Webster's Unabridged Dictionary - Letter L - Page 18

Leader (n.) A block of hard wood pierced with suitable holes for leading ropes in their proper places.

Leader (n.) The principal wheel in any kind of machinery.

Leader (n.) A horse placed in advance of others; one of the forward pair of horses.

Leader (n.) A pipe for conducting rain water from a roof to a cistern or to the ground; a conductor.

Leader (n.) A net for leading fish into a pound, weir, etc. ; also, a line of gut, to which the snell of a fly hook is attached.

Leader (n.) A branch or small vein, not important in itself, but indicating the proximity of a better one.

Leader (n.) The first, or the principal, editorial article in a newspaper; a leading or main editorial article.

Leader (n.) A type having a dot or short row of dots upon its face.

Leader (n.) a row of dots, periods, or hyphens, used in tables of contents, etc., to lead the eye across a space to the right word or number.

Leadership (n.) The office of a leader.

Leadhillite (n.) A mineral of a yellowish or greenish white color, consisting of the sulphate and carbonate of lead; -- so called from having been first found at Leadhills, Scotland.

Leading (a.) Guiding; directing; controlling; foremost; as, a leading motive; a leading man; a leading example.

Leading (n.) The act of guiding, directing, governing, or enticing; guidance.

Leading (n.) Suggestion; hint; example.

Leadmen (pl. ) of Leadman

Leadman (n.) One who leads a dance.

Leadsmen (pl. ) of Leadsman

Leadsman (n.) The man who heaves the lead.

Leadwort (n.) A genus of maritime herbs (Plumbago). P. Europaea has lead-colored spots on the leaves, and nearly lead-colored flowers.

Leady (a.) Resembling lead.

Leaves (pl. ) of Leaf

Leaf (n.) A colored, usually green, expansion growing from the side of a stem or rootstock, in which the sap for the use of the plant is elaborated under the influence of light; one of the parts of a plant which collectively constitute its foliage.

Leaf (n.) A special organ of vegetation in the form of a lateral outgrowth from the stem, whether appearing as a part of the foliage, or as a cotyledon, a scale, a bract, a spine, or a tendril.

Leaf (n.) Something which is like a leaf in being wide and thin and having a flat surface, or in being attached to a larger body by one edge or end; as : (a) A part of a book or folded sheet containing two pages upon its opposite sides. (b) A side, division, or part, that slides or is hinged, as of window shutters, folding doors, etc. (c) The movable side of a table. (d) A very thin plate; as, gold leaf. (e) A portion of fat lying in a separate fold or layer. (f) One of the teeth of a pinion, especially when small.

Leafed (imp. & p. p.) of Leaf

Leafing (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Leaf

Leaf (v. i.) To shoot out leaves; to produce leaves; to leave; as, the trees leaf in May.

Leafage (n.) Leaves, collectively; foliage.

Leafcup (n.) A coarse American composite weed (Polymnia Uvedalia).

Leafed (a.) Having (such) a leaf or (so many) leaves; -- used in composition; as, broad-leafed; four-leafed.

Leafet (n.) A leaflet.

Leaf-footed (a.) Having leaflike expansions on the legs; -- said of certain insects; as, the leaf-footed bug (Leptoglossus phyllopus).

Leafiness (n.) The state of being leafy.

Leafless (a.) Having no leaves or foliage; bearing no foliage.

Leaflet (n.) A little leaf; also, a little printed leaf or a tract.

Leaflet (n.) One of the divisions of a compound leaf; a foliole.

Leaflet (n.) A leaflike organ or part; as, a leaflet of the gills of fishes.

Leaf-nosed (n.) Having a leaflike membrane on the nose; -- said of certain bats, esp. of the genera Phyllostoma and Rhinonycteris. See Vampire.

Leafstalk (n.) The stalk or petiole which supports a leaf.

Leafy (superl) Full of leaves; abounding in leaves; as, the leafy forest.

Leafy (superl) Consisting of leaves.

League (n.) A measure of length or distance, varying in different countries from about 2.4 to 4.6 English statute miles of 5.280 feet each, and used (as a land measure) chiefly on the continent of Europe, and in the Spanish parts of America. The marine league of England and the United States is equal to three marine, or geographical, miles of 6080 feet each.

League (n.) A stone erected near a public road to mark the distance of a league.

League (n.) An alliance or combination of two or more nations, parties, or persons, for the accomplishment of a purpose which requires a continued course of action, as for mutual defense, or for furtherance of commercial, religious, or political interests, etc.

Leagued (imp. & p. p.) of League

Leaguing (p. pr. & vb. n.) of League

League (v. i.) To unite in a league or confederacy; to combine for mutual support; to confederate.

League (v. t.) To join in a league; to cause to combine for a joint purpose; to combine; to unite; as, common interests will league heterogeneous elements.

Leaguer (n.) The camp of a besieging army; a camp in general.

Leaguer (n.) A siege or beleaguering.

Leaguer (v. t.) To besiege; to beleaguer.

Leaguerer (n.) A besieger.

Leak (v.) A crack, crevice, fissure, or hole which admits water or other fluid, or lets it escape; as, a leak in a roof; a leak in a boat; a leak in a gas pipe.

Leak (v.) The entrance or escape of a fluid through a crack, fissure, or other aperture; as, the leak gained on the ship's pumps.

Leak (a.) Leaky.

Leaked (imp. & p. p.) of Leak

Leaking (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Leak

Leak (n.) To let water or other fluid in or out through a hole, crevice, etc.; as, the cask leaks; the roof leaks; the boat leaks.

Leak (n.) To enter or escape, as a fluid, through a hole, crevice, etc. ; to pass gradually into, or out of, something; -- usually with in or out.

Leakage (n.) A leaking; also, the quantity that enters or issues by leaking.

Leakage (n.) An allowance of a certain rate per cent for the leaking of casks, or waste of liquors by leaking.

Leakiness (n.) The quality of being leaky.

Leaky (superl.) Permitting water or other fluid to leak in or out; as, a leaky roof or cask.

Leaky (superl.) Apt to disclose secrets; tattling; not close.

Leal (a.) Faithful; loyal; true.

Leam (n. & v. i.) See Leme.

Leam (n.) A cord or strap for leading a dog.

Leamer (n.) A dog held by a leam.

Lean (v. t.) To conceal.

Leaned (imp. & p. p.) of Lean

Leant () of Lean

Leaning (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Lean

Lean (v. i.) To incline, deviate, or bend, from a vertical position; to be in a position thus inclining or deviating; as, she leaned out at the window; a leaning column.

Lean (v. i.) To incline in opinion or desire; to conform in conduct; -- with to, toward, etc.

Lean (v. i.) To rest or rely, for support, comfort, and the like; -- with on, upon, or against.

Lean (v. i.) To cause to lean; to incline; to support or rest.

Lean (v. i.) Wanting flesh; destitute of or deficient in fat; not plump; meager; thin; lank; as, a lean body; a lean cattle.

Lean (v. i.) Wanting fullness, richness, sufficiency, or productiveness; deficient in quality or contents; slender; scant; barren; bare; mean; -- used literally and figuratively; as, the lean harvest; a lean purse; a lean discourse; lean wages.

Lean (v. i.) Of a character which prevents the compositor from earning the usual wages; -- opposed to fat; as, lean copy, matter, or type.

Lean (n.) That part of flesh which consist principally of muscle without the fat.

Lean (n.) Unremunerative copy or work.

Lean-faced (a.) Having a thin face.

Lean-faced (a.) slender or narrow; -- said of type the letters of which have thin lines, or are unusually narrow in proportion to their height.

Leaning (n.) The act, or state, of inclining; inclination; tendency; as, a leaning towards Calvinism.

Leanly (adv.) Meagerly; without fat or plumpness.

Leanness (n.) The condition or quality of being lean.

Lean-to (a.) Having only one slope or pitch; -- said of a roof.

Lean-to (n.) A shed or slight building placed against the wall of a larger structure and having a single-pitched roof; -- called also penthouse, and to-fall.

Lean-witted (a.) Having but little sense or shrewdness.

Leany (a.) Lean.

Leap (n.) A basket.

Leap (n.) A weel or wicker trap for fish.

Leaped (imp. & p. p.) of Leap

Leapt () of Leap

Leaping (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Leap

Leap (v. i.) To spring clear of the ground, with the feet; to jump; to vault; as, a man leaps over a fence, or leaps upon a horse.

Leap (v. i.) To spring or move suddenly, as by a jump or by jumps; to bound; to move swiftly. Also Fig.

Leap (v. t.) To pass over by a leap or jump; as, to leap a wall, or a ditch.

Leap (v. t.) To copulate with (a female beast); to cover.

Leap (v. t.) To cause to leap; as, to leap a horse across a ditch.

[previous page] [Index] [next page]