger, \\yi. 1561
HoLLYBi sii Horn. A froth. 38 b, Such diseased mu->t beware
of s mouth fishes, as lies, Lampriles, Barbels, Tenches. 1601
HOLLAND Pliny I. 246 The table is serued with a kinde of
Lamprels or Elepouts like to sea Lnmpreis. 1653 WALTON
Angler xiii. 165 Fish, whose shape and nature are much
like the Eel.. namely, the Lamprel, the Lamprey, and the
Lamperne. 1688 [see LAMPRET].
Lampren, obs. form of LAMPKHX.
t Lampret. Obs. Also 7 lamprete, -prid.
[Grig, a mere var. of LAMPREY ; but the ending
was apprehended as the dim. suffix -ET.] A lamprey
at a certain stage of growth.
1656 W. D. tr. Comenius Gate Lat. Unl. 153. 45 Others
are smooth, slippery, long, as the Eel, the Conger, the
Lamprey, the Lamprete. 1688 R. HOLME Armoury n.
325/2 How several sorts of Fish are named according to
their Age, or Growth. .. A Lamprey^ first a Litni/>ron
Grigg, then a Lantpret, then a Lainprell^ then a Lamprey.
A LainproH) first a Barle, then a Darling, then a Latnprcllj
and then a Lamprey or Lamfrron.
Lamprey (larmpri). Forms: 3, 6-j-lamprei(e,
-ye, 4-7 lampray(e, laumpray, -ee, -ey, 5 laum-
perey, lawmpery, 5-7 lampre, 6-7 lampry, lam-
prie, 4- Iampr3y. [a. OF. *latnpreit (OF. and
mod.F. lainproie] = Pr. lantprcza, lamprect^ lam-
prada^ It. lojnpreda (the Sp., Pg. lamprea seem to
be from Fr.) : med.L. lampredn (glossed miirwna
c 1050 in \Vr.-\Viiloker 180/28); the word was
adopted into the Teut. langs.: OK. latnprede (also
fymptdu LIMPET), OHG. lampreta (mod.G. lam-
prttc> whence Sw.,Da. lampret}, MDu. lampreide.
The ulterior etymology is uncertain.
The med.L. lampreda is usually believed to be an altera
tion of the synonymous I am petra, (recorded earlier, viz. in
the Glossary of Philoxenus, 1 4-sth c.), which is explained as
f. L. lambere to lick + petra stone, in allusion to the fact
that the lamprey attaches itself by a sucker to stones. The
use of med.L. lampreda for the LIMPET as well as the
lamprey gives some plausibility to this ; but possibly lain-
petra may be merely an etymologizing perversion.]
A fish of the genus Petromyzon* resembling an
eel in shape and in having no scales. It has a
mouth like a sucker, pouch-like gills, seven
spiracles or apertures on each side of the head, and
a fistula or opening on the top of the head.
1297 R. GLOUC. (Rolls^ 9114-17 po he com he willede of an
lampreye to ete..& et as in luper cas, vor |>u!ke lampreie
him slou. 1333-4 Durham Ace. Rolls fSurtees) 21 In xij
Laumprays. c 1400 Rout. Rose 7038 They defende hem with
lamprey, With luce, with elis, with samons. a 1400-50
Alexander 5473 Lamprays of we^t Twa hundreth pond ay
a pece. 1444 Pol. Poems (Rolls) II. 218 Withoute avys
make no comparysoun Atween a laumperey and a shynyng
snake. 1531 TINDALE Exp. i John Prol., Wks. (1573* 388/2
The boy . . would fayne haueeaten of the pas tie of lamprese.
163$ R. H. Salernes Regim. 88 Although Lampreyes be
a little wholesommer then Eeles, and lesse jeopardotis.
1672-3 MARVELI, Reh. Traitsp, Wks. 1776 II. 61 He hath
been ^fed all his life with vipers insteed of lampres, and
scorpions for cray fish. 1780 GAY Poems (1745) II. 122
\Vhy then send lampreys? fy, for shame Twill set a
virgins blood on flame. 1837 M. DONOVAN Dam. Econ. II.
201 The Lamprey, like the eel .. is remarkably tenacious of
life. 1870 YEATS A at. Hist. Comm. 324 Lampreys reach
this country packed in jars with vinegar, , . and bay leaves.
b. attrib. and Comb., as lamprey-pie^ -weel\
lamprey bake = lamprey-pie ; lamprey-eel, the
Sea-lamprey (fteromyzon marinus) ; lamprey-
stock (see quot.),
^1440 Dunce MS. 55 If. 31 b, *Lampray bake, c 1460
J. RUSSELL Bk. Nurture 630 Fresche lamprey bake His it
must be dight. 18830. F. HOLDER in Harpers Mag. Dec.
102/1 Very similar in its habit of erecting a nest is the
*lamprey-eel (Petroinyzott marinas). 1599 H. BUTTES
Dyets drie Dinner M 3 Many in England have surfeited of
* Lampry pies, as our Chronicles will tell us. IS^MASSINGER,
etc. Old Law \\. \. (1656)22 Backe Snakes for Lamprie Pies,
and Cats for Gunnies. 1883 Fisheries Exhib. Catal. 365
*Lamprey Stock .A wooden Cylinder for catching Lam
preys. Ibid. 366 "Lamprey- Weel.
Iiamprey(e)B, obs. form of LAMPAS j/;. 1
Lampro- (larmpw), repr. Or. Xa/iir/w-, com
bining form of Gr. Aa^npor bright, shining, as in :
La mprophaiie [Gr. tyav-, (paivstv to show] Jlh tt.,
a mineral occurring in long, thin, cleavable folia at
Longban, \Vermland, Sweden (Cassell, 1885 , ;
La mpropho iiur [Gr, tpwvrj + -ER], an instrument
for increasing the intensity of sound ; so La^mpro-
plio ny, a term for a clear and sonorous state of the
voice (Mayne Expos. Lex. 1855) ; Lamprophyre
[Gr.(7rop)<piJpfo? purple: see POUPHYBY], the name
given by Gu mbel to rocks, considerably varied in
lithological character, occurring in dikes in strata
of palaeozoic age; hence La mpropliy ric a., of
or pertaining to lamprophyre (Cent. Diet.} ; Lam
protype [Gr. TUTTOS type] Phologr.^ a paper print
glazed with collodion and gelatine (Cent. Diet?).
1875 KNIGHT Did. Mech.> Lamprotype (Photography),
a polished collodion picture. 1897 Amer. Ann. JJeet/ Junv
265 In the Indiana Institution experiments are in pro
gress with the lumprophoner , an instrument which ..
increases the intensity of sound.
Lainpron, -roon, etc., obs. ff. of LAMPEKX.
Lampus, obs. form of LAMPAS sd. 1
Lampyrine (Uvmpirin), a. and sb. [f. L.
lampyns glowworm (^adopted in mod. Latin as
the name of the glowworm genus , a. Gr. \aftwpisj
f. Aa^TTfti/ to shine. See -1NE.] A. adj. Of or
pertaining to the Lampyrinse, or fire-flies. B. sb.
One of the Lainpyrinx.
1842 BRANDE Diet. .SV/. etc. s. v. Z-ayw^yr/Vuf, The females
of some of the Lampyrine tribe are apterous .. and are
luminous. All the Lampyrmes, when seized, press their
feet and anteniKu against their body, and remain as motion
less as if they were dead.
Lampysse, obs. form of LAMPAS si . 1
Lamyn^e, variant of LAMIN.
Lan, variant of LEX Obs., reward, recompense.
Lan, pa. t. cf LIXNK Obs. y to cease.
II Lana (l^ na). [S. American.] (See quot.)
1858 SIMMONDS Diet. Trade, Lana, a close grain L-d wood
obtained in Demtrara from Gent pa Americana.. .The fruit
yields the pigment known as Lana dye, with which the
Indians stain their faces and persons.
Lanar, obs. form of LANXKK.
t Laiia rious, a. Obs. rare~. [f. !>. lanari us
(f. Idna woolj -f -ous.] C)f or belonging to wool
(Bkmnt Glossogr. 1656-81).
Lanai kite (Uvna.ikoit). A fin. [Named by
Beudant, 1832, from Lanarkshire, where it was
first found. See -ITE.] Sulphocarbonate of lead,
found in greenish-white, grey, or yellowish crystals.
1835 SHEI-AKD Min. n. I. 300 Lanarkitt-. 1868 DASA Klin.
(ed. 5) 628 Lanarkite, Sulpnato-Carbonate of Lead.
t La* nary . Obs. rare ". [ad. L. lanan a
(? sc. fabrica) fern, ot lanarius: see LANABIOUS,]
A wool-house, a warehouse or storehouse for
wool* (1727 liailey vol. II).
Lanate O^ nA), a. Bot. and Ent. [ad, L.
la fiat -us t f. /ana wool: see -ATE-.] Having a
woolly covering or surface.
1760 J. LKK Introd. Bot. \\\. v. (1765^ 182 Lanate, woolly,
when they are covered as it were with a spider s web.
1826 KIKIIY & SP. Entotnol. IV. 275 Lanate \Lann(a} t
covered with fine, very long, flexible and rather curling
hairs like wool.
So Lanated a. t in the same sense.
1828-32 in WKBSTER.
Lancashire (1^ rjkajoj). [f. Lancaster the
name of the county town 4- SHIRE, with contrac
tion.] The name of one of the northern counties
of England, used attrib. in Lancashire boiler (see
quot. 1888); also (in quots. ellipt. as sb.) as the
designation of a breed of cattle ; also, of a breed
of canary.
1834 YOUATT Cattle vi. 203 The dairy-farmers .. if they
permit any admixture of short-horn blood .. are anxious
that that of the old Lancashire s shall decidedly prevail.
1888 Lockivood s Diet. Meek. Engin., Lancashire Kiriler,
a horizontal, cylindrical, internally fired boiler, having two
flues. 1898 Daily News 28 Nov. 3/3 Slim and sprightly
Yorkshires .. contrast strongly with the equally esteemed
Lancashires of pale yellow plumage.
Lancaster (Ice nksest3j). [f. the name of the
inventor, C. W. Lancaster (died 1878).] In full
Lancaster gun, rifle^ the name of a cannon and
rifle (respectively) having a slightly oval bore.
1857 G. LAWRENCK Gny Lir. iv. 40 Guy s great Lancaster
rang out with the roar of a small field-piece. 1858 GRKKNER
Gunnery 121 Wrought iron shells have already been
thoroughly tried in the Lancaster oval gun. 1860 All
Year Round No. 73. 545 As for the Lancaster guns, how
they burst !
Lancasterian (Iccnkjx stio rian), a. Also
(early in 9) Lancastrian, [f. the proper name
Lancaster + -IAN.] Of or pertaining to Joseph
Lancaster (1778-1838) and the monitorial form
of instruction which he established in schools.
1807 G. W. MARRIOT in Southey Life A. Bell 11844) II. soo
He praises Lancaster as the founder of the Lancasterian
System. i8ia SOUTHKV Lett. (1856) II. 255 The Lancastrian
scheme must needs operate to undermine the Church Estab
lishment. 1813 L. HUNT in Examiner 17 May 305/2 The
Church is against the Lancasterian system. 1832 G.
DOVVNES Lett. Cont. Countries I. 465 He has founded a
Lancavterian School for boys. 1870 ANDERSON Missions
Amer. ftd. I II. vii. 95 He established several Greek Lancas
terian schools, with the New Testament for a class-book.
Lancastrian (Ircnkarstrian), a. and sb. [f.
Lancaster + -IAN. Cf, YOBKIST.]
A. adj. Pertaining to the English royal family
which based its title on its descent from John of
Gaunt Duke of Lancaster (died I399l> or to the
parly (whose emblem was the Red Rose) that
supported this family in the \Vars of the Roses.
1828-40 TYTI.KR Hist. Scot. n86.() L 145 For his good
service in the destruction of the Lancastrian f.iuion. 1861
Saf. A t.7 . 21 Dec. 643 The deaths of the Lancastrian
Princes did not. .open to him a near prospect of the crown.
B. sb.
1. An adherent of the house of Lancaster; one
of the Lancastrian faction in the Wars of the Roses.
1838 Penny Cyd, XII. 129/1 Henry VI was after his
death revered as a martyr by the Lancastrians.
2. A native of Lancashire.
1888 I!im - E Airier. Coinmw. III. vi. cxiii. 627 The differ
ence between a Yorkshlreman and ;\ Lanrahtrian.
Also t Lauca strist prvc. 11. J.
1654 VM.V.-MX F.pit. KSS. iv. 66 Yorkists and Lnncastrists
on Knglish land Darraind twelv cruel conflicts.
Lance kins), sb\ Forms : 3-8 launce, (4
lancie i, *, lans, launse, ler.ce, 6 lanso, launch ,
lawnce. 8 St. lanss. 4-laiico. See alsoL.\r\cK.
[a. 1 . lance = Pr. lansa, Catal. llansa, Sp. lanza^
Fg. /anfa. It. lanfia:].. lancca. The F. word
has been adopted in all the Teut. lan^s. : MDu.
/a/is, lancie (Du. lans], MHO., mod.G. tanze,
Da, landse* Sw. lans.
According to Varro the I,, word was from a Spanish
(? Iberian) source. Connexion \viih the synonymous Gr.
Aoy^-j is phonological ly improbable.]
1. A weapon, consisting of a long wooden shaft
and an iron or steel head, held by a horseman in
charging at full speed, and sustained formerly by
a rest, now by a strap, through which the arm is
passed. To break a lance (sec BREAK v. 3;. Lance
in rest (see K>:sr .
c 1290 vV. I-.ng, Leg. I. 281 i 18 J>reo launcene Iv; heold in is
hond. 1377 LANGL. / . PI. ]>. in. 303 Allo that bcrcth
baslarde, brode sweide or launce.. Snal be clemed to the
deth. c 1473 (/. ASHHY Active Policy Prince 541 \ oure
Comyns shude nat here dagger, ne Lance, Ne noon other
weptns defcnsift;. 1580 SIDNKY Ps, x.xxv, i, O Lord ..
t:ike thy launce, and stoppe the way of thn.se That sceke
my bane. 1604 K. G[KIMSTOXK] lYAtostiis Hist. Indies
iv. 303 The Indians kil them with launces and crossebowes.
1673 RAY *Joiirn. L<nvC. 234 The combat:mts being mounted
on horseback with Launces in tliuir liands, run one at
another a full gallop. 1777 WATSON Philip II - 1839) 43 The
count s lance broke on Henry s corslet, 1781 GIBBON Dec/.
<$- /". Iviii. III. 454 The lance was the. .peculiar weapon of
the knight. 1815 KLI HINSIONK Ace. Caubnl (18.12 II. 193
Their arms are a long and heavy lance and a shield.
b. trans/ . amlJSjjf.
1390 GOWEK Conf. III. 351 And in his hond with many
a tiry launce He [Cupid] woumleth ofte. 143^0-40 LYIK;.
Hoc has i. iv. (1494) bij b/i Tyine..all consuimth with his
sherpe launce. 1713 Voi NG Last l>ay \. iaS And death
might shake his threat ning launce in vain. 1825 LONGF.
Satirist on I/ills 10 Many a pinnacle Through the gray
mist thrust up its shattered lance. 1880 C. &: F. DAUWIN-
AftweM, Pi. 79 Their [the leaves] laminae were .. pressed
against each other, forming a lance or wedge by which
means they had broken through the ground. 1887 MRS.
HUKNETT Little Ld. Fannttcroy v. 86 He liked the big
broad -branched trees, with the late afternoon sunlight
striking golden lances through them.
t-,Af- Career as a soldier. Cbs. ran ~ l .
a 1635 NAUNTON/V^W. Keg. (Arb.)zg Hitherto I have only
touch d him in his Courtship. I conclude Iiim in his Lance.
fd. As a unit of measurement. Obs. rare~ l .
1604 E. G[RIMSTONK] D Acostas Hist. Indies iv. xxxvii.
311 It riseth many elles, yea, many launces in height.
2. A similar weapon, used for various purposes,
e. g. for spearing fish ; also in the whale-fishery,
with modifying prefixes, as bomb-, gun-, hand-
lance, an instalment for killing the whale, after he
has been harpooned and wearied out.
1727-41 CHAMBERS Cyd. s.v. Fishery, [VVhale-Fishery. J
Thrusting along steeled lance under his gills into bis 1 reast.
1790 Asiatic Res. II. 342 When a man dies, all his live
stock, cloth, hatchets, fishing lances, and in short every
moveable thing he possessed is buried with him. 1883
Tisheries Exhib. Catal. 199 Earliest types of the hand-
lances, formerly, .used for killing whales, .the old-fashioned,
non-explosive gun-lance, and the bomb-lance.
3. = LAXCET. Now rare.
i57S l uitBERV. ^Aw/w 346 If the pin open not of itselfe,
slit it and open it with a little sharp launce of steele made
whot. 1576 NEWTON Ltmnitfs Complex, i. x. 83 The
veynes . . swel out .. offering themselues to the Launce,
by incision hansomly to be cut. 1681 GI.ANVILL Sad-
ducisniiis n. 181 [He] took a Launce and launc t one of her
hands. 1769 R. GRIFFITH Cordian Knot II. 122 By.. the
surgeon s lance I was dragged back to life and wretchedness
again. 1878 L. P. MERKOITH Teeth 180 If the lance is sharp,
it generally does not hurt at all.
4. A horse-soldier armed with a lance ; a lancer.
i6oa SEGAR Hon. Mil. ffCiv. iv. xiv. 224 Esquires.. able at
the Musters to present a Launce or light horse, for the Prince s
seruice. 1633 T. STAFFORD Pac. Hil\ n. xxvi. fiSio) 4^7 There
is now in readinesse 150 Launces, which shall be presently
embarqued. 1724 DE FOE Mem. Cavalier (1840) 227 Those
6-2
LANCE.
lances . were brave fellows. 1831 SCOTT Casl. Dang, ii, A
lance, in other words, a belted knight, commands this party.
b. Hist. A man-at-arms with his attendant
archers, foot-soldiers, etc. Cf. F. lance foitrnic.
1818 HALLAM Mid. Ages (1872! I. 468 A lance in the
technical language of those ages included the lighter cavalry
attached to the man at arms, as well as himself. 1864 KIRK
Chas. Bold II. iv. iii. 413 The lance was simply the feudal
family the baron, or knight, with his wonted retinue of
kinsmen and dependents.
+ 5. A bianch of a tree, a shoot. Obs.
13.. E. E. Allit. P. A. 977 Lurked by launcez so lufly
leued. 1523 FITZHERB. Husb. 138 Thou muste get thy
graffes of the fay rest lanses, that thou canste fynde on the
tree. 1669 WORLIOGE Syst. Agric. (1681) 132 Those [Gran s]
you find to shoot up in one Lance, pinch off their tender tops.
6. In technical uses : a. Carpentry. * A pointed
blade, usually employed to sever the grain on each
side of the intended path of a chipping-bit or router
(Knight Diet. Meek. 1875).
b. Mil, (a) f An iron rod which is fixed across
the earthen mould of a shell, and which keeps
it suspended in the air when it is cast . (/>) An
instrument which conveys the charge of a piece
of ordnance and forces it home into the bore*
(James Milit. Did. 1802^1.
c. Fyrotechny. (See quots.) [F. lance a feu.]
1878 KENTISH Pyrotcthn, Trcas. 112 Lances. These are
little cases charged with white or coloured star composition.
1879 W. H. BROWSE Pyrotechny vii, 81 I-ances are ..small,
thin cases, containing compositions which burn with a white
or coloured flame.
7. attrib. and Comb. : a. simple attributive, as
lance-Mute, -bucket^ -butt, -game, -head, rest,
-shaft, -throw, -thrust ; b. objective, as lance-
breaking , c. instrumental, as lance-pierced, -worn
adjs. ; d. similativCj as lance-acuminated, -leaved,
-like, -shaped adjs.
1^00 Asiatic Ami. Reg., Misc. Tractsvji/i Ovate, "lance-
acuminated, entire towards the base. 1849 STOVKL Canned
Necess. Introd. 9 Truths in his hand were like *lance-blades
in a cupping instrument, they entered the whole length of
their steel. 1829 SCOTT Ho. of Aspen i. i, Neither hunting,
nor feasting, nor *lance-breaking for me ! 1876 JAS. GRANT
One fj the 600 i. 5 Captains of troops will report to Lieu
tenant .. on the state of the saddlery, holsters, and *lance-
buckets. 1865 KIXUSLEY Herein, i. (1877) 36 When he came
to the abbey-gate, he smote thereon with his *lance-butt.
1801 STRLTT Sports ^ Past. in. i. 108 The Just or *Iance-
game. .differed materially from the tournament. 1851 D.
WILSON PrfJi. Ann. (1863^ I. vi. 173 The arrow and *la.nce
heads, constructed from the amorphous masses of native
flint. 1811 A. T. THOMSON Lond.Disp. (1818) 609 Take of
""lance-leaved cinchona bark bruised, an ounce. 1579 J.
JOXES Preserv. Bodie <y Soule i. xl. 87 Ulasing Starres . .
as berdelike, *!auncelike, swordlike [etc.]. 1868 LYNCH
Rivulet CLXIIL ii, The lance-like rain, the darting hail.
1897 Dublin Rer>. Apr. 375 The *lance-pierced bide of
Christ. 1855 OGILVIE, Suppl., * Lance-rest. 1869 BOUTELL
Anns ff. Arm. x. 206 At this period [c 1450-1500] a lance-
rest was fixed to the upper part of the breast-plate on the
right side. 1868 G. STEPHENS Runic Mon. I. 314 It is not.,
likely that all the long and round and straight poles found in
the Danish Mosses, .have always been *Lance-sh:ifts. 1776
J. LEE Introd. Rot. Expla.n. Terms 389 Lanc^olatx^ *Iance-
shaped. 1854 T. MOORE Brit, /- urns 26 The leafy part of the
frond is lance-shaped. 1856 KANE A ret. Kxj>l, 1 1. xxviti. 282
On two occasions we came upon the walrus sleeping, once
within actual *lance-thrust. 1842 FABKK Siyrian Lake 269
Like bruised embossing on a *lance-worn shield.
8. Special comb. : lance-corporal [after LANCE-
PESADE] (see quot. 1802); flance-eggadfl. Bot.=
lance-&i ate\ lance-famed a., famed for prowess
with the lance ; lance-fish = LAUNCE ; lance-head
= lance-snake ; lance-knife, ? = LANCET ; lance-
linear a. Bot.^ narrowly lanceolate, almost linear;
lance-man, t (a) a highwayman ; (h a warrior
armed with a lance; lance-oblong a. iJot., nar
rowly oblong ; lanco-oval a. Bot.^ narrowly oval ;
lance-ovate a. = prec. ; lance-sergeant [on
analogy of lance-corporal], a corporal acting as
sergeant; lance-snake, a venomous snake of the
American genus Bothrops^Craspedocephaltts}, esp.
B. lanceolatus, of the W. Indies ; = FER-DE-LANCE 2.
1786 GROSE Milit. A /i //. 1.311 The lancepesata, anspesade,
or as the present term is, "lance corporal. 1802 C. JAMES
Mtlit. Diet. s.v. Corporal, Lance -Corporal, one who acts as
corporal, receiving pay as a private. 1844 Rtgtil. fy Ord.
Army 133 Corporals may be appointed to act as Lance-
Serjeants, and the most approved Private Soldiers as Lance-
Corporals. 1787 Fam. Plants I. 242 Divisions of the llorder
*Iance-egg d. 1718 POPE Iliad xiii. 278 The *Lance-fam d
[3ovpiAi/Tos] Idoinen of Crete. 1859-62 SIR J. RICHARDSON,
etc. Museum Nat. Hist. (1868) II. 40/2 Amongst the former,
or spine-tailed species [of Crotalidae], are the *Lance-heads
(Crnsfedocephalina) of the New World. Ibid. 41/1 The
Lance-head is the most abundant of all serpents in the
islands of Martinique and St. Lucia. 1610 MARKHAM
Master^, n. cxi. 396 Others take a sharpe *Iannce-knife,
and [etc.], 1787 Fam. Plants I. 30 Petals.. * lance-linear.
1589 RIDER Eng.-Lat. Diet., A *Launce man, hastiger.
59* GREENE Conny Catching ii. Asb, The Priggar is he
that steales the horse. . . The Priggar if he be a Launce
man, that is, one that is already horst, then [etc.]. 1598
FLORIO, Lanciatore . . a lance-man, a pike-man. 1808 PIKE
Sources Afississ. in. App. (1810) u Thelancemenarealways
mounted. 1787 Fain. Plants I. 285 Germ *lance-oblong.
compress d. a 1794 SIR W. JONES in Asiatic Res. (1795)
IV. 262 Leaves opposite, *lance-oval, pointed at both ends.
1889 in Lancet 27 Apr. I. 866/2 The cocci, as found in
the blood of an inoculated animal, are, as a rule, oval or
44
lance-oval in form. 1799 Asiatic Kes. VI. 349 Leaflets..
*lance-ovate, entire, smooth. 1815 WELLINGTON in Gurw,
Dcsf. (1838) XII. 617, I now beg leave to recommend to
you *Lance Sergeant Graham of the Coldstream regiment
of Guards. 1880 Cassell s Nat. Hist. IV. 319 The last
group of the American Pit Vipers is that of the *Lance
Snakes. One of these is the Yellow Viper, of Martinique,
called Fer-de-lance there.
t Lance, sb* Obs. In 4(5) launce, lanss.
[f. LANCE v.]
1. A leap, bound, clash. (Cf. LAUNCH sb.)
1375 BARBOUR Bruce x. 414 And he that was in iuperdy
Till de, a lanss (MS. . launce] till him he maid.
2. A cut, incision, slit.
1669 WORLIDGE .$>*/. Agric. vii. io(i63i) 132 It [Pinching]
gives not that wound lo Trees that Incisions or Lances
usually do. . . Giving the Lance close behind a Bud. a thing
to be especially observed in Pruning. Ibid. 133 When you
cut any Pithy Tree, .make your Lance under, or on one side.
Lance (luns), v. Forms: 4-$ launce, 4 Sf.
launss, 4-6 chiefly St. lans^s, 5 lawnce, 5-6
launse, 4- lance, [a. OF. lander (F. lancer] :
L. lartceare, f. lancea LANCE sb.\ ; the ONF. form
lanehier was adopted as LAUNCH v. In branch II
f. LANCE sl>,\]
I. 1. trans. To fling, hurl, launch, throw (a
dart, also fire, lightning, smoke) ; to shoot out (the
tongue; ; to put forth v blossoms). Also with _/////,
out, up. Now rare (chiefly/^.).
13. . Guy \Varw. (A. 2394 To him bai launced bobe spere
and swerd. 1393 LANGL. P. PI. C. xix. 10 The tree liihte
trewe-loue . . launceb vp blossemes. r 1394 / . PI. Crude 551 pel
[friars], . iauncef? hei:;e her hemmes wi^ babelyng in stretes.
c 153* Du WES Introd. Fr. in Palsgr. 949 To lance, lancer.
1598 BAKHET Theor. \\~arres in. i. 32 A lauelin . . they did
lance or dart at the enemie. 1663 SIR G. MACKENZIE Relig.
Stoic ili. (1*585) 2 8 As beams are lanced out from the body
of the Sun. 1710 Land. Gaz. No. 4653/1 A spread Eagle,
representing his Majesty s Arms, lanced a Rocket. 1795-7
SOUTHEY Juvenile fy Minor Poems Poet. Wks. II. 210 The
lightning is lanced at our sires. 1801 Thalaba v. xi,
The adder in her haunts disturbed Lanced at the intruding
staff" her arrowy tongue. 1827 I. TAYLOR Transm. Attc.
fiks. xvii. 279 He affirms [Xerxes] to have lanced darts at
the sun. 1834 M. SCOTT Cruise Midge (1859) 488 Rolling
in smoaky wreaths and lancing out ragged shreds from
their lower edges. 1898 M. P. SHIEL Yellow Danger 136
The torpedo-boat lances one of her horrid needles of steel.
b. with immaterial obj., e.g. a look; falso
\v\\hforth.
13.. E. E. Allit. P. C. 350 Lo ! my lore is in be loke,
lance hit berinne. 1635 PKRSON Varieties i. 15 The Stars,
and these celestiall bodies . . doe lance forth their power
upon the Earth also. 175* CARTE Hist. ting. III. 9 The
pope was to lance his censures against the common enemy.
1765 H. WALPOLE Otranto Iv. 11798) 76 Here I lance her
anathema at thy head. 183* Examiner 436/1 He lances
one of his droll looks. 1855 M. ARNOLD The Voice 3 As the
kindling glances . . Which the bright moon lances From her
tranquil sphere. 1898 M. P. SHIEL Yellow Danger 157
Suddenly he lanced a horrid shriek.
f c. refl. To hurl oneself, to spring, shoot. Obs.
ci53o Ln. BERNERS Artk. Lyt. Bryt. (1814) 183 He
launced hymselfe [from the ship] *& lepte into the myddes of
the prease wyth his good swerde in his hande. 1658 R.
WHITE tr. Dig-tys Poivd. Synip. (1660) 20 The light . . lancing
herself by a marvellous celerity on all sides by straight lines.
2. int. for reft. To bound, spring, move quickly,
rush. Alsowith^/fcr/A, <w/. Const, on. GAf.exc.dui/.
c 1330 R. BRUNNB Chron. (iSro) 94 With a herde bei mette,
a herte ^erof gan lance. 1375 HARBOUR Brnce in. 122 He..
strak with spurs the stede in hy, And he lansyt furth
delyvirly. c 1470 Golagros <y Gaiv. 901 He lansit out our
ane land, and drew nognt ane lyte. c 1470 HENRYSON Mor.
Fab. v, (Part. Beasts) vii, Ane vnicorne come lansand oner
ane law. 1481 CAXTON Godfrey xliii. 82 1 he conestables. .
launced on this part ye of thoost whiche was not yet passed.
15*3 DoUOLA5.J ix. ix. 74 Turnus, lanssand lychtly our
the landis. 1530 LYSDKSAY T>-st. Pafiyngo $%$ }e, that now
bene lansyng vpe the ledder, Tak tent in tyme. 1840 Evi
dence Hull Docks Comm. 74 When there is no wind, we
lance along with poles. 1883 Hampsh. Gloss., Lancf, to
leap, bound ; the deer are said * to lance over the turf.
t b. transf. and _/?. Of leaves, fire: To spring,
spring forth, shoot up. Of pain : To shoot. Obs.
13. . Gaw. <$ Gr. A"/. 526 J>e leuez lancen fro be lynde, Si
ly^ten on be grounde. 13.. E. E. Allit. P. B. 966 As
lance leuez of J>e boke bat lepes in twynne. 1393 LANGL.
/ . PL C. XIK. 185 Of greyn ded in erthe Atte laste launceth
vp wher-by we lyuen alle. a 1400 Pistill of Susan 109 J>e
Lilye, belouache, launsyng wibleue. c 1470 HKSRY Wallace
vii. 429 The lemand low sone lanssyt apon hycht. 1756
MOUNSEY in Phil* Trans. L. 21 The pain on the stomach re
turned, which lanced to the left side, with darlings inwardly.
t 3. trans. To launch (a boat).
c\$\$Cocke Lor ell s B. 12 Some y longebote dyde launce,
some mende y corse.
b. intr. To launch forth, push out.
15*6 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. i ?3 i) 141 b, Now hath y
patriarke Noe all his chyldren . . in his shyp, & is launced
from the lande. 1581 STUDLEY tr. Seneca s Agameni. \,
Chorus 61 Nor launcing to the depe where bottom none is
found. 1595 MAYNARDE Drakes Voy. lHakl. Soc.) 7 Had
wee lanced under the forte at our first cominge to anchor,
we had fete.].
t4. To throw out (a tale, words, etc.) ; to utter.
13.. Gaw. <V Gr. Knt. 1212 Al la^ande be lady lanced bo
bourdez. Ibid. 2124 J?at I schal lelly yow layne, & lance
neuer tale.
j- 5. intr. To make a dash or stroke with a pen.
588 J. M ELLIS Rriefe Instruct. Eiij, When yee haue
thus entered it into Journal!, then presently after in the
memorial!, .yee shall launce or make a stroke.
LANCE-KNIGHT.
II. 6. To pierce with or as with a lance or a
lancet ; to cut, gash, slit. Also, to slit open ; to
open. Obs. exc. poet.
13.. E. E. Allit. P. B. 1428 [He] comaundes hym cofly
coferes to lance, c 1440 I romp. Parv. 290 Lawncyn [v. r.
lawnchyn], or stynge wythe a spere, or blode ytyne,
lanceo. 1586 MARLOWE isf Pt. ranibnrl. I. ii, We will
lift our swords, And ..lance his greedy thirsting throat.
1615 G. SANDYS Trav. 12 In the Summer they lanced
the rine with a stone. 1638 Penit. Conf. vii. (1657) 155
Baals Priests, lancing themselves to procure audience.
1678 BUHYAN Pilgr. i. 167 Then they Lanced his flesh
with Knives. 1713 TICKELL Guardian No. 125 ?9 Bold
Nimrod first .. lanc d the bristling boar. 1728 MORGAN
Algiers II. iii. 253 They lanced the Ravisher, and every
one of the Turks. 1783 Phil. Trans. LXXIII. 241 On the
brain being lanced, the. .whale died immediately.
fig. 1494 FABYAN Chron. vii. 431 Many with great honours
I dyd whylom auaunce, That nowe with dyshonouve doon
me stynge and launce. 1828 Blacfav. blag. XXIV. 716 The
jagged lightning lanced the forest-gulfs with its swift and
perilous beauty.
b. intr. To pierce.
a 1400 Leg. Rood (1871) 142 pe swerd of loue borw hire
gan launce.
c. trans. To wound or kill with a lance.
1898 Westm. Gaz. 6 Apr. 6/3 The troopers lancing and
| sabring, and the officers pistolling the Dervishes.
7. Surg. To make an incision in (the gums, a
sore, a lumour) with a lancet ; to cut open. Oecas.
with a person as object. Also, to fetch out or let
I out hy lancing.
1474 CAXTON Chesse in. v. hjb, The surgyens.. ought not
j to be hasty lo launce and cutte aposthumes &: scores. 1526
Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 278 O blessed lorde, here in
this lyfe, cutte me, burne me, launce me, that fynally thou
mayst haue mercy on me. 1575 TURHERV. Fanlconrie
257 The way to cure it, is to give the humor a vent by
launsing it. 1578 T. WILCOCKS Senn. Pawles 93 Thrust
diligently your sword of Justice in, to launce out all corrup
tion and bagage which is gathered in the bowels. 1615
LATHAM Falconry (1633) 132 You must haue care to launce
it long wayes as the sinews do run. 1654 TRAPP Comm.
Job v. 18 He is both a Father and a physitian, hee lanceth
us not unlesse need be. 1732 DE FOE Plague 11884) 268 To
lance and dress the .. Tumours. 1725 Poi E Oiiyss. xiv. 87
Of two [porkers] his cutlass lanced the spouting blood. 1878
L. P. MEREDITH Teeth 36 The dentist. .sees the immediate
beneficial results of lancing hot, congested gums.
fig* I Sft 1 DAUS tr. Bullingeron Apoc. (1573) 38 We are
many tymes launced and cut with the word of God, t to our
great profit and discipline. 1621 QUARLES Esther xii. 1 2 b,
When Haman then had lanc d his rip ned griefe, In bloody
tearmes, they thus appli d reliefe. 1665 BOYLE Occas. Rtfl.
HI. vi, The Orator, .is more sollicitous to tickle their Ears,
than .. to launce their Consciences. 1705 HICKERINCILL
Priest-cr. n. viii.9o Some Inconveniencies in Church-Govern
ment, are better palliated, then lanced to the bottom,
b. ahsol. or intr. To make an incision.
1646 I. HM. LHorae Vac. 48 They doe better Launce into
secret humours.
Hence Lanced///, a.
1607 TOPSELL Fonr-f. Beasts 516 To . . spread them vpon
the aforesaid eaten or launced woundes.
Lanced (kinst), a. [f. LANCE sd. 1 + -ED 2 .]
Having a lance or point ; pointed or shaped like
a lance.
1787 J- nm. Plants I. 32 The leaflets lanced. 1815 KIRBY &
SP. Entowol. L 391 The bloodthirsty gnat has five [suckers],
some acutely lanced at the extremity. 1894 ULACKMORt
Pcrfycross 23 The dtlicate bells of sky-blue flax quiver
ing on lanced foliage.
Laucegay ^krnsig^ )- Obs. exc. ffist. Also
4-8 lauccegay(e, 5 lawncegay, 6 launcezagaye,
launsgay, 7 erron. lance de gay. [a. QY.laucc-
gaye, f. (with contraction) lance, LANCE sbl -t- zagaye
(see ZAGAIE, ASSAGAI).] A kind of lance.
[1383 Act 7 Rich. //, c.i 3 i Lc Koi defendequedesoremes
null liomme chivache deinz ]e Roialme armez .. ovesque
lancegay.J 4:1386 CHAUCER Sir Thopas 41 In his hand a
launcegay A long swerd by his side. 1390 GOWER Conf. III.
369 A firy lancegay, Which whilom through my hert he
cast. 1467 in Eng. to /rt^ (1870)388 That no man go armed,
to here launcegayes, Gleyves, Speres, and other wepyn.
rigoo Robin Hood (Ritson) 18 He bare a launsgay in his
honde. 1591 SIB J. SMYTH Instruct. Milit. 199, I would
wish them to have Launces commonly called Launceza-
gayas of good, tite, and stiffe ash. 1605 CAMDEN Ron.
(1657! 209 To speak of lesser weapons, both defensive and
offensive of our nation, as their granad, baselard, launce
gay, &c. would be endless. 1614 RALEIGH Hist. World
v. iii. i. 359 These carrying a kinde^of Lance de gay,
sharpe at both ends, which they held in the middest of
the staffe. 1799 SCOTT Sheph. Tale, A launcegay strong,
full twelve ells long, Hy every warrior hung.
attrib. 1436 Nottingham Rec. II. 158 Duorum garmen-
torum, unius clocher, et unius launcegaysshaft.
La nce-kniglit. Hist* Forms : see LANCE
sb. and KNIGHT. Also 6 lance-kueyght, 9
lance-knecht ; and see LANSQUENET, [ad. G.
lamknecht (lanz = LANCE sb?}, an etymologizing
pen-ersion of landsknecht, f. lattds t genitive of land
LAND sb. + knccht servant.
Originally the G. word denoted the mercenary foot-soldiers
belonging to the imperial territory, in contradistinction to
the Swiss ; but it was very early applied in a wider sense;
afterwards the etymological association with lance caused it
to be restricted to men armed with a lance or similar weapon.)
A mercenary foot-soldier, esp. one armed with
a lance or pike.
1530 PALSGR. 237/1 Lansknyght, lanctqnenct. 1550 _W.
LYNNECVirwiVOwr. 248 Many Launceknyghtesof the Ger-
mayne nation sawe with their eyes that [etc.]. "SS HULOET,
LANCELET.
Men bearyng shyldes of siluer, called hunce knyghtes,
argyraspidx. 1579 DIGGKS Stratiot. 120 The Lance
be nothing els then agreeke word, signifiyng a launcekmght.
1598 H. JONSON AY. Man in Hum. 11. i, Well, now must
I practise to Ret the true garbe of one of these Launce-
knights. 1606 BRYSKETT Civ. Life 145 The Lansknight
and the Switzer vse also the fife at this day with the drum.
1825 SCOTT Tnlism. vi, Give him a flagon of Rhenish to drink
with his besmirched haaren-hanters and lance-knechts,
attrib. 1653 URCJUHART Rabelais \. xxxv, Tripet would
have traiterously cleft his head with his horsemans sword,
or lanse-knight fauchion.
transf. ci6*6 Dick of Devon iv. i. in Bullen O. PI. II. 63
The needle lance knights, .put so many hookes and eyes to
every hose and dubblet.
Lancelet (lu-nslet). Also 6 lancelette.
launcelet, -lot, 9 lancelot. [f. LANCE s6. 1 + -LET.]
1 1. A lancet. Oh.
573 BARET Ahi. L 77 A Lancelette or like instrument,
scatfrum MrurgicHUt. 1589 KIUER Rng.-Lat. Diet. s.v.
Launce, A Launcelot to cut wounds, smilit/m. 1593 G.
HARVKY New Letter 1-2 Pierces Supererogation., is lest
beholding to the penknife : N ashes S. Fame hath somewhat
more of the launcelet. 1636 BLOUNT Glossogr., Launcelot,
or Lancelot.
2. Zool. A small fish-like animnl: = AMPHIOXUS.
1836 YARRELL Brit. Fishes II. 468 The Lancelet, Am
phioxus lanceolatiis. 1846 CARPENTER 1 hysiol. 382 The
Amphioxus or Lancelot. 1847-9 T OUD ( yd. Anat. IV. 450/2
In the. .lancelet the only vestige of a distinct hepatic organ
is a large ccccum. 1859 DAHWIH Oriff. Spec. iv. (187319)
Members of the shark family would not tend to supplant the
lancelet.
t Lancell. 0/>s. Also 4 launsele. [a. OF. |
lancele, dim. of lance LANCE sfi. 1 ] A herb (Plan- !
tago lanceolata).
111400 Med. MS. in A rchxologia XXX. 356 Take jws of
launsele I seye W y whyte of tweyne eyre. 1338 TURNER
Libcllus, Lancell, Plantago.
t La ncely, a. Obs. In 6 launcely. [f. LANCE
sb. 1 + -LT !.] Proper to a lance ; Innoe-like.
a 1386 SIDNEY Arcadia It. (1622) 179 His Lances . . strong
to giue a launcely blow indeede.
t La ncement. Obs. rare - . [f. LANCE v.
+ -MENT. Cf. F. lanccment.] The action of
lancing or cutting ; an incision.
1658 SIR T. MAYERNE Archimag. Anglo-Gall, xix. 15 You
must make some Lancements or inlets [in the fowl] . . that
your said spices may the better hold or fasten.
t La acent, a. and sb. Obs. Also 5 lanca-
aunt, lawncent. [a. F. lanfant, pres. pple. of
lancer LANCE z>.] A., adj. That lances, adapted for
lancing. B. s/>. = LANCET (if not n scribal error).
< 1400 tr. Secrettt Secret., Gov. Lordsh. in Ober Instru
ment^ perceaunt & lanceaunt. 1:1440 Protttp. Parv. 290
Lawncent [v. r. lawnset], or blode yryne, lanceola. 1622
MABBE tr. Alemans Guzman d Alf. II. 142 It is now
a great while agoe since I finger d my fleame or lancent.
LailCeolar (la ns <?laj), a. [f. L. lanceola
(see next) + -AK.] = next.
1810 Asiatic Res. XI. 165 Leaves broad, lanceolar, sub-
sessile on their sheath.
Lanceolate (la ns#I<*t), a. Chiefly in scientific
use. [ad. L. lanceoldtus, f. lanceola small lance ; in
med.L. lancet, dim. of lancea. LANCE sby\ Resem
bling a spear-head in shape ; narrow and tapering
to each end.
1760 J. LEE Introd. Bot. 111. V. (1765) 176 Lanceolate,
Spear-shaped ; when the Figure is oblong, narrowing
gradually at each End towards the Extremity. 1794
MARTYS Rousseau s Bot. xxii. 313 Toadflax has linear leaves
inclining to lanceolate. 1843 LINDI.EY Sch. Bot. iv. (1858)
26 IVovd Anemone. . . Leaflets lanceolate, lobed, and cut.
1851-6* WOODWARD Mollusca 69 l.oligo vulgaris . . . Pen
lanceolate, with the shaft produced in front. 1869 GILLMOKK
tr. Figit ier s Reptiles ff Birds ii. 46 The broad, flat, and lanceo
late form of head is exemplified in certain Tree Snakes.
1 b. Used for lancet-shaped .
1883 Century Mag. Apr. 821/1 The long, shapeless splits
in the walls became the delicate lanceolate windows.
C. Comb., signifying lanceolate and ... , be
tween lanceolate and . . . , as lanceolate-acute,
-linear, -subulate adjs. ; also in qnasi-Lat. form
lanceolate-, as lanceolato-hastate, -subulate adjs.
1806 GALPINE Brit. Bot. 184 L[eaves] lanceolato-hastate.
1836 LOUDON Encycl. Plants 897 Sffitiffiiiiin cuspidatiun..
Leaves lanceolato-subulate lax. 1845 LINDI.EY Sch. Bot. vi.
(1858) 82 Leaves green, smooth, lanceolate-linear. 1847 W. ^
STEELE Field Hot. 73 Sep[als] lanceolate-acute. 1870 HOOKER
Stud. Flora 240 Sepals slender lanceolate-subulate.
Hence La nceolately adv., in a lanceolate shape.
Also Lauccola tion, the property of being lanceo
late (in recent Diets.).
1871 H. C. WOOD Fresh.Wa.ter Algx 109 [Chsterium]
Narrowly lanceolately-fusiform.
Lanceolated (la-ns^l^ted), a. [formed as
LANCEOLATE + -ED.] = LANCEOLATE.
1752 SIR J. HILL Hist. Anim. 78 The sharp-horned
Phala:na . . with white lanceolated wings. 1753 CHAMBERS
Cycl. Supp. s.v. Leaf, Lanceolated Leaf. 1769 PENNANT
Zool. III. 62 The tail is lanceolated and sharp at the end.
1782 MAUHAU. in / Ail. Trans. LXXIII. 220 A delicate
point or sting.. which on a cursory view appears to be a
simple lanceolated instrument. 1821 SCOTT Pirate xxv,
The votary dropped his offering . . through the mullions of
a lanceolated window.
Lancepesade, lanceprisado (lans,peza-d,
a do). Hist. Forms : a. 6 lancepezzade,
f .
45
7 lance-, lans Vposade. -ado, lanspasata, 8
lancepesata, lauspessade. Ci. AKSPESSADE.
. 7 lancepers-, -pres-, -prez-, -pris, -prizade,
-ado, lans-, launcepres-. -prisade, -ado, 9 lance-
prisade. [a. F. lancepcssade (now anJtpersade]
* lancepesado, the meanest officer in a foot-com
pany (Cotgr.), ad. It. landa spezzata, lit. broken
lance (spezzare to break in pieces, dispiece ,
f. j- = dis- + pezza piece). For the quasi-Sp.
ending of some forms see -ADO; the forms with r
are due to association with Sp. preset grip, clutch.
The It. word is recorded only in the senses one of a
prince s bodyguard and (in //,) soldiers of a superior class
not included in the ordinary companies ; Flono (s.v.
Sfezzato) renders it a demi-lance, light horseman ; Italian
etymologists suggest that the primary sense was one whose
lance has often been shivered in warfare, one who has seen
much service (Tommaseo s.v, Spe~zatd). The peculiar Fr.
and Eng. sense (~ lance-corporal j can be accounted fur only
conjecturally, but it may have arisen from the practice of
appointing specially experienced privates, in emergencies,
to act as officers of the lowest rank.]
a. (See quot. 1578.) b. A non-commissioned
officer of the lowest grade ; a lance-corporal.
1578 FENTON Guicciard. \\, 104 The Marquis . . being
followed with a valiant companye of younge gentlemen and
Lancepezzades (these are braue and proued souldiers inter-
teyned aboue the ordinary companies). 1605 Tryall Chcv.
in. i. in liullen O. I i, III. 305 The tother Launcepresado.
[Applied derisively by a soldier to an officer of high rank.]
1611 CHAPMAN May D ay Plays 1873 II. 390 Serjeant Piemeat,
Corporall Conny, Lancepmado Larke. 1617 MIDDLKTON &
ROWLEY FairQuarrcl iv. iv, I will learne to roarc, and still
maintain the name of captaine over these Launcepresadoes.
1625 MARKHAM Soldier s Accitf. 7 The Lan>.presado. .in the
Corporalls absence, as vpon a guard or otherwise, doth all
the Corporalls duties. 1708 Loud. Gnz. No. 4420 7, 10 Ser
jeants, 10 Corporals, 10 Lanspessades. 1758 I. WATSON
Milit. Diet. (ed. 5) Lancepes<idt\ an inferior Officer, sub
ordinate to the Corporal, to assist him in his Duty, and
supply his Place in his Absence. 1826 SCOTT Woodst,
xxxiv, Thou, Zerubbabel Robins, I know wilt be their
lance-prisade.
C. transf.
a 1605 POI.WART Fly Sing iv. Montgomerie 795 Beld bi^set !
marmUsed ! lansprezed to the lownes ! 1622 MASSINGI-K
Vii g. Mart- n. i, 1 his LJacchus, who is. . lance prezade to led
noses, a 1700 B. E. Diet. Cunt, Crfiv, L,AHspresado^ he
that comes into Company with but Two pence in his
Pocket.
% In the Italian sense (see above) with corrupt
It. form.
1687 I,ond. Gaz. No. 2250/3 His Eminencies own Equipage
consisted of. .12 Pages, as many Lanspasatas or Gentlemen,
walking on foot by him, 12 more on Horse-back (etc.].
Lancequenet, ODS. variant of LAWSQUEHKT.
tlia ncer 1 . Obs. Forms: 5 lanceour, 6-7
lauiicer, 7 lancer, [ad. OF. lanceor, /atia-ur,
f. lancer to lance, throw, or f. LANCE v. + -Eit 1 .]
One who, or that which lances, in senses of the vb.
1. One who lances or throws (a dart).
1422 tr. Secretct Secret,, /V/r . / //* . 215 Archeri>, abblastre-^,
and Lanceouris of Dai tes brandynge.
2. LANCET.
1537 Matthew s Bible, i Kings xviii. 28 They . . cut them
selues as their maner was with knyues and launcers [1611
lancers]. 1587 MASCALL Gov. Cattle (1627) 177 Raze him
with a crooked launcer, from the heele to the toe. 1611
FLOKIO, Lanciatore^ a launcer. 1614 T. WHITE Martyrd.
St. George C b. The Pincers, Lancers, Hunger, Thirst did
tyre His holy bodie. 01625 BOYS Wks, (1629-30) 39 They
see him whetting his lancer to cut the throat of the disease.
1688 R. HOLME Armoury in. 324/2 Another [Farriers Instru
ment] with a sharp point, called a Lancer.
Lvncer 2 (Ja nsai). Form* : 6 lancere, 6-7
launder, 6-8 lancier, 7 lanceer(e, launceer,
launcer, 7- lancer, [a. or ad. F. lander^ f. lance
LANCE j(M Cf. late L. lancedrius or lanciarius^\
1. A (cavalry) soldier armed with a lance ; now
only, a soldier belonging to one of certain regi
ments officially called Lancers.
In the British army there are now six regiments of
Lancers, the 5th, gth, i2th, i6th, zyth, and 2ist. They are
armed with carbine (formerly sword i and pistol as well as
lance.
1590 MARLOWE md Pt. Tamburl. i. u. Fsh, Backt by
stout Lanceres of Germany. x6n SPEED Hist. Gt. Brit.
ix. xiii. 107. 740 In his Company were, .not aboue fifteene
Landers. 1611 FLORIO, Lanciere, a launcier. 1648 Lane.
Tracts (Chetham Soc.) 261 Collonal Thornhaugh . . was
slaine, being ran into the body, and thigh, and head, by the
enemies Launcers. 1712 Perquisite Monger 14 Invested
with the Command of a Regiment of Horse and a Troop of
Lanciers. 1833 Reg-ul. Instr. Cavalry i. 159 The lancer is
to have his lance near the right foot. 1879 CasselCs Techn,
Educ. III. 362 The lancer has sword and pistol besides his
lance.
transf. .7.1657 LOVELACE Poems (1864) 177 The heron
mounted doth appear On his own Peg sus a lanceer.
2. //. The name of a species of quadrille. Also
the music proper to this dance.
1862 A thenxunt 25 Jan. 1 1 1 The Lancers *, now so fashion
able, was introduced by Laborde in 1836. 1868 B. HARTE
Arctic Vision, Trip it all ye merry dancers In the airiest of
lancers. 1870 H. SMART Race for Wife i, As she whirls by
in the Valse, or glides in front of them in the Lancers.
3. attrib and Com/ ., as lancer-braiding, -cap t
-regiment ; also lancer-like adj.
1897 Daily Nnvs *6 Mar. 6/4 Bolero white cloth is
arranged under the *lancer braiding. 1844 W. H. MAX
WELL Sports *r Adv. ScotL iii. (1855) 45 The lancer cap and
LANCHABA.
green habit of the Honourable Juliana Bcningfkld ! 1892
E. RF.EVKS Homeward Hound 248 Making .. quadrille and
*lancer-like figures with sudden turns on the toes. 1868
Regul.fyOrd. Army* 1146 In a *lancer Regiment, the Men
who collected the lances, are to be marched to the baggage
waggons.
Ijancet (la nset). Forms: 5 Ian-, lawncette,
lawnaet, 6 launcette, 6-8 launcet, 6- lancet.
[ad. OF. F. lancette, dim. of lance LANCE sb.^ Cf.
It. lancelta.]
fl- a. ?A small lance, a dart. b. In whale-
fishery = LANCE sbl 2. Obs.
c 1420 Siege Rouen in Archxologia XXI. 52 And also
lawnsetys were leydc on hey, For to schete both ferre an
n ey. 1752 BOND in / ////. Trans. XLVII. 430 Which the
fishers observing, row up and dispatch the whale with long
lancets.
2. A surgical instrument of various forms usually
with two edges and a point like a lance, used for
bleeding, opening abscesses, etc.
1440 [see LANCKNT]. 1474 CAXTON Chesse 86 He dyd his
vysage to be kutte wyth a knyf and lancettis endlong and
overtnwart. 1530 PAI.SCR. 237/1 Lancet, an instrument,
lancftte. 1543 TKAHERON I lgo^s Chirnrg. (15861 64 Cut the
Scrophule . . with a sharpe instrument, as with a lanncet.
1612 WOOD ALL Surg. Jilate Wks. ( 165^1 18 Without question
each Surgeons Mate knoweth a Launcet as well as myself.
1665 BOYLE Occas. Rtfl. n. iv, And calls fur a Lancet, rather
than a Julep. 1775 SIIFKI DAN St. Fatr. Day i.i, Such an arm
for a bandage, veins that seemed to invite the Lancet. 1837
W. IRVING Capl. Konne- ille III. 146 When they underwent
the operation of the lancet, the doctor s wife and another lady
were present. 1856 DKUIIT Surgeon s I ade tttCi ni f 631 The
operator, .pushes the lancet obliquely into the vein.
b. Ent. (See quot.)
1826 KIRBV & Si-. EntomoL III. 362 Scalfella (the Lancets\
a pair of instruments, usually more slender than the Cultelli,
which probably enter the veins or sap-vessels, and together
with them form a tube for suction.
3. Short for lancet-arch ^ -light ^ -window.
1848 R. WEED Continent. Rcclcsiol. 45 Two stapes of tall
Pointed arches, and a hui;e lancet within each. 1864 TENNY
SON Ay Inter s l \ 622 Greenish glimmerings through the
lancets. 1879 SIR G. SCOTT Led. Archit. \. 296 Some
gable-end with its lofty lancets shows the noble scale of the
ancient church,
4. attrib. ai;d Comb., as lancet edge, ^-ichthyo-
dont \ lancet-shaped adj. ; lancet-fish, Ihe doctor-
fish (Acanthurus] ; f lancet-loupe, a loophole
for throwing darts (cf. I a\
1875 Carpentry fy Join. 52 A side fillster. .having a second
point or *lancet edge to cut the fibres across as the work
proceeds. 1840 MUDIE C lifter s Anim. Kingd. 11849) 33
Acafithnrus, Lancet-fishes, have., a strong spine on each
side of the tail, as sharp as a lancet, with which they inflict
severe wounds. 1708 rhil. Trans. XXVI. 78 The *Lancet
or Mucronated Ichthyodont. 1562 PHAER &neid IX. Ccj,
The Troyans. .through their *launcet loupes their whirling
darts do thick bestowe. 1899 CAGNEY tr. Jaksch s Clin.
Diagn. vi. {ed. 4) 232 Certain *lancet-shaped bodies.
b. Arch.) as lancet arch, one with an acutely-
pointed head resembling the blade of a lancet ;
lancet window, a high and narrow window ter
minating in a lancet arch ; similarly, lancet Gothic ,
lancet light , lancet style.
1823 P. NICHOLSON I ract. Build. 587 Lancet-arch. 1848
RICKMAN Archit. 50 Lancet arches. .have a radius longer
than the breadth of the arch, 1836 Gentl. Afnp. Feb. 164/2
A chapel .. The style is the "lancet Gothic. 1874 PAHKER
doth. Archit. 1. iv. 131 In the transept of Salisbury Cathedral
. .is a good example of a window of four "lancet-lights. 1849
FREEMAN Archit. 352 The details lose the great distinctness
of the *Lancet style. 1781 J. WARTON Kiddington (1783) 17
Mouldings of *lancet windows. 1866 G. MACDONALD Ann.
Q. Xeighh. ii. (1878) 20 The dusky light that came through
a small lancet window.
Hence Xiancetee-r, one who uses a lancet; a
surgeon. Lance ted a., (of a window) having a
lancet arch ; (of a church) having lancet-windows.
1824 Examiner 8/2 A person named Mort-r, a lanceteer,
residing in the same place. 1855 Wni.\vi:u, in Mrs S.
Douglas Life (1881) 562 Where, rich -glowing, the light
streams through the lanceted window. 1864 C ROWDY C/t.
Choirmaster 27 A little lancetted church.
Laiicewood (la*nS|Wud). [f. LANCE sb.^ +
WOOD .r.] a, A tough elastic wood imported
chiefly from the West Indies, used foi carriage-shafts,
fishing-rods, cabinet-work, etc. Also, a fishing-rod
made of this wood. b. A tree yielding this wood ;
the best known ATS jDugUftia qnifarensishom Cuba
and Guiana and Oxandra virgata from Jamaica.
4 The name in Australia is given to Backhonsia inyrtifolia
and in New Zealand to Panaxcrassifolinm (Morris Austral
Eng. 1898).
1697 DAMPIER I oy. I. 118 The Lancewood grows strait
like our young Ashes; it is very hard, tough and heavy.
1756 P. BROWNE Jamaica 177 The aculeated Lyciitm or
Lance-wood. This shrub is common in most parts of the
island. 1858 O. W. HOLMES Ant. Breakf. (1883 221 He
sent for lancewood to make the thills. 1879 Cassetfs Techn.
Educ. IV. 160/2 The very best ash.. is greatly inferior to
lance-wood both in strength and elasticity. 1895 Outing
(U.S.) XXVI. 376/1 We put the little lancewoods together
andr,tartedout.
Lanch, obs. form of LAUNCH $b. and v.
t Laiicliara. Obs. Also 7 lanchare, 9
LANTCHA. [a. Pg. lanchara^ ad. Malay lancharan
(Kinkert), f. lanchar quick, nimble.] A kind of
small vessel often mentioned in the Portuguese
histories of the i6th and I7th centuries
LANCIFEROUS.
1653 H. COGAN tr. Pinto s Trai . ix. 27 These things being
laden aboard a Lanchara with oars. Ibid. vii. 18 Five Lan-
chares.
Lanchet : see LAXDSHARD.
t Lanci ferous, a. 06s. rare ". [f. med.L.
lancifer ((. lanc-ea lance -r -(i)fer bearing) + -ous.]
IJearing a lance.
1656 in BLOUNT Glossogr. 1676 in COLKS.
Iianciform (la-nsifim), a. [f. LANCE sb. +
-(IJFOBM.] l.ance or lancet-shaped.
1855 in MAYNE Expas. Lex. 1861 Sat. Rer. 27 July 102
These humble buildings have sometimes no east window at
all : at other times only a single narrow lanciform light.
Iiancinate (lu nsin?t:<, v. rare. \l.\,.lanci-
nat-, piil. stem of lancinare to rend, tear to pieces
(rendered to strike, thrust through in Cooper
Thesaurus 1565).] trans. To pierce, tear.
1603 HAHSNET J o/>. Impost. 91 Blacke hel-mettaK . to
excoriat and lancinate a deuil. 1623 COCKF.RAM, Laticinatc,
to thrust through. 1876 Overmatched I. vii. 117 How had
she lancinated the wound, already, as she could see, quick
and bleeding !
Lancinating (lu-nsin< T iin), ///. a. [f. prec.
+ -JNO-.] Chiefly of pain : Acute, darling, piercing.
1762 R. GUY Pract. Of s. Cancers 77 She complained of
frequent lancinating Pains. 1804 ABEUNKTHY Surf. Obs.
39 1 he pain is lancinating. 1813 J. THOMSON Led. liiflam.
473 A burning and lancinating sensation. 1861 F. H.
KAMADGK Curabil. Cmaumfttm 71 Lancinating pains
shooting in the direction of the ear.
fit?. 1814 Sporting Mtiff. Xl.IV. 147 He inflicts, without
mercy, the most ingenious, home-directed and ino-u lancinat
ing cuts. 1894 H atut. Caz. 12 Feb. 3/2 Simplicity in re
counting his own exploits excuses lancinating criticisms
al out other people.
Lancinatiou lansinl -Jsn). [as if ad. L. *lan-
cinStiSn-em, n. of action f. lancinare to LANCIN-
ATK.] The action of lancinating ; cutting, lancing.
1630 DONNE Serin, xiii. i v Every Sin is an Incision of the
Soule, a Landnation, a Phlebotomy, a 1670 HACKF.T Cent.
Serin. 2^1 He took upon him to cure us. .by cutting and
lancination.
b. Iransf. A cutting into, an indentation.
1650 FULLER I isgak n. v. xii. 164 Undoubtedly Judah
his portion made many incisures and lancinations into the
Tribe of Simeon, hindering the entireness thereof.
C. fig. Piercing pain ; ncute agony.
i649"ji:H. TAYLOR Gt. E.rtmf. l. Exhortation 15 With what
affections and lancinations of spirit, with what effusions of
love, Jesus prayed. 1669 Addr. Hopeful J onng Gentry 62
[Love] breaks in upon you withal the noise, tumult and
lancination of distracted passions.
Lancing (krnsiij), vbl. sb. [f. LANCE z>. + -ING .]
1. The action of the vb. LANCE in various senses :
e.g. ta. Launching (of boats), t b. Piercing,
pricking, c. Cutting with a lancet.
1470-83 MALORY Artlutr XXL ii, Thenne there was laun-
cynge of grete botes and smal. 1592 UAVIKS Iminort. Soul
n. vii. (17141 28 The cruel Lancing of the knotty Gout.
1638 BAKKK tr. Btihfu- s Lett. (vol. II* 202 Yon make with
it [syllogisme] a wholesome and delightful lancing. 1645
MILTON Tclraclt. Introd., Wks. 1851 IV. 140 The launcing of
that old apostemated error. 1655 Woon Life 17 Dec., Which
caused a swelling in his cheek, .and that a lancins thereof,
which made him unfit to appeare in public. 1677 GALE
Crt. Gentiles III. 105 God forbids his people this funeral rite
of cutting and lancing because abused to Demon-idolatrie.
attrib. 1530 PALSGK. 604/2, I launce a sore, as a cyrurgien
dothe with a launsyng yron. 1859 SALA Gas-light ff I), x.
119 He has curiously a dominant passion for leaping, darting
the lancing pole, .and other feats of strength and agility.
2. Acting as a lancer.
1838-9 THACKERAY M<ijor Galiagan iii, A ball . .put a stop
to his lancing.
Lancing (Icrnsirj), ///. a. [f. LANCE v. +
INQ".] That lances: a. Darling forward ; fig.
? bold, dashing, b. Of a ship : Launching, put
ting forth, c. Cutting, piercing.
1573 L. LLOID rilgr. Pi-inces (1586) 6 b, Hercules, .hearde
the offers of these two launcing Ladies. 1635 PERSON
Varieties \. 12 The Comets, and these lancing Dragons,
and falling Stars, &c.. .we visiblysee. 1647 STANLEY / reti s
Onmta (16,0) 5 Along the shore the wretched mothers stray
. .The lancing ships beholding from on high. 1697 DRYDEN
l irff. Georg. in. 695 When the launcing Knife requires his
hands. 1756 MOUNSKY in rliil. Trans. 1. 20 But the scene
soon began again with lancing pain in the left eye.
Land (loend), sb. Forms: i-land; also l, 3-5
7 lond, 4-6 londe, 4-7 lande, (3 loande, 4 loond,
lent, j lonnde, lannde, S-t/Sc. Ian, Ian ). [Com.
Teut. : OE. land, Ipnd sir. neut. = OFris. land, lond,
OS. (Du., LG.) land, OHG. lant (MHG. lant,
land-, mod.G. laiiif), ON. (S\v., Da.) and Goth.
land: OTetit. *lfindo m , cogn. w. OCeltic *landd
fem. (Irish land, lann enclosure, Welsh Han en
closure, church, Cornish Ian, Breton lann heath),
whence the F. lande, heath, moor. The pre-Teut.
*londh- is not evidenced in the other Aryan langs.,
but an ablaut-variant *lend/t- appears in DSL Ifdina
heath.desert (Russian -lima, Manila , and in MSw.,
mod.Sw. linda waste or fallow land ]
I. The simple word.
1. The solid portion of the earth s surface, as
opposed to sea, water. d.Jirm land (see FIRM a.
8), DRY LAND, t Occas. classed as one of the
elements = EAKTH st. 1 14. Often in phr. to
land, on land (cf. ALAND), by land (in quot. 1841
transf.} ; also t "t land - on land, ashore.
46
Beow u If 1623 Com ba to lande lidmanna helm swiSmod
swymman. 900 tr. Bseda s /list. n. iii. (1890) 104 Seo is
monigra folca ceapstow oflonde & of sae cumendra. ^1205
LAY. 117 On Italise he com on lond. 1:1250 Gen. fy Ex. 103
It hiled al Sis werldes drof, And fier, and walkne, and
water, and lond. < 1300 Ha-cclok 721 Fro londe wortn he
bote a mile. 13. . E. E. Allit. P. C. 322 pe barrez of vche
a honk ful bigly me haldes, pat I may lacbche no lont.
c 1330 R. BRUNNE Chron. (1810) 266 Nou^er suld werri
hi lond, no in water hi schip. c 1386 CHAUCER Man
of Law s Prol, 29 Ye seken lond and see for yowre
wynnynges. ^1400 MAUNDKV. (1839) i. 6 He may go by
many Weyes, bothe on See and Londe. 1339 TAVKRNER
Erasnt. Prov. (1552) 13 It is most pleasaunte rowynge nere
the land, and walkyn^e nere the sea. 1590 SPENSEH F. Q.
in. ii. 7 To hunt out perilles. . By sea, by land, where .-.o they
may be mett. 1604 E. G[RIMSTONE] D Acostas Hist. Indies
n. xi. 107 We feele greater heat at land then at sea. Ibid.
in. ii. 118 It behooves vs now to treateof the three elements,
aire, water and land. 1610 SHAKS. Temp. n. i. 122, I not
doubt He came aliue to Land. 1667 MILTON / . L. xi. 337
His Omnipresence fills Land, Sea, and Aire. 1673 tr.
Machiavelli s Prince xii. (1883) 82 They began to enterprise
at land. 1719 DE FOE Crusoe \. viii, I fairly descry d Land,
whether an Island or a Continent, I could not tell. 1798
COLERIDGE Anc. Mar. vn. xiii, And now, all in my own
countree, I stood on the firm land ! 1841 FR. A. KEMBLK
Rcc. Later Life (1882) II. 142 At the beginning of railroad
travelling, persons who preferred posting on the high road
were said to go by land. 1849-50 ALISON Hist. Enrobe
VIII. 628 All the great defeats of France at land have come
from England 1863 KINGSI.EY Herew. \. (1877) 44, I was
never afraid . . to speak my mind to them, by sea or land.
b. Nautical phrases. *|" 7 o take land : to come
to land ; to land, go ashore. Land to : jost within
sight of land, when at sea. f To raise land: to
sail with the land just within sight. To lay the
land: to lose sight of land, f To set {the} land , to
take the bearings of land. Land ho! a cry of
sailors when first sighting land. Land shut in
(see quot. 1753).
1330 R. I>Ri NNE Chron. (1810) 59 Whan J>e kyng wist,
bat bei had taken land, c 1375 BAKBOUR Bruce xvi. 551
Quhill thai.. On vest half, toward Dunfermlyne, Tuk land.
a 1533 Ln. BEKNEKS Hnon xiii. 528 They . . aryuyd at the
porte uf Mar>eyle there they toke londe. IvttCoTGtLfSttrV/ ft
to arriue, take land, goe ashore. 1627 CAPT. SMITH Sea-
man s Grant, ix. 43 One to the top to looke out for land,
the man cries out Land to ; which is iust so farre as a ken
ning, or a man may see the land. And to lay a land is to saile
from it iust so farre as you can see it. 1633 ! . JAMES Voy. 28
We hull d off, North North-East, but still raised land. 1669
STORMY Mariners Afag. i. 21 When we set Land, some
this, some that do gue^s. 1753 CHAMBERS Cycl. Supp. s.v.,
Land shut in, at sea. When another point of land hinders
the sight of that which a ship came from, then they say the
land is shut in. Setting the Land, at sea, is observing by
the compass how it bears. 1769 FALCONER Diet. Marine
(1780), Terre guifnit, double-land, or land shut in behind
a cape or promontory. 1840 R. H. DANA lief. Mast iv. 8
A man on the forecastle called out Land ho !
c. l j hr. How the land lies: primarily Xaut. (see
quot. a 1700) ; now chiefly y%l = what is the state
of affairs.
a 1700 B. E. Diet. Cant. Crew, Hmv lies the Land? How
stands the Reckoning? 1809 MALKIN Git Bias vii. vii.
(Rtldg.) 14 Several gentlemen .. had a mind to feel how
the land lay, 1870 Miss BRIDGMAN Ro. Lynne I. vii. 99
Uncle Charles s eyes had discovered how the land lay as
regarded Rose and himself.
td. A tract of land. Also transf. of ice. Obs.
1604 E. G[KIMSTONE] D Acostas Hist. Indies in. x. 153 j
There is a straight and a long and stretched out land on
eyther side. 1652 NEEDHAM tr. Sflden s Mare Cl. To Rdr.,
A large Bay or inlet of the Sea, .. entering in betwixt two
lands. 1669 STURMY Mariner s Mag. iv. 139 Captain Luke
Fox in his North-West Discoveries . . complained fearfully
of the fast Lands of Ice upon those Coasts.
2. Ground or soil, esp. as having a particular use
or particular properties. Often with defining word,
as arable land, corn-land, plough-land, slubble land.
r8zs I esp, Psalter cvii. 37 And seowun lond & plantadon
win^eardas. 01050 Liber Srintill. x. (1889) 51 F;crlic
swiSlic storm on hryre landu [L. artta] forhwyrfS. -1050
Snpp. ,-Elfrics I oc. in Wr.-Wiilcker 177/11 Seges, ^esawen
a;cer vel land. cisSo WYCLIF Serin. Sel. Wks. II. 3s Lond
weleerid and weldungid. c 1420 Pal/ad. on Hnsb.\. STilynge
is vs to write of euery londe. 1475 Pict. l- oc. in Wr.-
W dicker 796 Hec boi>ata, a hoxgangyn lond. . . Hec inrgata,
a eryd lond. Hie selis, a ryggyd lond. 1631 MILTON
IS Allegro 64 While the Plowman neer at hand, Whistles
ore the Furrow d Land. 1697 DRYDF.N Virg. Georg. in. 605
And from the marshy Land Salt Herbage for the fodd ring
Rack provide. 1727-32 CHAMBERS Cycl. s.v. Mushroom,
They are never found out on burnt lands. 1752 HUMK Ess.
fy Treat. (1777 1.283 I" England, the land is rich, but coarse.
1813 SHELLEY Q, Mab v. 8 Loading with loathsome rottenness
the land. 1849 MACAULAY Hist. Eng. v. I. 593 The land to a
great extent round his pleasure grounds was in his own hands.
1856 OLMSTKD Slave States 616 The conversation was almost
exclusively confined to the topics of steam-boats,.. black-
land, red-land, bottom-land, timber-land [etc.].
fb. poet. = GROUND in various senses. Obs.
a 1000 Cxdinoifs Gen. 203 (Gr.) Inc is ., wilde deor on
jeweald ?;eseald & lifi^ende, 5a o"e land tredaS. 14..
Fencing ?c. Tivo Handed Sword in Rel. Ant. I. 309 Freely
smyte thy strokis by dene. And hold wel thy lond that hyt
may be sene. 1596 SPENSER F. Q. v. vii. 7 Her seHe uppon
the land She did prostrate. 1716 POPE Hiad \\\. 18 He..
roll d, with Limbs relax d, along the Land.
3. A part of the earth s surface marked off by
natural or political boundaries or considered as an
integral section of the globe ; a country, territory.
Also put for the people of a country.
(Spmetimes defined by a phrase containing the name of the
country or stating one of its prominent characteristics or
LAND.
products, as the land of Egypt ^ the land of the midnight
sun, the land of the chrysanthemum^ etc. Cf. b and c.)
725 Corpus Gloss. 1995 Tern tori urn t lond. 1x900 O.K.
Chron, an. 787 (Parker MS.) pa;t wseron ba a:restan scipu
Dcniscra monna be Angel cynnes lond ^esohtun. 971 Blickl.
Jioift.iy7 ponne is sea cirice on Campania baes landes ^emairo,
1134 O.E. Chron. an. 1132 (Laud MS.) Dis J$ear com Henri
king to bis land, c 1205 LAY. 1244 Albion hatte bat lond.
1397 A . Clone. (Rolls) 10154 He sende to alle be bissopes
of bis lond is sonde. a 1300 Cursor M. 3766 pis esau..
Oute o be land did iacob chace. 13.. E. E. Allit. P.
A. 936 In ludy londe. 1382 WYCLIF Gen. xxi. 33 Abyma-
!ech .. and Phicol .. turneden a5en into the loond of
Palestynes. 1:1400 Destr. Troy 13932, I haue faryn out of
fere lannd my fader to seche. 14.. Sir Beiies 2327 {MS. M.)
All the lend after hem drowse Armyd with good harnes
inou^e. 14. . Dyal. Gent. <y Husb. in Rede we, etc. (Arb.)
148 God left neuer lande yet vnpunished which agaynst his
worde made resistence. < 1450 Merlin vb Vortiger .. often
tyme faught so with them that he drof hem oute of hys
londe. 1333 COVCRDALE Exod. iii. 8 To carye them out of
that londe, in to a good and wyde londe, euen in to a londe
that floweth with mylke and hony. 1611 BIBLE Josh. ii. i
Go, view the land, euen lericho. Isa. ix. i When at the
first he lightly afflicted the land of Zehulun and the land of
Naphtali. 1629 MILTON Hymn Nativity 221 He feels from
Juda s Land The d redded Infants hand. 1697 DRYDEN
s-7 . turis vn. 148 These Answers in the silent Night receiv d
The King himself divulg d, the Land believ d. x77oGoi.DSM.
Des t Village 51 111 fares the land, to hastening ills a prey,
Where wealth accumulates, and men decay. 1819 SHELLEY
Peter Bell v. xv, He made songs for all the land Sweet both
to feel and understand. 1849 MACAULAY Hist. Eng. iii. I.
279 In our own land, the national wealth has, during at least
six centuries, been almost uninterruptedly increasing.
fig. 1593 SHAKS. Lvcr. 439 Htr bare brest, the heart of all
her land. 1595 John \\. ii. 245 In the body of this fleshly
Land, This kingdome, this Confine of blood, and breathe.
b. Phrases. Law of the land (^ lamfs law : see
LAND-LAW i): see LAW j.l Land of promise
(^ promission, ^repromission, -^behest], promised
land: see PROMISE sl>., etc. Land of cakes (Sc.) :
see CAKE sb. i b. See also HOLY LAND.
(1300 [see BEHEST $l>. ij. c 1400 MAUNDEV. (Roxb.) Pref. i
l>e land of repromission, bat men calles be Haly I^ind. 1513
liKAnsHAW St. H erl tii ge I. 1612 Duke Iosue..Ledynge the
Isrehelytes to the lande of prnmyssyon. c 1730 P.LRT Lett.
N. Scotl. (1760) II. xxiv. 271 The Lowlanders call their part
of the Country the Land of Cakes, a 1846 J. IMLAH Song,
Land o 1 Cakes, An fill ye up and toast the cup, The land
o cakes for ever.
c. fig. ^ Realm, domain. Land oj the &a/(Sc.) :
the realm of the blessed departed, heaven. Land of
the living: the present life. In the land of the living
^a Hebraism); alive. Land of Nod\ see NOD.
^825 I esp. Psalter cxiv. 9 In londe lif^endra. ^1230
Halt Mciei. 13 Ibis world |>at is icleopet lond of unlicnesse.
13. . Minor i oftusfr. I crnon MS. (E. E. T. S.) 637/22 Ye
shal not with-outen Strif fro this world passe to be lond of
lyf. 16x1 BIBLE Jer. xi. 19 Let vs cut him off from the
land of the liuing. 1671 MILTON Samson 99 As in the land
of darkness yet in light, To live a life half dead, a living
death. 1707 Curios, in thisb. <$- Card. 313 In the Land of
Nature we are often out of our Knowledge. 1798 LADY
NAIRNE Song, The Land of the Ltal, I m wearin awa*
John, .. To the land o the leal. 1806-7 J- BERESFORD
Miseries Hum. Li/s(iB26) vi. Introd. 116 You d better have
sent out Jedidiah Buxton if he is still in the land of the
living. 1819 J. HODGSON in Raine Mem. (1857) I. 223, I was
frequently travelling in the Land of Nod. 1836 IRVING As
toria 1. 1 29 They dug a grave, .in which they deposited the
corpse, with a biscuit .. and a small quantity of tobacco, as
provisions for its journey in the land of spirits. 1871 MOKLEY
Voltaire (1886) 10 There are unseen lands of knowledge and
truth beyond the present.
td. In ME. poetry used vaguely in certain
expletive phrases : on or in land, to come to land.
Cf similar uses of TOWN. Obs.
c \\i$Laittb. Horn. 65 To eni monne bet is on londe. c 1300
Harnnv. Hell 46 pritti winter and bridde half Jer, Haul
woned in londe her. c 1320 Cast. Ltn-e 551 Maken 1 chulle
Pees to londe come,. .And sauen at be folk in londe. c 1380
Sir l erunib. 2793 Welawo to longe y lyue in londe. c 1386
CHAUCER Sir Thopas 176 His steede .. gooth an Amhil in
the way Ful softely and rounde In londe.
U e. U.S. Substituted euphemistically for Lord,
in phrases the land knows, Good land !
1849 Miss WARNER tt ide wide World xiv, But what are
they called turnpikes for? The land knuws I don t .
1889 MARK TWAIN Yankee Crt. K. Arthur xi. no Good
land ! a man can t keep his functions regular on spring
chickens thirteen hundred years old.
4. Ground or territory as owned by a person or
viewed as public or private property; landed
property. (Common, concealed, copyhold, debatable,
demesne, fabric, fiscal land or lands : see the
defining words. Also BOND-LAND, CROWN-LAND i.)
971 Bttt&L How. 51 pa teoban sceattas . . ^e on lande, je
on obrum bingum, ^1205 LAY. 3914 His lond he huld half
jer. a 1300 Cursor M. 4033 To dele (>air landes bam be-
tuixs bat aiber migbt bam aid wit his. 1362 LANGL. / . PI.
A. vn. 295 Laborers that haue no lond to liuen on bote
heore honden. c 1386 CHAUCER Prol. 579 Worthy to been
stywardes of rente and loud Of any lord that is in Engelond.
1509 HAWES Past. Pleas, xvi. (Percy Soc.) 72 Borne to great
land, treasure, and substaimce. 1587 LADY STAFFORD in
Collect. (O. H. S.I I. 209 They have recovered their land,
with the Arrerajres. 1602 SHAKS. Hani. v. i. 113 This fellow
might be in s time a great buyer of Land. 1611 BIBLE
2 Kings viii. 3 She went foorth to crie vino the king for her
house, and for her land. 1732 I I-.RKELEY Alciphy. i. i A
convenient house with a hundred acres of land adjoining
to it. 1849 MACAULAY Hist. Eng. vi. II. 142 He had no
intention of depriving the English colonists of their land.
1878 IP.VONS Prim. Pol. Kcon. 12 Some one will say that
he U beyond question rich, who owns a great deal of land.
LAND.
47
LAND.
b. //. Territorial possessions. ( Also rarely in
sing., a piece of landed property, an estate in land.
-looo &LPRIC Saints 1 Lives (1885) I. 192 Feower land he
fur^eaf fur5 In mid him jelbeodigum to andfencge and to
ajlmes-deedum. c 1150 Gen. $ Ex. 1843 Dorhimsolde an lond
kinge emor. (71330 Spec. Gy \Vanv. 163 pouh man hatie
muche katel As londes, rentes, and o^er god. a 1450 Knt,
de la Tour (1868) 86 [He] became . . riche . . and purchased
londes and possessiones. 1560 DAUS tr. Slcidane s Comm.
423 b note, John Frederick demaundeth his landes and
dignities. >599 SMAKS. Hen. I , i. i. 9 AH the Temporall
Lands which men deuout liy Testament haue giuen to the
Church, a 1656 HP. HALL Kent, II ks. 11660) 143 Who should
have your Lands but your heirs? 1787 KUKNS roans (1809)
II. 101 note, The Earl gave him a four merk land ntar the
castle. 1817 JAKMAN PoivelCs Di-w scs II. 135 All his
messuages, lands, and tenements. 1841 W. SPALDING//#/J <$
It. 1st. I. 84 Considering this grievance more tolerable than
. .the loss of the public lands. 1849 MACAU LAY Hist. Eng. vi.
II. 1 30 Their lands had been divided by Cromwell among
his followers.
c. Law. (See quots.)
1628 COKE On Litt. 4 Land in the legall signification compre-
hendeth any ground, soile or earth whatsoeuer, as meadowes,
pastures, woods, moores, waters marishes, furses and heath,
. .It legally includeth also all castles, houses, and other buHd-
ings. 1767 BLACKSTONE Comm. II. 18 Land hath also, in its
legal signification, an indefinite extent, upwards as well as
downwards. 1839 Penny Cycl. XIII. 300/1 I^and in its most
restricted legal signification is confined to arable ground.
. . In its more wide legal signification land extends also to
meadow, pasture, woods, moors, waters, &c.
t 5, The country, as opposed to the town. On
(in, fSc. to] land , in the country; also, into the
country; hence, to distant parts. Obs.
4:900 tr. BxdcCs Hist. in. xx. [xxviii.] (1890! 246 Byri^ &
lond & ceastre & tunas &hus. ctaooau.fKtcGram, xxxviii.
(Z.) 234 Ruri, on lande. c 1386 CHAUCER Prol. 702 A poure
person dwellynge vpon lond. Nitn s f r. T. 4069 Swichea
loye was il to here hem synge, ..In sweete accord, My lief is
faren in londe. ?#i4oo Plowman s T. 1138 Thou .. Hvest
in londe, as a lorell. 1425 Sc. t Acts Jus. I (1814) II. 11/2
Ande at bis be done als wele in borowis as to lande throu
al t>e realme. 1470 HESRVSON Tale of Dog 123 [He] dytis
all the pure men up-on-land. 1491 Sc. Acts Jus. 7^(1814)
II. 226/2 The aulde statutis and ordinances maid of before
baith to burghe and to lande. 1513-75-1818 [see BURGH b].
^1800 Jock the Leg in Child Ballads (1894) V. 128 In
brough or land.
6. Expanse of country of undefined extent ; =
COUNTRY i b. rare exc. with qualifying word, as
down-land^ HIGHLAND, LOWLAND, mountain-land \
etc.
1610 SHAKS. TVw/. iv. i. 130 Leaue your crispe channels,
and on this greene-Land Answere your summons. 1784
COWPER Task I. 323 The Ouse, dividing the well-watered
land, Now glitters in the sun, and now retires. 1833
TENNYSON May Queen in. 7 And sweet is all the land about,
and all the flowers that blow.
7. One of the strips into which a corn-field, or
a pasture-field that has been ploughed, is divided
by water-furrows. Often taken as a measure of
land-area and of length, of value varying according
to local custom.
1377 LANGL. P. PL B. xvu. 58 Feith had first siste of hyin
..And nolde nou^t neighen hym by nyne londes lengthe.
i5* Will in Market Harboro Kec. (1890) 211 A lond of
barly next the whet lond. 1523 FITZHERB, Husb. 2 In
Rente they haue other maner of plowes,. .some wyll totirne
the sheldbredth at euery landes ende, and plowe all one
waye. Surv. 38 b, A furlong called Dale furlong y 8
whiche furlong conteyneth .xxx. landes and two heed landes.
a 1550 Merry Jest Mylner Abyngton 77 in Hazl. E. P. P.
III. 103 The mylners house is nere, Not the length of a
lande. 1565 COOPER Thesaurus, Arepcnm w, a measure of
ground as much as our lande or halfe aker. 1641 UEST
Farm. Rks. (Surtees) 5 To putt ewes into the Carre three
weekes before Lady-day, allowing five ewes for a lande.
1679 BLOUNT Anc. Tenures 21 To cut down one Land of
Corn. 1688 R. HOLME Armoury in. 137/1 Land, or Lond,
or Launde, In some places called a Loone, it is as much as
two large Buts. 1767 Cries of Blood 7 He went down
Campden field . . about a land s length. 1786 The Har st
Rig xxv. (1801) 12 O Gath rers next, unruly-bands Do
spread themsel s athwart the Lands. 1791 COWI-KR Retire
ment 421 Green balks and furrowed lands. 1793 Trans.
Sac. Arts V. 83 The produce of one land or ridge of each
crop. 1817-18 COBBETT Rtstii. U. S. (1822) 114, I made a
sort of land with the plough, and made it pretty level at top.
1861 Times 4 Oct. 7/4 Fields laid out in six-yard lands with
deep water-furrows for the sake of drainage.
8. Sc. A building divided into Hats or tenements
for different households, each tenement being called
a house*.
m$ Extracts Burgh Rec. Peebles (ify-z} in A land Hand
of this side the Hau. 1457 Ibid. 116 A land was his faderis
Hand in the burgh Peblis. 1466 Extracts Aberd. Reg (1844)
1. 26 He conquest a lande within your saide burgh. 1482 Act.
Audit. (1830) 107/2 Diuerss housis. .lying in the brugli of
Edinburgh, on be north side of be strete. .betuix be land of
Johne patonsone & be land of Nicol spedy on be est & west
partes. 1555 Sc. Acts Mary (1814) II. 490/2 The annuellar
hauand the grownd annuell vpone ony brint land quhilk is
or beis reparellit. 1753 W. MAITLAND Hist. Edin. 11. 140
The Buildings here, elsewhere called Houses, are de
nominated Lands. 1776 E. TOPHAM Lett, Edin. 27 These
buildings are divided by extremely thick partition walls,
into large houses, which are called lands, and each story of
a land is called a house. Every land has a common stair
case. 1780 ARNOT Hist. Edin. n. i. (1816) 185 The houses
were piled to an enormous height, some of them amounting
to twelve stories. These were called lands. triSi? HOGG
Tales $ Sk. V. 68, I showed him down stairs ; and just as
He turned the corner of the next land, a man came rushing
violently by him. 1858 MRS. OLIPHANT Laird of Norlaw
I. 308 The land , or block of buildings in which it was
placed, formed one side of a little street. 1864 BUKTON
Scot Abr. II. i. 117, I remember an old land in the High
Street of Edinburgh. 1893 STEVENSON Catriona 238 A cer
tain frail old gentlewoman . . who dwelt in the top of a tall land
on a strait close.
9. Technical uses. a. \transf. from 7.] The space
between the grooves of a rifle bore ; also, the space
between the furrows of a mill-stone, b. In a steam-
engine, the unperforated portion of the face-plate
of a slide-valve (Knight Diet. Meek. 1875). c.
* The lap of the strakis in a clincher-built boat.
Also called landing* (Ibid.).
1854 Chamb. Jrnl. II. 202 These furrows and belts [in the
bore of a cannon], technically called lands. 1857 SIR 1*. J >K
; COI.QUHOUN Cow pan, Oarsmaris Guide 28 The tans are
where one straik overlaps another. 1864 Daily Tel, 15 June,
Some of the lands being slightly injured, as might . . have
been expected with so delicate a system of rifling. 1681
Mt-tal II arid No. 9. 131 The circular or angular lands and
furrows [of a mill-stone].
II. Attributive uses and Combinations.
10. General relations, a. simple altrih., as land-
belt , -boom, f -cape, -crescent, -development, -estate,
"\-gronnd, -labour, -mass, ^-people, -price, -rent t
-revenue, -sculpture, -security^ -spit, -strip, -tenant ,
-tenure, -wave, -ivcalth.
1856 KANE A ret. K.\pt. I. viii. 78, I am obliged to follow
the tortuous "land-Lett. 1891 STEVENSON & L. OSBOL KNE
Wrecker (1892) 288 There was some rumour of a Napa
"land-boom. 1656 BLOUNT Glossogr.^ *Landcape, an end of
land that stretchtih further into the Sea then other parts of
the Continent thereabouts. 1875 W. MclLwRAmi Guide
Wigtownshire 48 The "land crescent that forms the bay.
1895 Laiv limes 13 July 254 If the Company is a *Land-
development one. 1690 Mor. fcss. relat. Pres. Times iii. 41
The Enjoyment of * Land Estates. 1575 LANEHAM />/. (1871)
4 *Londground by pool or riuer. 1776 BURKE Let. 14 Aug.,
Condemned to *L.ind Labour at the last Assizes for this
County. 1856 KAN*;--/ rtY. A .r//. I. i. i6The probable exten
sion of the land-masses of Greenland to the Far North. 1881
JUDD Volcanoes 2 $7 The land -masses of the globe, c 1440 1 .Hg.
Conq. Irel. xxxvii. 91 The Monde-l epill thatcrystyn shold be.
1898 Atlantic Monthly Apr. 498/2 Immigrants were pouring
into the state, and "land-prices were rising. 1706 in Arbuth-
not s Misc. tt ks. (1751) II. 192 Paying high Interest for
Money, which ^Land-rents cannot discharge. 1733 SWIFT
Reasons a st. Settling Tithe vfHemf, etc. Wks. 1761 III.
313 The land-rents of Ireland are computed to about
two millions. 1689 Lond. GHZ. No. 2472/4 The Office of
Receiver of the "Land-Revenues for the Counties of Suffolk
and Cambridge. 1800 A suit. Ann. Reg., J wc. ParL 15, a
Land revenues to the amount of 19 1,042 A 1882 GKIKIK
Text-bk. Geol. vn. 922 A chief element in the progress of
^land-sculpture, is geological structure. 1677 YARKANTON
Eng. Iinftrw. 17 The "Land Security was so uncertain and
bad, and it was so troublesome and chargeable getting their
Moneys again when they had occasion to use it. 1865 Saf.
Rev, 5 Aug. 182 Two *landspits and three bays are ignored
by Van de Velde. 1878 BROWNING Poets Crohic 10 To that
*land-strip waters wash. 1543 tr. Act 14 Ediv. Ill, slat.
i. c. 3 The heyrcs executours, and "lande tenauntesof suche
ministers and receyuours. 1607 COWELL Interpr .^ Laud
tenent. 1876 DIGUV Ren I Prop. i. i. i. 2 The main features
of "land-tenure. 1864 R. F. BURTON Dahome 35 Gentle
ridges . . not unlike the wrinkles or *land waves behind S.
Paul de Loanda. 1845 DARWIN in Life ff Lett. (1887) I.
343 note, So as to lessen the difference in ^land-wealth.
b. objective and objective genitive, as latui-bttyer t
-catcher, -ditching, -hirer, -hunter, -monger, mono
polist, -nationalization, -nationalizer, -occupier,
-proprietor, -roller, \ -tilie, -tiller, -tilling , land-de
vouring! -eating, -scourging, -tilling, -visiting adjs.
1362 LANGL, P. PI, A. xi. 209 A ledere of louedayes and a
*lond biggere. 1598 R. BKKNARIJ Terence, Hecyra in. v,
They . . are no great kind-biers, a 1625 BEAUM. & FL. ll it
without M. v. ii, Thou most reverent *fand-catcher. 1641
VICARS God in Mount 12 These and such like *Land-devour-
ing enormities. 1806-7 A. YOUNG Agric. Essex (i%i$i 1. 116
*Land-ditching is done at different prices. 1883 G. C. DAVIES
Norfolk Broads xl. (1884) 315 Walberswick is a decayed
port, a victim of the *land-eating sea. 1552 HULOET, * Lande
hyrer, redetnptor. 1894 Outing (U. S.) June 172 Four or
five rough-looking men evidently "land-hunters. 1647 HAR
VEY Schola Cordis vii. 7 The greedy *landmuni;er. 1798 I.
ALLEN Hist. Vermont 21 The persecutions of the settlers
were carried on by the Governor and his * land -monopolists.
i88z A. R. WALL ACE i //i7t ) "Land Nationalization. Itsneces-
sity and its aims. iM^PallMallG. 5 Mar. 3/1 One point.,
will, .be seized upon by the "land nationalizes. 1576 Act 18
Eliz. c. 10 10 All the Inhabitants and *Land-occupiers
within the whole Isle. 1829 SOUTHEY Sir T. More (1831)
II. 135 The relation between land-owner and land-occupier
has undergone an unkindly alteration. 1815 L. SIMOND
Tour Gt. Brit. I. 172 The *land-proprietor d
more than three per cent.
does not get
1875 KNIGHT Diet.
Land-roller, one for leveling ground and mashing^ clods
in getting land into tilth for crops. 1641 VICARS Cod in
Mount 48 Such a *Land-scourging rod. c 1205 LAV. 14847
We scullen..wur5en miU HSe wiS ba *lond-tilien. 1387-8
T. USK Test, Love \. iii. (Skeatl I. 32 Than good *Iond-tillers
?inne shape for the erthe . . to bringe forth more corn, t 1475
>ict. Vac. in Wr.-Wiilcker 804/34 Hie cnltor, a londtyllere.
1895 Q. Rev. Apr. 555 The interests of the landowner and
the land-tiller became antagonistic, c 1420 Pallnd. on Hit&b.
i. 528 Donge of fowlis is ful necessary To *londtiling. 1393
LANGL. P. PI. C. ix. 140 >e ben wastours . . that deuouren
That leel *land-tylynge men leelliche byswynken. 1883
C. F. HOLDKR in Harper s Mag. Dec. 107/2 Jumping and
*land-visithig fishes.
c. instrumental, as land-penned, sheltered , sur
rounded adjs. ; similative, as land-like adj.
1804 COLERIDGE Lett. (1895) 470 This [the green on the
water], though occasioned by the impurity of the nigh
shore., forms a home scene; it is warm and *landlike.
1850 TENNYSON In Mem. ciii. 56 We steer d her toward a
crimson cloud That landhke slept along the deep. 1883
Harper s Mag. Aug. 453/1 *Land-penned rivers. 1883
MOLONEY IV. African Fisheries (Fi.^h. Exhib. Publ.) 27
Grassy banks of "land-sheltertd waters. 1776 MICKLE tr.
Cainoens Liisiad $ ,<) "Land-surrounded waves.
11, attrib., passing into adj., with the sense :
Belonging or attached to, or characteristic of, the
land; living, situated, taking place, or performed
upon land (as opposed to water or sea) ; terrestrial :
as in land-admiral, -army, -battery, -battle, -com
munication, -company, -engine, -fight t -form,
-gijods* -gunner, *j- -herd, -journey, -iife, -monster,
-passage, -pilot, -plant, -prospect, -siren, -soldier,
-sfoitt, -trade, -travel, -wages, -war, warfare, etc.
1490 Act 7 //CM. / *//, c. i i If any Captain . . give them
not their full Wages . . except for Jackets for them that
receive Land-wages. 1595 SIT.SHK.K Col. Clout 278 The fields
In which dame Cynthia her landheards fed, 1618 BOLTOS
J li>rtts ill. vi. (1636) 191 Impatient of land-life, they launch t
ngaine into their wau r. ifa&Qntriesagst. Dk. Hiuklint. in
kushw.///5/.tW/.(i659>I.2i7Adiiiiral and General in the Fleet
of the Sea, and Land-Army. 1623 PUKCIIAS (titlt-} Purcbas
his I ilgrimes contayning a Hi:>tory of the World in Sea
Voyages and Lande TiavelU. 1630 WADSWORTH Pilgr. vi.
51, I tn treated him for a commission and patent for a land
company in Flanders. 1634 .Mn.ioN Counts 307 To rind
out that.. Would uvurta:^k the lest Land-Pilots art. 1667
J /iil. Trans. 1 1. 488 Their Land-voyage from Pekin to
Goa. 1667 PKI-YS Diary 4 Apr., I made Sir G. Carteret
merry with telling him how many Land-admirals we are to
have this year. 1669 SILUMV Mariner s Mag. To Kdr.,
A most useful Instrument for all I.nnd and Sea Gunners.
l68a SnrrHKKNK Loyal I>ro. \\\. \Vk*. 1721 I. 44 Curse on
these land-syrens ! 1694 I.^nd, Gaz. No. 3023/3 They, .are
to be provided for in their way as Land-Soldiers are in
their march. 1695 PHIOK Taking Xaiiatr 86 Tlie water-
nymphs are too unkind To Villeioy ; are the land-nymphs
so? 1711 SHAFT ESB. Charac. (1737) II. 289 Anchoring at
sea, remote from all land-prospect. 1774 GOLDSM. Nat.
H ist. L 395 The nature . . of these land spouts. 1785 J.
PHILLIPS Treat. Inland Nai>ig. p. vi, Roads fur land-com
munication and carriage. 1817 I arl. lh l>. 316 Of the lords
of the Admiralty, thice of the sea officers, and one of tlie
land lords, were efficient officers. 1822 Specif. Brunei s
Patent No. 4683. 3 The common governor usually applied
to land engines cannot act regularly at sea. 1844 H. H.
WILSON Brit. India I. 335 Heing exposed to the fire of the
land-batteries as well as of the .shipping. 1852 UKOTK Creche
II. Ixxxii. X. 665 If tlie preparations for land-warfare were
thus stupendous, those for sea-warfare were fully cinta! if not
.superior. 1884 Hou I,K ix Scui r /V Baty s J /iancr. 300 The
foliage of land-plants. 1897 WILLIS 1 Icivcr. I l, 1. 169 All
the Water-plants that are here dealt with are undoubtedly
descended from land forms.
b. Prefixed to names of animals to indicate that
they are terrestrial in their habits, and csp. to dis
tinguish them from aquatic animals of the same
name; as land-animal, -beast, -bint, t -cormorant,
-dog, \ -dove, -dragon ) f -eft* -fowl, -mammifera,
-mouse, -mollnsca (hence land-uwlluscan adj.),
j* -pullen, -reptile, -scorpion, -spaniel (also fig.),
-toad; land-beetle, a terrestrial predatory beetle,
one of the group Gtadephaga \ land-bug, a bug of
the group Geocot es\ land cholonian, a tortoise ;
land-cod, a kind of catfish, the mathemeg, Amiu*>
nts borealis (Cent. Diet.) ; land-crocodile, f (a)
? meant to designate the CAYMAN; (b) the sand-
monitor, Psammosaurits arenarhts (Cent. Diet.) ;
land-leech, a liech ot the genus Hwmodipsa,
abounding in Ceylon; land-lobster, -j- -martin
(see quots.) ; land-otter, *any ordinary otter of
the subfamily Littrinx, inhabiting rivers and lakes,
as distinguished from tlie sea-utter, Enhydris ma
rina* (Cent. Diet.); land-pike, =HELL-BENPEH
I ; land-shell, a terrestrial mollusk or its shell ;
land-slater, a terrestrial isopod crustacean, a
wood-louse ; land-snail, a snail of the family
Helicidx ; land-sole, the common red slug, Arion
rufits ; land-tortoise , -turtle, any tortoise or
turtle of terrestrial habits; t land -urchin, the
hedgehog; f land-winkle, a snail.
1691 RAY Creation (1692) 62 So necessary is it [air] for
us and other *Laud-Animals. 1748 Anson s Voy. n. viii.
217 liesides these mischievous land-animals, the sea., is
infested with great numbers of alligators. 1601 HOLLAND
Pliny I. 191 Let vs returne now to discourse of other
lining creatures ; and first of *Iand-beasts. 1836-9 TorJD
Cycl. Anat. II. 888/1 This division into lobes occurs
in most of the *land-beetles. 1570 Order for Swans in
Hone Every-day Bk. (1827) II. 959 The..custome of
this Kealme. .dothe allow to every Owner of such ground
..lo take one "Land-bird. 1863 KINGSLEY Water-Bab.
vii. >J3 The sea-birds sang as they streamed out into the
ocean, and the land-birds as they built among the boughs.
r 1865 Circ. Sci. (ed. Wylde) II. 184/1 The Geocores or
*Land-bugs. 1880 CasselCs Nat. Hist. IV. 249 The "Land
Chelonians. a 1653 G. DANIEL Idyll iv. 4 * Land-Cormorants
may Challeng them for food. 1688 k. HOLME Annonry
ir. 159/2 He beareth Azure, the Bresilian "Land Crocodile,
proper. 1664 COTTON Scarron. iv. (1715) 69 Curs, Spaniels,
Water-dogs, Bandogs, and *Land-dogs. 1712 E. COOKE
Voy. S. Sea 319 Saw some Widgeons, and many "Land-
Doves. 1894 MIVART in Cosmopolitan XVI. 344 The
enormous "land-dragons that lived by rapine. 1768 G.
WHITE Selborne xvii. 49 The water-eft or newt is only the
larva of the *land-eft. 1669 WOKLIDGR Syst. Agric. (1681)
304 If "Land-Fowl gather towards the Water. 1859
TENNEST Ceylon I. 302 Of all the plagues which beset the
traveller in the rising grounds of Ceylon, the most detested
are the "land leeches. 1897 Westm. Gaz. 20 Aug. 2/1
LAND.
Huge "land lobsters the * robber crab of the Pacific 1
Islands. 1830 LYELL Princ. Geol. I. 96 The annihilation
of cerLain genera of *Iand-mammiferu. 1674 KAY Collect.
Words, Eng. Hirds 86 The "Land-martin or Shore-bird :
Hirundo rifaria. 1601 HOLLAND Pliny II. 403 A certain
wel, wherein there keep ordinarily "land-mice. 1881 Na
ture XXIV. 84 The "land-molluscan fauna of Socotra.
1706 PHILLIPS i,ed. Kerseyl, *Land-Pikc t a Creature in
America, like the Fish of the same Name, but having Legs
instead of Fins. 1601 HOLLAND Pliny I. 507 Hens, and |
other land pullen. 1796 STEDMAN .S Hr/w.i/,/ II. xxviii.^is, i
I narrowly escaped being bitten by a "land-scorpion, i his
insect is of the size of a small cray-fish. 1853 Zoologist XI.
4127 In "land-shells . . the locality would not be easily sur
passed. 1880 A. R. WALLACE I si. l.i/e v. 76 The air-breathing
mollusca, commonly called land-shells. 1863 WOOD A rt/.
Hist. III. 632 The "Land-slater \Oniscus aselluf). 1729
WOODWARD Nat. Hist. Fossils i. I. 151 A *Land-Snail,
incrusted over with. .fine Stoney Matter. 1834 WOODWARD
Mollusca n. 168 The "land-soles occasionally devour animal
substances. 1576 FLEMING tr. Cains Eng. Dogs 2 (end)
"Land spaniels. 1616 Ricli Cabinet 55 b, He would proue. .
a good land-spaniel or setter for a hungry Courtier, to smell
him out a thousand pound sute, for a hundred pound profit,
1614 HF.YWOOO Captives IV. i. in Bullen O. I l. I V, Proceed sea
gull. Thus land-spaniell ; no man can say this is my fishe till
hefindeit in hisnett. I774GOLDSM. Ntit.Hist.(i-j-j& VII. 105 ,
It is only the Rubeth, the "land toad, which has the property
of sucking. Ibid. VI. 380 The "land tortoise will live in the
water, and . . the sea turtle can be fed upon land. 1850 LYELL
znd Visit U. S. II. 293 In Mr. Clark s garden were several
land-tortoises Testudo claiisa, Say). 1697 DANIHER V<y.
I. zoo We refresht our selves very well, both with "Land [
and Sea Turtles. 1796 STEDMAN Surinam II. xxiii. 163 ;
The land-turtle of Surinam is not more than eighteen or
twenty inches in length. 1603 HOLLAND Pint arch s Mar.
973 The hedghoge, or "land urchin. 1601 Pliny I. 218
Of the Viper, "Land-winkles or Snailes, and Lizards.
12. Special combinations: land abutment, the
terminal pier at the landward end of a bridge ;
land-agency, the occupation or profession of a
land-agent ; land-agent, a steward or manager of
landed property ; also, an agent for the sale of land,
an estate agent; land-arch, an arch or bridge which
spans dry land ; ) land-bat, a measure of land of
varying length ; laud-berg ? nonce-wd. (after ife-
ttrg),nn ice-mountain on land; land-blink, an
atmospheric glow seen from a distance over snow-
covered land in the arctic regions ; t land-board
? nonce-wd. (after seaboard , the borders of a coun
try; fl&ud -born a., native; land-breast, the whole
frontage formed by the abutment and wing-walls or
retaining walls of a bridge ; land-bred a., brought
up on land (as distinguished from on sea) ; also,
native, indigenous; flaud-carrack. (a) ?a coasting
vessel ; (/ i - land-frigate ; land-cast, an orienta
tion ; land-chain, a surveyor s chain (Simmonds) ;
(-land-coal, coal transported by land ; land-com
munity, joint or common ownership of land; land-
company, a commercial company formed for the
exploitation of land; land-cook U.S., one who
cooks land for the market ; land-dummier
Austral, (see DUMMY v.) ; so land-dummying ;
f land-evil, (a an epidemic ; (^; ? the falling sick-
ness, epilepsy ; tlandfang, holding-ground for an
anchor; f land-fast, an attachment on the land for
a vessel ; t land-feather, a bay or inlet ; t land-
fish, (a) 1 fresh-water fish ; (/>) a fish that lives on !
land ; hence, an unnatural creature ; t land-fri- I
gate, a harlot, strumpet ; laud-fyrd OE. and Hist.,
the land force; f land-good [ad. Du. landgoed], a
landed estate ; land-honour see HONOUR sb. 7) ; i
land-horse, the horse on the land-side of a plough;
land-hunger, keen desire for the acquisition of
land ; hence land-hungry a. ; land-ice, ice at
tached to the shore, as distinguished from floe ;
t land-ill, an epidemic (cf. land-evil) ; laud-job
ber, one who makes a business of buying and selling
land on speculation ; so land-jobbing ; land-lead,
a navigable opening in the ice along the shore ;
t land-leak, ? a leak produced in a vessel before
starting on a voyage ; land-looker U. S. (see
quot); f laud-lurch v., to rob of land (see
LURCH v.} ; t laud - male, a reserved rent
charged upon a piece of land by the chief lord of
the fee, or a subsequent mesne owner (Wright
Provine. Diet. 1857); also attrib. land-male-book ;
t laud-march, territory bordering on another
country ; land-marker, a machine for laying out
rows for planting .Knight Diet. Afech. 1875);
t land-mate (see quot.) ; f land-mead, a tract of
meadow land ; land-mistress = LANDLADY i ;
t laud-neck, an isthmus ; t land-oath (see
quot.); land-office U.S. and Colonial (see quot.
1855); land-packet U.S. (see quot.); land-
passage, f (a) an isthmus ; (6) passage by land ;
t land-peerage (see quot.) ; laud-pirate, one
who robs on land, a highwayman ; f also, a lite
rary pirate ; land-plaster, rock -gypsum ground
to a powder for use as a fertilizer ( Cent. Diet.) ;
t land-pole, the pole or perch ; land-presser,
an apparatus for pressing down the soil ; land-
48
province, a province of the land distinct from
others in the assemblage of plants or animals
which it contains, or in their distribution (Cassell,
1 884) ; f land-raker (see foot-land-raker, s. v. FOOT
so. 35) ; land-reeve, -roll (see quots.) ; f land-
rush, a landslip ; land sale, (a i a sale of land; (/>)
applied altrib. to collieries which are worked on
a small scale and from which coal is supplied only
to the country round ; pi. the coal so disposed of ;
land-score, Hist., a division of land [repr. OE.
landscoru] ; t land-scot, a tax on land formerly
levied in some parishes for the maintenance of the
church ; land-scrip U. S., a negotiable certificate,
issued by the U. S. government or by corporate
bodies holding donationsof land therefrom, entitling
the holder to the possession of certain portions of
public land (Webster, 1864) ; land-scurvy, scurvy
occurring on land, as amongst inmates of work
houses, armies, etc. ; land-sergeant (see quot.
1893); also, the steward of an estate ; land-shark,
(a] one who makes a livelihood by preying upon
seamen when ashore ; (/>) rarely, a land-grabber ;
land-sick a., (a) sick for the sight of land ; (Ii)
Naiit., (of a ship) impeded in its movements by
being close to land ; land-slide L .S.= LANDSLIP;
also_/7y. (cf. avalanche); t land-speech, a language,
tongue ; f land-stall, a staith or landing-place ;
( land-stead a. Colonial, provided with landed
property ; land-steward, one who manages a
landed estate for the owner ; land-stone, a stone
turned up in digging ; land-stool, ? Sf. land-
stall ; t laud-strait, an isthmus ; land-stream,
a current in the sea due to river waters ; f land-
strife, strife with respect to land, agrarian conten
tion ; land-swarmer, app. a kind of rocket ; land-
swell, the roll of the water near the shore ; land-
thief, (a) one who robs on land or ashore ; (6) a
robber of land ; land-tide Sc., the undulating
motion of the air, as perceived on a droughty
day (Jam.) ; land-trash, broken ice near the
shore ; t land-turn, a land-breeze ; land-valuer,
one whose profession is to examine and declare
the value of land or landed estates ; land-waiter
= landing-waiter ,see LANDING vbl. sb.} ; land-
war, (a) a war waged on land, opposed to a
naval war; (/>} a war or contention with respect
to land or landed property; land-warrant U.S.
(see quot. i8=,S) ; land-wash, the wash of the tide
near the shore; ( land- water a., amphibious,
nondescript ; f land-wine [cf. Da. landwijn, G.
landwein], wine of native or home growth ; land-
worthiness nonce-wd., fitness to travel over land;
laud-yard local (see quot. 1828).
1776 G. SEMTLE Building in Water 7 It was composed of
twenty Arches, nineteen Piers, and two *Land Abutments.
1868 M. PATTISON Acndein. Org. iv. noThe requirement that
he should be experienced in "land-agency, may seem in itself
not unreasonable. 1846 COBDEN Sp. (1870) I. 354 We know
LAND.
I. .in 4 fadome.. of water, and haue *Landfange for a North
and by West winde. 1703 VV. DAMPIEK I oy. III. 36 There
1603 OWEN Peinbrokeshire xvii.t 1891 1 i3s J he*lande batte or
poleof Penbrokshire is in Kernes xij foote..Penbrokshire xj
foote. 1853 KANK Grinnell Exp. xlv. (1856) 420 When first the
mass separates from the *land-berg or glacier. 1835 SIK J.
Ross .\ arr. tnd k oy. iii. 41 The *landblink was now very per
ceptible; and in the evening we discerned the land itself. 1790
JKFI-KRSON^V//. (ed. Kurd) V. 229 If Great Britain establishes
herself on our whole land-board [f. e. along the Mississippi].
i 79 6 in Pickering V ocab. U.S. (1816) 170 The position and
circumstances of the United States leave them nothing to fear
on their land-board. 1589 PUTTENHAM Eng. Poesie in. xix.
(Arb.) 215 The "land-borne liues safe, the forreine at his ease.
1739 I.Aimi-YE Short Ace. Piers Wcstm. Bridge 70 Each of
the "Land Breasts are to spread about 25 Feet on each Side
of the Bridge, igoi SYLVESTER Du Bartas i. iv. 160 We re
semble M^nd-bred Novices New brought aboord to venture
on the Seas. 1596 SPENSER State Irel. Wks. (Globe) 627/2
Whatsoever relickes there were left of the land-bredd people.
1887 F. M. CRAWFORD Paul Patoff I. viii. 273 Till one day
the land-bred boaster puts to sea in a Channel steamer.
1604 SHAKS. Oth. i. ii. 50 Faith, he to night hath boarded
a *Land Carract. 16*9 PAVENANT Albovine in. i, Grim. I
must be furnish d too. Cuny. With a Mistresse? Grim.
Yes, inquire me out some old Land-Carack. 1881 BLACK-
MORE Christffivell 1, He turned upon his track. .and making
a correct *landcast this time, found his way to the fountains
of the Taw. a 1661 FULLKK liforthies, Shropsh. (1662! II. i
One may observe a threefold difference in our English-Coale.
i Sea-coale..2 *Land-coale, at Mendip, Bedworth, &c. and
carted into other Counties. 3 What one may call River or
Fresh -water-Coale. 1874 STUBHS Const. Hist. I. v. 85 The
historical township is the body of alodial owners who have
advanced beyond thestage of *land-community. 1854 LOWELL
JrnL in Italy Prose Wks. 1890 I. 172 Nothing else but an
American *land-company ever managed to induce settlers
upon territory of such uninhabitable quality. 1807 Edin.
Rei . X. 112 How comes it to pass that the American *land-
cook is cunning enough to carry on his trick. 1880 Gent!.
y es wne. 1703 . AMPIKR oy. . 3 e
is not clean Ground enough for above 3 Ships. .One even of
these must lie close lo the Shore, with a * Land- fast there.
tese must e cose lo te ore, wt a an- ast tere.
c 158* DIGGKS in Arcli&ologia XI. 236 The south baye or
*
oro omin egs. 10 HAKS. r. $ r. HI. . 24 ces
rowne a very land-fish, languagelesse. a monster. 1611
. WHITAKKR in Coryat Crudities Inirod. Verses, Here to
this *Land-Friggat he s ferried by Charon, He bords her;
n. seruice a hot and a rare one. n.. O. . Chron. an. 1001
(Laud MS.), Ne him to ne dorste scip here on sae, ne *land-
fyrd. 1874 GBKETJ Short Hist. ii. S 4. 75 The Land-Fyrd, or
general levy of fighting men. 1591 HORSEY Trav. (Hakl.
Soc.) 246 Purchasing . . bowses and *landgoods upon which
they did inhabits. 1671 MADOX (title) Baronia Anglica,
a History of "Land-Honours and Baronies, and of Feu
dal Tenure in capite. ,71848 FINLAVSON in Chambers s
Inform. I. 486/2 The .. most forward horse, should be put
in the furrow, and only bound back to the right or off theet
of the *land-horse. 1862 J. M. LUDLOW Hist. U. S.\\. 221
The ^land-hunger of the South now outstripped even the
ambition of conquest of Mr. Polk. 1889 Century Mag. Jan.
369/2 When the *land-hungry band of Welsh and Norman
barons entered Ireland. 18*0 SCORESBY in Ann. Keg. n. 1324
* Land-ice consists of drift-ice attached to the shore ; or drift-
. iLe-uerj^s. 1050 I\.A.NK fsrtft j^.ift, M.. AAIII. ^01 v^iu>uig
the land-ices by portage. 1873 J. GEIKIE Gt. Ice Age (1894)
547 These boulders could not have been carried by land-ice.
c 1500 Addic. Scot. Cron. (18191 4 The *land 111 .. was so
violent b [ bnr deit ma b 1 yere than euir bar deit ouder in
1856 KANE Arct. Expl. II. xxviii. 278 Here the *land-leads
ceased, with the exception of some small and 1 scarcely
practicable openings near the shore. 1649 G. DANIEL Trin-
nrch. t Hen. r t xcii, What horror stops my Quill? ere yet
aboard Wee see theRoyall Fraught, a*Land-Leake Springs.
Lords. 1390-31 Durham Ace. Rolls (Surtees) 392 Pro
*Iandmale, o<Y. 1416-17 Ibid. 614 Pro Hgatura cujusdam
Hbri vocati le landmalebok, i6tf. 1429 Ibid. 60 In laynd-
mayle solut. sacrists Dunelm., g /.y. 1577 in Ualibur
Oppressions in Orkn.fy Shell. (1859) 18 Ane dewhie thai
pay to the Kingis Maiestie for thair scat and landmales
zeirlie. 1665 I estry Bks. (Surtees) 218, 15 August, Paid
for Land Male, is. gd. 1614 SEI.DEN Titles Hon. 212
Many of the Imperial Marquisats . . had their names from
being * Land-marches of the Mate, and not from their mari
time situation. 1670 BLOUNT Glossogr.^ * Land-mate^ in
Herefordshire he that in Han-est-time reaps on the same
ridge of ground, or Land, with another, they call I-and-
mates, that is fellow Laborers on the same land. 1577-87
HARRISON England i. xviii. (1877) HI. 132 Our medowes, are
either bottomes .. or else such as we call *land meads, and
borrowed from the best and fattest pasturages. 1860 GEN.
P. THOMPSON Audi Alt. Ill.cxxxiv. 102 If our Welsh * land-
mistress said, Here are Martin and John making me fair
offers for the farm [etc.]. x6i8 BOLTON Floras ir. xvi. (i6.}6)
140 At the very entrance of the Isthmus or * Land-neck. 1673
PETTY Pol. Anat. xii. Tracts (1769! 364 Of all oaths they
[the Irish] think themselves at much liberty to t;ike a "land-
oath, as they call it : Which is an oath to prove a forged
deed, a possession, livery or seisin, payment of rent, &c. in
order to recover for their countrymen the lands which they
forfeited. 1790 A. HAMILTON Wks. (1886) VII. 48 It seems
requisite that the general * land-office should be established
at the seat of government. 1855 OGILVIE, Suppl., Ltiud-
ojffice, in most colonies there are land-offices, in which the
sales of new land are registered, and warrants issued for
the location of land, and other business respecting unsettled
land is transacted. i88z Rep. to Ho. Rtpr. Ptfc. Met. l/.S.
153 It is owned by the Union Mill and Mining Company,
which once did a land-office business in ore crushing. 1847
W. T. PORTER Qitartcr Race 115 Known as the Captain of
a *land-packet in plain term?, the driver of an ox-team.
1601 HOLLAND Pliny I. 78 Another *land passage or Isthmus
there is of like streightness. .and of equall breadth with that
of Corinth. 164* Declar. Chas. I toParlt. in Rushw. Hist.
Coll. in. (1692) I. 602 He hath, .cut the Banks, and let in the
Waters to drown the I^ud-passages, and to make the Town
inaccessable by that way. a 1677 HALE Prim. Ortg. Man. ii.
vii IQO There is no Land-passage from this Elder World unto
that of America. 1741 T. ROBINSON Gavelkind\\. viii. 273 A
Custom. . is set up at present in most Manors of . . the. .Weald
under the Name of *Landpeerage ; whereby the Owners of
the Lands, on each side the Highways, claim to exclude the
Lord from the Property of the Soil of the Way, and of the
Trees growing thereon. 1609 DEKKER Lanth. fy Candlc-l.
viii. Wks. (Grosart) 1 1 1. 262 The Cabbines where these *Land-
pyrates lodge in the night, are the Out-barnes of Farmers.
ci6?o in T. Brooks Wfa. (1867) VI. 388 Some dishonest
booksellers, called land-pirates, who make it their practice
to steal impressions of other men s copies, a 1700 B. E.
Diet. Cant. Crew, Land-pirates^ Highwaymen or any other
Robbers. 1890 l ROLF BOLUHEWOOD Miners Right (1899)
148/1 A bloody murdering land-pirate that ought to be hung
at the yard-arm. 1603 OWEN Pembrokesh. xvi. (1891) 133
The vsuall measure ofland vsed in this shire much differeth
from the statute acre, for yt differeth all together in sum-
minge vp, as allso in the *Iand pole. 1834 Penny Cycl. II.
224/2 In such soils an artificial pan may be formed by the
*land-presser or press-drill. 1842 BKANDE Dict. f Sci. etc.,
* Land-reeve, a subordinate officer on an extensive estate,
who acts as an assistant to the land steward. 1858 SIM
MONDS Diet. Trade, *Land-rolI, a clod-crusher and seam-
Mag. CCXLVI. 77 The successes and failures of Australian MONDS Diet. Trade, * Land-roll^ a clod-crusher and seam-
land-dummiers. Ibid. 76 The fraudulent transaction known presser. 1549 Comfl. Scot. vi. 39 Mony hurhs of sianmrs
as*land-dummying. a 1223 Ancr. R. 360 pet *lond vuel bat I & stanis that tumht doune vitht the "land ruschc. 1708
as *land-dummying. a 1225 Ancr. R. 360 pet *Iond vuel bat
alle londes leien on, & liggeS ;et monie. c 1440 Promp. Parv.
312/1 Lond Ivyl, sekenesse (P. londe euyll), cpilencia. 1557
BURROUCH in Hakfayt (1886) 111. 153 Where a ship may ride
J. C. Compl. Collier (\^$ 47 "Land-Sale Collieries. 1848
Siiinwntfs Colon. Mag. May 63 The whole sum realised
by land iales. 1860 Eng. .3- J or. Mining Gloss., -\ e:v-
LAND.
castle Terms, f. aHiisatc, coals sold to the country in the
neighbourhood of the pit. 1886 J. Hovu Bewick Gleanings
2 His father and grandfather before him, had .. held a
small landsale colliery near their home at Cherryburn.
1828 N. CARLISLE Ace. Charities 295 Anciently the greatest
shalbe a generall *Landskot and assessem 1 made of all tin
inhabitants of the parish . . toward the necessarie repayre
of the Church. 1875 PARISH Sussex Gloss., Lans,ot
or Landscote. 1789 \V. BUCHAN Dam. Meil. (17901 397
Harrowgate-water is certainly an excellent medicine m
the "land scurvy. 1891 C. CKEIGHTOS Hist. Epidemics
605 note, At one time land-scurvy was detected (under
the influence of theory) in many forms. aiTJS Hmt
.\"okle ix. in Child Ballads (1890) IV. 2/2, I dare not
with you into England ride, The * land-sergeant has me
at feid. 1893 Northnmbld. Gloss., Land-scrjeant, one
of the officers of the Border watch, under the Warden
of the March. 1894 R. S. FKRGUSON Hist. Westmorland
197 The steward or land-sergeant of their barony or manor.
1769 WF.SI.EY Jrul. 30 Mar., Let all beware of these land-
sharks. 1815 SCOTT Guy M. xxxiv, Lieutenant Brown.,
told him some goose s gazette about his being taken in a
skirmish with the landsharks. 1857 KIXGSLEY Iwo \ . Af>
iv Can t trust these landsharks; they ll plunder even the
rings off a corpse s fingers. They think every wreck a god
send. 1846 H. MKI.VIU.E Typee \./utuliug, A land-sick ship.
1856 EMERSON Kng. Traits iv. 65 Slain by a "land-slide, like
the agricultural King Onund. 1870 LOWELL Study Wind.
240 The Roman road, which linked them with the only
past they knew, had been buried under the great bar
barian land-slide. 1870 ANDERSON Missions Amer. bd. II.
xxxiv 308 A terrible landslide occurred, an eruption of mud,
earth, and rocks. 1895 Century Mag, Mar. 734 There was
then a great landslide of votes for McClellan. c 1150 Gen.
* F f 669 Sexti *lond-speches and .xii. mo, weren delt Bane
in werlde So. 1739 N. Riding Kec. VIII. 227 Money laid
out in repairing the "land stall leading to Burn and Masham
Bridges. 1688 \em Jersey Archives (1881) II. 31 There is
a gushet of about 2000 acres., which I design to take vp for
you, being good land ; so I think by farr you will be the
best "land-stead of any concerned in the province. (-1701
Ibid II. 34 He says 1 was in 1688, the best Land-stead of
any concern d in the Province. 1535 STEWART Cran. Scot.
II. 679 His *land-stewart in the tyme he maid Ouir all
Scotland. 1701 STEELE Funeral v. i. (1702) 72 He is not
now with his Land-steward. 1899 CROCKETT Kit Kennedy
xiv. 100 My lord , answered the land steward, meekly,
were it a thing [etc.]. 1796 CAPT. H,\ir, Diary in J.
Russell Haigs (1881! 482 Many *land stones, some whin
ones, but mostly all fine quarried stones. 1813 R. K.ERR
Agric. Bcnv. 35 In all free soils, numerous stones, pro-
vincially termed land stones, are found. 1886 Cheshire
Gloss., Land stones, the name given .. to the pebbles and
boulders turned up in digging and draining. 1873 W.
McDowELL Hist. Dumfries 1. 584 The pier or landstool
was commenced. 1601 R. JOHNSON Kingd. fComimo.
(1603) ii Peruana is. .enuironed on al sides with the sea,
saue wheras the forsaid "Land-streight doth ioyn the same
to Mexicana. 1625 BP. MOUNTAGU App. Czsar n. v.
158 In a Foreland or Landstreight where two Seas meet.
1868 SWINBURNE Poems ff Ballads (ed. 31 73 he I*
stream and the tide-stream in the sea. 1553 GKIMALUE
Cicero s Offices n. (1558) 109 Did not "land striues bring
them to distraction ? 1799 G. SMITH Laboratory I. 10 Charge
for land swarmers, or small rockets. 1811 J. WILSON Isle
of Palms IV. 55-2 As her gilded prow is dancing Through the
"landswell. 1596 SHAKS. Merclt. I". I. iii. 24 There be land
rats, and water rats, water theeues, and "land theeues. 1865
KINGSLEY Herew. I. x.,229, I am Hereward the Berserker,
the land-thief, the sea-thief. 1894 H. SPENCER in U estm. Gaz.
29 Aug. 8/2 The stronger peoples have been land-thieves
from the beginning, and have remained land-thieves down
to the present hour. 1818 Edin. Mag. Oct. 328/2 Whar
the dew neer scanc t, nor the "landtide danc t Nor ram
had ever fawn. 1856 KANE Arct. Expl. I. xxvi. 341 The
land-trash is cemented by young ice. 1676 COLES, Land-
turn, the same from off the land by night, as a Bneze
is off the Sea by day. 1844 COBDEN Sf. (1870) I. 127
They are all auctioneers and "land-valuers. 1711 SWIFT
Examiner No. 28 p 4 Give a Guinea to a Knavish "Land-
Waiter, and he shall connive at the Merchant for cheating
the Queen of an Hundred. 1809 R. LANGFORD Inirod.
Traite 132 Land waiter or searcher, a Custom-House
officer who enters goods imported. 1714 Q. ANNE in Lond.
Gaz. No. 5204/2 They are Delivered from a Consuming
"Land- War. 1870 EMERSON Soc. ff Solit. x. 204 Who, sitting
in his closet, can lay out the plans of a campaign, sea-war
and land-war. 1873 J. GODKIN (title) The Land-War in
Ireland. 1787 JEFFERSON Writ. (18591 H- 334 Sharpers had
so many with their unlocated "land-warrants. 1858
SIMMONDS Diet. Trade, Land-warrant, a title to a lot of
public land ; an American security or official document for
entering or settling upon government land, much dealt in
among jobbers. 1557 \V. TOWRSON in Hakluyt I oy. (1589) 114
The "land wash went so sore, that it overthrew his boate,
and one of the men was drowned. 1891 Blizzard of 1891
ii. 26 Breakers fell with great force close to the landwash
and over the promenade. 1721 DE FOE Moll Flanders
(ed. 3 58 This amphibious Creature, this Land-water-
thing, call d, a Gentleman-Tradesman. 1390-1 Earl Derby s
Exptd. (Camden) 47 Lautre barell contmente xxix stopas
de "lande-wyn. 1573 BARET Ahi. L So Land wine, or
of our owr.e countne growing, vinnm indigena. 1782
POWNALL Antiq. 140 The .. state .. of the "land-worker.
1827 G. HIGGINS Celtic Druids 192 When the borders of
Europe began to be settled and cultivated by the land-
workers. 1794-1811 LD. ELLENBOROUGH in Espinasse Kef.
III. 259 He would expect a clear "landworthiness in the
carriage itself to be established. 1828 N. CARLISLE Ace.
Charities 295 Two staves or 18 feet, in . . Cornwall, are
a "Land Yard, and 160 Land Yards are an English acre.
1869 BmcKMORE Lorna D. xii, I could smell supper, when
hungry, through a hundred landyards of bog.
Land .Isend), v. [f. LAND s/i. (OE. had letulan
of similar formation : see LEND v.)]
I. Transitive senses.
VOL. VI.
49
1. a. To bring to land ; to set on shore ; to dis
embark.
a 1300 A". Horn 779 A gode schup he hurede, pal him scholde
londe InWestenelonde. 1508 KF.NNF.DIE r lyting ii>. Duntar
461 The skippar bad ger land the at the lias. 1665 BOYLE
Occas. Reft. IV. xii. (1848) 246, 1 see the Water-man prepare
to Land us. 1678 WANI.EY Wotui. Lit. World v. ii. 79.
472/1 He Landed an Army in Apulia. 1748 Ansm s I oy.
ll. xiv. 286 Our ships, when we should land our men, would
keep at.. a distance. 1838 THIHI.WAI.L Greece III. xx. 149
The troops, having been landed in Cephallenia. 1842
CAMPBELL Napoleon I, Brit. Sailoi-di, He should be shipped
to England Old And safely landed. 1894 HALL CAINE
Manxman v. iii. 288 Four hundred boats were coming, .to
land their cargoes.
b. To bring to the surface (from a mine\ lOlis.
1603 OWEN 1 embrokeshirc xi. 11891) 91 These persons
will Lande aliout. .hundred barells of coale in a daye.
2. To bring into a specified place, e. g. as a stage
in or termination of a journey ; to bring into a certain
position : usually with advb. phr. Also/^. to bring
into a certain position or to a particular point in a
course or process. (Cf. 8.)
1649 JER. TAYLOR Gt. I .-remp. Ep. Ded a tb. It is oni-ly a
1 ife that lands us there t*v. in heaven]. 1649 lil.min Eng.
Iui/>rov. hnpr. (1653) 57 This drain to be continued to that
place where you have most conveniencie to land your water.
1850 M CosH Dhi. Govt. ll. ii. 118741 212 The pantheist,
when compelled to explain himself, is landed in Atheism.
1856 WHYTE MELVILLE Kate Cor. xix, Now then, give us
your hand ; one foot on the box, one on the roller-bolt, and
now you re landed. 1859 THACKERAY Virgin. II. i. 4 Poor
Harry s fine folks have been too fine for him, and have
ended by landing him here. 1874 BURNAND My time xxviii.
271 A jerk that nearly landed me on his [the horse s] back.
1878 liosw. .SMITH Carthage 200 The pass over the Cottian
Alps . . would have landed Hannibal in the territory of the
Taurini. 1882 BESANT Rtt oltof Man vi. (18831 126 Such
a sermon .. would infallibly land its composer ..in a
prison. 1892 Kooknmn Oct. 29/2 His wife, his temperament,
his philanthropy contrive to land him in fraudulent bank
ruptcy.
b. To set down from a vehicle. (Ci. 8 b.)
1851 THACKERAY Eng. Hum. iii. (1853) 108 The Exeter
Fly.. having.. landed its passengers for supper and sleep.
,853 _ Virgin. I. xxvii. 213 One chair after another landed
ladiesat the Baroness s door. 1894 MRS. H. WARD Marcella
II. 267 His hansom landed him at the door of a great ;
mansion.
c. slang. To set (a person) on his feet .
1868 YATES Rock Ahead II. vi, Lord Ticehurst, having j
done his duty in landing Gilbert [viz. by giving him an
introduction], had strolled away. 1876 HINULKY Adi .
Cheap Jack 33, I bought a big covered cart and a good
strong horse. And I was landed! 1879 Autobiof. of a
Thief in Macm. Mag. XL. 502, I was landed (was all right)
this time without them getting me up a lead (a collection).
d. Naitt. To lower on to the deck or elsewhere
by a rope or tackle.
1867 SMYTH Sailors H ord-bk., To land on deck. A nautical
antmaly, meaning to lower casks or weighty goods on deck
from the tackles. 1882 NARES Seamanship (ed. 6) 61 Land
them on the taffrail.
e. slang. To get (a blow) home.
1888 RUNCIMAN Chequers 93 Their object is to land one
cunning blow. 1891 Gentl. Mag. Aug. no That s right,
Captain Kitty ! .. Land him \sc. the Devil] one in the eye.
I. Sparling colloq. (with and without compl.) To
bring (a horse) home , i. e. to the \\ inning post ; to
place first in a race. Also intr. to get in first, win.
1853 WHYTE MELVILLE DigbyGrand I. vi. 151 St. Agatha
. .after one of the finest races on record, is landed a winner
byaneck. 1890 ROLF BOLURF.WOOU Col. Kejbrmeriieoi)
291 A shower of flukes at the latter end landed him the
winner. 1891 Licensed Victualler s Gaz. 20 Mar. (Farmer),
Had the French filly landed, what a shout would have
arisen from the ring ! 1898 Daily .Veivs 28 May 8/3 The
Prince s colours were landed amid enthusiastic cheering.
3. Angling. To bring (a fish) to land, esp. by
means of a gaff, hook, or net. Also, to land the net.
1613 J. DENNYS Secrets Angling ll. xxi, Then with a net,
see how at last he lands A mighty carp. 6s3 WALTON
Compl. Angler iv. 105 Help me to land this as you did the
other. 1787 [see LANDING-NET]. 1867 F. FRANCIS Angling
viii. (1880) 297 When you have hooked a grayling your next
job is to land him. 1873 Act 36 * 37 I ict. c. Ixxl. 14 Any
person who shall, .work any seine or draft net for salmon. .
within one hundred yards from, .any other seine or draft net
before such last-mentioned net is fullydrawn in and landed,
shall . . be liable [etc.]. 1883 Mancli. Exam. 30 Oct. 8/4, I will
not trouble you with an account of the trout and grayling
we landed during the first two or three days of our visit.
1884 PAE Eustace 62 They were pretty constantly engaged
in shooting and landing the net.
b. fig. To catch or get hold of (a person) ; to
secure or win (a sum of money, esp. in betting or
horse-racing).
1854 WHYTE MELVILLE Gen. Bounce II. xx. 114, I landed
a hundred gold mohrs by backing his new lot for the
Governor-General s Cup. 1857 HUGHES Tom Bro~.vn n. vn.
You must be gentle with me if you want to land me. 1876
OUIDA Winter City vi. 143 So that they land their bets,
what do they care? 1884 BLACK in Harpers Mag. Dec.
24/1, I can t say I ve landed a fortune over its tips.
1 4. To throw (a bridge) across a river. Obs.
1637 Petit, to Chas. I in Willis & Clark Cambridge
(18861 I. 91 They may be suffered at their owne chardge to
land a bridge over y river. 1638 CHAS. I Let. to King s
College, ibid.. To permitt them at their owne charge to land
a bridge from the middest of y o< Colledge.
t 5. To bestow land upon. Obs. nonce-use.
1624 HEYWOOD Captives i. i. in Bullen O. fi. IV, Thou
hast monied me in this, Nay landed me . . And putt mee in
a large possession.
LANDAULET.
6. a. To land up: tofillorblock up (a watercourse,
pond, etc.) partially or wholly with earth ; to silt up.
1605 WlLi.Kr Hexapla Got. 30 Gobaris caused the naturall
current, landed vp, to be opened and enlarged. 1681 BUNYAN
Holy War 307 Diabolus sought to land np Mouthgate with
dirt. 1793 K. MYI.NE Rep. /halites ^- Isis 16 These lands
have 3. very imperfect drainage at present, by the water,
courses and ditches being landed up. 1815 W. MAHKATT
Hist. Lincolnsh. III. 243 A serpentine fish pond.. partly
landed up. 1851 Jrnl. R. Agric. Sac. XII. II. 300 The
river became landed up by the sediment of the tides.
b. To earth up celery). Also with up.
a 1806 AUERCROMBIE in London Gardening in. i. (1822) 723
Repeat this, .till by degrees they are lauded up from twelve
inches to two feet. 1856 [see LANDING vbl. sb. 2].
II. Intransitive senses.
7. To come to land ; to go ashore from a ship
or boat ; to disembark. Of a ship, etc. : To touch
at a place in order to set down passengers.
In early use occas. conjugated with the verb to be.
I38z WYCI.IF I Mace. ili. 42 The oost appliede, or londide,
at the coostis of hem. 1387 TKKVISA Hlgden(B.o\\t)ll. 151
Irisch Scottes londede at Argoyl. 1400 Sir Bines p. 24
(MS. S.) With her ship here gon bey lond. (11450 f.e
.Morte Artll. 3054 He \vende to haue landyd .. At Dower.
1470-85 MALORY Artkur I. xvii, The Sarasyns ar londed
in iheir couimeyes mo than xl M. .01548 HALL Chron.,
Hen. I ll I a sol). He had knowledge .. that the Frenche
army emended to land in the Isle of Wight. 1611
limi.E Aits xxi. 3 We .. sailed into Syria, and landed
at Tyre. 1661 DKYUEN To his Sacred Majesty 9 Thus,
royal Sir, to see you landed here Was cause enough of
triumph for a year. 1715 POPE Oi/j ss. xm. 156 Behold him
landed, careless and asleep. From all th eluded dangers of
the deep ! 1748 Ansons I oy. n. xiii. 276 No place where
it was possible for a boat to land. 1837 MAKRYAT Dag-
yffWxxii, The dog.. landed at the same stairs where the
boats land. 1882 Mus. B. M. CROKKR I roper l ri,ie I. ii.
ii Among the passengers who lauded at Southampton from
the Peninsular and Oriental Koselta.
8. ///. andyff. To arrive at a place, a stage in
a journey, or the like ; to come to a stage in a
progression ; to end in something. (Cf. a.)
1679 MOXON Mich, Kxerc. 153 Landing by the first pair
of Stairs with your Face towards the East. 1721 RAMSAY
Elegy / <!// liirnie iii, When strangers landed, 1726
H pttrmv Cart: (18431 "! 2 -(3 Thus this matter is entered
on; where it will land, the Lord himself direct. 1727 Ibid.
304 If any subordination and dependence [of the Persons of
the Trinity] . . were asserted, he could not but think it
would land in a dependent and independent God.
b. To alight upon the ground, c. g. from a vehicle,
after a leap, etc. (Cf. 2 b.)
1814 Spot ling Mag. XLIII. 287 The spot where the horse
took off to where he landed is above eighteen feet. 1837
MARRYAT Dog-fiend xxxvii, It landed among some cabbage-
\c.jig. To fall, light (a fan). Obs.
(11670 HACKET -2nd Serin, on Inciirnat. (1675^ ii Each
parcel of comfort landed jump., in the same model of Ground.
1727 ll odrow Carr. (1843) III. 304 We inquired into the
reports, found them all land on Mr. Simson.
Land, obs. f. I.ANT s/>. 1 , urine; var. LATND Obs.
Landabrides, erron. f. LINIJABRIDES 0/is.
t Iia ndage. 06s. In 5 londage. [I. LAND v.
+ -AGE.] Landing, coming ashore.
1470-85 MALORY ArtAurxxi. ii, There was syr Mordred
redy awaytynge vpon his londage to lette his owne fader to
lande vp the lande that he was kyng ouer.
il Laudamnian n (la ndaman). [Swiss Ger. ;
f. land LAND sl>. + amman(n = G. amtmann, f. ami
office, magistracy + matin man.] In Switzerland,
the title applied to the chief magistrate in certain
cantons, and formerly also to the chief officer in
certain smaller administrative districts.
1796 MORSK Amer. Geog. II. 308 The village of Gersaw..
has its land amman, its council of regency. 1822 L. SIMOND
Switzerland I. 438 All the landaminanns and statthalters.
1868 KIIIK Chas. Bold III. v. iii. 435 The old landamman
of Schwytz, Ulrich Katzy, gave wiser counsel.
Landar, obs. variant of LAUNDER.
Landart, Sc. form of LANDWARD.
Landau (larndo). Also 8 landeau, lando.
[f. Landau, the name of a town in Germany, where
the vehicle was first made. The Ger. name is
landauer, short for landaiter wage*] A four-
wheeled carriage, the top of which, being made in
two parts, may be closed or thrown open. When
open, the rear part is folded back, and the front
part entirely removed. Also landau carriage.
1743 in I. Strang Glasgtnv (1856) 17 The coach or lando to
contain six passengers. 1748 St. James s Even. Post Ko.
5982 Three Landaus with six Horses each . . waited his
coming. 1753 SHF.NSTONF. Ifi-s. * Lett. III. 218 There
were near 200 people gathered round Lady Luxborough s
landeau at Birmingham. 1786 WESLFY It ts. (1872) XI.
322 The Pope war, in an open landau. 1794 \V. ELTON
Carriages (1801) I. 22 The body of a landau carriage differs
nothing in shape from a Coach. The landau is the Coach
form, the landaulet the Chariot form. 1879 Casselfs Techn.
Educ. IV. 306/1 The landau .. combines more than the
advantages of three distinct vehicles a close carriage, a
barouche or half-headed carriage, and one entirely open.
Iiandaulet (le : ndgle-t). Also-ette. [f.prec.
+ -LET.] A small landau ; a coupe with a folding
top like a landau. Also called demi-landait.
LAND-BANK.
1794 [see LANDAU], 1799 Cent/, Mug. I. 449 A vehicle with
a bow-window, that is not a coach, or landau, or chariot, or
landaulet, or sociahle. c 1815 JANK AUSTHN I ersitas. (1833)
II. xii. 438 The mistress of a very pretty landaulette. 1880
TENNYSON Sisters 84 An open landaulet Whirled by.
La lld-ba:ilk. A banking institution which
or put:
ilishin
_. r ng in Execution the Act pas
for establishing a Land-Kank. 1711 SHAFTESB. Cliarnc.
(1737) III. 45 In Egypt, the generation or tribe, being once I
set apart as sacred, wou d . . be able . . to establish themselves
a plentiful and growing fund, or religious land-bank. 1790
BURKE Fr. Rev. Wks. V. 416 To establish a current cir
culating credit upon any Land-bank . . has hitherto proved
difficult. 1900 I Hot 19 May 351/1 A gentleman energetic
in promoting the spread of landbanks (perhaps the best of
several good things which Mr. Plunkett has introduced in
Ireland).
La nd-boc (-b<k). Hist. [OE. land/we, f. land
LAND sb. + Me BOOK s6.] A charter or deed by
which land is granted.
961 in Earle Land Charters (1888) 199 pis is bajra feower
hyda land hoc set wibi^lea }>e eadgar cing ha-fo ^ebocod
cenulfe on ece yrfe. a 1000 \ oc. in Wr.-Wiilcker 225/2
Donatio, landbec. a 1207 GERVASK (of Canterbury) Gesta
jRlgiuii Wks. i Rolls) J I. 59 Has scedulas tune temporis
land-bokes , id est libros terrarum, Angli vocabant. 1676
COLES, Latullxic, a Deed whereby lands are holden. 1839
KEIGHTLEV Hist. Eng. 1. 78 Landbocs or grants and charters
were there [/.<-. in the Hundred mote] read out and published.
La iid-breeze. A breeze blowing from the
land seawards.
1667 H. STUBBE in Phil. Trans. II. 499 There is little of
Land-brise, because the Mountain is remote from thence.
1698 FKVKR Ace. E. India fy P. 55 The Land-Breezes brought
a poysonous Smell on board Ship. 1783 COMTEK Loss R.
George 9 A land-breeze shook the shrouds. And she was
overset. 1846 GROTE Greece n. xlix. (1862) IV. 316 The
strong land-breeze out of the Gulf of Corinth.
t Land-brist. Sc. Obs. Also byrst, hirst.
[Cf. ON. brest-r outburst, crash.] Surf.
1375 HARBOUR Bruce IV. 444 Hot the vynde wes thame
agayn, That it gert sa the land-brist [v.r. byrst] ryss, That
thai mycht weld the se na viss. 1513 DOUGLAS jfineis vn.
Prol. 21 Landbrist rumland rudely. Ibid. x. vi. n Na land
brist \ed. 1553 hirst] lyppering on the wallis.
La iid-ca rriage. [See LAND sb. n.] Car
riage, conveyance, or transport by land ; also, the
cost of such carriage.
1613 PURCHAS Pilgrimage (1864) 63 Spices are deere in
Persia by reason of the long land-carriage from Masulapatan
this way. 1726 LEONI Albert?* Arckit. I. 4/2 The easy
bringing in .. of Necessaries, both by Land Carriage and
Water Carriage. 1825 J. NICHOLSON Operat. Mechanic 526
The expense of quarrying, laud-carriage to the place where
it is to be used [etc,], c 1850 Aral . Nts. (Rtldg.) 120,
I. .sent it by land-carriage to the nearest seaport.
La iid-clieap. Obs. exc. Hist. [OE. landceap,
f. land LAND s/>. + dap CHEAP sb. Cf. ON. land-
kanp.~\ A customary fine paid to the lord upon
the alienation of land.
848 in Birch Cartul. Sa.r. 11887) H- 35 Ego Berchtwulf
cyning sile ForSrede minum fSegne nUen hi^ida lond .. he
salde to lond ceape xxx mancessan & ni^en hund scillinga
wi3 3aem londe. 1670 BLOCNT Law Diet., Land cheap,
a certain ancient customary Fine, paid either in Moiiy or
Cattel, at every alienation of land lying within some
Mannor, or within the liberty of some Borough.
Landchet, variant of LANDSHAIID.
La iid-crab. [See LAND sb. ii.] Any of the
various species of crabs that live mostly on land but
resort to the sea for breeding.
1638 T. VERNEY To Sir E. Vtriuy in Verney Papers
(1853) 95 Thees land-crabs are innumerable, . . they are very
like our sea-crabs, but nothing att all soe good, becaus most
of them are poysonous. 1779 FORREST Voy. N. Guinea
74 Some Papua people brought me land crabs, shaped like
lobsters. 1871 MATKER Travancore 92 Landcrabs burrow in
the rice fields, and are used as food by the slave castes.
trans/. 1665 HOOKE Microfr. 178 The little Mite-worm, I
which I call a Land-crab.
fLand-damn, v. Obs. rare- 1 , trans. ? To
make a hell on earth for (a person).
The sense is uncertain ; the text may be corrupt. The
alleged survival of the word in dialects, with the sense to
abuse with rancour lE. D. D.), appears to be imperfectly
authenticated.
1611 SHAKS. IVint. T. \\. \. 143 You are abus d, and by
some putter on, That will be damn d for t ; would I knew the
Villaine, I would Land-damne him.
]| Landdrost (lse-nd|dr<7ust). Also erron. laud-
ro(o)st. [S. African Du. ; f. land LAND sb. + drost
(see DKOSSARD).] A kind of magistrate in South
Africa.
1731 MEDLEY Kolben s Cape G. Hope II. 10 He gave this
Land-Drost the powers of a Fiscal . . to seize and prosecute
all criminals, vagabonds, and disorderly persons. 1888
Times (weekly ed.) 25 May 7/3 President Kruger appointed
as landroost an Austrian gentleman. 1895 C. S. HOKNE
Story of the L. M. S. 64 The local magistrate, or landdrost.
II Lande (land). [Fr. See LAUND, LAWX.]
A tract of wild land, a moor. Used by Eng.
writers chiefly with reference to S. W. France.
1792 A. YOUNG Trav. France 43 These landes are sandy
tracts covered with pine trees. 1883 OUIDA Wanda II. 19
Out on the landes some cows were driven through the
heather and broom.
Lande, Landeau, obs. ff. LAUND, LANDAU.
Landed (larndkn, a. [f. LAND st>. + -m>2.
The OE. lelandod ( = MHG. gelandet), which occurs once
50
in the sense i below, is of different formation, thepple. of avb.
*landian (cf. gddian to endow with goods). It is possible
that the mod. word may partly represent this.]
1. Possessed of land ; having an estate in land.
Formerly often qualified by advs., as most, well, best
landed , also in parasynthetic comb., v& great-landed. The
collocation landed man was not uncommonly written with
a hyphen and occas. as a single word.
c 1000 Laws ofsEthdstan n in Schmid Gesetze 26 JElc
minra be^na be ^elandod sy. 4:1440 Promp. Pant. 312/1
Londyd, or mdwyd wythe lond, tcrradotatus. c 1470
HENRY Wallace ix. 1810 Na landyt man chapyt with him
botane. 1500-20 DUNBAR Poems x.x\\. 76 Howsuld I leif that
is not landit? 1579 J, STUBBES Gaping Gu{fDii} t Nuble
men and other great landed ones. 1595 SHAKS. John i. i, 177
A landlesse Knight, makes thee a landed Squire. 1605
CAMDEN Rem. (1637) 212 Descended from an Ancestor well
landed in Kent. 1647 N. BACON Disc. Govt. Eng: i. xxii.
(1739)40 In such case a Country-Gentleman should be fined
one hundred and twenty shillings if he were landed, a 1661
FULLER Worthies (1840) II. 454 Sir Oliver Hingham was
born, richly landed, and buried in Hingham. 1691 LOCKE
Consid. Louver. Interest (1692) 16 The Landed man who
thinks perhaps hy the fall of Interest to raise the Value of
his Land. 1714 SWIFT Pres. .State Affairs Wks. 1755 II. i.
202 The majority of landed-men. 1778 BOSWELL Johnson
(1831) IV. 104 That a landed gentleman is not under any obli
gation to reside upon hU estate. 1849-50 ALISON Hist.
Knrope XIV. xcv. 96. 190 The gradual extinction of the
old landed aristocracy.
b. fransf. {humorous}. Characteristic of, or
giving the impression of, a landed man.
1826 SYD. SMITH Wks. (1859) II. 88/2 A large man, with a
large head, and very landed manner.
2. Landed interest : interest or concern in land
as a possession ; the class having such interest.
1711 ADDISON Spect. No. 126 P 8 The first of them inclined
to the landed and the other to the monied Interest. 1719
W. WOOD Surv. Trade 76, I have shewn, how much it con
cerns the Landed and Trading Interests to be Friends to
each other. 1842 BISCHOFF Woollen Mannf. II. 265 It 1>e-
came evident that the landed interest were mistaken in the
views they entertained, a 1859 MACAULAY Hist. Eng. xxiv.
(1861) V. 126 The old landed interest, the old Cavalier
interest, had now no share in the favours of the Crown.
1880 DISRAELI Endym. I. i. 7 There are other interests
old landed besides the landed interest now.
3. Consisting of land ; consisting in the posses
sion of land ; (of revenue) derived from land.
1711 ADDISON Sfect. No. 69 F 7 It has multiplied the
Number of the Rich, made our Landed Estates infinitely
more Valuable than they were formerly. 1796 Lu. SHEF
FIELD in Ld. Auckland s Corr. III. 357 Not because
they had .. talents .., but because they have landed pro
perty. 1800 STUAKT in Owen Wellesley s Desp. 575 The
landed revenues of Guzerat are also very considerable.
1809-10 COLERIDGE Friend (1865) 126 Those tribes, .which
possess individual landed property. 1862 TKOLLOPE Orley
F. i, A landed estate in Yorkshire of considerable extent
and value. 1896 Laiv Times CII. 124/2 Could the coroner
himself be removed for want of the landed qualification ?
Landed (10e-nded ),///. a. [f. LANDZ/. + -ED 1.]
That has landed or gone ashore : in comb, as new- t
newly -landed.
1835 Court Mag. VI. 235/2 The new-landed throng Find
no lodging at hand. 1890 ROLF BOLDREWOOD Miner s
Right (1899) 76/1 For a newly-landed official, I don t recol
lect seeing your equal.
Land-end. Now dial. A piece of ground at
the end of a land * in a ploughed field. (See also
quots. 1877, 1893.)
1555 Stanford Chnrchiv. Ace., Antiquary XVII. 110/2
For Reping doune ye corne yt growyde at mens landds
endds y* wich was sooyd to farre upon the comon viij* 1 .
1610 Quarter Sess. Rec. in N. R. Record Soc. I. 202 (N. W.
Line. Gloss.) Tho. Skelton . . tooke vj j a daie . . and a land
end of grass besides, of Geo. Osborne of the same. 1624
Rental in Sheffield Gloss., Rich. Shirtclyffe had 8 land ends
at will vij.s. 1870 in E. Peacock Ralf Skirl. III. xv, 240 An 1
the eller tree blossoms like snaw was besprent On the land
ends at Hgs by the side o the Trent. 1877 N. W. Line.
Gloss., Land-ends, fi) small portions of cultivated land
between the Trent bank and the road, at the ends of the
lands in the open fields, more commonly called groves.
1893 Northumbld. Gloss., Landin, Land-end^ the end of
a ridge or of a furrow in ploughing, or of a drill in drilling
. . where it meets the heedrig. 1899 DICKINSON PKEVOST
Cumberld. Gloss., Heedlin*. . . Land end, head rig or head
land, or those butts in a ploughed field which lie at right
angles to the general direction of the others.
Lander (larndaj). [f. LAND v. + -EU i.]
1. One who lands or goes ashore.
by
16 The famous landers on Plymouth Rock.
2, Mining. The man who * lands the kibble at
the mouth of the shaft.
1847 " m HALLIWKI.L. 1865 J. T. F. TURNER Slate Quarries
8 Wagons . . are filled by a party of men . . called * fillers ,
while a similar number of landers and emptiers , at the
surface, receive and dispose of their freight.
Lander, -erer, variants of LAUNDEK, -EBKK.
Lafldert, Sc. form of LANDWAUD.
Landfall (Ise-ndfjl).
1. Naut. An approach to or sighting of land, esp.
for the first time on a sea-voyage. To make a good
(or bad) landfall: to meet with land in accordance
with (or contrary to) one s reckoning.
1627 CAPT. SMITH Seaman s Gram. ix. 43 A good Land
fall is when we fall iust with our reckoning, if otherwise
a bad Land fall. 1670 NARBOROUGH in Ace. Sev. Late Voy.
i. (1711)79 The best Land-fall in my Opinion, is to make the
face of Cape Desseada for to come out of the South Sea to
go into the Streight of Magellan. 1706 [E. WARD) Wooden
1859 TENNYSON Enid 330 The sweet voice of a bird, Heard
y the lander in a lonely isle. 1890 C. MARTYN W. Phillips
LAND-GRABBER.
World (1708) 89 If his Reckoning in a long Voyage, jump
with his Land-fall, he s as exalted [etc.]. 1850 SCORESBY
Cheever s Whalem. Adv. xviii. (1859) 281 It is not until a
captain has made three or four good landfalls . . just accord
ing to his calculations that the living by faith in . . the results
upon his slate begin[s] to come easy. 1891 WINSOK Celiun-
I>KS ix. 214 Las Casas reports the journal of Columbus
unabridged for a period after the landfall.
b. concr. The first land made on a sea-voyage.
1883 T. W. HICGINSON in Harper s Mag. Jan. 218/2 His
Prima Vista , or point first sten what sailors call landfall
was .. Cape Breton. 1884 SIR T. KRASSEY in igt/i Cent.
May 833 The Bahamas will be for ever memorable as the
landfall of Columbus.
2. * A sudden translation of property in land by
the death of a rich man (J.).
1876 l\ hitl>y Gloss. s.v., They ve got a bonny land-fall ,
a large amount of property bequeathed.
3. A landslip. (Ogilvie, 1882.)
t Landfall, v. Naut. Qb$. rare~. [f. prec.]
intr. To make a ( landfall .
1727 BOVER Eng.-Fr. Dict.> To land fall (a Sea-term),
atterrer.
La iul-flood. Overflowing of land by water
from a swollen river or other inland water.
1390 GOWER Con/. III. 126 Februar, which .. with lond-
flodes in his rage At fordes letteth the passage. 1523
FITZHEKB. Hiisb. 54 Grasse, that the laude-floudde renneth
ouer, is verye ylle for shepe, by-cause of the sande and fyHhe
that stycketh vppon it. 1646 FILLER Wounded Consc.(\"&$i}
303 Like a land-flood, quickly come, quickly gone. 1720
DE FOI-: Capt. Singleton ix. (1840) 166 The rivers were ..
swelled with the landfloods. 1833 LYELL Princ. Geol. III.
181 The land-floods which accompany earthquakes.
attrib. 1852 WIUGINS Embanking 69 Any. .rush of tidal
or land-flood waters against the bank.
b./*.
1579 FENTON Gmcciard. vn. (1599) 296 The furie of
Almaines entring Italie as a lumHlood. a 1628 PRESTON
AVw Covt. (1630) 83 It is but a Pond, it is but a land-floud,
the spring of comfort belongs only to the Saints. 1830
SCOTT Dt Monol. viii. 242 Some of the country clergy were
carried away by the land flood of superstition.
Landfolk (Iarndf0"uk;. ?0bs. Also 9 lands-
folk. [OE. land/ok, f, land LAND sb, + folc
FOLK. Cf. MHG. lantvolc, G. lamlvolk.} The
people of a land or country.
c IOQQ &I.TRIC Saints* Lives (E. E. T. S.) II. 324 pa. .com
baet land-folc to )>e hser to lafe waes }>a. (1205 LAY. 30930
pat lond-folc wes bfioe for heore leod-kinge. a 1*50 Owl <y
Night. 1156 That lond-folc wurth i-dorve. a 1300 Cursor
M. 9752, I sal.. sane J>i land folk al fra wa. 1:1425 Eng.
Cong. /ret. xxxvii. 90 (Dubl. MS.) pe lond-folke, that crysten
shold be. 1865 KINGSLEY Herew. I. xvii. 304 Tosti ., went
off to the Isle of Wight and forced the landsfolk to give
him money.
La iid-force. A force serving on land ; a
military as opposed to a naval force. Also //.
the troops or soldiers composing such a force.
1614 RALEIGH Hist, World in. (1634) 73 The Navie of
Athens, .over-threw the fleet of Xerxes, whose Land-forces
were soone after discomfited by them. 1790 BEATSON Nav .
ttf Mil. Mem. II. 191 Having on board . . near 3,000 land-
forces. 1849 GROTE Greece n. xxxviii. V. 38 He surveyed
. .his masses of land-force covering the shore.
t Land-gate. 06s. [See GATE j.i]
1. Sc. \Vayorpassageoverland; also used advb.
-= by land. Also t Landgates adv. t ? landward,
away from the sea.
1536 BELI.ENDEN Cron. Scot. (1821) I. 143 He began to.,
come landgait ouir the riveir of Levin. 1637 RUTHERFORD
Lett. (1862? I. 456 If ye..w j have only summer weather and
a land-gate not a sea-way, to heaven. 1765 Ross Helenore
(1789) 95 Land-gates unto the hills she took the gate.
2. (See quot.)
1726 KERSEY, Landgatt, a long and narrow Piece of Land.
Land-gavel (Jte-ndgse vel). Hist. Forms: i
land-gafol, 3 lond-gavel, Ion-gavel, 4 lond-
gov(e}l, 5 langable, 7 languable, 7, 9 land-
gable, 9 -gavel. [OK. landgafol, f. land LAND sb.
+ S a fl ^ AVEL J k ] Land-tribute, land-tax ; rent
for land, ground-rent. Also attrib.
ciooo Rtct. Sing. Pers. c. 2 in Schmid Gesetze 372 He
sceal land-gafol syllan. . c 1*05 LAY. 7465 Kehten he wold
wi5 Cezar j?e axede lon-^aut-l her. Ibiii. 7789 }eond al he
sette reuwen..po fengen f>a lond-gauel. 1308 Cat. Close
Rolls (1892) 59 [There are delivered to him 2s. nd. of rent
called] Londgovl [to be received in New Bukenham from
the following tenants]. 1478 R. RICART Mayor of Bristol s
Cal. (Camden) 9 This Toune of Bristowe is holde of oure
souueraigne Lorde the Klnge in frank burgage and with
out meane by reason of his langable of the same. ( 1640
Soc.) II. 340 The townsmen would have the college pay fur
It as a languable. 1882 BRAMSTON & LEKOY Historic Win
chester 69 The King s lands in Winton rendering Land-
gable and Burgage. 1897 MAITLAND Domesday <V Beyond
182, 310 tenements paying landgavel to the king s farmers.
La g nd-{fra : bber. One who grabs or seizes
upon land ^landed property or territory), esp. in
an unfair or underhand manner ; spec, in reference
to Irish agrarian agitation, a man who takes a
farm from which a tenant has been evicted.
1872 GOLDW. SMITH in Fortn. Rev. Mar. 254 The great
Elizabethan mansions.. are the graceful monuments of the
Tudor land-grabbers. 1880 Times 24 Nov. 6/1 The holding
had been taken by a land-grabber. 1883 Nonconf. fy Indep.
28 Dec. 1176/2 Filibustering operations of land-grabbers
in New Guinea.
LANDGRAVATE.
51
LANDISH.
So La iid-gra bbing 1 vl>l. s/>., the action or prac
tice of a land-grabber ; La-nd-gTa bMng- ppl. a.
1880 Daily Tel. 27 Oct., To protest against land grabbing.
1884 MARY HICKSON Ireland in i-jt/i C. I. Introd. 6 That
selfish, hind grubbing spirit. 188^ Spectator 3 Sept. 1169
* Land-grabbing as it is called, i.e., the taking of land
from which another has been evicted.
Landgravate (l^ndgr/v/t). [f. next + -ATE *.]
--= LANDGRAVIATE.
1761 Brit, ftfag. II. 162 By accounts from Turingia, we
learn that his Prussian Majesty . . has already entered that
landgravate. 1802 Brookes Gazetteer (ed. 12), Leiichtenberg,
a town of Bavaria, in a landgravate of the same name.
1865 Cornh. Alag. Aug. 221 Hesse-Homburg . . is a Land
gravate. .and its capital is Homburg.
Landgrave (larndgiv v). Also 6 langrave,
6-7 lantgrave, 7 landtgrave. j9. 6 lan(t)z-,
landisgrave, 7 lants-, landsgrave. fa. MHG.
lantgrave (G. landgraf^] = MLG. landgrave (Du.
landgraaf] : see LAND sb. and GRAVE sb,^\ In
Germany, a count having jurisdiction over a ter
ritory, and having under him several inferior
counts ; later, the title of certain German princes.
1516 FabyansChron. (1811) II. VH. 328 After the deth of Mr
husbonde, Langraue, duke of Thorynge in Almayne. 1560
I).\us tr. Sleidane s Coitun. 57 b, Then was he led to Duke
George of Saxome, and to the Lant/grave. 1616 J. WHELEK
in Bucclench MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) I. 179 A daughter
of the Lantsgrave of Hessen. 1656 BLOUNT Clossogr.^ Land~
fravej or Landsgra-ve. 1673 KAY Journ. Low C. 78 The
-antgrave of Darmstadt. 1756 NUGKNT Gr. Tour II. 421
Hanau had formerly counts of its own, but the last of them
dying in 1736 without issue, it devolved to the landgrave
of Hesse Cassel. 1839 Penny CycL XI. 192/1 The Temporal
princes were : the archduke of Austria, .the landgraves of
Hessen-Cassel and Hessen- Darmstadt . . the landgrave of
Leuchtenburg [etc.].
f b. In the colony of Carolina (see quots.). Obs.
1702 t$\ Carolina. S!a.t. (1836) I. 42 The upper house, con
sisting of the Landgraves and Casiques..are. .a middle
state between Lords and Commons. 1707 J. AKCHDAI.E
Carolina 13 They are there by Patent, under the Great
Seal of the Provinces, call d Landgraves and Cassocks, in
Heu of Earls and Lords.
Hence La-ndgraveship = LANDGRAVIATE.
La iidgravess = LANDGRAVINE.
1669 LOCKE Dft. Constit. Carolina xii. in y$rd D. fC. R.
259 Upon y c devolution of any landgraveship or cassiqueship,
1716 M. DAVIES Athcn. Brit. III. Crit. Hist. 107 At Jena
in the Landgraveship of Touring. 1762 tr. Buscliings Syst.
Geog. IV. 429 Caroline Christina, who had been espoused
Landgravess of Hesse-Philipsthal. Ibid. V. 504 Christina
Magdalena, Landgravess- dowager to Hesse- Homburg.
1809 SOUTHEY Q. Rev. II. 329 The Landgraveship with
which Locke had been requited for his legislative labours.
Landgraviate (laendgr^-viiit). [ad. med.L.
landgrdviat-ns, f. LANDGRAVE (med.L. -grdvio] :
see -ATE 1. Cf. F. laiidgraviat] The office, juris
diction, or province of a landgrave.
1656 in BLOUNT Glossogr. 1709 Lond, Gaz. No. 4542/1
His Imperial Majesty. .has been pleased. .to gr.int him the
Landgraviate of Leuchtenberg, an immediate Fee of the
Empire. 1836 Penny C ycl. V. 290 Charles managed to j
acquire the landgraviate of Alsace.
Landgravine Jse-ndgravih). Also 7 -inne.
[ad. G. Tandgrcifin, Du. landgravin.] The wife of
a landgrave ; a female ruler of a landgraviate.
1682 Lond. Gaz. No. 1744/2 The Landgravinne of Hesse.
1779 J. MOOKE View Soc. Fr. II. liii. 33 The Landgravine
plays at Quadrille, and chooses her own party every night.
1882-3 SCHAFF Encycl. Relig. Knoivl. II. 1261 The widowed
landgravine Elizabeth.
La-lldllO-lder. A holder, proprietor, or occu
pier of land; in mod. use sometimes (opposed to
land-owner}, a tenant holding land from a pro
prietor.
14x4 Rolls Parlt. IV. 58 They have cleymed . . the Kyiiges
trew lieges, that ben his fre tenentz annexed to his Coroune,
as for her bonde bore men, and her bonde lond holderes.
1662 DUGDALE Inibanking 51 The Land-holders in the said
Marsh. 1691 LOCKE Consul. Lower. Interest (1692) 88
Here is one fourth part of his yearly Income goes imme
diately out of the Landlords and Landholders Pocket. 1741
TAILFER (title) A . . Narrative of the Colony of Georgia in
America .. By Pat. Tailfer, M.D. ..and others, Land-holders
in Georgia. 1800 Asiat. Ann. Reg., Citron. 28/1 The great
body of the land-holders appear fully impressed with a
sense of the superior comforts they enjoy. 1874 GRF.EN
Short Hist. i. i. 3 In the very earliest glimpse we get of
the German race we see them a race of land-holders and
land-tillers. 1880 MCARTHY in igtli Cent, Aug. 310 A com
bination of all the great interests concerned, the landowner
as well as the landholder ; the peer as well as the peasant.
So ta ndho Iding- a.
1876 DIGBY Real. Prof. i. i. i. 8 The assembly of land-
holding inhabitants considered as tenants of a lord.
t Landier. Sc. Obs. Also laundier. [a. F.
lantStr : see ANDIHON, LANDIROJT .] An andiron.
1457 Extracts Burgh Recs. PeMcs (1872) 119 A spet
and lantter, a peudar chader, a dis [etc.]. 1612 Sc. Bk.
Rules in Hafyfurtoris Ledger (1867) 292 Brassin wark sic
as landiers, chandlers, baissones [etc.]. Ibid. 317 Laundiers,
of latten . . of irne.
Landimere (las-ndimisj). Obs. exc. Sc. Also
y landimar, lanimer. [OE. landgeins.re, f. land
LAND sb. + ge-m&re boundary, MERE.] Boundary
of land. Landimere s or Lanimer day, the day
pnwhich theannual perambulation of the boundaries
is made in Lanarkshire and Aberdeen.
944 in Earle Land Charters (1888) 178 Dis sint ba land
Xemaera & se embegang fc>ara landa to baddan byrij & to
doddan forda & to efer dune. 1825-80 JAMIESON, Z.a*//s/ /zr,
..2. A march or boundary of landed property, Aberd. To
ride the Landtmeres, to examine the marches, ibid.,
Lanarks. . . The day in which the procession is made is
called Landimere s day. 1864 Edin. Daily Rev. n June,
Lanimer Day at Lanark. 1888 Scott, Leader 16 May 5
Lanark Landimeres.
*; A land-measurer... This word is here \viz> in
Skene] used improperly (Jam.).
1597 SKENE De Verb. Sign. s. v. Particata, The measurers
of land, called Landimers, in Latine, Agrimensores. 1670
BLOUNT Law Diet, ^ Land imers, measurers of Land, anciently
so called. 1825-80 JAMIESON, Lanniinor^ person employed
by conterminous proprietors to adjust marches between
their lands, Ayrsh.
Landing (Ice ndirj), vbl. sb. [f. LAND v. +
-TNG l.] I. The action of the verb LAND.
1. The action of coming to land or putting
ashore ; disembarkation.
ci44o Promp. Parv. 312/1 Londynge fro schyppe and
watur, applicacio. 1577-87 HOLINSHEU Chron. I. 9/2 They
take landing within the dominion of king (loffarus. 1655
Nicholas Papers (Camden) II. 308 Att his landing att
Towre wharfe. 1697 DAMPIER Voy. I. 264 There is Water
enough for Boats and Canoes to enter, and smooth landing
after you are in. 1748 Ansotfs Voy. in. vii. 355 The Com
modore.. was saluted at his landing by eleven guns, 1798
DK. CLARENCE in Nicolas Disp. (1845) III. 10 nott,\ The
French cannot effect a lauding in Ireland. 1855 STANLEY
Mem. Cantcrb. i. (1857) 3 There are five great landings in
English history, each of vast importance.
b. Arrival at a stage or place of landing, e. g.
on a staircase.
1705 AnnisoN Tmi: Italy 433 A Stair-Case, .where, .the
Disposition of the Lights, and the convenient Landing are
admirably well contriv d.
c. Coming to ground at the end of a leap.
1881 Times 14 Feb. 4/2 The taking off at the jumps was
awkward, and the landing more ugly still.
2. a. Landing up : blocking up of a watercourse
by earth or mud. b. Earthing up of plants.
1692 RAY Dissol. World in. v. (1732) 352 This Landing up
and Alternation of the Skirts of the Sea. a, 1806 ABER-
CROMBIE in Loudon Gardening in. i. (18221 723 Give them
[celery-plants] a final landing-up near the tops. 1856 LEVER
Martins o/Cro M. 4 Celery, that wanted landing.
3. Angling. (See LAND v. 3.)
1884 Pnblic Opinion 5 Sept. 302/1 His attention is fixed
upon, .the skilful landing of his fish.
4. Mining. (.See quot. 1860 and LAND v. i b.}
1860 E>tg, <y far, MiningGloss., S. Staffs. Terms, Landing,
the banksman receiving the loaded skip at surface,
II. Concrete senses.
5. A place for disembarking passengers or un
lading goods ; a landing-place.
1609 DANIEL Civ. Wars vii. xxxvi, Defend all landings,
barre all passages. 1793 SMKATON Edystone L. 100
Amending the landing at the Edystone. Ibid.^ As my
proposed materials would not swim, a safe landing became
a still more important object.
b. The platform of a railway station (Sim-
monds Diet. Trade 1858;- ? Obs.
6. A platform in which a flight of stairs termi
nates ; a resting-place between two flights of stairs.
1789 P. SMYTH tr. Aldrich s Archit. (1818) 122 A resting-
place, or landing, should be contrived after g, n, or at the
utmost 13 steps. 1836-9 DICKENS S&. Boz ii, He took to
pieces the eight day clock on the front Landing. 1869 K. A.
PARKES Pract. Hygiene (ed. 3) 308 The ablution rooms.,
must be placed on the landings. 1882 Macm. Mag. XLVI.
441 The five bedrooms all opened on a square landing.
b. Stone used in or suitable for the construction
of staircase landings.
1847 SMEATON Builders Man. 190, 6-in. rubbed York
landing. 1858 Sky ring s Builders Prices ted. 48) 84,
3 inch Portland balcony bottoms, or landings. 1886 Mod.
Ne wspaper Advt., All kinds of flags, steps, landings,. ,&c.
7. Various technical senses (chiefly f/.S\), a.
(See quot. 1844.) b. Lumbering. A place where
logs are landed and stored, c. *A platform of
a furnace at the charging height J (Knight Diet.
Mech. 1875). d. Boat-building. =L\ND s&. 90
(q.v.). e. Mining. A place at the mouth of a
shaft for the landing of kibbles or other receptacles
(Cent. Diet.}, f. Fortif. The horizontal space at
the entrance of a gallery or return (Ibid.},
1844 GOSSK in Zoologist II. 706 Every extensive planter,
whose estate borders on the river [Alabama], has what is
called a landing ; that is a large building to contain bales of
cotton. 1868 Harper s Mag. XXXVI. 420 We emerged
from the thick timber into an opening through which ran
Tibbett s Brook. Here was what is called the landing, .we
could see thousands of logs that had been hauled. 1883
GRESLEY Gloss. Coal Mining^ Landing, a level stage for
loading or unloading coals upon.
8. attrib. and Comfi.j as (sense l) landing- pier,
-quay, -stairs, -steps^ (sense 3) landing-gaff, hook-,
-ring; landing charges, rates (Ogilvie), charges
or fees paid on goods unloaded from a vessel (Web
ster, 1864); landing floor sense 6; landing-
stage, a platform, often a floating one, for the
landing of passengers and goods from sea-vessels ;
landing-strake Bo at -building, the upper strake
but one* (Weale s Rudim. Nav. 128) ; landing-
surveyor, a customs officer who appoints and
superintends the landing waiters; landing- waiter,
a customs officer whose duty is to superintend the
landing of goods and to examine them. Also
LANDING-NET, -PLACE.
1856 CAPERN Poems (ed. 2) 143 A cautious footfall stealing
Gently o er the *Ianding-floor. 1741 Coinpl.Fain.-Piece n.
ji. 330 A young Angler should be furnished, .with.. * Land
ing- Hook, .. Shot and Floats of divers Sorts. 1858 SIM-
MONDS Diet. Trade, * Landing-pier, Landing-stage. 1861
M. PATTISONAYJ. (1889) I. 45 firoad ^landing quays covered
with cranes lined the river bank. 1883 i isfwries Ejchib.
Catal. 51 ^Landing Rings, Gaffs, Nets, &c. 1861 DICKENS
Gt. Expect. Hv, An old ^landing-stage. 1868 Less. Mid.
Age 269 On Monday morning, in a thick white fog, I entered
a little steamer at the landing-stage at Liverpool. 1838
DICKKNS O. Twist viii. The steps . . form a "landing-stairs
from the river. 1887 Spectator 21 May 692/1 Jack is going
to sea, and his friends are on the landing-stairs to take leave
of him. i838THiRLWAU, Greece IILxxii. 239 He. .advanced
foremost on the *landing-steps. 1864 MRS. LLOYD Ladies
Pole. 28 A little natural pier, in which landing. steps had
been cut. 1812 J. SMYTH Pract. of Customs (1821) 144 Sail
cloth and Sails are required to be stamped in the presence
of a * Landing-Survey or and Landing- waiter, on the common
quay. 1797 Monthly Mag. III. 480 Mr. J. Brook, "landing
waiter of the custom-house.
La ii cling", ///. a. [-ING 2 .] That lands; in
J\Iil, phr. landing force, party.
1884 Pall Mall G. 8 Sept. 8/1 This was due to the French
having no landing force. 1894 LD. WOI.SEI.EY Life Marl-
borough II. 175 Sending three armed boats ashore, a landing
party took the battery.
La lldillg-liet. A net for landing large fish.
1653 WALTON Angler \\. 60 Reach me that Landing net.
1787 liKsr Angling (ed. 2) 15 A landing -net, to land large
fish with, and which are made with joints to fold up in
a small compass. 1848 THACKERAY Bk. Snobs xxvi, Fish
ing-rods, and landing-nets. 1885 Athenxttm i Aug. 136/3
Mr. Webster does not appear to use any landing-net, which
increases the difficulty of capturing fish.
b. transf. A pair of forceps with a small net
attached to the blade, devised by A. Buchanan,
for the removal of the calculus from the bladder
in lithotomy (Syd. Soc. Lex. 1888).
La*nding-place.
1. A place where passengers and goods are or can
be landed or disembarked.
1512 Act 4 Hen, I I II, c. i i The Frenchemen .. knowe
aswell every haven and creke within the sayde Count ie as
every landyng place. 1620-55 I- JONF.S Stonc-Hcng (1725,1
13 They were imbarked, dis-imbarked, am! brought from
their Landing Place to Salisbury Plain. 1687 Lond. Ga^.
No. 2221/8 Lost. ., between Richmond and Putney Landing-
place, a Point Crevat and Cuffs. 1748 Alison s l oy. n. vi.
191 Pilots were ordered to .. conduct him to the most con-
| venient landing-place. 1840 K. H. DANA Bef, Mast vii. 15
I Waiting at the landing place for our boat to come ashore.
b. A platform at a railway station.
1882 in OGILVIE.
2. =LANDJXG vbl. sh. 6 now the usual word).
1611 COTGK., A Ire, ..the halfe-pace, or landing place of
a half-pace staire. 1625 BACON ss., Building lArb.) 550
The Staires likewise . . let them bee vpon a Faire open
Newell, and finely raild in ..And a very Faire Landing
Place at the Top. 1765 FOOTE Commissary \. \Vks, 1799
1 1. 7 Simon, .flew up stairs, fell over the landing-place, and
quite barr d up the way. 1840 DICKENS Barn. Rudge ix,
His stealthy footstep> on the landing-place out>ide. 1849
MACAULAY Hist, Kng. iii. I. ^52 The staircases and landing
places are not wanting in grandeur.
attrib. 1852 R. S. SUKTEKS Sponge s Sp. Tour x\.\iv.
(1893) 193 The dinner and ball invitations gradually dwindled
away, till he became a mere stop-gap at the one, and a
landing-place appendage at the other.
3. transf. andyfjf. ^in prec. senses). A place at
which one arrives ; a stopping- or resting-place.
1727 ARBUTHNOT Tables A tic. Coins, etc. vii. 151 What the
Romans called Ve^tibulum was no part of the House, but
the Court or Landing-place between it and the Street. 1850
TENNYSON / Mem. xlvii, He seeks at least Upon the last
and sharpest height. .Some landing-place, to clasp and say,
Farewell! We lose ourselves in light . 1861 HUGHES
Tom Brmyn at Oxf. I. Introd. 2 Tom was ., beginning to
feel that it was high time for him to be getting to regular
work again.. A landing place is a famous thing, but it is
only enjoyable for a time by any mortal who deserves one
at all. 1884 J. TAIT Mind in Matter (1892) 245 When the
conscience-troubles, .lead to scepticism, the ultimate land
ing-place, .is superstition.
t Landiron x . Obs. Also 5 laundyren, 6
lawndyrne, laund(e iron, 6-7 landyron, 7
-iyron. [An alteration (influenced by IRON, as in
ANDIRON) of LANDIER a., . landier = def. article
/ + OF. andier andiron.] An andiron, fire-dog.
1459-60 Durham Ace. Rolls iSurtees) 89 It. ij cobertez
alias laundyrens, ij rostyngyrens. 15x1 Nottingham Rec.
No. 1384. 42 Unum lawndyrne, pretn xviij^/. 1541 in Lane,
Wills $ Invent. I. 128, ij. old great laund irons, vs. 1590
Inv.Linc. mJ\Iidl. Co. Hist. Coll. 11.31 Item..ij landyrons,
one fire shovell. 1640 BRATHWAIT Bouhter Lect. 304 Her
Pots, Pipkings, Kettles, Land-irons with all htr other
Utensiles. 1685 Inv. C/t. IVetkerill of Keadby 15 May
(N. W, Line. Gloss.), One iyron potte and one land iyron
with spitts and racks and crookes.
t Landiron -. Obs. [? f. LAND sb. + IRON st>.]
A kind of iron.
1428 in Snrtees Misc. (1888) 2 Sent hym with hys awen
cariage iij c & di. of landyren. Ibid. 3 He had inykyll with
in him of dross and landiren.
t La liclisli, a. Obs. Also 3 londisse, 5 land-
ysshe. [f. LAND sb. + -ISH.] a. Belonging to the
land or country; native, b. Of the commons or
common people.
7-2
LAND-JUNKER.
a 1300 A". Horn 634 Al \\\\> sarazines kyn, And none
londisse Men [Ritson Mid unlondisshe menne, Of Sarazynes
kennej. 1489 CAXTON Faytes. of A. i. x. 26 They putte no
dyfference betwene them [sc. the noblemen] & the landish-
men. Ibid. xxiv. 76 The..alarme that the landysshe peple
or commons maken.
!l Land-junker (-yu*rjkax\ Also anglicized
-youiiker. [(ier.J A country-squire.
1840 THACKERAY Catherine ii, I. .eased a great fat-headed
Warwickshire land-junker .. of forty pieces. 1860 MOTLEY
Netherlands II. 548 Land-younkers. .paid their black-mail.
Landlady (lamdl^ di). [f. LAND sb. + LADY sb.
Cf. landlord.\
1. * A woman who has tenants holding from her
(J.); f_/?^. a mistress, rare.
a 1536 TINDALE Expos. Matt. v. Wks. (1573* 210/1 Let thy
wife visit thy Landladye three or four tymes in a yeare,
wyth spised cakes., and such like. 1600 DEKKKR Fort it twins
Wks. 1873 I. 84 Great landlady of hearts pardon me. 1687
MIEGE Gt. Fr. Diet. n,s.v. Landlady, I am the Tenant, and
she Is my Landlady. Mod. Our landlady lives next door.
2. The hostess of an inn ; the mistress of a lodging-
or boarding-house.
1654 Nicholas Papers (Camden) II. 56 She called for the
Landlord and Landlady of the Lodging. 1667 PKPYS Diary
7 Oct., There was so much tearing company in the house
that we could not see the landlady. 1734 BERKELEY Let. to
T. Priory* Apr., Wks. 1871 IV. 227 Ihe landlady of the
lodging must., be obliged to furnish linen. 1814 SCOTT
Redganntlet let. xn, We soon reached the Shepherd s Hu^h,
where the old landlady was sitting up waiting for us. 1857
DICKENS Lett. 11880) II. 30 We have a very obliging and
comfortable landlady. 1886 KLSKIN Prseterita I. vii. 209
The early widowed landlady of the King s Head Inn.
3. Sc. One s hostess, the wife of one s host or
entertainer. ? Obs.
1815 SCOTT Guy J/. iii, The circumstances of the landlady
[Mrs. Bertram, wife of the laird] were pleaded to Mannering
. .as an apology for her not appearing to welcome her guest.
Hence (nonce-wJs.} La ndladydom, the realm of
landladies. La ndladyhood, -ship, the position
or dignity of a landlady. La ndladyish a., resem
bling or characteristic of a landlady.
1854 Tait s Mag. XXI. 349 The end of my landladyship
is drawing nigh. x86a J. SKINNER Let. 12 July in Life xi.
(1884) 209 Maggie was in all the dignity of landladyhood.
1864 Realm 30 Mar. 8 Mrs. Falconer as Dame Quickly
displayed a proper amount of landladyish indignation at
her corpulent customer s misdeeds. 1890 BARING-GOULD
PennyLOiiu quicks 194 When I come to landladydom.
Land-law. [In sense i repr. OK. landlagu, f.
land LAND sb. + lagu LAW sb.\ ; otherwise a modern
formation. Cf. ON. lands fyg.]
1. (Also Aland s law.} The law of a land or
country ; the law of the land .
c 1000 Rect. Sing. Pers. c. 4 in Schmid Gcsetze 376 Decs
landla^u steent on simian lande. Ibid. c. 21 ibid. 382
Landla^a syn mistHce, s\va ic aer . . sa:de. a 1300 Cursor
M. 12095 |>at he yu ne luue mare ban lands lau. c 1380
WYCLIF Wks. (1880) 132 To stryue and plede for worldly
possessions by londis lawe. 1818 SCOTT Hrt. Midi, xxviii,
It s the fashion here for decent bodies, and ilka land has its
ain land-law .
2. Law, or a law, relating to land considered as
property.
1878 N. Amer. Rev. CXXVII. 253 The land-laws of that
country. 1894 Daily Neivs 20 Apr. 4^7 Mr. John Stuart
Mill pointed out that the English land law system was
peculiar, and even was alone, among the land law systems
uf Kurope. 1894 F. N. THORI E Govt. U. S. 9 Land-laws
originate in the use of the land for grazing.
Land league. An association of Irish tenant
farmers and others, organized in 1879 by Charles
Stewart Parnell under the name of The Irish
National Land League* (and suppressed by the
Government in 1881), having for its object primarily
the reduction of rent, and ultimately the carrying
out of radical changes in the Irish land-laws, e. g.
by the substitution of peasant proprietors for land
lords. Hence La nd-league v. trans. , to treat
according to the principles of the Land League,
La-nd-leagiier, a member of or sympathizer with
the Land League. La iid-leag ixisiu, the principles
or practice of the Land League.
1880 Libr. Univ. Knowl. {N. V.) VIII. 136 The incendiary
speeches of the Land Leaguers. 1881 Times 17 Jan. 12 2
The Land League strikes at the root of Irish misery. 1881
C. GIBBON Heart s Problem iv. (1884! 56 He could quite
believe that the old tailor and his family had gone to
America on some Land League commission. 1881 SULLIVAN
in Mactn. flfag. XLIV. 343 The I,and League and Land
Leaguism have kept the peace in Ulster on this occasion.
1886 Sat. Rer. 6 Mar. 315/2 A Welsh Parliament, in
which they might disestablish the hated Church, land-
league the landlords.
t La-nd-leaper. Obs. Also 4-6 -leper(e, 5
-lepar, 7 Sc. -leiper. [f. LAND sb. + LEAP v. (in
the sense to run ) + -ER i.] = LAXD-LOFER.
[1361 LANGI- P. PI. A. v. 258 pat Penitencia is pike he
schulde polissche newe, And lepe with him ouerlond al his
lyf tyme.J 1377 Ibid. B. xv. 207 He ne is nou^te in lolleres,
ne in lande-leperes (v. r. land-lepynge] hermytes. 14..
I oc. in Wr.-Wiilcker 565/46 An>amhulus t a londlepar.
c 1460 Totvneley Myst. xvi. 166 Gelt I those land lepars
I breke ilka bone. 1560-77 Misogomts iv. ii. n (Brandl)
Thou landleper, thou runagat roge, 1565 CALFHILL Ansiv,
Treat. Crosse 51 b, Then eyther was your author a Iyer, or a
leude byshop : to forsake hys charge and be such a land-
leaper. 1611 Bf RIOS Anat. Mel. I. ii. m. xv. (1676)83/2 Let
Marriners learn Astronomy. .Landleapers Geography. Ibid.
52
ii, iii. iv. 212/2 Alexander, Caesar, Trajan, Adrian, were as
so many land-leapers, now in the East, now in the West,
little at home, a 1670 HACKET Abp. Williams \\. (1692) in
As Budseus says proverbially of a Land-leaper, that makes
himself a Cripple and cries out for help, Tolle emit gut non
navit. 1706 PHILLII S (ed. Kersey), Land-leader 1 s-sfmrge,
a kind of Herb.
Hence t Landleapt a., ? vagabond, runaway ;
Land-leaping 1 sb. (arch.\ ? vagabond style of
living; fa., vagabond.
1377 Land-lepynge [see above]. 1602 WARNER Alb. Eng.
x. TV. (1612) 245 With her, Mendoza, Papists here, forren,
and Land-leapt Foes. 1886 M. K. MACMILLAN Dagonet the
Jester \\\. 135 In good sooth your learning and land-leaping
is nought but a kind of fooling.
t Land-leave. Obs. ? A fee paid for permis
sion to convey goods over ceitain land.
?ci357 Durham Ace. Rolls (Surtees) 563 Pro 3 par.
Molarum lucrand. . . prater Landleve et carlag. eorundem,
xiijj. iiij^. 1664 in Hargreave Coll. Tracts (1787) I. 57 The
defendants pretended title to it as parcell of the town of
Plymouth, and shewed u>age to have had certain customs
called land-leave, terrage, &c. 1669 in $tk Re^. Hist.
MSS. Comm. 11874) 405/2 Penrose .. said .. that he had
always received a is 11 part of all goods cast on shore upon
his ground for Landleave.
Landless (lae-ndles), a. [f. LAND sb. + -LESS.]
1. Not possessing land; having no landed property.
riooo Laws of sEthehtan n. c. 8 in Schmid Gesctze 136
Be landleasum mannum . . jif hwylc landleas man fol^otle
on oftre scire. 1540-1 KLYOT Image Cm . 115 We shall
neither haue usurour dwell in this cltee, nor gentilmen
landlesse. i6o SHAKS. Ham. \, i. 98 Young Fortinbras ..
Hath. . Shark d vp a List of Landlesse Resolutes. 1638
HROMK Antipodes i. i. Wks. 1873 III. 234 As mad as land-
lesse Squire could bee. 1814 SCOTT La. of Isles MI. xxxi,
A landless prince, whose wandering life Is but one scene of
blood and strife. 1865 Edin. Rm. CXXI. 36 Turned
adrift landless and homeless. 1878 A". Atner.Rev, CXXVII.
102 The negro, poor, landless, and deserted by the North.
2. Without land, void of land.
1605 SYLVESTER Da Rartas it. til. in. Law 1197 A Fruit
less, Flood-less, yea a Land-less Land. 1868 MORHIS
Earthly Par. (1870) I. 16 RUk dying in an unknown land
less sea. I bid. i Within the landless waters of the west.
Hence La ndlessness.
1851 H. MELVILLE Whale xxiii. 118 In landlessness alone
resides the highest truth.
La-nd-liiie.
1. The outline of the land against sky and sea.
1875 W. M!LWRAITH Guide Wigtwvnshire 50 Ross Isle
terminates the land-line of the view.
2. A telegraphic line running overland, as opposed
to a cable.
1884 S. E. DAWSON Handbk. Canada 21 The [telegraphic J
cables and the land-lines in British Columbia. 1887 Pall
Mall G. 9 Dec. 8/1 The Western Union now controls the
land-Hue system of the United States.
3. Fishing. Line passing from the end of the seine
to the shore Knight Diet. Meek. Suppl. 1884 .
Land-lock (U~e ndl7k),j. rare. ^Back-forma
tion from next.]
f 1. The conditrbn of being landlocked.
1627 CAPT. SMITH Seaman s Gram. ix. 45 Land locked.
Land locke, is when the land is round about you.
attrib. a 1661 FULLKR Worthies^ Shropsh. in. (16621 i,
I behold it [sc. Shropshire] really (though not so Repuied)
the biggest Land-lock-shire in England.
2. Landlocked country.
1893 Outing (U. S.) XXVII. 239/2 From Prospect Hill is
had a delightful view of the Devonshire Valley, one of those
many deceptive land locks, which [etc.].
Landlocked (la:*ndl^kt\ pa.pple. and ///. a.
[See LOCK z>.] Shut in or enclosed by land ; almost
entirely surrounded by land, as a harbour, etc.
Also transf, of fish : Living in land-locked waters
so as to be shut off from the sea.
i6aa R. HAWKINS I oy. S. Sea (1847) 92 In the lesser of
these Hands, is a cave for a small ship to ryde in, land-lockt.
1697 DRYDKN I irg., Georg. Ded. (1721) I. 194 A good Con
science is a Port which is Land-lock d on every side. 1740
WOODBOOFK iii Hanway^s Trav. (1672) I. iv. Hx. 275 Twelve
or fifteen sail of ships might lie land-locked, with the utmost
security. 1779 FORREST Voy. N. Guinea 253 Went farther
round into a land-locked bay, and moored the vessel. 1840
R. H. DANA Bcf. Mast xiv. 36 Decidedly the best harbour
on the coast, being completely land-locked. 1868 Rep. U S.
Commissioner Agric. 324 The taking of. . land-locked salmon
by any other means than by hook and hand-line is pro
hibited. 1876 PAGE Adv. Text-bk. Gcol. ii. 44 The shores
of the land-locked Baltic.
b. Hemmed in, limited, or hindered from move
ment by surrounding land.
1770 BAKKTTI Joiirn. Lond. to Genoa I. xiv. 88 Our land-
locVd Ladies on the other side the Alps. 1847 DISRAELI
Tancred in. vii, The little caravan was apparently land
locked. 1855 KINGS LEY Glancns (1878) 62 Along a pleasant
road, with land-locked glimpses of the bay.
Land-loper, -louper
Now chiefly St. Also 7 -lowper, 8 -looper. [ad.
Du. landlooper ( MHG. lanthufsere^ G. land-
laufer], f. land LAND sb. + loopen to run: see
LEAF z>. Cf. LANDLEAPER.]
1. One who runs up and down the land ; a vaga
bond ; Jig. f a renegade ; an adventurer.
15. . tr. Bull Pope Martin (c 1417) in Foxe A. fy M. (1583)
648/2 Certaine Archheretickes haue risen and sprong vp..
being landlopers, schismatikes, and seditious persons. 1580
HOLLYBAND Treas, Fr. Tongi t^n viilotier^ a lande loper,
a runnagate. a 1605 POLWART Fly ting iv. Montgomerie
757 Land lowper, light skowper, ragged rowpcr like a
LANDLORDISM.
raven. 1622 BACON Hen. f-77 114 Hee [Perkin Wai-beck]
had beene from his Child-hood such a Wanderer, or (as the
King called him) such a Land-loper. 1642 HOWELL For.
Trav. (Arb.) 57 Such Travellers as these may bee termed
Land-lopers, as the Dutchman saith, rather than Travellers.
1681 W. ROBERTSON Phraseol. Gen. (1693) 799 A Land-
loper, prtedo. 1701 C. WOLLI.V Jrnl. New York (1860)
19 The materials of this Journal have laid by me several
years expecting that some Landlooper or other in those
parts would have done it more methodically. 1816 SCOTT
Antiq. xiii, This High-German land-louper, Uousterswivel.
1855 MOTLEY Dutch Rep. iv. iii. (18661 596 Bands of land
loupers had been employed, .to set fire to villages and towns
in every direction.
Comb. 1787 BURNS Let. to IV. Nicol i June, My land-
lowper-like stravaguin.
t 2. = LAXD-LUBBER. Obs.
1694 MoTTF.ux.ff<i?/ff v. xviii, We lay by and run adrift,
that is in a Landlopers phrase, we temporis d it. a 1700
B. E. Diet. Cant. Crew, Land-topers or Land- lubbers,
Fresh-water Seamen so called by the true Tarrs. i?as in
New Cant. Diet.
La-nd-lo;ping, -looping, ///. a. Now Sc.
[Back-formation irom prec. + -ING *.] Wandering,
roving, vagabond. Alsoy?^*.
1577 HOLINSHED Chron. (1807-8) II. 401 These his land-
loping legats and Nuncios have their manifold collusions
to cousen Christian kingdoms of their revenues. 1694 S.
IOHNSON Notes Past Let. Bp. Burnet \. 32 It is a Lond-
lopeing Argument. 1816 SCOTT Antiq. xxvi, I canna think
it an unlawfu thing to pit a bit trick on sic a land-louping
scoundrel, that just lives by tricking hpnester folk. 1828
F. M. Perth iv, These land-louping Highland scoundrels.
Landlord (Ue-ndlfud), sb. Also 6 land(i s-
lord. [f. LAND sb. + LORD sb. OE. had land-
hlaford, but the mod. word is a new formation.]
1. Originally, a lord or owner of land ; in recorded
use applied only spec, to the person who lets land
to a tenant. Hence (perh. already in i6th c.) in
widened sense (as the correlative of tenant] : A
person of whom another person holds any tenement,
whether a piece of land, a building or part of a
building.
a 1000 in Earle Land Charters i i888) 376 JEt telcuin were
8e binnan 3am ,xxx. hidan is gebyreS a;fre se oSer fisc Sam
landhlaforde. < 1000 Laws of Edgar Suppl. c. n in Schmid
Gesctze 196 Henlde se land-hlaford \>xt forstolene- orf..oft
|?a;t se asenfrigea \>xt ^eacsige. 1419 Liber Albns 192 b
(Rolls) 1. 221 Le lessour, appelle landlorde . 1455-^ GREGORY
Chron. (Camden) 199 Tlie Lombardys. .toke grete old man-
cyons in Wynchester . . and causyd the lontle lordys to do
grete coste in reparacyons, 155* in Vicarys Anat. (1888)
App. in. ii. 152 Suche rate as thei paye in yerely rent, .to
the landelordes therof. 1553 T. WILSON Rhet. 15 Would
servauntes obey their masters.. the tenaunt his landlorde.
1557 F, SEAGER Sch. Virtue 1071 in Babees Bk.^ Ye that
be landlordes and haue housen to let. 1587 Sc. Acts
Jos. VI (1814) III. 462/1 |>e Inndislordes and bail lies vpoun
quhais landis and in quhais Jnrisdictioun ^ai duell. c 1590
GKKENE i-r. Bacon x. ir, I am the lands-lord keeper of thy
holds. 1593 SHAKS. Rich. //, ii. i. 113 Landlord of England
art thou, and not King. i66z STILLINCFL. Orfg. Sacr. in.
iii. i His Landlord may dispossess him of all he hath
upon displeasure. 1701 DE FOE Orig. Power People Misc.
(1703) 157 If the King was universal Landlord, he ought to
be universal Governor of Right. 1809 LAMB Let. to
Coleridge 7 June, 1 have been turned out of my chambers
in the Temple by a landlord who wanted them for himself.
1818 CRUISE Digest (ed. 2> I. 282 Six months notice to quit
must be given by a landlord to his tenant at will. 1876
FKEEMAN Norm. Conq. V. xxiv. 381 The doctrine was
established that the King was the supreme landlord. 1878
JKVONS Prim. Pol. Econ. 92 The laws concerning landlord
and tenant have been made by landlords.
b. Jig. (said of God.)
a 1635 CORBET Poems (1807) 6 It wounded me the Land
lord of all times Should let long lives and leases to their
crimes. 1676 W. HUBUAKD Happiness of People 59 It is no
wonder if God our great Land-lord, layes his arrest upon
our tillage.
2. a. In extended sense : The person in whose
house one lodges or boards for payment ; one s
* host . b. Trie master of an inn, an innkeeper.
a 1674 CLARENDON Hist. Reb. xni. 86 He new dressed
himself, changing clothes with his landlord. 1692 LUITRELL
Brief Ret. (1857, II. 411 His landlords daughter testified
that [etc.]. 17*4 b \VIFT Drapiet s Lett. i. Wks. 1761 III.
21 Suppose you go to an alehouse with that base money
and the landlord gives you a quart for four of those half
pence. 1774 GOLDSM. Retal. 3 If our landlord supplies us
with beef and with fish. 1777 SHERIDAN Trip Scarb. \. t,
1 suppose, sir, I must charge the landlord to be very
particular where he stows this? 1870 Daily News 16 Apr.,
The word landlord is never used here [sc. New England] in
its primary or English signification, and is applied only to
the keeper of a tavern or Boarding house.
3. A host or entertainer (in private). Chiefly Se.
1725 DE FOE I oy. round M orld 11840} 65 Which their new
landlords took very kindly. 1858 RAMSAY Remin. Ser. i.
(1860) 256 Persons still persist among us in calling the head
of the family, or the host, the landlord. 1864 BURTON Scut.
Abr. I. i. 26 Not so satisfactory . . as the confiding landlord
expects it to be.
Landlordism (la"ndl^.idiz m). [f. prec. sb. +
-JSM.] The principles or practice of landlords ;
the system accotding to which land is owned by
landlords to whom tenants pay a fixed rent (chiefly
used with reference to Ireland) ; advocacy or prac
tice of such a system.
1844 MARY HKNNELL Soc. Systems 82 The Mail, the
recognized organ of Irish landlordism.
87 If it is the spirit of landlordism that stands in the way
of improvement in Ireland. 1880 M-CARTHY Own Times
LANDLORDLY.
IV. 281 The landlordism of Ireland was, compared with
most European institutions, a thing of the day before
yesterday.
La-ndlordly, a. [-LT*.] Belonging to or
characteristic of a landlord or landlords.
1853 LOWELL Moorehetui Jrnl. Prose Wks. 1890 I. 18 He
waits upon it himself in the good old landlordly fashion.
1866 Daily Tel. 8 Jan. 4/6 Landlordly coercion. 1897
MAITI.ANLJ Domesday <y Beyond 199 As far as landlordly
rights are concerned.
t La ndlordry. Obs. rare~ l . [-BY.] Land
lords as a clnss.
1597-8 Hi-. HALL Sat. v. i. 98 Such pilfring slips of Pety
land-lordrye.
La iidlordship. [-SHIP.] The position or
condition of a landlord ; the tenure of such a
position. Also, with poss. pron., used as a title.
[1814 Blackw. Mag. XV. 15 The evil system of middle-
landlordsliip.l 1828 Miss MITFORD I illage Ser. in. 44
[He] did not intend to retire yet awhile to the landlord-
ship of the Hell. 1874 RUSKIN Fors Clav. IV. 199 Neither
British constitution nor British law .. can keep your land-
lordships safe. 1897 MAITI.AND Domesday V Beyond 172
Lordship in becoming landlordship begins to lose its most
dangerous element.
Land-lubber (beiidtobai). [LUBBER occurs
in the i6th c. in this sense.] A sailor s term of
contempt for a landsman,
a 1700 [see LAND-LOPKR 2], 1751 JOHNSON Rambler^Q. 198
f ii My Uncle. .bid me prepare myself against next year
for no land lubber should touch his money. 1824 W. IRVING
T. Trav. 11849) 4 7 There was many a land-lubber looked
on that might much better have swung in his stead. 1875
R. F. UURTON Gorilla L. II. 15 The philosophic landlubber
often wonders at the eternal restlessness of his naval brother-
man. 1884 PAK Eustace 130 The service is not intended to
pamper landlubbers, but to make smart seamen.
Hence La ndlubberisli, La ndlubberly adjs.
1829 J. WILSON in Btacfav. Mag, XXXVI. 912 Land-
lubberish terms. 1860 DICKKNS Lftt. 4 Sept. (1880) II. 119
The costermongers in the street outside, .have an earthy,
and, as I may say, a landlubberly aspect. 1893 VI/KTELI.Y
Glances Back I. viii. 166 My land-lubberly intelligence
failed to grasp the proper meaning.
L an dm an (larndmsen). [OE. landrnann, f.
land LAND sit. -\-mann MAN si. Cf. MHG. lant-
man native, mod.G. latulmann^ Du. lamiman
countryman, peasant, farmer. Cf. LANDSMAN.]
fl. A man of a (specified or indicated) country.
= COUNTRYMAN i. Obs. rare.
aiooo Cy dwarfs Exod. 179 ^r.) Keond onse^on laffum
ea^an landmanna cyme. < 1000 Ordin. Dnnsxte c, 6 in
Sch mid Cesetzc 360. 1641 MILTON Ck. Govt. i. vii. 29 The
Englishman of many other nations is least atheisticall.. ;
but . . he may fall not unlikely sometimes as anv other land
man into an uncouth opinion.
2. A countryman, peasant.
(In Carlyle, after G. landwnun.)
a iyxt Cursor M. 28072 Nu sal i tell (>e..Hu ^u sal sceu \>i
scrift to preist,..pat landmen mai sumquat lere, J o scape
l>air scrift wit ^is samplere. Ibid. 29411 Quen he [a clerk]
chaunges crun or wede, And funden [es] in land mans dede.
1497 Extracts A herd. Rgf. (1844) I. 60 That euere burges
saf inbring certaine landmen, out duellaris . . to remane
within the tone. 1543 /fa if. 191 The toune is hauely mur-
murit be the landmen. 1825 CARLYLE Schiller \\\. (1845) 215
They are no philosophers or tribunes, but frank, stalwart
landmen.
3. = LANDSMAN 2. Now rare or Obs.
1480 Howard Honseh. Bks. (Roxb.) 9, iij. M. men, lande
men and maryners .. arrayed for the werre. 1606 SHAKS.
Ant. <y CV. iv. iii. ii If tomorrow Our Xauie thriue, I
haue an absolute hope Our Landmen will stand vp. 1664
J. KEYMOR Dutch Fish. 6 Thus they make their Land-
men Seamen, their Seamen Fishermen, their Fishermen
Mariners. 1732 FIELDING Amelia HI. iv, What inspires a
land man with the highest apprehension of danger gives not
the least concern to a sailor. 1769 De Foes Tour Cf. Brit.
(ed. 71 II. 129 The Distinction between Landmen and Sea
men on board, which used to create Animosity, and subject
the Landmen to some Hardships. 1808 G. EDWARDS / racf.
Plani.j The facility with whicli these convert landmen into
sailors. 1846 \\H.\TY.\.\ A ddit. Elcm. Rliet.^, Nautical terms
..it is little loss to a land man to be ignorant of.
f4. A man having landed property. Obs.
1562 A. SCOTT Poems fS. T. S.^ 1. 156 But kirkmennis cursit
substance semis sweit Till landmen, w [ f>at lend burd lyme
are lytiit. 1670 BLOUST Law Diet. (1691), Landman^ the
Terre-tenant. 1708 J. CHAMBERI.AYXE St. Gt. Brit. ii. in.
iii. (1737) 405 A Gentleman of three Generations claims
Precedency from any ordinary Land-man, who has but
newly acquired his Lands.
Landmark Ire iidmiuk). fOE. lamlmearc fern. :
see LAND sb. and MARK sb. (Cf. G. landmark
boundary, landmark* sailor s landmark.)]
1. The boundary of a country, estate, etc. ; an
object set up to mark a boundary line.
982 in Kemble Cod. Difl. III. 189 Seo landmearce Ii5 of
Terstan upp be Hohtumnga mearce. AIOOO Juliana 635
Da wa^s ^elacded lond-mearce neah. 1535 COVERDALE Job
xxiv. 2 Some men there be, that remoue other men-; londe
markes. 1611 BIBLE Deut. xxvii. 17 Cursed be he that
remooueth his neighbours land-marke [COVERUALE mark].
1791 BURKE Corr. (1844) III. 211 When, .he returned to the
possession of his estates, . . he found none of the ancient
landmarks removed. 1838 THIKI.WALL Greece II. xiv. 235
The landmarks of Plataea . . were carried forward to the
Asopus. 1 1) lit. IV. xxxvi. 416 The landmarks which separated
the two stales had been removed.
_ftg. a 1652 J. SMITH Sel. Disc. iv. 126 May we not too hastily
displace the ancient termini, and remove the land-marks of
virtue and vice? 1771 Junins Lett. Ixi. 319 He has intro
duced new law, and removed the landmarks established by
former decisions. 1858 BRIGHT Sp.^ Reforms 27 Oct. (1876)
53
284. 1 do not wish to endanger or remove any of the ancient
landmarks of our Constitution.
tb. V A district. Obs. [SoformerlyG./fl</w<zr,.]
1550 W. LYNNE Carioris Cron. 255 He wrought much wo
to the citie of Brunswike, roauing and burnyng in her
suburbes, villages, landmarkes, and jurisdictions.
2. An object in the landscape, which, by its
conspieuousness, serves as a guide in the direction
of one s course (prig, and esp. as a guide to sailors
in navigation) ; hence, any conspicuous object
which characterizes a neighbourhood or district.
1570 DKK Math. Pref.^ 18 Hydrographle, requireth a par
ticular Register of certaine Landmarkes. .from the sea. 1627
CAPT. SMITH iSMURMW*! Grain, ix. 43 A Land marke, is any
Mountaine, Rocke, Church, Wind-mill or the like, that the
Pilot can know by comparing one by another how they
be"are by the com passe. 1667 MILTON / . /,. xi. 432 Ith
midst an Altar as the Land-mark stood. 1719 Ds FOE
Crusoe n. ii. 11840) 34 Having no chart for the coast, nor
any land-mark. 1856 FROUDE AV*/. Kng. (1858) II. vii. 183
Like unskilful sailors who have lost the landmark* of their
course. 1859 DICKKNS Lett. (1880) II. 91 The house alto
gether is the great landmark of the whole neighbourhood.
fig. 1712 HUGHES .V/VtV. No. 316 P 2 Now one Face of Indo
lence overspreads the whole, and I have no Land-mark to
direct my self by. 1880 Times 18 Sept. 9 3 Two or three
land -marks, however, in the dreary waste [of evidence]
attract attention.
3. (In mod. use.) An object which marks or is
associated with some event or stage in a process ;
esp. a characteristic, a modification, etc., or nn
event, which marks a period or turning-point in
the history of a tiling.
1859 C. BARKKR Assoc. Print, ii. 46 This important land
mark in our social history. 1862 M ILL Vtilit. 5 This. , man,
whose system of thought will long remain one of the land
marks in the history of philosophical speculation. 1870
KOLLKSTON Am m. Life 127 The black pigment specks which
are seen in this variety [of leech], .seem, .to point in the same
direction as those more constant land-marks just specified.
1884 \V. K. PARKER Mammal. Descent vii. (1885) 177 In
these skulls the landmarks are all gone, except the holes for
the vessels and nerves [etc.].
Ir.vncl-iiiarsh.al. [ad. Sw. landtmarskalk^
G. landmai schalL] a. In Sweden, the speaker or
president of the assembly of the first estate, b. In
Prussia, Austria, etc., the marshal of a province.
i68z Lond.Gaz. No. 1767/1 His Majesty has named Uaron
Fabian Wrede, to be Land^Marshal, that is, Speaker, or
President, in the Assembly of the Nobility and Gentry.
1711 Ibid. No. 4808/1 His Majesty has..conferr d the Kin-
ploy ment of Land-Marshal of Prussia upon his Chamberlain,
1862 H. MABKYAT Year in Sweden 1.408 Nt> member was
allowed to leave the chamber during the transaction of
business without permission of the landmarshal. 1898 Daily
News 29 Jan. 7/3 The Moravian Diet at Hri mn. ..The
Landmarshal, who was presiding, asked them to leave
the Diet.
La iid-iueasure. i a. Measurement of land
(obs.}. b. Any of the denominations of measure
ment used in stating the area of land (e.g. the acre,
the rood, etc. ; ; also applied as a name for the
system of such denominations in current use.
1611 CoTGRt) Latte . a Land-measure . . in some places
longer then in other. i66a ATUELL l- aithf. Surveyor i. i
Of errours in Land-measure. 1857 HOCCHKK Mensuration 5
Land Measure by Gunter s Chain. 100 linear links =i linear
chain. 1900 ADDY in A". <y Q. 20 Oct. 303/1 [heading] English
and Roman Land Measures.
So La, iid-measuring 1 , -measurement, the art
or process of determining by measurement the area
of lands, fields, farms, etc. : propeily a subordinate
branch of land-surveying, but the terms aie often
used synonymously.
1570 DEE Math. Prcf. 14 Other Philosophers, writing
Rules for land measuring. 1849 Chambers* Inform. II. 624/1
The principle of throwing the area of any given field or set
of fields into triangular spaces, is that pursued in all pro
cesses of land-measurement. Ibid. 624/2 In land-measuring,
the scale of operations is ordinarily too limited to require
any such allowance for difference of levels.
La*nd-measurer.
1. One whose occupation is land-measuring.
1633 MS. Ace. St. Johns Hasp., Canterb. t Layd out on
our seines and the landmeasurer when we went to . . laye
out our land. 1828 Miss MITFOKD Village Ser. in. 232
A staid, thick, sober, silent, middle-aged personage, who
united the offices of schoolmaster and land-measurer.
2. [tr. mod.L. geoutetra.} A geometer moth.
188. Cusstirs Nat. Hist. VI. 66 The Geometree (or Land
Measurers).
La iid-mere. 10b$. In~7 -meare, 9 -meer.
[f. LAND sb. + MERE sh. (OE. insere). Cf. LANDI-
MERE.] A boundary of land.
1603 OWEN Pembrokeshire 11891) 5 And then by land-
meares from Kilhredyn to Cronmere Water. 18840. ROGERS
Sac. Life Scot 1. Il.xiv. 333 Land Meer Processions, or Riding
of the Marches.
t La lid -meter. Obs. In 6-7 -meater, 7
-meeter. [f. LAND sb. + METER, agent-n. f. METE
v., to measure.] A land-measurer or surveyor.
1582 E. WoRso J (title) A Discoverie of Sundrie errours
and faults daily committed by Landemeaters to the damage
of her Maiesties subiects. 1608 NORTON Stevitfs Disme
D 2 The greater number of Land-meaters vse not the Pole,
but a chayne line of 3, 4 or 5 Perch long, c 1613 Sac. Cond.
People Anglesey (1860) 32 The English yard . . is used by.,
masons, carpenters, land-mecters and others. 1636 BKDWELL
(title} The Way to Geometry, being necessary . . for Astro
nomers, Geographers, Land-meaters [etc.], by Peter Ramus.
LANDSCAPE.
So t Land-mete, a measurement of land ; f Land-
meting 1 , land-measuring.
1608 NORTON Stevins Disme D i b, Of the Computations
of Land-mealing. Ibid. D ^ b, The like is sufficiently
manifest amongst Land-meats in surfaces.
La zid-metster. Sc* [See METSTEK (f. METE
. 4 -STEB).] = I.AND-METEB.
1726 Minutes Presbytery in Sage Memorab. Domestic a
(1889) I. 7 Cite masons, wrights, and land metiers [?//
-metsters]. The said, .land-melsters [wad metsters] being
duly sworn. 1822 Law Case, Rev. D. Macartkur (Jam.),
John Currie, land-metster.
Lando, obs. form of LANDAU.
Landocracy (Jscncty-krasi 1 ;. jocular, [f. LAND
sb. : see -CKACY.J The class of people which owes
its controlling position in the country to its posses
sion of landed property. So La ndocrat, a member
of this class.
1848 Simmonds^s Colon. Mag. Aug. 343 The Landocracy
in which term we comprehend all landowners great and
small. 1865 Counts in Daily Neivs (1869) 16 Jan., The
aristocracy and landocracy and moneyocracy w ho govern our
elections. 1882 T. MOZLKY Rcmin. II. xcviii. 173 [I felt]
a deep grievance wilh the British landocracy. 1893 ,V<*/.
Otst-rt-cr 23 Sept. 484/1 The wail of the landocrat is heard
in the land.
Landowner (l3c nd< nai\ [f- LAND sb. -\-
OWNER.] An owner or proprietor oi land. Hence
La ml ownership.
a 1733 NORTH Ld. Kpr. North (1742^ 137 Any Lam! < >wner
may make that which they call a Key, next to the River.
1845 I)ARWIN l y. Nat. xii. (1879) 255 Each landowner in
the valley possesr-es a certain portion of hill-country. 1849
MACAI-I.AY Hist. I .ng. vi. II. 141 Landowners hastened to
sell their estates for whatever could be got. 1867 M i s-
CKAVE Nooks Old France II. 334 England 1 ^ landowner-ship
will never be without the repre-^eiitatives and rt-lltctt-d
honours of her ancient Aristocracy. 1878 JK\ONS Print.
Pol. Eion, 91 Many large land-owners in England refuse to
let tlieir land for long periodic.
So Landowning 1 s/>. nnd a.
1845 Mi.u.l. in Nonconf. V. 149 The landowning majority
contemplate no concessions; 1881 Mann. Mai;. XLIV. 127
Landowning and farming are ;is much businesses as cotton-
spinning. 1*894 MKS, H. \VAKI> Marcel/a \. 280, I .. ha\e
no landowning relations.
Landrail (Icc ndn- l). [See KAIL sb. ; cf. water-
rail. So G. landralle^\ The corn-crake, Crex
pratensis.
1766 PKNSANT Zool. (1768) II. 387 The land rail lays from
twelve to twenty eggs, of a dull white color, marked with
a fi u- yellow spots. 1828 STAHK Klein. \a . /lisf. I. 302
The Land-Rail is a migratory species, appearing in Britain
about the latter end of April, and departing about the
middle or close of September. 1877 L. MORRIS Epic Hades
i. 3 Through the dew The landrail brushed.
La ild-rat. [O. G. landratte, -rat-e land-rat,
land-lubber,] A rat that lives on land, f Also
used as a term of abuse.
1596 SHAKS. Mcrch. I , i. iii. 24 There be land rats, and
water rats, water theeues, and land theeue> I mean, pirates.
1609 DI.KKKK Gtti s Horne-bk. Wks. (Gro.snrt II. 233 The
DUKC S Tomb is a Sanctuary, and will keepe you alive from
wormes and land-rattcs, that long to be feeding on your
carkas. i6$z SHIRLEY Hall \\. ii, Lo. Will you not draw?
Ko. Not against your honour, but you shall see. Lo. And
vex my eyes to look on such a Land-rat. 1860 WYNTEK
Curios. Civi izat. 129 There are in England two kimls of
land-rats, the old English black rat, and the Norwegian
or brown rat.
Landress, Landrie, obs. ff. LAUNDRESS, -HY.
La-nd-right. OK. and Hist. [OE. landriht
(see LAND sb. nnd RIGHT sb.} : cf. OS. landreht^
OFris. landriucht, OIIG. lantreht, G. landrtcht.]
*Law of the land ; legal rights of natives of the
country ; legal obligation connected with land or
estate (Sweet Ags. Diet.}.
Beowulf (Jr.) 2886 Londrihtes m.)t }>xre niEexbur^e monna
se^liwylc idel hweorfan. a 1000 drdnions Gttt. 1911 (Or.)
Unc mediae ymb mearce sittad. .ne willafl rumur unc land
riht heora. Exod. 354 Landriht ^e^ah. 1872 E. W.
ROBERTSON Hist. Ess. 236 note, In later days it was a prin
ciple of Land-right that no freeman should be amerced
4 above his wer . 1892 STOPI-OKU A. UKOOKK E. E. Lit. i. 6
He received money and landright from the King.
Landscape (liK ndsk^p). Forms: a. 7 lan(d)-,
landtschap, lantschape, landt-shape, landscap,
-skap, (lantskop, land-scept), 7-8 landskape,
-schape, -shape, -chape, 7- landscape. &. 6-8
(9 arc/t.} landskip ; also 6 launce-skippe, 7
lan(d;tskip, lantsc h v ip, lanscippe, land-, lant-
skipp. [a. Du. landschap ( = OE. landsceap neut.,
landscape innsc., OS. landscepiw\\\.., OHG. lant-
sfaf, mod .G. landschaft fem.,ON. fandsfap-rVMK^ ,
f. land LAND sb. + -schap (see -SHIP). The word
was introduced as a technical term of painters; the
corrupt form in -skip was according to our quots.
a few years earlier than the more correct form.]
1. A picture representing natural inland scenery,
as distinguished from a sea picture, a portrait, etc.
a. 1603 SYLVESTER Du Bartas I. vii. 13 The cunning
Painter .. Limning a Land-scape, various, rich, and rare.
1605 H. JONSON Masque Blackness Wks. 11616) 893 First,
for the Scene, was drawne a Landtschap^ consisting of
small woods. 16 . . A. GIBSON L Envoy in Gnillints
Heraldry d66o\ As in a curious Lant-schape, oft we see
Nature, so followed, as we think it s she. 1683 DKYDEN
L(fe Piittarck Ded. 18 Lu this part of the landscape be
LANDSCAPE.
cast into shadows that the heightmngs of the other may
appear more beautiful. i8ai CRAIG Lect. Drawing- \. 271
If. .you paint your landscapes in oil-colours. 1841-4 EMEK-
SON Ess. t Art Wks. (Bohn) I. 145 In landscapes, the painter
should give the suggestion of a fairer creation than we
know. 1899 L. CUST in Nat. Gallery Brit. A rt 8 The land
scapes exhibited on this occasion by Constable.
&. 1598 R. HAYOOCKE tr. Lomazzo in. i. 94 In a table
donne by Oesar Sestius where hee had painted Landskipe<.
1615 G. SANDYS Trav. 154 Vallies such as are figured in the
most beautifull land-skips. 1648 Bury ll ill* (Camden) 216,
I give alsoe vnto her LaPP, the landskipp inamiled vpon gold
which is in the Dutch cabinett in my closett. 1698 FRYER
Ace. E. India $ P. 83 Such a Troop as went to apprehend
our Saviour, dressed after the same manner we find them on
old Landskips. 1702 Eng. Theophrast. 116 The perfections
of a fine Landskip decrease, when you behold it at a close
View. 1718 J. CHA.MBERI.AYNK Rellg. Phllos. ,I?3o) 1 1 1. XXV.
29 A noble Landskip of Men, Trees, Flowers . . and such
like. 1725 WATTS Logic n. iv, As a Painter who professes
to draw a fair and distinct Landskip m tne Twilight, when
he can hardly distinguish a House from a Tree. .
t b. spec. The background of scenery in a portrait
or figure-painting. Obs.
shewed in our Horizon. All that which in a Picture is not
of the body or argument thereof is Landskip, Parergon, or
by-work. 1676 BtALE Pockct-bk. in H. Walpole Vertue*s
Anccd. Paint. (1786) III. 134, I gave Mr. Manhy two ounces
of very good lake., in consideration of the landskip he did
in the Countess of Clare s picture.
2. A view or prospect of natural inland scenery,
such as can be taken in at a glance from one point
of view ; a piece of country scenery.
a. 1725 POPE Odyss. in. 630 O er the shaded landscape
rush d the night. 1742 YOUNG Nt. Th. vi. 773 Sumptuous
Cities., gild our Landschape with their glitt 1 ring Spires.
1750 GRAY Elegy 5 Now fades the glimmering landscape on
the sight. 1876 MOZLEY Univ. Senti,v. 99 There are no
two more different landscapes than the same under altered
skies. 1877 BLACK Green Past. ii. (1878) n What could be
a fitter surrounding for this young English girl than this
English-looking landscape?
ft. 1633 Mil. TON L Allegro 70 Streit mine eye has caught
new pleasures Whilst the Lantskip round it measures. 1635
A. STAFFORD Fern. Glory (1869) _86 As terrible to them as
a Lanscippe with a May-pole in it. 1697 ADDISON J-.ss,
Gt org. in Dryden s I irg. sig. f 4 It raises in our Minds a
pleasing variety of Scenes and Landskips. 1712 Spt-ct.
No. 411 r 2 Scenes and Landskips more beautiful than any
that can be found in the whole Compass of Nature. 1748
Anson s Voy, n. i. in Thus we coasted the shore, fully em
ployed in the contemplation of this diversified landskip. 1855
BAILEY Mystic 107 Where bright Herat, city of roses, lights
With dome and minaret the landskip green. 1804 CROCKETT
K aiders (ed. 3 29 The hues of the landskip and the sea.
3. In generalized sen.se (from i and 2) : Inland
natural scenery, or its representation in painting.
a. 1606 DKKKKK Sev. Shines Ded., A Drollerie (or Dutch
peece of Lantskop). 1747 HOARE in Phil, Trans. XLIY".
570 These Pictures shew, that the Antients understood Per
spective and Landschape. 1795 COLERIDGE Lines onClinib-
ing Brock ley Coomb, What a luxury of landscape meets My
faze ! 1844 RUSK IN Mod. Paint. (18511 I. Pref. to ed. 2. 25
he true ideal of landscape is, precisely the same as that of
the human form. 1873 PATER Renaissance 142 The feeling
for landscape is often described as a modern one.
0. 1602 DEKKER Satiromastix C 2, Good peeces of lant-
skip, shew best a far off. a 1649 DRUMM. OK HAWTH.
Poems 104 Like imagin d Landskip in the Aire. 1667
MILTON / . L. v. 142 The Sun . . Discovering in wide Lant
skip all the East Of Paradise and Edens happie Plains.
1678 CUDWORTH Intell. Syst. r. v. 855 Landskip in Picture.
4. Ill various obsolete transf. and fig. uses.
t a. A view, prospect *?/" something.
1612 W. PARKES Cnrtaine-Dr. (1876) 22 In my mentall
and priuate Peregrinations, taking a view and land-scape . .
of all the famous Courts and Cities of the world. 1658 R.
FRANCK North. Mem. (1821) 195 Come, then, let us break
the heart of these hills, and bless our eyes with a landskip
of the Lowlands. 1698 FRYER Ace. E. India % P. 3 Too
great a distance to take a perfect Landschap, it being only
discernible to be Land, a 1711 KEN Serin. Wks. (1838) 155
The Love of God. .presented Daniel with a clearer land
scape of the Gospel than any other prophet ever had.
fb. A distant prospect ; a vista. (Cf. 2 b.)
1599 NASHE Lenten Stuff Wks. (Grosart) V. 204, I care
not, if in a dinime farre of launce-skippe, I take the
paines to describe this . . Metropolis of the redde Fish.
a 1613 OvERiiURY Charac., Whore 1,16161, The sins of other
women shew in Landscip, far off and full of shadow \ hers
in Statue, neere hand, and bigger in the life. 1643 T.
FULLER Serin. Reform. (1875) 6 The Jewes .. saw Christ
presented in a land-scept, and beheld him through the
perspective of faith. 1654 H. L*ESTRANC;E Chas. / (1655) 62
These storms appeared as Land-skaps and aloof. 1698
NORRIS Pract. Disc. IV. 221 Nothing which this visible
World can set before us is worthy our regard, especially
when at the End of the Landskip the Invisible Glories of
Heaven Solicit and Court our Love.
t c. The object of one s gaze.
1659 Lady Alimony 11. v. 4, There is a Caranto-man
with all my heart ! must IJeauty be his Land-skip on the
seat of Justice? 1664 Ln. FALKLAND Marriage Nt. i. i. 4
At distances she is a Goodly Landskip.
fd. A sketch, adumbration, outline; occas. a
faint or shadowy representation.
a itfttDftOKM. OF HAWTH. /r<r//^\Vks. (1711) 168 Imaginary
and fantastical councils, landskips of common wealths.
1650 CIIARI.ETON Paradoxes 69 Every single entity con-
tames.. an adumbration or landskip of the whole Vni verse.
a 1680 CHARSOCK Attrib. God(\f&-2) 4zoThis is butasmall
Landskip of some of his Works of Power, the outsides or
extremities of it. 1692 BENTI.EV Roylt Led. x. 11715) 366
This short but true Sketch and faithful Landskip of Popery.
54
1709 MRS. MANLEY New Atal. (eel, 2) II. 57 A Feint, a dis
tant Landshape of immortal joys.
fe. A compendium, epitome.
1656 in Clarendon Hist. Reb, xv. 113 That Land-skip
[.1/S. lantskipp] of iniquity, that Sink of Sin, and that Com
pendium of baseness, who now calls himself our Protector.
a 1670 HACKET Ahp. Williams It. (1693) 59 London . . is . .
our England of England, and our Landskipand Represent
ation of the whole Island. 1679 C. NKSSE Antid. tigst.
Popery 104 To give but a scantlmu and landskip of some of
them. Ibid. 197 This scantling landskip or compendium.
[1826 SCOTT IVoodst. xxv, That landscape of iniquity, that
sink of stn, . . Oliver Cromwell.]
ff. A bird s-eye view; a plan, sketch, map.
1642 HOWEI.I. For, Trar. (Arb.t 21 Some have used to get
on the top of the highest Steeple, where one may view.. all
the Countrey circumjacent, .and so take a Landskip^ of it.
c 1645 Lett. 11726) 87 If you saw the I-andskip of it [viz.
a house] you would be mightily taken with it. 1657 H.
LlGoN llarhadoes (1673) z The weather clearing up, the
Master and Mates drew out several plots and Landscapes :
which they had formerly taken upon the Coast of France
and England. ?<x 1700 Frost <?/"i683-4 (Percy Soci p. xiv,
There was first a map, or landskip, cut in copper, represent
ing all the manner of the camp. 1723 Pres. State Russia I.
306 It rather resembles a Landskip of many Boroughs than
a City.
t g. The depiction or description of something
in words.
1681 -6 J. SCOTT C/ir. Life (1747) III. 119 Precepts and
Discourses of Virtue are only the dead Pictures and artificial
Landskips and Descriptions of it. 1689 BURNET Tracts I.
5, I will not describe the Valley of Dauphine, all to
Chambery, nor entertain you with a Landskip of the
Country, which deserves a better Pencil than mine. 1704
ADUISON ffa/y Pref. (1733) 12 To compare the Natural
Face of the Country with the Landskips that the Poets
have given us of it. 171* Sped. No. 416 F 5 In this case
the Poet seems to get the better of Nature ; he takes indeed
the Landskip after her, but gives it more vigorous Touches.
5. at t rib. and Couth., as landscape art, book-plate,
draught sin an, -lover, -work ; landscape-garden
ing, the art of laying out grounds so as to produce
the effect of natural scenery ; so landscape -garden y
-gardener ; landscape lens, a lens used in pho
tographing landscape; landscape marble, a
variety of marble which shows dendritic workings
resembling shrubbery or trees ; landscape mirror,
= CLAUDE LOKKAINK GLASS (Cent. Dict.}\ land
scape-painter, one who paints landscapes, a land-
scapist ; so landscape-painting ; f landscape -
worker, a landscnpist.
1874 R. TYKWHITT Sketch. Club p. vii, A series of papers on
* Landscape Art that is to say on all works of art in which
landscape is concerned. 1880 WAKKKN Book-plates vi. 52 The
""landscape book-plate, .was rather the Hnenl descendant of
the Chippendale than of the Jacobean style. 1861 THORN-
HI.; RY Turner I. 50 Dayes, the landscape-draftsman and
geographical artist. 1806 J. DALI.AWAV Observ. Eng. Archit.
245 Detached pieces of architecture are essential in creating
a ^landscape garden. 1827 STKUART Planters G. (1828;
386 Useful to the General Planter, as well as to the * Land
scape Gardener. 1870 LOWKLI, Study Wind. (1886) 333
The landscape-gardeners of literature give to a paltry half-
acre the air of a park. 1805 H. RKPTON (title) Observations
on the Theory and Practice of * Landscape Gardening.
1861 DELAMER Fl. Card. 5 A park in the Brownean style
of landscape-gardening. 1890 Anthony s PJwtogr. />//.
III. 170 A fairly good camera and a single ^landscape lens.
1882 TENNYSON To I irgil ii, * Landscape-lover, ford uf
language. 1816 R. TAMKSON Min. II. 196 It resembles in
many respects the landscape marble. 1883 Encycl. tirit.
XV. 529 The well-known landscape marble or Gotham
stone. 1793 A. MURPHY Tacitus (1811) I. p. Ixii, What
4 landskip painter can equal the description [etc.]. 1 1842
TKNNYSON Ld, of linrleigh 7 He is but a landscape-painter,
And a village maiden she. 1861 THOHNBURV Turner I. 22
ft. I si. II. 402 landscape-painting, -may be said to have
wed its origin to Titian. 1632 SHERWOOD, Landskip ivorke
(in painting , fatsage^ grotesques, 1598 R. HAYDOCKE tr.
Lomazzo in. 1.94 Barnazano.an excellent *Landskip-worker.
Hence landscape v. trans., lo represent as a
landscape; to picture, depict.
1661 HOI.YDAY Sttrv. World To Rdr., As weary travelour
. . oft .. Landskippes the Vale, with pencil; placing here
Medow, there Arable [etc.]. 1868 BROWNING Ring ty Bk.\.
1^52 Putting solely that On panel somewhere in the House
of Fame, Landscaping what I saved, not what I saw.
Laiidscapist (loe-ndsk^pistX [f. as prec. +
-isT.j A painter of landscape, landscape-painter,
1843 RUSKIN Mod. Paint, n. i. vii. 16 (1851) I. 90 The
professed landscapes of the Dutch school. 1869 Q. of
Air 199 If you are a landscapes t, Turner must be your only
guide. 1880 Athenaeum 29 May 700/2 For the greater
number of our landscapists Girtin and Turner have lived in
vain. 1881 GRANT WHITE Eug. Without fy Within 455
Like the ideal composition of an imaginative landscapist.
Land s end.
tl. = LAND-END. Ol>s.
c 1394 P. PI. Crede 437 And at )^e londes ende laye a Htell
rrom-bolle. 15.. Wife </ Anchtermiichty U>ann. MS.) 9
He lowsit the pluche at the landis end, And draif his oxin
hanie at evin. 1562 J. HKYWOOD / rev. $ Epigr. (1867) 68
Thou gossepst at home, to meete me at landis ende.
2. The extremity or furthest projecting point of
a country. Now only as the proper name of the
most westerly point of Great Britain.
14.. Sailing Directions Circunmaing. En%. (Hakluyt
Soc. 1889) 17 A newe cpurs and tide betwene Englonde and
Irlonde and the Londis end. Ibid, 18 The Londes end of
LANDSMAN.
Irlonde. 1604 K. G[RIMSTONE] D Acosta s Hist. Indies in.
xi. 156 They passed on no further, neyther could they dis
cover the lands end (which some holde to be there). 1793
Phil. Trans. LXXXIII. 190 We . . were barely able to lay
a course through the passage between those i.4ands and the
Land s End.
La nd-se:rvice. Service performed on land ;
military, as opposed to naval, service.
a 1586 SIDNEY Arcadia (1622) 123 Seeing wherein the
Sea-discipline differed from Land-service. 1597 SHAKS.
2 Hen. l\ \ i. ii. 154 As I was then aduised by my learned
Councel, in the lawes of this Land-seruice, I did not come.
1697 DRYDEN sEttets Ded. f3, I Writ not always in the
proper terms of Navigation, Land-Service, or in the Cant
of any Profession. 1725 DE FOE I oy. round World (1840)
57 A good army for land-service. 1801 T. S. SURR Splendid
Misery II. 194 .Salano, a Neapolitan pirate originally, .took
to the land service afterwards, and committed murders out
of number. 1819 BYRON Juan i. iv, The prince is all tor
the land-service, Forgetting Duncan, Nelson, Howe, and
Jervis.
Landsfolk : see LANDFOLK.
Landsgrave : see LANDGRAVE.
La lids ha rd (larn(d)Ja-id). dial. Also land-
sherd, landchet. lanchet, lanshet, langet. [f.
LAND sb. + SHARD sb. The forms show contamina
tion with the synonymous linchet^\ LINCHET.
1813 T. DAVIS Agric. Wilts App. 259 Linch t Linchet, or
Landslwrd) the mere green-sward dividing two pieces of
arable in a common-field called in Hants, a lay bank. 1847
HALLIWELL, Langet^ a strip of ground. West. 1886 / .
Somerset Gloss., Landsherd, a ridge or strip of land left
unploughed or untilled. 1891 T. HARDY Tess (1900! 104/2
A stretch of a hundred odd acres, .rising above stony lan-
chets or lynchets. 1893 H. J. MouLECVrf Dorset 81 The
terraces called landchets or linchets.
Land-side.
1 1. The shore. Obs.
" *533 Lu. BERNERS Hiton cxxiii. 443 He caste his ancre
nere to the land syde. Ibid. clxi. 623 And then the waue
brought me to the lond syde.
2. The side towards the land or on which there
is land (not water .
1840 THIRLWALL Greece VII. 343 To assault the city on
the land-side. 185* C. W. HOSKYNS Talpa. 181 Playing
upon the edge, or land-side of the trench as it advances.
1875 W. M*ILWRAITH Guide Wigtownshire 51 On the
accessible land-side a double line of protection was thus
formed.
3. The flat side of a plough which is turned
towards the unploughed land.
1765 A. DICKSON Treat. Agrii. ed. a 1 239 The plough
being confined on the land-side, and at liberty on the fur-
side, which naturally gives it less land. 1875 in KNIGHT
Diet. Khch.
Landsknecht : see LANSQUENET.
Landslip (.larndslip). The sliding down of a
mass of land on a mountain or cliff side ; land
which has so fallen. Alsoyffc 1 . and attrib.
which are known by the name of land-slips. 1830 LYELL
Princ. Geol. I. 276 There was an immense land-slip from
this cliff, by which Dover was shaken as if by an earth
quake. 1871 BAKKR Nile Tribut. iv. 62 The valley wa*
a succession of landslips and watercourses. 1894 Pop, Set.
Monthly June 281 Landslip lakes have been noticed by
Lyell, and Gilbert records the formation of small lakes
behind landslip terraces.
Hence La nd slipped, La ndslippy adjs. t charac
terized by landslips.
1885 H. O. FORBES Nat. Wand. E. Archip. 474 An eerie
and dangerous path, dilapidated and often landslipped.
1893 G. ALLEN Scallywag I. 49 Where the rocks towards
the slope were loosest and most landblippy.
Landsman (Inrndzm0en\ PI. landsmen, [f.
genit. of LAND sb. + MAN sb. Cf. LAXDMAN.]
fl. A native of a particular country. Obs.
tiooo^LFRic Horn. II. 26 Twe^en landes menn and an
ailbcodi^. 11. . O. K. Chron. an. 1068 (I^ud MS.) Da comon
5a landes menn to^eanes him hine ofslo^on. c 1200 Trin.
Coll. Horn. 197 O5er kinnes netldre is ut in oSer londe. .and
te londes men hire bigaleS ooer wile and swo Iache5 and
do5 of Hue. 1387 TREVISA Higdeti (Rolls) VII. 33 It were
a wrecched schame J>at a newe comynge schnlde putte olde
londesmen [L. 1 eteres incolas\ out of here place.
b. One s fellow-countryman, rare.
1598 SYLVKSTER Du Bartas n. i. in. l uries 806 If (brave
Lands-men) your war-thirst be such [orig. Qne si taut, 6
Francois, voits cerches les batailles] . . What holds you
here? 1823 SCOTT Qnentin D. vi, I am innocent I am
your own native landsman. 1882-3 Schnjff^s Encycl. Rrlig.
Kitmvl. I. 319/2 (He] boldly dissuaded his landsmen from
idolatry.
2. a. One who lives or has his business on land :
opposed to seaman, b. Nattt. The rating for
merly of those on board a ship who had never
been to sea, and who were usually stationed among
the waisters or after-guard* (Adm. Smyth).
1666-7 Pi.i vs Diary 2 Jan., The French. -have certainly
shipped laml>men, great numbers, at Itiest. 1788 BURNS
ist Ep. to R. Graham 50 Weak, timid landsmen on life s
stormy main. 1830 MAKKYAT Kings Oivn i, Employed, as
a landsman usually i>, in the afterguard, or waist, of the
ship. 1845 DARWIN I oy. Nat. x. (1879) 208 Sailors . . can
make out a distant object much better than a landsman.
1883 STEVENSON Trcas. Isl. iv. xviii, Thomas Redruth . .
landsman, shot by the mutineers.
So La ndswoman.
1891 H. S. MERRI.MAN rrisoners .y Capt. III. viii. 144 The
stiangeness of a landswoman to all things maritime.
LAND-SPRING.
l,a Jld-Sprillg. A spring which conies into
action only after heavy rains (Webster). Alsoy?"-.
1642 ROGERS Naaman. To Rdr., All he hath is drawn
from a land-spring of naturall parts and gifts. 1675 K.
1824 Miss MITFOKD J tUaft her. l. 116031 37 V
springs were dried up: our wells were exhausted. 1898
WATTS-DUNTON Ayhvin (1900) 109/1 Enormous masses of
the cliff newly disintegrated by the landsprings.
WILSON Spadacr. Dunelm. 15 Such are only Land-springs,
and in no sort to be called perpetual Springs. 1774 G.
WHITE Selborne 14 Feb., landsprings, which we call levants.
1824 Miss MITFOKD I illage Ser. I. 11863) 37 Our land-
spr
W,
Hence Iia-nd-sprlnffy a., full of land-springs.
1767 BUSH Hibernia. Cur. (1769) 80 In very moist,
land-springy grounds.
Landsquenet, obs. form of LANSQUENKT.
[] Iiandsturnnla ntJtuiinX [Ger. = lit. land-
storm .] In Germany, Switzerland, etc., a general
levy in time of war ; the forces so called out ; the
militia force consisting of those men not serving in
the army or navy or in the landwehr.
1814 A/fine Si: i. 20 Some skirmishing between about
sixty Cossacks . . and a strong party of the /ant/strum
[sic]. 1866 Cornh. Mag. Nov. 553 The Landsturm ..
should only be employed in the home districts. 1874 Miss
R. H. BUSK Tirol ix. 288 The Landsturm was out.
la nd-SUrvey:in.g. The process, art, or pro
fession of measuring, and making plans of, landed
property.
1771 BREAKS (title) A complete system of Land-Surveying.
1849 Chambers Inform. II. 623/1 Trigonometry .. is of
great importance . . in land-surveying. Ibid. 624/1 A_ prin
ciple of measuring by triangles, which is common alike to
land-surveying and the trigonometrical surveys of engineers.
1858 SIMMONDS Diet. Trade, Land-sur; eyine Chain-maker,
a manufacturer of the chain-links used by surveyors.
La-nd-survey:or.
f 1. = landing-surveyor (see LANDixr: -M. sb. 8).
1755 CHAMUERLAYNE State Gt. Brit. n. HI. 58 Port of Leith
. .William Towrie . . Land-Surveyor. 1776 Adiiit. to Pope
I. 2 note, When George I. made him [Rowe] one of the land
surveyors of the port of London.
2. One whose professional occupation is to measure
land, draw up plans of estates, and the like.
1792 B. MARSTON in N. E. Hist. # Gen. Register (1873*
XX VI 1. 399, lam engaged to go out with a large Company
who are going to make a Settlement on the Hand Bulam. .
as their Land Surveyor General, a 1815 G. ROSE Diaries
(1860) II. 443 Mr. Wakefield, the land-surveyor, was at
Cuffnells. 1833 HERSCHEL Pop. l.ect. Sci. n. vii. (1873) 54
The triangle in question is always what a land surveyor
would call a favourable one for calculation.
I! Land-tag la-nt|tax!- Also 6 landtaye, 7
landt-tag; (anglicised*) land-day. [Ger. MHG.
lanttac* = lit. land-day .] In Germany, the diet
or legislative body of a state ; formerly, the Diet
of Empire or of the German Confederation.
1591 WOTTON Let. 27 Feb. in Reliq. W. (1685) 628 Of our
I>andtaye we hear nothing yet, but the necessity is such as
it must be shortly. 1663 Lond. Gaz. No. ri/i It s now
determined in Concilia Senatorutn, at Warsaw, that the
Parliament shall begin the i7th of March, and the Landt-
tag the third of February. 1668 Ibid. No. 225/2 The Land-
day for Prussia is to begin the third day of the next month
at Marienburgh, in Order to the General Diet. 1684 Saitt-
derbeg Rediv. ii. 22 They have a Convention held in each
County, call d The Landt-Tag, six weeks before the Session
of the Diet.
La lld-tax. A tax assessed upon landed pro
perty.
1533 Extracts Aberd. Reg. (1844) I. 148 Land takis.
Rubislaw x.\y. 1690 Consid. Raising Money 34 There will
be nothing . . so much for the good of the Nation, as a Land-
Tax. 1709 Royal Proclam. in Lond. Gaz. No. 4510/1 Re
ceivers or Collectors of the Land-Taxes for the Years 1708
and 1709. 1827 HALLAM Const. Hist. (1876) III. xv. 135 The
first land-tax was imposed in 1690, at the rate of three
shillings in the pound on the rental. 1858 J. B. NORTON
Topics 82 Pitt s scheme of the year 1798 for the redemption
of the land-tax. 1882 Macm. Mag. XLVI. 366 The old
military tenures were abolished and the land-tax was im
posed by way of compensation to the Crown for the dues
which it thereby lost
attrib. and Comb. 1740 LADY HARTFORD Corr. (1805) II.
92 The land-tax gatherers. 1765-93 BLACKSTONE Comm.
(ed. 12) 174 The land-tax and malt-tax acts are passed for
one year only. 1858 Ln. ST. LEONARDS Handy-Bk. Prop.
Law ix. 62 The Clerk of the Land-tax Commissioners.
Land-tie (lirndtai). A rod, beam, piece of
masonry, etc. imbedded in the earth at one end,
and connected at the other end with a wall or other
building in order to secure it in position, or to
relieve it from the pressure of a bank, etc.
1715 LEONI Palladia s Archil. (1742) L 82 The Banks are
exposed to be wash d away by the Waters, whence the
Bridge in such a case would become destitute of I.and-tyes,
and remain an Island. Ibid. II. 27 Another Wall with Stone
Land-ties, that enter d into the Hill. 1874 THKAKI.E Naval
Arc/tit. 9 In the Royal dockyards, where the ground of the
building slip is paved with hewn stone, it is customary to
alternate with the latter transverse baulks of timber, termed
land ties . 1875 KNIGHT Diet. Mech., Land-tie, a rod
securing a face-wall to a bank.
Landward Ire-ndwg.id), adv. and a. Also 6
landewarde, Sc. 5-8 landwart, S landart, 9 -ert.
[f. LAND s6. : see -WARD.]
A. adv.
1. In phrases with preps.
fa. To landward, in (the) landward: in the
country, as opposed to the town. Sc.
1424 Sc. Acts Jot. I, c. 21 (1814) II. 8/1 pai . . sail haue
55
a certane takyn to landwart of be schireff & in burowis of I
be aldermen & be bal?eis. 1437 Ibid. 49/1 Within burowis I
and commonys to landwart. 1536 BF.I.LENDEN Cron. Scot.
xil. v. (1821) II. 264 Ane vailyeant and lusty man, of ureter
enrage and spreit titan ony man that was nurist in landwart,
as he was. a 1572 KNOX Hist. Ref. Wks. 1846 I. 276 Als-
weall within townes as to landwarte. 1753 Scots Mag. Apr.
203/1 No part of the parish is to landward.
b. To (the* , landward: towards or in the direc
tion of the land ; on or to the land side (of*.
1:1450 St. Culhtert (Surteesl 63r Whils bai wer bus to
landward boune. 1300-20 DUNHAR Poems xxxix. 17 In
burghis, to landwart and to sie. 1555 EDEN Decades 352
Vppon the innermoste necke to the landewarde is a tufte of
trees. 1625 K. LONG tr. Barclays Argenis n. i. 68 Where
the mountaine looks to landward of the lie. a 1674 MILTON
Hist. Mosc. Wks. 1738 II. 129 To the Land-ward (stand)
Mezen and Slobotca . . : To Seaward lies the Cape of Can-
dim*. 1725 DE FOE Voy. round ll orld 11840) 65 As for
fortifications to the landward, they had none. 1853 KANK
Grinnell Exp. xii. (1856) 86 Except to landward, there is
nothing to arrest the eye. 1876 T. HARDY Ethelhcrta (1890)
26 On the broad moor to landward of the town.
2. Towards the land ; i b.
1610 HOLLAND Camden s Brit. I. 318 Couched betwcene
a high cliffe sea-ward and as high an hill land-ward. 1816
WOKDSW. Ode, Imagination ne er before content 13 A
sudden shower That land-ward stretches from the sea.
1868-70 VLtniasEartUyPar. I. 237 Landward she saw the
low green meadows lie. 1873 BLACK Pr. Thnli- vi. 90 Deep
and narrow valleys, that ran landward.
3. Sf. In the country ; - i a. rare.
1827 SCOTT Stirg. Dan. i, Within burgh, and not land
ward.
B. adj.
1. Sc. Belonging to, inhabiting the country ;
country-, rustic.
1533 HKLLENDEN Liiy I. (1822) 5 It wes callit eftir Pagus,
that is to say, ane landwart towne. 1583 JAS. I Ess. Pot sie
(Arh.) 63 Gif /our purpose be of landwart eflairis, To vse
corruptit and vplandU wordis. 1396 DALKYMI I.I: Ir. Leslies
Hist, Scot. x. 344 The hurgessis, and landwart men. 1637-
50 Row Hist. Kirk (Wodrow Soc.) 24 The communion to
be celebrated within burghs four times in the yeare, in
landwart twise. 1649 Up. Gl TlMUE Mem. (1702) 54 A Land
ward Kirk in Galloway. 1676 W. Row Contn. Blair s
Autoliiof. x. (1848) 168 The common people in the land
ward round about the town. 17.. RAMSAY Birth of Drum-
lanrig ii, Some landart lass. 1723 Gent. S/iefli. iv. ii,
I ve shook off my landwart cast In foreign cities. 1816
SCOTT Old Mart, viii, The door was locked, as is usual
in landward towns in this country. Note, A landward town
is a dwelling situated in the country. 1854 H. MILLER Sc/i.
>r Schm. 11858) 362 The landward contemporaries of my
grandfather. 1876 GRANT Burgh Sell. Scot. n. ii. 127 The
town councils generally took more interest in the welfare of
a school, .than the landward heritors.
2. Lying or situated towards the land (as opposed
to the sea) ; occas. belonging lo the land.
1845 STOCQUELER Handbk. Brit. India (1854) 129 The
Upper and Lower Circular Roads, which nearly encompass
the city on its eastern or landward side. 1839 R. F. Bl RTON
Centr. Af>: in Jrnl. Geogr. Soc. XXIX. 436 The tree.,
ceases to be found at any distance beyond the landward
counterslope, and it is unknown in the interior. 1865
Reader z Sept. 253/2 This barbarian innocency on the part
of our landward population as to the teeming plenty of the
deep. 1881 J. GRANT Cameronians I. i. 16 On the landward
side the view was different.
3. Comb, landward-bred a. (St. ), country-bred.
1816 SCOTT Old Mori, xiv, I am landward-bred. 1893
STEVENSON Catriona 7 If you are landward hied it will be
different.
Hence La ndwardness (landertness) Sc. , rusticity.
1882 STEVENSON Fam. Stud. 61 He [sc. Burns] affected
a rusticity or landertness.
Landwar ds (Uvndwgjdz) , adv. [ LAND st>. :
see -WAKDS.] = prec. A 2. f Also to the land-
-vards.
1574 W. BOURNE Regt. for Sea xiv. (1577) 413, If you
come directly to the Yandwarde;. 1833 HT. MARTINEAU
Tale of Tyne v. 82 Not only was there this treacherous
Cut to beguile them landwards, .but there was a labyrinth
at sea. 1885 Laiu Times LXXIX. 317/2 The soil -is far
landwards as where the ordinary high-water mark was
before the construction of the pier.
jja - nd-Wa:ter, a. Water that flows through
or over land, as opposed to sea water, b. A land-
flood, c. Water free from ice along a frozen
shore.
1531-2 Act 23 Hen. VIII z. 5 T, Lande waters, and other
outragious springes in and upon medowes, pastures, and
other lowe groundes. 1398 W. PHILLIPS Linsclioteu (1864)
192 The land-waters that by the contiliuall raine falleth
from the Hills. 1604 E. G[RIMSTONE] D Acosta s Hist.
Indies II. vi. 91 Land-waters, as rivers, fountaines, brookes,
springs, floods, and lakes. 01631 DONNE Serin. Ii. 520
Sudden riches come like a Landwater and bring much foul-
nesse with them. 1723 DE FOE Voy. round World (1840)
I 335 Which river they supposed to be.. swelled with a land-
I water. 1807 VANCOUVER Agric. Devon (1813) 297 No springs
or land-waters are to be found here. 1836 KANE Arct. Expl.
j II. xxvi. 264 We . . found ourselves in a stretch of the land-
water wide enough to give us rowing-room.
La nd-way.
1 1. A way or path over land. Also advb. = by
land. Obs.
c 1230 Gen. tf Ex. 2681 Bi a lond weije he wente rijt. c 1470
HARDiNGCY;r0.CLXXVin. xv,Thei tooke none hede of shippes
home again But landeway ride for all the Scottes dain.
1 2. local. A path by which coal is landed. Obs.
1603 OWEN Pembrokfth. xi. (1891) 89 The people carried
the coales vppon their backes alonge stayres which they
called lande wayes.
LANE.
3. U. S. A road giving access to land.
1899 D. P. COREY Hist. Nalden 90 The land-way and drift
way along the five acre lots ended at the head of ihe North
River.
So La-ndways adv., by land, overland.
a 1670 SPALDING Trout, dins. I (1829) 14 He has them
landways to London, and from thence transported them hy
sea over into France. 1804 SOUTHEY in Ann. A <-7<. II. 63
It is remarkable that Newcastle coal should he cheaper than
coal carried landways.
11 Laiidwelir (la-nclver). [Ger. = land-
defence .] In Germany and some other countries,
that part of the organized land forces (correspond
ing to the militia of Great Britain) of which con
tinuous service is required only in time of war.
Also ti-ansf. (quot. 1855 .
1815 H KL. M. WILLIAMS / res. St. France xiv. 313 A great
part of these troops were of the landwehr, or Prussian levy
in mass. 1855 GKOTE Greece II. xcii. 11856) XII. 77 The
puor and hardy Landwehr of Macedonia, constantly on the
defensive against predatory neighbours. 1866 Cornh. Ma*.
Nov. 552 To every district was assigned a detachment of the
Landwehr proportionate to its population. 1878 SEELEY
Sit-in II. 130 The Prussian Landwehr dates. .from 1813.
b. a/frib., as landwehr man.
1866 Cornh. Mag. Nov. 553 The Landwehrmen were to
provide their own uniforms.
La nd-willd. A wind blowing from the land
seawards. Also attrili. v Cf. LAND-BHKKZE.)
1508 W. Piiiu.irs Linschoten (1864) 192 The East winder
Ix-^inne to blowe from off the Land into the Seas, whereby
they are called Teneinhos, that is to say, the Land windes.
1604 E. GtKl.MST.ONE] D Acoita s Hist. Indies in. viii. 142
Then: be foraine or land windes which cunie fruin the land.
1793 SMEATON Kdystone L. S 12 Being a Land-wind, it must
Dlow hard before it raises any considerable sea at the rock.
1804 Med. Jrnl. XII. 538 It is not uncommon, during the
land-wind, for the thermometer to stand at upwards of 100
in the shade. 1848 LONC.K. Sir 11. Gilbert v, Alas ! the
land-wind faikd. 1862 Mus. Si-Kin Lust Years Intl. 44 In
the land-wind season.
t La-nd-wrack, -wreck. Obs. A wreck on
j land ; the destruction oi some object on land ; the
object so destroyed.
1649 Ci. DANIEL Trinanh., Hen. II , xxiii, Thus Land-
wraks Ca:dars lye, Or Cockle Shells vpon the Shores are
drye. 1667 WATERIIOUSK J- irc Land, yt What ihty took
being in a kind of Land-wreck, wherein no body owned
goods, a 1707 I ll: PATRICK Atttobiog. (18^9 "12 Mr. Fuller
. . was mistaken in saying this College was like a landwiack,
. .in which there was one left to keep possession.
Lane (l<~ n), sb. Also 5 laane, (> laine, layne.
See also LOAN . / .- [OK. lane, I^nc wk. fern. =
OKris. /ana, lona, lacn (North Fiis. /ana, lona},
l)u. loan (lOtii c. laen")."]
I. 1. A narrow way between hedges or banks;
a narrow road or street between houses or walls ;
a bye-way. Illind lane, t turn-again lam : a cul-
de-sac (see also quot. 17 2 5)
971 Blickl. floni. 237 Forbon f>e .. binnc lichoman ^eond
bisse ceastre lanan hie tostenceaS. 13.. Sir Beves (A.) 4439
J>e cri aros be ech a side Kobe of lane and of strete. c 1386
CHAUCER Can. 1 com. Prol. tf T. 105 In the suburbes of
a toiiu .. Lurkynge in hernes and in .anes blynde. 1478
BOTONER /tin. (Nasmith 1778) 177 A laane goyng yn the
south syde of Scynt Stevyn church. 1480 CAXTON Citron.
Eng. ccxlii. (1482) 278 Euery strete and lane in london and
in the subarbes. 1511 Nottingham Kcc. III. 338 Clensyng
of the lanys at the comyng in off the towue. 1531 TlNOALE
Expos, i John Prol. li ks. (1573) 388/1 It is beconime
a turnagaine lane vnto them, which they can not goe
thorough. 1611 BIBLE Luke xiv. 21 Goe.. into the streetes
and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poore. 1611
SIIAKS. Cymb. v. iii. 13 Lo. Where was this Lane? Post.
Close hy the battell, ditch d, and wall d with turph. 1698
). FKVEK Ace. K. India f, I . 105 The Hedges and Lanes are
chiefly set with two sorts of Hushes. 1725 -\V:< Cant. Diet.,
Ulind Lane, a Lane fit to lun down to avoid Pursuers,
after a Villainy committed. 1794 Ait Inclos. S. Kelsey
12 Any of the Roads or Ways within the Manor . . which
shall he made into Lanes, or fenced on both Sides. 1828
Miss MITI-OKD I illage Ser. in. 148 Their way .. leading
through cross country lanes. 1832 TENNYSON Miller* l^an.
130 The lanes were white with May. 1837 DICKENS Pick.
vii. Their walk lay through shady lanes.
fig. a 1625 BEAUM. & FL. Lams ot Candy I. ii, The man
That had a heart to think he could hut follow, .through the
lanes Of danger and amazement.
b. Prffverb. Also allusively.
1778 FOOTE Trip Calais n. Wks. 1799 II. 355 II is a lo "S
lane that has no turning. 1890 W. E. NORRIS Misadventure
\ xvii, The longest lane, however, has a turning. 1893
i Miss HARRADEN Ships that pass. etc. 158 The lane had
come to an ending at last, and Mr. Reffold was dead.
II. Transferred senses.
2. A narrow or comparatively narrow passage or
way, or something resembling this ; esf. a channel
of water in an ice-field (also called a vein) ; the
course prescribed for ocean steamers.
c 1420 1 allad. on Hnsb. IX. 170 And yf hit happe an hi!
thi water mete, Let make a lane & thorgh thi licour hale.
1714 GAY Trivia III. 25 Forth issuing from steep lanes, the
colliers steeds Drag the black load. 1835 SIR J. Ross
Narr. imt Voy. Explan. Terms 15 A lane or rein, a narrow
channel between two floes or fields, or between the ice and
the shore. 1842 TENNYSON Gold. Year 50 And like a lane
of beams athwart the sea. 1847 Princess v. 6 By glim
mering lanes and walls of canvas led Threading the suldier-
city. 1853 KANE Grinnell E.vp. xxviii. (1856) 228 A black
lane of open water stopped our progress. 1862 SIR H.
HOLLAND Ess., Atlantic Ocean 223 It is proposed to mark
off lanes, 20 or 25 miles in width . . as the routes . . to be
followed and adhered to, by all steam vessels.
LANE.
b. A passage between two lines of persons ; a
way to pass through a crowd.
1525 LD. BURNERS 1 roiss. II. ccxvii. [ccxiii. 1672 The people
. . made a lane for hym to passe thorough. 1587 FLEMING
Cimtn. Holinshed III. 1996/1 A double canon .. shooting
off, made, .a lane among the Frenchmen. 1677 Lond. Gaz.
No. 1206/1 The Magistrates did . . pass through a Lane of
their own guards. 1701 W. WOTTON Hist. Home 395 The
People made a Lane for him and the Chariot to pass. 1806
Naval Chron. XV. 141 The 7th Royal Veteran battalion.,
formed a lane two deep. 1860 O. W. HOLMES Prof.
Brcakf.-t. v. iPaterson) 109 The tire-buckets passed along
a lane at a fire. 1867 MOW* Jasm II. 287 Then moved
the princes . . Between a lane of men. 1875 1 uNNVSoN Q. iliiry
I. i, Stand back, keep a clear lane ! 1893 FORBES-MITCHELL
Kemin. Gt. Mutiny 145 Every charge [of grape-shot] ..
leaving a lane of dead from four to five yards wide.
fig. 1641 MILTON Ch. Govt. vii. (1851) 132 Passe on . . to
establish the truth though it were through a lane of sects
and heresies on each side.
3. Austral. A long narrow yard leading into the
final yard in a kangaroo drive.
1866 Cornh. Mag. Dec. 741 Longer enclosures, called
lanes , led in circuitous fashion to this oubliette. 1890
ROLF BOLUKEU-OOD Col. Reformer xviii. 226 About fifty
head have been run into the drafting lane. . . The lane is
a long narrow yard about three panels wide and eight in
length a panel of fencing is not quite nine feet in length
immediately connected with the pound or final yard.
4. slang. The throat ; chiefly in the lane, the
narrow, red lane, etc.
1341 UDALL Erasm. Afofh. 119 Whole mainour places . .
thei make no bones ne sticke not, quite and clene to swallowe
down the narrowe lane, and the same to spue vp again.
a 1553 Royster D. I. iii. (Arb.) 20 Good ale for tha nones,
Whiche will .slide downe the lane without any bones. 1812
G. COLMAN Poet. I agnrics (1818) 75 O butter d egg ! . . I bid
your yelk glide down my throat s red lane. 1865 Lond.
Sec. Jan. 13, 1 eat the macaroon. You see it s all gone
down Red Lion Lane.
b. The lane: short for various lanes in the
City or for buildings situated there, e.g. Dritry
Lane ( Theatri), Petticoat Lane, etc. : see quots.
1856 MAYHBW Gt. World Lond. 82 note, Horsemonger
Lane Jail The lane. 1879 Aittobiog. of a thief in Macm.
Mug. XL. 500 We used to . . sell it . . to a fence . . down the
Lane (Petticoat Lane . 1880 G. R. SIMS Ballads Babylon,
Forgotltn o Whenever the Lane tried Shakespeare, I was one
of the leading men. 1899 ly cstm. Gaz. 24 Apr. 2/3 When
people who know that district [Drury-lane] hear it said that
there has been another murder in the lane , they have no
need to ask what particular lane is referred to.
5. Sc. A sluggish stream of water; also the
smooth part of a stream. (Perh. a different word.)
1825-80 in JAMIESON. 1891 Daily News 2 July 4/8 Vast
pastoral expanses, with here a loch, and there a lane or
sullen deep stream threading the wilderness. 1897 CROCKETT
Lads Love xxv. 253 The still, black pools of the lazy,
sluggish, peaty lane .
III. 6. attrib. and Comb., as lane-end, -side,
way; lane-filling adj.; lane-born a., country-
born, rustic; lane-galloper hunting, one who keeps
to the lanes in preference to riding across country ;
lane-route, a route laid out for ocean steamers.
I834LANUOR Exam. Shaks. Wks. 1846 II. 279/2 *Lane born
hoys, .embezzling hazel-nuts in a woollen cap. 1898 IVestin.
Gaz. 12 Mar. 2/1 A proclamation . . was . . posted at every
"lane-end throughout his dominions. 1831 HOWITT Seasons
(1837) 13 Deep, *lane-fil!ing, hedge-burying snows. 1826
Sporting Mag. XVII. 361 That when the select few have
got well away with the hounds, .they should be stopped, to
enable tailers, Mane-gallopers, and all the 01 iroAAoi of the
field to come up. 1463 Bury Wills (Camden 122 V e doore
be the "lane syde. 1882 Standard 8 Dec. 3/4 There was a
border, or *laneway, near the house of the Prisoner.
t Lane, v. dial. Obs. rare. [f. LANE st>.]
trans. To lane off . To mark the course of (intended
roads) ; to mark the roads on (land).
1772 Welton Inclos. Act 13 After the same [roads] shall be
laned-off. 1773 Hitrpham Inclos. Act 15 At all times after
the same [lands] shall be laned off.
Lane, Sc. form of LOAN sb. and v., LONE a.
Lane, var. LAIN sb., concealment ; v., to conceal.
Lane, variant of LAIN sb. 2 , stratum.
Lane, obs. form of LAWN, linen.
Laneing, var. LOANING Sc. and north., a lane.
t Laneous, a. Obs. rare-", [f. L. lane-ns-(i.
lana wool) + -ous.] Of or pertaining to wool.
1676 in COLES. 1727 in BAII.EV vol. II.
Laner(e, variant of LAINEK, lash, thong.
Laner, Laneret(te : see LANNER, -ET, falcon.
Lanesome, Sc. form of LONESOME.
Laney (.l^ ni), a. nonce-wd. [f. LANE s6.i +
-vl.] Of or pertaining to a lane.
1876 W. MARSTON Dram. % Poet, ll ks. II. 345 Whether
they rise by grey-walled Towns. .Or bend from laney nooks
that skirt the bay.
Lang, Lang-: see LANGUE i, LoNt:, LONG-.
Langaon, variant of LONGANON Obs., rectum.
Langage, -ed, obs. forms of LANGUAGE, -ED.
Langald, Langate : see LANGLE sb., LANGUET.
Lailgbanite (lae rjbanaiO. Min. [Named by
Flink, 1887, from Langban, Sweden, where it was
first found : see -ITE.] Silicate of manganese with
antimonate of iron in black hexagonal crystals.
1887 Amer. Jrnl. Sci. Ser. III. XXXIV. 72.
Langdebeef, -befe, etc. : see LANGUE DE BCEUP.
Lange, obs. variant of LANGUE, LAUNCH v.
OF
56
tLangell. ^i/. Obs. Also laungell. [?a.
F. langcul \ popular L. */dncolum, dim. of /rt-
iit nm something woollen, f. lana wool.] A woollen
rug or blanket.
1324-5 Durham Ace. Rolls (Surtees) 165, v" ii.j" r uln.
panni pro lanugells [read laungells] et pro cooperturis, 105^.
grf. 1366-7 in Charters, etc. Priory Finchale (Surtees) Ixxii,
xxviij ulnis pro saccis, et Uanketts pro langells. 1383-4
Durham Ace. Rolls (Surtees) 390 In 14 uln. de blanket
einpt. pro Inngels. .4.1. $d.
Xiangeli,!, variant of LANULE.
t Langer, adv. north, and Se. Obs. Also lan-
gare, -ayr, -eir. [f. lang \JQKG adv. + EHU adv.]
Long ere, long since.
1303 R. BRUSNK HamH. Synne 10660 But, Linger J?at y
sykerde ^e, Shalt pou haue no skajje for me. a 1375 Lay
Folks Mass Bk. App. iv. 338 Two vvyues sat Bonder, langare.
1513 DOUGLAS sEneis\. Prol. 35 Langer in murning, now in
melody. Ibid. xn. xi. 40, I knew full weill at it was thou,
langere, That [etc.].
t Iia ngem, v- Obs. rare 1 . [? f. LANGUOR +
-EN 5 .] intr. To languish, He sick.
c 1440 HVLTON Scala Per/. (W. de W. 1494) n. xvii, He
shall langern [1533 linger] a grete whyle or that he be fully
hole.
Langet, variant of LANDSHABD, LANGUET.
t Lailgfad. Sc. Obs. Also 7 erron. lime fad.
[a. Gaelic long fhada (where long is the sb. : cf.
W. Hong) ship) long ship.] A kind of war-vessel.
1536 HELLENDEN Cron. Scot. (1821) I. 43 With mony
galyouns and lang faddis. 1641 in Rushw. Hist. Coll. in.
(1692) 1. [407] The numbre of ttottis or Lime Faddis.
Langhalde, -hold: see LANGLE sb.
Langing, obs. form of LONGING.
Langite (Ice*ijg3it). Min. [Named by Maske-
lyne, 1 864, after V. von Lang : see -ITE.] A hydrous
oxy-sulphate of copper, resembling brochantite.
1865 Reader No. 114. 259/1 Langite and gypsum. 1867
REAUWIN Index Min. 21. 1868 DANA Min. (ed. 5) 665.
Lang-kail. Sc. [f. &fltf LONG a. + kail KALE.]
A variety of borecole ; sometimes called Scotch
kale . Also attrib.
1724 RAMSAY Tea-t. Misc. (1733) I. 89 And there will be
lang-Kail and pottage And bannocks of barley-meal. 1789
HUKNS Capt. Groses Peregrin, viii, The knife that nickel
Abel s craig .. was a faulding jocteleg, Or Jang-kail gullie.
1820 SCOTT Klonast. i, The ill-cultivated garden afforded
1 lang-cale , and the river gave salmon.
Laiigle (los ijg l), sb. Obs. exc. dial. Forms :
4 langald, langhalde, 6 langhold, 8 langel(l,
8, 9 dial, langle. [Of obscure origin ; both form
and sense appear to point to an OF. *langle t
*lengle\\i. lingnla thong, strap, dim. of lingua
tongue ; but the word is app. not recorded in
French. Cf. LINGELI..] A thong, rope, or other
contrivance used to confine the legs of an animal in
order to prevent its straying ; a hobble. Alsoy?^.
1394-5 Durham Ace. Rolls (Surtees) 599 In 3 Tethirs cum
paribus de langalds 22^. 1398 TKKVISA Barth. De P. R.
xvin. xiv. 11495) 774 An oxe herde fedeth and nouryssheth
oxen : and byndeth their fete with a langhaldes. 1609 J.
PORV tr. Leo s Africa in. 137 Certaine langols or withs,
which the Africans put upon their horses feete. 1737
RAMSAY Sc. Prov. (1797) 95 Ye ha e ay a foot out o the
langle, 1880 A ntrim $ Dirtvn Gloss, s.v., A sheep s laiigle
is a short piece of any kind of rope, with a slip knot at each
end. The loops are passed over the fore and hind leg of a
sheep.
Laiigle (l^ ng 1 !), v. Obs. exc. dial. In 5, 8
langel. 7 langol. [f. prec. sb.] trans. To fasten
with a thong ; to confine (the legs of an animal) with
a thong, rope, or the like. Hence Langled///. a.
c 1440 Protitp. Purv. 286/2 Langelyd, or teyyn to-gedyr,
colligatns. Ibid.) Langelyn or byynd to-geder, colliga (f.
cotnfiedio). 1647 TRAPP Coinm. Rom. vii. 24 This carcase
of sin to which I am tied and lungold [sic]. 1650 Cotnm.
Gen. iv. 12 He was langold to it, and must abide by it. 1755
FORBES Ajax Sp. 25 This.. your sma banes wou d langel
sair. Ibid.) Key, /.angel, entangle. 1790 GROSE Prav.
Gloss, (ed. 2*, Langled) having the legs coupled together
at a small distance, North. 1880 Antrim <( Down Gloss.)
Langle^ to tie the hind foot and the fore foot of an animal
together, to prevent it straying far.
Laiigobardic (lcerjgJbaudik\ a. [ad. late
L. Langobardic-W) f. Langobardl the Lombards.]
= LOMBARDIC.
1724 WATERLAND A than. Creed 50 The character of the
manuscript is Langobardick. Ibid. vi. 86 The manuscript
of Boblo, in Langobardick character.
t Langoo U. Obs. [ad. F. Langon, name of a
town on the Garonne.] A kind of white wine.
1674 Gallantry d la Mode 15 Suspition then I washt
away With old Langoon and cleansing Whey. 1680 SHAD-
WELL Worn. Captain i. 5 He us d to let him have very good
Langoon and Burdeaux. 1693 Content. Liquors 7 (Stanf.)
The White Wines . . And Trusty Langoon. 1750 E. SMITH
Compl. Housriv. (ed. 14) 116 The best langoon white wine.
!l Langooty, lungooty (lz>rjg ti). Also lan-
gotce, -ty. [Hindi Tangott^\ i,See quots.)
1816 ( Quiz Grand Master \\, 43 note, The hamauls, or
bearers of India, are literally naked, with the exception of an
article of dress called a langooty . . which I cannot describe
better to my female readers, than substituting a pocket-
handkerchief for Eve s fig-leaf. 1826 J. LEVDEN & W.
ERSKINE tr. Mem. Babcr 333 A langoii. .is a piece oj clout
that hangs down two spans from the navel. 1889 Bl<icku>.
A/ag. Aug. 242 He ordered the natives to muffle the cubs
in their turbans or langooties.
LANGUAGE,
Langorius, obs. Sc. form of LANGUOROUS.
Langot, obs. form of LANGUET.
Langrage (Ise rjgred.^). Naut. and Mil. Also
langridge. [Of unknown origin.] Case-shot
loaded with pieces of iron of irregular shape,
formerly used in naval warfare to damage the
rigging and sails of the enemy.
1769 FALCONER Diet. Marine (1780), Langrel, or langrag,;
a particular kind of shot, formed of bolts, nails, bars, or
other pieces of iron tied together, and forming a sort of
cylinder, which corresponds with the bore of the cannon.
1796 Nici-SoN in Nicolas Disp. \ 1845) II. 146 It is well known
that English ships of war are furnished with no such
ammunition as langrage. 1839 \V. O. MANNING Liiiv
Nations IV. vi. (1875) 203 Except the use of langridge
(mitraille). 1862 HEVERIUGE Hist. India I. III. xi. 637 A
twenty-four pounder, double loaded with langrage.
attrib. 1781 JUSTAMOND Priv. Life Lewis AT, III. 385
The gunners .. could not stand the langrage-shot. 1813
SOUTHEY Nelson v. (Rtldg.l 128 Nelson received a severe
wound on the head from a piece of langridge shot.
Langrel, ftaut. 06s. Also 7 -rill. =prec.
1627 CAPT. SMITH Seaman s Grutit. xiv. 67 Langrill slu t.
Langrell shot runnes loose with a shackell, to be shortened
when you put it into the Peece. 1669 STCRMY Marint-t- s
Rlag. 1. 19 lie sure to load our Guns with Cross-bar and Lan-
grel. 1769 [see LANGRAGE]. 1867 SMYTH Sailor s Word-bk.,
Langret, or Lanffrage.
Langrel, a. Obs. exc. dial. [? f. lang LONG a. ;
cf. gangrel.} Tall, lanky .
1608 TOPSELL Serpents 11658) 810 The wary Bird soared
so high above his reach, that the langrel Serpent could not
catch him. 1847 HALLIWELL, Langrel, very tall, .lanky.
t La llgret. Obs. A kind of false die.
c 1550 Diet-Fifty Aj b, A bale of Langretes contrary to
the vantage. IHtt. Cj, A well fauored die that semeth
good & square : yet is the forhed longer on the cater
and tray, then any *other way, and therfore holdeth the
name of a langret. 1591 GREENE Disc. Caosnagf (1859) "
The Chetor with a langret, cut contrarie to the vantage,
wil cros-bite -a bard cater tray. 1600 ROWLANDS Lett.
Humours Blood iii. 59 His Langrets, with his Hie men,
and his low, Are ready what his pleasure is to throw.
Langridge, variant of LANGRAGE.
Lailgsettle (Ite rjset l). north, dial. Forms :
4 langsecjil, 5 -sedylle, -cetel, long setylle, 6
langsaddil, -saild, -settell, 7 long settle, (9 dial.
lang-, long-saddle), 8-9 lang-settle. [f. lang
LONG a. + SETTLE sb.] A long bench or settle ,
usually with arms and a high back.
1351-3 Durham Ace. Rolls (Surteesl 208, I langsedil.
c 1425 / oc. in \Vr.-Wiilcker 657/9 H c sedile, langsedylle.
14 .. Noin. ibid. 723/37 Hoc sedile, a longsetylle. 1571
ll illsf/lt* . A . C. iSu rtees 1835) 366 A langsettell, a round
dyssenge table. l6ai -V. Killing Rec. IV. 156 Convey
ance of a cottage house and heirloomes (one long settle
onelie excepted). 1790 GROSE Prov. Gloss, (ed. 21, LtiHg-
settle, 3. bench like a settee. North. 1841 C. ANDERSON Attc.
Models 128 What is vulgarly called the long saddle in an
ale-house. 1855 ROBINSON Whitby Class., Lang settle, a
long seat or form with a back-rail and arms; in some cases,
however, the back, &c., is an entire boarded surface.
b. attrib., as langsettle-bed, -end, -form.
1566 Inv. R. IVardr. (1815) 173 Item, ane langsaddil-l>ed.
15.. Akeni.Keg. XVI. (Jam.), Ane langsi.ild bed. ll iJ.,
XVII. i/V /rf.), Ane langsadill form of fyr worcht iiij s/i. 1785
HIHTON JSrau New Warlt 137 (E. D. S.I Bibles and testa
ments were formerly seen on the sconce or lang-settle end.
Laiigshan (loe rjjsen). [Name of a locality
about fifty miles from Shanghai; in Chinese -=
wolf hill .] A breed of domestic fowl, introduced
from China (see quots.).
1871 in A. C. C. & C. W. G. Langshan Firifls ii. 1 1, I send
you some fowls by S. S. Achilles.. they are black, and are
called Langshans. 1884-5 - WRIGHT t nultn 227 About
the year 1872 .. a fresh importation of black Chinese fowls
was shown.. .At first shown as Cochins, they were very soon
shown by their admirers as Langshans , which was alleged
to be their native name in North China.
Laiigspiel (Ire-rjspfl). [a. Norw. langspil, f.
lang long + spil play.] A kind of harp formerly
used in Shetland.
1822 SCOTT Pirate xv, The sound of the Gue, and the
Langspiel.
Langsyiie (Uwjisi n), adv. (sb.} Sc. [Properly
two words : sec LONG adv. and SYNE adv.] Long
since, long ago. Also sl>. esp. in anld lang syne.
(^Somewhat common in English use with allusion
to Burns s song.)
1500-20 DUNUAH 1 oetns xxiv. 34, I had bene deid langsyne,
dowtless. 1570 Stitir. rot-ins Reform, xvii. 3 In eirth lang
syne yair had been nothing than, Saif only vice, a 1774
FKRGUSSON I Miiit (1807 109 Hamc-o er langsyne you hae
been blithe to pack. 1788 BURNS Auld Lung Xyne, For
auld lang syne, my dear, For auld lang syne, We ll tak
a cup o kindness yet, For auld lang syne. 18*0 SCOTT
Monast. iv, Like what I hae seen langsyne, when we dwelt
at Avenel. 1841 LYTTON Nt. t, Morn. II. vii, A friend . . of
the h;ippy lang syne. 1870 H. SMART Race far Wife ii, In
days lang syne.
Langteraloo, -trilloo, var. ff. LANTEKLOO Obs.
t Langtra. iHal. Obs. ? = LANTERLOO.
1796 f.ciir.AtioiyiH. (1809) 245 Langtra, as they pronounce
it, is a game at cards much played in Derbyshire and
Staffordshire.
Languable, obs. form of LAND-GAVEL.
Language (l.T-"rjgwl2\ iA.l Forms: 3-6 Ian -
gage, (3 langag, 4 longage, langwag, 5 lang-
wache, langegage), 3, 5- language, fa. K. Ian-
LANGUAGE.
gage .recorded from I2th c.) = Pr. lentfi? atge , Itn-
gage, Sp. lengiiaje, 1 g. Hngtiagc\m, It. Hngitaggio
: pop.L. type *lingualicu>n, f. lingua tongue, lan
guage K. langiie: see LAXIUIE!.
The form with n, due to assiniiliilion with the F. langiie,
iccurs in AF. writings of tlie i2th c., and in Eng. from
t
occu
about 1300.]
. 1. The whole body of words and of methods of
combination of words used by a nation, people, or
race ; a tongue . Dead language : a language no
longer in vernacular use.
ci*goS. E. Leg. I. 108/55 With men }>at onder-stoden hire
langage. 1197 R. GLOUC. v Kolls) 1569 Vor in >e langage of
rome rane a frogge is. a 1300 Cursor M. 247 (GGtt.) Seldom
was for ani chance Englis long preched in france, Gif we
)>aim ilkan bair language [.IK. Coft. langage], And ban do
we na vtetrage. IbiJ., 6384 (Giitt.) pis mete, .pai called it
in )>air langag man. 1387 TREVISA Higdctt (Rolls) II. 157
Walsche men and Scottes, bat beeb noujt i-medled wib ober
nacions, holdeb wel nyh hir firste longage and speche.
ri4oo Apol. Loll. 32 In a langwag vnknowun JJk man and
womman mai rede, c 1449 PKCOCK Rcf>r. \. xii. 66 Thei . .
ban vsid the hool Bible . . in her modris langage. c 1450
Miroiir Saluacioun 3650 Wymmen spak these diuerse lange-
gages. 1588 SHAKS. /,. L. L. v. i. 40 They haue beene at
a great feast of Languages, and stolne the scraps. 1589
PUTTENHAM Eng. Paesit in. iv. (Arb.) 156 After a speach is
fully fashioned to the common vnderstanding, and accepted
by consent of a whole countrey and nation, it is called a
language. 1699 HENTLEV fhal. xiii. 392 Every living
Language . . is in peTpetual motion and alteration. 1769
De Foe s TonrCt. Brit. (ed. 7) IV. 303 It is called in the
Irish Language, I-colm-kill ; some call it lona. 1779-81
JOHN-SON L. P., Addisott Wks. III. 44 A dead language, in
which nothing is mean because nothing is familiar. 1813
DE QUINCEY Lett. Yng. Man Wks. 1860 XIV. 37 On this
Babel of an earth, .there are said to be about three thousand
languages and jargons. 1845 M. PATTISON Ess. (1889) I. 13
In fact, liede is writing in a dead language, Gregory in a
living. 1875 STUBBS Const. Hist. II. 414 The use of the
English language in the Courts of law was ordered in 1362.
fig. 1720 GAY Pro/. Dione 4 Love, devoid of art, Spoke
the consenting languige of the heart. 1812 W. C. BRYANT
Tlianatopsis 3 To him who in the love of Nature holds Com
munion with her visible forms, she speaks A various language.
b. transf. Applied to methods of expressing
the thoughts, feelings, wants, etc., otherwise than by
words. Finger language = DACTYLOLOGY. Lan
guage of flowers : a method of expressing sentiments
by means of (lowers.
1606 SHAKS. Tr. < Cr. iv. v. 55 Ther s a language in her
eye, her cheeke, her lip. 1697 COLI.IEK /Tu. Mor. Siifrj. n.
120 As the language of the Face is universal so tis very
comprehensive. 1711 STEELK Sficct. No. 66^2 She is utterly
a Foreigner to the Language of Looks and Glances. 1827
WHATELY Logic (i8<;o) Introd. 6 A Deaf-mute, before he
has been taught a Language, either^he Finger-language, or
Reading, cannot carry on a ti
Cycl. VIII. 282/2 Dactylology must not be confounded witn
the natural language of the deaf and dumb, which is purely
a language of mimic signs. 1876 MOZLEY Unh . Serin, vi.
134 All action is . . besides being action, language. 1880
Times 23 June 9/5 Teaching the deaf by signs and by
finger language. 1894 H. DRUMMONTJ Ascent Man 212 A
sign Language is of no use when one savage is at one end
of a wood and his wife at the other.
e. transf. Applied to the inarticulate sounds
used by the lower animals, birds, etc.
1601 SHAKS. Alfs Well iv. i. 22 Choughs language, gabble
enough, and good enough. 1667 MILTON P. L. vni. 373 Is
not the Earth With various living creatures, and the Aire
Replenish!, . . know st thou not Thir language and thir
wayes? 1797 BEWICK Brit. Birds (1847) I. p. xxvii, The
notes, or as it may with more propriety be called, the
language of birds.
2. In generalized sense : \Yords and the methods
of combining them for the expression of thought.
1599 SHAKS. Muck Ado iv. i. 98 There is not chastitie
enough in language, Without offence to vtter them. 1644
MILTON F.clnc. Wks. (1847) 98/2 Language is but the instru
ment conveying to us things useful to be known. 1781
COWPER Convcrsat. 15 So language in the mouths of the
adult, . . Too often proves an implement cf play. 1841
TRENCH Parables ii. (1877) 25 Language is ever needing to
be recalled, minted and issued anew. 1862 J. MARTINF.AU
Ess. 11891) IV. 104 Language, that wonderful crystallization
of the very flow and spray of thought. 1892 WKSTCOTT
Gospel of Life 186 Language must be to the last inadequate
to express the results of perfect observation.
b. Power or faculty of speech ; ability to speak
a foreign tongue. Now rare.
1526 WOLSEY Let. to Tayler in Strype Ei cl. Mem. I. v.
66 A gentleman.. who had knowledge of the country and
food language to pass. 1601 SHAKS. All s li ell iv. i. 77,
shall loose my life for want of language. If there be
heere German or Dane, Low Dutch, Italian, or French, let
him speake to me. 1610 Temp. n. ii. 86 Here is that
which will giue language to you Cat ; open your mouth.
1790 COWPER Receipt Mother s Pict. i Oh that those lips
had language !
^3. The form of words in which a person expresses
himself; manner or style of expression. Bad
language : coarse or vulgar expressions. Strong
language : expressions indicative of violent or
excited feeling.
a 1300 Cursor j1/^ 3713 lacob . . J?at es to sai wit right
langage, Supplanter als of heritage.
57
i CAXTON Blanchardyn \. 14 For it is sayde in comyn Ian-
gage, that the goode byrde affeyteth liirself. a 1533 Lu.
BBKNKKS Hnon Ixix. 236 Come to y poynt, and vse no
more such langage nor suche serymonyes. 1593 SHAKS.
z Hen. I /, iv. ix. 45 lie not to rough in termes, For he is
fierce, and cannot brooke hard Language. 1611 BIHLE
Ecclus. vi. 5 Sweet language will multiply friends. 1643
SIR T. BROWNE Relig. bled. \. 5 By his sentence I stand
excommunicated : Heretick is the best language he affords
me. 1694 PENN Prff. to G. Fox s Jrnl. 11827) I- T 5 They
also used the plain language of Thou and Thee. 1770 Jnnius
Lett. 187 They suggest to him a language full of severity
and reproach. 1809-10 COLERIIJGK frfend(l$6$) 135 These
pretended constitutionalists recurred to the language of in
sult. 1849 MACAULAY Hist. Eng. vi. II. 118 He lived and
died, in the significant language of one of his countrymen, a
bad Christian, but a good Protestant. 1855 MOTLEY Dutch
Rep. ii. ii. (1856) 155 In all these interviews he had uniformly
used one language: his future wife was to live as a
Catholic . 1875 JOWETT Plato (ed. 2* V. 348 The language
used to a servant ought always to be that of a command.
b. The phraseology or terms of a scienca, art,
profession, etc., or of a class of persons.
1502 Ord. Crysten Men (W. de W. 1506) Pro!. 4 The swete
and fay re langage of theyr phylosophy. 1596 SHAKS.
1 Hen. //", M. iv. 21, I can drinke with any Tinker in his
owne Language. 1611 Cyttib. in.* iii. 74 This is not
Hunters Language. 1651 HOHBES Leviath. in. xxxiv. 207
The words Body, and Spirit, which in the language of the
Schools are termed Substances, Corporeall and Incorporeall.
1747 SPENCE Polyntetis VIM. xv. 243 Those attributes of
the Sword, Victory, and Globe, say very plainly (in the
language of the statuaries) that [etc.]. 1841 J. K. YOUNG
Math. Dissert. \. 10 Thus can be expressed in the language
of algebra, not only distance but position. 1891 Speaker
2 May 532/1 In it metaphysics have again condescended
to speak the language of polite letters.
c. The style (of a literary composition} ; also,
the wording (of a document, statute, etc.).
1712 AnnisoN Sped. No. 285 P 6 It is not therefore suffi*
cient that the Language of an Epic Poem be Perspicuous,
unless it be also Sublime. 1781 COWPER Canversat. 236
A tale should be judicious, clear, succinct, The language
plain. 1886 SIR J. STIRLING in Law Times Rep. LV. 283.2
There are two remarks which I desire to make on the
language of the Act.
d. Long language : f (a) verbosity (tr. Gr. patcpo-
\oyia ; (b} language composed of words written
in full, as opposed to cipher.
1589 PUTTENHAM Eng-. Poesie in. xxii. (Arb.) 264 Macro-
logia, or long language, when we vse large clauses or sen
tences more than is requisite to the matter. 1823 J. BAD-
COCK Dam. Amnsem. 34 Those Greeks did not use cypher,
but the long language of the country.
e. vulgar. Short for bad language (see aboveX
1886 BESAST Childr. Gibeon, \\. xxv, That rude eloquence
which is known in Ivy Lane as language . 1893 SELOUS
Trail. S. E+Africaz The sailor.. had never ceased to pour
out a continuous flood of language all the time.
of
Reading, cannot carrv on a train of Reasoning. 1837 Prnny ^ ^^ * "I*"** _
Cycl. VI 1 1.282/2 Dactylology must not be confounded with n. The act of speaking or talking; the use of
the natural language of the deaf and dumb, which is purely s]TCTch. By language \ SO to speak. In language
1384 CHAUCER H.
Of speche . . For
Fame, it, 353 With-outen any subtilite __ _ r .. ^
harde langage and hard matere Is encombrouse for
here Attones. 1425 LYDG. Assembly Gods 368 In elo
quence of langage he passyd all the pak. 1430-40
Bochas^ ii. xiii. (1554) 53 a, Though some folke wer larce
of their langage Amisse to expoune by report, c 1489
VOL. VI.
with : in conversation with. Without language :
not to make many words. Obs.
a 1400 Cov. Myst. iv. Noalis Fhod ii, Afftyr Adam with-
outyn langage, The secunde fadyr am I [Noe] in fay.
a 1450 Knt. de la Tour (1868) 18 M/ fader sette me in
langage with her. 1461 Fasten Lett. No. 393 II. 17,
I said I dwelled uppon the cost of the see here, and be
langage hit were more necessare to with hold men here than
take from hit. 1477 EARL RIVERS (Caxton) Dictes 57 One
was surer In keping his tunge, than in moche speking, for in
moche langage one may lightly erre. 1490 CAXTON
Eneydos xxviii. 107 Wythout eny more langage dydo . .
seased thenne the swerde. 1514 BARCLAY Cyt. % Uj>-
londyshm. (Percy Soc.) p. xviii, To morowe of court we
may have more language.
t b. That which is said, words, talk, report ;
esp. words expressive of censure or opprobrium.
Also //. reports, sayings. To say language against :
to talk against, speak opprobriously of. Obs.
a 1450 Knt. de la Tour(iB6B) 2 And so thei dede bothe
deseiue ladies and gentilwomen, and bere forthe diuerse
langasies on hem. 1465 MARC. PASTON in P. Lett. No. 502
II. 188, I hyre moch langage of the demenyng betweneyou
and herre. 1467 Mann, fy Honseh. Exp. (Roxb.) 172 }e
haue mekel on setenge langwache a3enste me, were of
I meryel gretelyfor I have jeffen }owe no schwsche kawse.
1470-85 MAI.ORY Arthur \\. xl, Euery daye syre Palomydes
brauled and sayd langage ageynst syr Tristram. 1485
CAXTON Chas. Gt. 225 Feragus said in this manere. . . The
valyaunt Holland was contente ryght wel, & accepted hys
langage. 1636 SIR H. BLUNT 0%. Levant 33 A Turke . .
gave such a Language of our Nation, and threatning to all
whom they should light upon, as made me upon all demands
profe^se my selfe a Scotchman.
i .5. A community of people having the same form of
speech, a nation, arch. [A literalism of translation.]
1388 WYCUF Dan. v. 19 Alle puplis, lynagis, and langagis
[1382 tungis]. 1611 BIBLE Ibid. 1653 URQUHART Rabelais
i. x, All people, and all languages and nations,
b. A national division or branch of a religious
and military Order, e.g. of the Hospitallers.
1727-52 CHAMBERS Cycl. t Language is also used, in the
order of Malta, for nation. 1728 MORGAN Algiers I. v. 314
Don Raimond Perellos de Roccapoul, of the Language of
Aragon,..was elected Grand Master. 1885 Catholic Diet.
(ed. 3) 413/2 The order [of Hospitallers] ..was divided into
eight * languages , Provence, Auvergne, France, Aragon,
Castile, England, Germany, and Italy.
6. attrib. and Comb. a. simple attributive, as
language-capacity , -family-, -history, -turn ; b.
objective, as language-maker, -teacher; language-
master, a teacher of language or languages
LANGUE.
1875 WHITNEY Life Lan-*. xiv. 281 Every division of the
human race has been, long enough in existence for its
^language-capacities to work themselves out. 1891 Tablet 29
Aug. 331 The rank it holds among the ^language-families of
the world. 1875 WHITXICY Life Lang. Pref. 5 Scholars ..
versed in the facts of ^language-history. 1607 UKEWER
Lingua in. v. F 2, -These same "language makers haue the
very quality of colde in their wit, that freezeth all Hetero-
geneall languages together. 1712 ADDISON Sf>ect. No. 305
p ii The Third is a sort of "Language-Master, who is to
instruct them in the Style proper fur a Foreign Minister
in his ordinary Discourse. 1831 T, MOORE A/tin. (1854) VI.
190 It turned out that what his friend, the language-master,
I had. .been teaching him was Has-Hreton ! 1826 FUBBVXf/,
I to Lloyd \i\ Life (1893) I. v. 97 A "language-teacher gives me
lectures . . five times a week. 1803 SOUTH KV Let. to C. \V.
Its. ll ynn 9 June, In all these modern ballads there is a
| modernism of thought and **language-turns lo me very per-
, ceptible.
Language Uxyngwed^, r-. [f. LANOTAOE sb.}
i trans. To express in language, put into words.
1636 AIJP. WILLIAMS Holy Table (1637) 95 Learn, Doctour,
| learn to language this Sacrament from a Prelate of this
1 Church. a 1652 J. SMITH Sel. Disc. vi. xiii. 11821) 294 The
. style and manner, of languaging all pieces of prophecy.
1655 FCI.I.KR Ch.fHist. vi. v. False Miracles 11 Predic
tions, .were lango^iged in such doubtfull Kxpressions, that
they bare a double sense. 1667 WATERHOCSE Fire Loud.
185 Seneca has languaged ibis appositely to us.
b. traiisf. To express by gestuie\
1824 Xciv Monthly Mag. X. 196 Twas languaged by the
tell-tale eye.
Hence La nguaging 7>H. sb. In quot. attrib.
1875 LOWELL in A". At/ter. AVsv. CXX. 395 It is wry
| likely that Daniel had only the thinking and languaging
i parts of a poet s outfit.
Language, variant of LANGUID sb. (sen?e 2).
Languaged U^ qgwOH^d), ///. a. [f. LAN-
I Gl AGE $b. + -El)-.]
1. Skilled if! a language or languages. Also
well languaged.
1303 R. HKUNNK Hand I, Synne 8095 poghe he were wyser
ban Salamon And bettyr langagede pan was Mercyon. 1513
KARL WORCESTER, etc. Let. to Hen. / /// in Strype Eccl.
Mew. (1721) I. 6 If any Doctors of Civil Law and Languaged
j might be found in Kngland. 1589 PUTTKNHAM ting. Poesie
in. xxiii, (Arb.) 278, I mamell your Nobleman of Kn.nlaml
j doe not desire to be better languaged in forraine languages.
1593 T. MATHKWS Let. to Kurghtty 2 Aug. in Tytler Hist.
I Scot. (1864) IV. 200 Well languaged in the French and
i Italian. 1605 B. JONSON Volfione \\. ii, Great generall
I schollers, ,. The onely [anguag d-men, of all the world !
1627-77 FKLTHAM Resolves i. Ixxxvii. 135 Well uersecl in the
World, languaged and well read in men. 1628 EARLE
Jliirocosnt.) Mecre Dull Phisiiietn lArb. 1 c; He is indeed
uiily Innguag d in diseases, and speakes Gi eeke many times
when he knows not. 1671 F. PHILLIPS Reg. Necess. 222
The six Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber should be well
languaged.
b. Provided with or having a language. Chiefly
with qualifying word prefixed : Characterized by
the use of or expressed in (such or such) a language,
or (many, etc. - languages.
1605 VERSTEGAN Dec. Intell. i. (1628) 5 This towre by
these new languaged Masons thus left vnfinished. 1628
Ilr. H\\LL Old Relig. xii. 2. 121 How doth hee tell vs that
in a strange languaged prayer the vnderstanding is vnfruit-
full. 1725 POPE Odyss. \\\. 408 He. .many languag d nations
has survey d. 1798 CANNING Neiv Morality 46 in Anti-
Jacobin 9 July, The stream of verse and mnny-languaged
prose. 1865 D A. W. THOMPSON Wayside Th. of Asofho-
philos. i. 5 The many-languaged harbour. 1870 LOWELL
Among my Bks. Ser. 1/151 That tree which Father Hue
saw in Tartary, whose leaves were languaged. 1871 G.
MACDONALD Sonnets concerning Jesus v, How had we read,
as in new-languaged books, Clear love of God.
2. With qualifying word prefixed : Having good,
etc.") speech, (well or fair) -spoken. lObs.
1470-85 MALORY Art/wrvu. xxxvi, This syr Gareth was
a noble knyghte and a wel rulyd and fayr langagtd. 1523
LD. HKKNEKS f- roiss. I. ccxxxi. 316 These two sage and
well languaged knightes. 1561 T. HOBY tr. Casttglione s
Courtyer Yyiv, To be well spoken and faire languaged.
1613-16 W. BROWNE Brit. Past. \\. 303 Well-languag d
Daniel. 1633 HEYWOOD Eng. Trow. ni. Wks. 1874 IV. 43
Pray be more open languag d. 1652 KIKKMAN Ch-rio .$
Lozia 44 Her gently languag d mouth opened it self to
disclose the dream to Vincia.
3. Expressed in language, worded. Also with
\ qualifying word, as well.
1646 S. BOLTON Arraignm. Err. 236 Because an opinion
comes languaged under the most receptible terir*^. 1691
WOOD At/i. Oxon. II. 169 His .. well- languor d Sermons
speak him eminent in his generation.
Languageless (lie rjgwed^le-v, a. [f. LAN
GUAGE sb. + -LESS.] Without Imguage.
1606 SHAKS. 7>. # Cr. in. iii. 2^4 Hee s growne a very
land-fish, languagelesse, a monger. 1848 LYTTON Harold
vn. v, They understand me n-f, P< r languageless savages.
1863 HAWTHORNE Our OU Home (1883) I. 37 Tool-less,
; houseless, languageless, s-xcept for a few guttural sounds.
t Language^ Obs. rare. Also 5 langageur.
! [a. OF. tangagt ttr a prater . . . babler (Cotgr.), f.
laitgagicr to :alk abundantly, f. langage LANGUAGE.]
a. A verlx>se person, b. One versed in languages.
1483 CAXTON G. tie la Tour Bviijb, We ought not to
stryuc- ayenst them that ben langageurs and full of wordes.
r 1570 Pride # Lewi. 1,1841) 30 Travaj led he had, and was
1 ^ languages
H Langne (lang\ In 4 lange, 7 lang. [Kr.]
j- 1, A tongue or language. Obs. rare.
(1330 R. BRUNNE Chron. II ace (Rolls) 125 And berfore
lor be comonalte pat blythely wild listen to me, On lighte
8
LANGUED.
lange I it began. 1388 WYCLIF Geti. xi. i The lend was of
langage [2 MSS. langej. Esther i. 22 In clyuerse
langagis [MS. C. langis] and lettris. c 1665 K. CARPENTER
Pragtit. Jesuit Epil. 66 If your lang be scanty, Th Italian
Tongue welcoms you tuttif qiianti.
2. = LANGUAGE sl>. 5 b.
1799 NELSON in Nicolas Dhp. (1845) III. 3 3 If < u in
my power, you shall be elected a Chevalier of the Order.
1 find the Russian Langue has the privilege of admitting
married men. 1801 Naral Clircm. VIII. 124 There shall
be no English nor French Langues. 1888 Cli. Times 13 July
613 There is no reason why each nation or langue should
not maintain at Rome a sort of embassy, with its chapel at
Langued (l^rjgd), a. Her. [f. F. langue
tongue + -ED 2 : cf. K. langni. } Of a charge:
Represented with a tongue of a specified tincture.
l$7 SomanLLArmerit n. 37 One Lyon Saliant d Azure,
armed, langued,and crowned Gules. 1610 GUII.LIM Heraldry
VI. vii. (1611) 276 A lion Rampand Pearle, armed and
langued saphire. 1663 BUTLER Hud. i. ii. 25? Armed, ;is
Heraulds cant, and langued Or, as the Vulgar say, sharp-
fanged. 1791 Statist. Ace. Scot. V. 497 On a branch in the
sinister side a bell langued or. 1870 ROCK Text.Fabr. I.
49 A hound, green, collared, armed, and langued white.
t Langue de boeuf. Obs. Forms : 5-6
lang(e)debefe, -beefe, -boef, -beafe, -biefe, 5
landebeffe, long debefe, long debeof, 6 langue-
debiefe, -beuf, ling du beaffe, landebeuf, 7
langdebeef, -beuf, landebeef, (8 Langley beef).
[Fr. ; lit. ox tongue .]
1. A name variously applied to certain bora-
gineous and other plants with rough leaves, as
F.chium vulgare, Helminthia echioiJes, Borrago
offlcinalis, etc., for most of which the etymologieally
synonymous name BUGLOSS has been applied.
c 1400 Secrtta Secret., Gov. Lordsh. 84 Of water of lange
de boef, a Rote, c 1440 Anc. Cookery in Honseh.Ord. (1790)
426 Take cole, and borage, and lang de beeff, and parsell.
[1450 Alphita (Anecd. OxorO 24 Buglossa .. (gall, l.inse
cle beof \ anglice oxtun^e.] 1551 TURNER Herbal i. G iv b,
Dioscorides. .saythe that Cirsion (whyche I take to be oure
langdebefe) hath longer leues than buglossum. i^^TussER
tlitsb. xxxix. 18781 93 Seedes and herbes for the Kitchen..
Langdebiefe. 1597 GERARDE llcrbal n. cclxx. 2. 654 Lang
de Beefe is a kinde heereof, altogither lesser. Ibid, cclxxi.
656 Landebeuf. 1601 HOLLAND Flitiy II. 279 The leaves
[of Cirsion] in forme resemble an ox tongue or the hearbe
Langue-de-bceufe. 1615 MAHKHAM F.ng. Honse. it. i. (1668)
14 To quicken a mans wits, spirit and memory, let him take
Langdebeef, which is gathered in June or July. 1620
VENNER I ia Recta vii. 146 Lang de beuf is., of like operation
with Borage and Huglosse. 173* ELLIS 1 ract, I- a-i tner
(ed. 2) 47 That called here Langley- Beef.
9.. A kind of spike or halbert, with a head shaped
like an ox tongue.
1450 Rolls of Turll. V. 212 Arraied in fourme of werre,
with Jakkes Salettez, longe Swerdes, long Debeofs, liore-
speres, and all other unmerciable forbodon wepons. 1453
Nottingham Rec. II. 216 Cum uno langdebefe et dagario.
1487 Will of J. Cfoke (Somerset HoJ, A jak, a salett & a
long debefe. 1488 Will of Skamefaurne (ibid. , viij saletty
& iiij landebeffe 8: pollax. 1885 FAUCHOLT Cpstrujie II. 271.
II Iiaiig uedoc (langdok). Wine produced in the
old province of Languedoc, in the south of France.
1709 ADDISON Taller No. 131 p 7 Two more [drops] ..
heightened it into a perfect Languedoc. 1755 Gentl. Mag.
XXV. 326 Much lov d Languedoc that guggles forth From
mouth of long-neck d bottle.
tlia nguefy, v. Obs. rare. Also-ify. [Formed
to represent L. languefacire, i.langufre; see LAN
GUISH v. and -KV.]
1. trans. To make faint or languid.
1607 Scliol. Disc. agst. Aniichr. n. vi. 59 By the clamour
whereof how many, .were couched and languetied?
2. intr. To become weak or languid.
01734 NORTH Exam. i. iii. no (1740) 197 The Plot ..
began to languify, and must haue gone out, like a Snuff, if
this Murder had not happened.
Hence f La nguefying fpl. a.
1651 BIGGS New Disf. r 207 Physitians may deservedly
suffer the lash and feel compunction for their inhumane
languifying practises.
Languell, variant of LANGEL 06s.
t La nguent, a. Obs. [ad. L. languent-em,
pr. pple. of langiiere : see LANGUISH v.] That is
sick ; in quot. absol.
c 1510 IAKCLAY Miff. Gtt. Manners (1570) F ij, Geue nowe
to poore languent spirituall medicine.
Languescent tl^ngwe sent), a. rare. [ad.
L. languescent -tin, pr. pple. of languesclre to be
come faint, f. languere : see LANGUISH .] Grow
ing faint or languid.
1837 CARLYLE Fr. Ra>. II. i. xi, Scarcely have the
languescent mercenary Fifteen Thousand laid down their
tools. 1855 BAILEY Mystic 18 In massive ease and power
Languescent.
Languet (Ice-rjgwet), sl>. Also 5-7 langett(e,
5-8 langet, 6, 9 languette, 7 laudato, langot.
[a. F. languette, dim. of langue tongue.] Anything
shaped like a little tongue.
T 1. The tongue of a balance. Obs.
"4 3 Pi/gr. Smvle (Caxton) i. xiv. (1859) n Pledours in
worldly courtes hauen tonges lyke to the languet of the
balaunce that draweth hym. .to the more peysaunt party.
t 2. A tongue-shaped ornament ; esf. a drop of
amber, jet, etc. Obs.
1430 mil of Cry mstan (Somerset Ho.\ J par precum de
jete langettes. 1451 Will of llallc (ibid.), Par precum de
58
Aumbre voc. langetes. 1538 ELYOT Diet., Langurium^
langettes of aumbre, lyke to longe beadestones. a 1548 HALL
Chron., Hen. VI 1 1 (1809 791 A clothe of estate of the same
worke, valanced with frettes knotted and langettes tassaled
with Venice golde and siluer.
1 3. The thong used for tying a shoe, a latchet.
( 1460 Towneley Mysi. iii. 224 Take the ther a langett To
tye vp thi hose. 1674 RAY N. C, Words 28 The Langot of
the Shooe; The latchet of the shooe. 1688 K. HOLME
Armoury in. 291/2 The Punching Lead is for the Punching
of Holes in the instep and Langetts of a Shooe for the ties
to go through. 1787 GROSE Prcn>. Gh>$s., Langot.
4. Applied to tongue-shaped parts of various
implements ; e. g. a narrow blade projecting at the
edge of a spade.
1611 FI.ORIO, Lingnla. . Also that parte of the barre which
is put vnder the weight, and sticketh in the roller, the point,
end or languet. 1649 BLITHE Eng. Improv. Impr. (1653) ^
Which Spade shoo must be made with two sides, or Langets,
up from the end of the hit, like as if you would plant two
broad Knife Blades to look upwards with their points upon
a common Spade. 1659 TORRIANO, Sf/le^a. languet orpin
of a pair of writing-tables. 1669 WORLIDGE Xyst. Agric.
(1681) 231 For the cutting Trenches in Watery, Clayie, or
Morish Lnnds, they usually use a Spade, with a Langet or
Fin like a knife, turned up by the side of the Spade, and
sometimes on both sides. 1677 PLOT O.rfordsh. 238 [A pipe]
terminated in a very small Cistern of water behind a stone
of the rock, and having a mouth and Languet just above its
surface. 1717 BRADLKY Ftun. Did. s. v. Chimney, If the
Funnel is loose, you must have Languets or Tenons at the
Sides. 1875 K.XIGHT Diet, ilfech., I. august, L,angue tte . .
2. A thin tongue of metal placed between the blades of a
comb-cutter s saw, to preserve their distance. 3. A small
piece of metal on a sword-hilt which overhangs the scabbard.
5. Organ-building. In a flue-pipe: A flat plate
or tongue fastened by its edge to the top of the
foot, and opposite the mouth. Also LANGUID sb.
1852 SEIDEL Organ 21 An organ .. which contained the
following labial or languet registers. 1875 KNIGHT Diet.
Mech. s, v. Mouth-pipe^ At a point opposite the mouth .. a
languette, or plate, is placed, nearly closing the interior
area of the pipe.
f6. a. A spatula, b. (See quot. 1656.) Obs.
1580 HOLLYBAND Trens. Fr. Tong, AfagJalt ons, a langate,
or roller, little round stones like a roller. 1611 COTCR. s. v.
Magdaleon. 1611 FLORIO, Lingua .. Also a little spatle or
languet to take salues out of a boxe. 1656 BLOUNT Glossogi .^
Magdaleon^ a Langate or long plaister like a Rowler. Dr.
Br[owne]. 1813 CRABB Tecknol. Diet., Langate, a linen
roller for a wound.
7. A * tongue * or narrow projecting piece of land.
1610 HOLLAND Camderis Brit. I. 606 From the Citie,
Northwestward, there Shooteth out a languet of land or
promontorie of the maine-land into the Sea. 1652-62 HEYI.IN
Cosmogr, iv. (1682) 40 At the point of a long Languet, or
tongue of Rock. 1670 BLOUNT Clossngr.^ Langate or Lan-
guct, a long and narrow peece of land or other thing. 1673
RAY Joum. Low C. (1738) I. 239 The haven of Messina is
. . compassed almost round with the city on one side, and a
narrow languet or neck of land on the other.
f8. gen, A tongue-shaped piece of anything. Obs.
1686 PLOT Staffwdsk. 266 A true Hippomanes, or Languet
of flesh of a dark purple colour near four Inches long, that
dropt from the forehead of a Colt newly foled.
9. Zool. One of the row of little tongue-like or
tentacular processes along the dorsal edge of the
branchial sac of an ascidian.
1849-5* TODD Cycl. Anal, IV, 1219/2 The branchial sac of
the Botryllidx is very similar to that of the Clavellinidx.
. . The crest or fold corresponding to the anterior border of
the branchial sinus has no membraneous languet 1870
ROLLESTON Anint. Life 67 Along the opposite side of the
branchial sac there runs the oral lamina which in other
species, such as Ascidia Infestin<tlis t may be represented
by a row of languettes . 1878 BELL Gegenbaur s Contp.
A>tat.4oi The tongue-like appendages t languets ) found
in Ascidians. .form a long row along the dorsal surface.
t Languet, v. Obs. rarc~~\ [a. OF. languet~cr
to wag the tongue, chatter.] intr. To chatter,
talk idly. Hence fLangueting vbl. sb.
ci43p Pilgr. Lyf Manhode in. xxxii. (1869) 153 So michel
haue j gabbed and forsworn, and so falshche languetted,
that j shal neuere be bileeued. Ibid., And for the
brennynge that she hath, to assemble ootheres goodes bi
false languetinges and vntrewe sweringes.
Languid (Ire-rjgwid), sb. Also (in sense 2)
language. [Corruption of LANGUET.]
1 1. = LANGUET 3. Obs.
1688 R. HOLME Armoury in. 14/2 Close Shooes, are surh
as have no open in the sides of the Laichets or Languides.
2. = LANGUET 5. (Also aftrib. }
1852 SEIDEL Organ 78 The language, just above the foot to
which it is soldered on. 1855 HOPKINS Organ 360 The lan
guage or languid is the flat plate of metal that lies hori/on-
tally over the top of the foot, just inside the mouth. Ibid.
375 Languid Wood Pipes are sometimes made. 1876 HII.RS
Catech. Organ iv. (1878) 24 A flat piece of metal called the
language, or languid.
Languid ,Uvngwid\ a. fa. F. langnide or ad.
L. languid-ns, f. langiiere to LANGUISH.]
1. Of persons or animals, the body, etc. : Faint,
weak ; inert from fatigue or weakness ; wanting in
vigour or vitality.
1597 A. M. tr. Gnittemeau s Fr. Chirurg. sob/2 The
natural caliditye being in these partes feeble and languide.
1615 CROOKE Body of Man 338 The first births in the
beginning of the seauenth moneth are . . verie languid and
weake. 1707 FLOYF.R Physic. Pulse- Watch 33 A languid
Pulse depends on languid Spirits. 1744 ARMSTRONG Preserv.
Health in. 381 Happy he whose toil Has o er his languid
powerless limbs diffus d A pleasing lassitude. i774GoLDSM.
. .
Nat. Hist. (i 77 6) VII. 168 (Serpents) Their lungs, are long
LANGUIDNBSS.
and large, and doubtless are necessary to promote thtlr
languid circulation. 1816 J. WILSON City / lague \\. il, How
pale you look ! Wearied, and pale, and languid. 1857 MRS.
GATTY Parables fr. Nat. Ser. n. 11868} 144 Languid, indeed,
was the voice, and languid were the movements of the
grub. 1876 J. SAUNDEKS Lion in Path xi, This recent ill
ness had btill left him languid.
trans/. 1764 GOLUSM. 1 rav. 218 Unknown to them when
sensual pleasures cloy, To fill the languid pause with finer
joy. 1832 TENNYSON Lotvs-caters 5 All round the coast the
languid air did swoon. 1871 Miss Y ^N< ;E Cameos II. xxxii.
333 No doubt he had longed for her in the weary languid
hours before Meaux.
b. Of persons and their deportment : Slow in
movement ; showing an indisposition ^natural or
affected) to physical exertion.
1728 YOUNG Lore Fame v, The languid lady next appears
in state, Who was not born to carry her own weight. 1863
FR. A. KEMBLE Resid. in Georgia 67 They are languid in
their deportment.
2. Oi persons, their character, feelings, actions,
etc. : Not easily roused to emotion, exhibiting only
faint interest or concern ; spiritless, apathetic. Of
interest., impressions : Faint, wenk.
1713 ADDISON Cato \. v, I ll hasten to my troops, And fire
their languid souls with Cato s virtue. 1713 S i KELE
Guardian No. 18 P i [Death] which, by reason of its
seeming distance makes but languid impressions upon the
mind. 1742 POPE Dune. iv. 46 With mincing step, small voice,
and languid eye. 1751 BUTLER Charge Clergy Durham
Wks. 1874 II. 331 Without somewhat of this nature, piety
will grow languid even among the better sort of men. 1774
BURKE Aincr. Tax. Wks. 1842 I. 169, 1 never heard a more
languid debate in this house. 1791 MRS. RADCLIFFE Rom.
Forest i, Madame gazed with concern upon her languid
countenance. 1849 LYTTON Caxtons 12 He was too la?y or
too languid where only his own interests were at stake.
1849 MACAULAY Hist. Eng. \\. I. 177 In him dislike was a
languid feeling. Ibid. v. 570 A war of which the theatre
was so distant, .excited only a languid interest in London.
Ibid. xvii. IV. 90 An appeal which might have moved the
most languid and effeminate natures to heroic exertion.
1870 HOWSON Metaph. St. Paul iv. 153 What a contrast
this is to our dull and languid Christianity !
b. Of ideas, style, language : Wanting in force,
vividness, or interest. Said also of a writer.
a 1677 BARHOW Serm. Wks. 1686 III. xxxvi. 404 Methinks
the highest expressions that language, .can afford, are very
languid and faint in comparison of what they strain to
represent, when [etc.]. 1704 T. BROWN Sat. Antients
Wks. 1730 I. 24 To hear Homer call d dull and heavy, .and
Horace an Author unpolished languid and without force.
1864 BURTON Scot. Air. II. ii. 179 They sent me two inscrip
tions but they were long and languid. 1865 CARLYLE Frcdk.
Gt. xx. vi. (1872) IX. 108 He had written certain thin Books,
all of a thin languid nature. 1865 SEKLEY Ecce Homo iii.
(ed. 8) 25 The languid dreams of commentators.
3. Of business, trade, or other activity viewed
externally to persons : Sluggish, dull, not brisk or
lively.
1832 DIBDIN {tit It ) Bibliophobia. Remarks on the present
languid and depressed state of Literature and the Book
Trade. 1833 HT. MARTINEAU I nnderput <y S. iv. 64 The
business has been very languid. 1866 CRUMP Banking viii.
169 On account of the circulation of their currencies being
more languid. 1866 ROCKRS Agric. fy Prices I. xviii. 406
The market for exports was exceedingly languid. 1887
Daily NMUS 20 June 2/5 A languid tone has been observed
in many quarters.
4. Of inanimate things, physical motion, etc. :
Weak, wanting in force; slow of movement.
1646 SIR T. BROWNE Pseud. /./. in. xxv. 176 A languid
and dumbe allision upon the parts. 1692 BENTLEY Boyle
Lect. 190 No motion so swift or languid, but a greater
velocity or slowness may still be conceived. 1715 20
POPE Iliad ix. 279 When the languid flames at length
subside. 1748 SHENSTONK Odes, Verses to W. Lyttleton iv,
When languid suns are taking leave Of every drooping
tree. 1830 LYELL Pnttc. Gt-ol, I. 199 That the same power
.. should even in it s more languid state be capable of
raising to the surface considerable quantities of water from
the interior. 1834 MACAULAY Pitt Ess. (1854) 302 Two
i*vers met, the one gentle, languid, and though languid, yet
of no depth.
b. Of colour: Faint, not vivid.
1747 (ioui.D Eng. Ants 3 The first are of a languid Red ;
the second extremely black and shining. 1764 RKiD/w^w/Vy
vi. 22 The colours of objects, according as they are more
distant, become more faint and languid.
Languidly loe rjgwidli), adv. [f. LANGUID a.
4- -LV -.] In a languid manner.
1660 BOYLE AVri Exp, Phys. iMech. xlii. 386 The Men
struum also working as languidly upon the coral, as it did
before they were put into the Receiver. 1729 BUTLER
Serm. Wks. 1874 II* 99 Peevishness, .languidly discharges
itself upon every thing which comes in its way. 1747
WESLKY Prim. Physic^ (1762) 86 When the Nerves perform
their Office too languidly. 1798MALTHUS 7V//. (1817) I.
247 With a population nearly stationary, or at most increas
ing very languidly. 1849 MACAULAY Hist. Eng. v. I. 548
They either neglected it altogether, or executed it languidly
and tardily.
Languidness (lorrjgwidnes). [f. LANGUID a.
+ -NESS.] The quality or condition of being
languid ; languor.
1665 BOYLE Exp. Hist. Cold xlii. (1683) 132 This languid-
ness of operation may perhaps proceed in great part from
the smalness of the Pieces of Ice that were imploy d. 1678
WOOD Life 8 Jan., Colds without cpffing or running at the
nose, onl ie a languedness and faintness. 1744 WALL in
Phil. Trans. XLIII. 224 The Operation of Musk much
resembles that of Opium ; but . . it leaves not behind it any
Stupor or Languidness. 1762 R. GUY Pract. Obs.Cancers
32 The seeming Languidness and Inactivity of the contained
Humour.
LANQUIFIC.
t Langui fic, . Obs. rare*, [ad. late L.
langitiJic-uS) i. langitcrf\ see LANGUISH v. and
-FIC.] =next. (Bailey vol. II. 1727.)
i Laiigui fical, ^. Obs* rare~. [f. as prec.
+ -AL.] (See quots.)
1656 ULOUNT Glossogr., Languifical, that makes faint or
weak. 1676 COLKS, ^LangHiJtcal, causing languor.
Languish. (Itt ijgwif), sb. [f. the verb.]
1. The action or state of languishing.
c 1380 WYCLIF Serm. Sel. Wks. I. 198 Crist was. .occupied
in heeling of syke men and men bat were in languishe. *38z
Lnke iv. 40 Sike men with dyuerse langwischingis [v.r.
languyschi 1 ^, languisches]. 1485 CAXTON Clias. Gt. 233 Of
the languysshe that was comynge to Charles, he wyste not,
how sone it was comyng. 1562 PHAER sKneid ix. Ii b lij b,
The purple floure that . . In languish withering dies. 1592
SHAKS. Rom. $ Jnl. i. ii. 49 One desparate greefe cures
with anothers languish. 1613-16 W. BROWNK Krit. Past. i.
i. ir Faire Nymph, surcease this death-alluring languish.
1682 T. A. Carolina 19 It . . being . . admirable in the
languishes of the Spirit Faintings. 1718 Entertainer xix.
129 Religion is upon the Languish, and only the Ghost of
Godliness remains. 1833 HARTLEY COLERIDGE Poems 1. 118
A long record of perishable languish.
2. A tender look or glance.
1715-30 POPE Iliad xvin. 50 The blue languish of soft
Aha s eye. 1728-46 THOMSON Spring 949 Then forth he
walks, Beneath the trembling languish of her beam. 1802
W. IRVING Lett. J. 01dltyU(.J&9$ 19 An arch glance in one
box was rivalled by a smile in another; . . and in a fourth
a most bewitching languish carried all before it.
t Languish, a- Ot>s. rare -. [? f. the vb.j
Languishing, sickly.
1552 HULOET, Languyshe to be, langueo. 1660 HEXHAM,
een Vlockaert, a Pyning or a Languish man.
Languish (Ire rjgwif)? v. Forms: 4 languis,
-uysca, 4-5 -uess(e, -uysh(e, -uysch(e, -wiss e,
-vry&(ae, -wisch(e, -wis(s)h(e, -usch(e, -ussh{e,
4-6 -uiss(e, -uissh(e, (6 language\ 4- languish,
[a. F. fangitiss-i langitir, = Pr., Sp., Pg. langttir,
It. fangiiire : popular L. *langttlre for class. L.
langue-re [^inchoative langitescfre} ; perh. cogn. w.
L. lax-its ^see LAX (7.) and Teut. *slako- SLACK aJ]
1. intr. Of living beings (also of plants or vegeta
tion): To grow weak, faint, or feeble: to lose health,
have one s vitality impaired ; to continue in a state
of feebleness and suffering, f In early use often :
To be sick (const. of\
a ijpo Cursor JA 14138 In his sekenes he languist sua, pat
he na fote had might to ga. c 1330 R. HHUNNE Citron.
Waee (Rolls) 9550 Bedrede doun ful longe he lay, &
languissed so for(> fro day to day. 1382 WYCLIK Dan. viii.
27 And Y, Danyel, tanguyshide, and was seeke by ful man ye
days. 1494 FABVAX Chroti. 651 He lastly fell in a greuouse
sykenesse , . And so languysshynge by the space of thre
yeres more before he dyed. 1601 SHAKS. Alt s W elli. 1.37
What is it.. the King languishes of? Laf. A Fistula, my
Lord. 1635 K. BOLTON Comf. Affl. Cause, v. (ed. 2) 202
Some for the losse of an over-loved child have languished,
fallen into a consumption and lost their owne lives. 1744
KERKELEV Siris 77 Those who had bee;i cured by evacua
tions often languished long. 1759 tr. D/thamcFs Hush. \\.
\. (1762) 123 Observing one day a tuft of wheat which
languished. 1783 CKAUHP. Village \. 141 Health, Labour s
fair child, that languishes with wealth. 1798 FERRIAR
Illustr. Stem? ii. 24 He wrote for the recreation of persons
languishing in sickness. 1850 MKS. JAMESON Leg. Monast.
Ord. (1863) 197 It was said of him that he did not live, but
languished through life. 1865 KINGS LEY Herew. xiv. 180
He lies languishing of wounds.
fig- i65^6a HEYLIN Cosmogr. iv. (1682) 26 It began to
languish, and was at last reduced to nothing but a few
scattered Houses. 1882 PEBOUY A WJT. Journalism xviii.
134 The Morning Chronicle. .languished and died.
b. To live under conditions which lower the
vitality or depress the spirits.
1489 CAXTON Faytes of A. in. xxiii. 223 To .. make hys
prysonners to langwysshe in pryson. 1392 tr. Juntas on
Rev. ix. 4 The miserable world languishing in so great
calamities. 1711 ADDISON Sfiect. No. 181 F 2, I.. have ever
since languished under the Displeasure of an inexorable
Father. ^ 1797 MRS. RADCLIFFE Italian xi,The unfortunate
captive is left to languish in chains and darkness. 1828
CARLYLE .#/<;. (18571 I- *95 1 he street where he languished
in poverty is called by his name. 1879 FAKRAR St. Paul
(1883) 329 Peoples languishing under the withering atrophy
of Turkish rule.
2. Of appetites or activities: To grow slack, lose
vigour or intensity, f Of light, colour, sound, etc.:
To become faint.
1626 BACON Sylva 255 Visibles and Audibles . . doe
languish and lessen by degrees, according to the Distance
of the Obiects from the Sensories. 163$ R. BOLTON Comf.
Ajft, Cousc. ,\ii. (ed. 2) 509 The brightness of lamps languish
in the light 1707 WATTS Ilyntu, Come holy Spirit, heavenly
Dove iii, Hosannas languish on our Tongues, And our
Devotion dies. 1853 MACAULAY Hist. Eng. xx. IV. 516
Along the eastern frontier of France the war during this
year seemed to languish. 1871 NAPHEYS Prcv. $ Cure Dis.
n. i. 414 The appetite languishes.
tb. Of health: To fall ^
1729 SAVAGE Wanderer v. 670 Late months, that made the
vernal season gay. Saw my health languish offin pale decay.
3. To droop in spirits; to pine with love, grief,
or the like.
a 1300 Cursor M. 24646, I languis al for be. 1382 WYCLIF
Seng So/, v. 8, I languysshe for looue. f 1386 CHAUCER
Frankl. T. 222 He dorste nat his sorwe telle But lan-
gwissheth as a furye dooth in helle. c 1400 Destr. Troy
9154 Made hym langwys in Loue & Longynges grete.
483 CAXTON Cato G y b, Whan the courage languy-ssheth
59
& . . is abandonned to slouthfulnesse. 1509 HAWKS Past.
I* leas. xvi. (Percy Hoc.) 72 I^anguysshe no more, hut pluckc
up thyne herte. 1562 EUKN Let. to Sir W. Cecil i Aug.
in ist 3 Knff. I>ks. Atner, (Arb.)p. xliij, Myspirites hereto
fore no lesse languysshed for lacke of suche a Patrone.
1590 SHAKS. A/ids. N. n, i. 29 Loue and languish for Ms
sake. 1604 Ot/t. m. iii. 43 A man that languishes in your
displeasure. 1697 DRVIJKN I irg. Georg. in. 334 With two
fair Eyes his l\fistress burns his Breast ; He looks, and
languishes, and leaves his Rest. 1791 BURNS J>onie Wee
Thing, Wishfully I look and languish In that bonie face
o thine. 1844 TIIIRLWALL Greece VIII. Ixii. 134 The spirit
languished as the body decayed. 1871 R. ELLIS tr. Catullus
xxxii. n A lover Here I languish alone.
b. To waste away with desire or longing/0; , to
\~i\nefor. Also const, with infinitive.
[1611: see 43.] 1699 I\clat. Sir T. Morgans Progr. in
Somers Tracts Ser. iv. (1751) III. 160 Major-general Morgan
desired the Marshal not 10 let him languish for Orders. 1720
OZEI.I. l- crtoCsKom. Rep. J.v. 282 The People languished for
the Restoration of their Tribunes. 1738 WESLEY Psalms vi.
iv, Vet still with never-ceasing Moans I languish for Relief.
1791 Gewi-ER Iliad n. 430 What soldier languishes and sighs
To leave us? 1847 DE O.UINCEV Sp. Mil. Nun i, The poor
nuns, who . . were languishing for some amusement. 1870
BRYANT Iliad I. n. 49 All give way to grief And languish to
return.
c. To assume a languid look or expression, as
an indication of sorrowful or tender emotion. Also
qn&ai-trarts.
1714 MRS 
