Chapter I: W. W (13)

3. Extent or breadth of signification, application, etc.; extent of deviation from a standard, as truth, style, etc. No discreet man will believe Augustine's miracles, in the latitude of monkish relations. Fuller.

4. Extent; size; amplitude; scope. I pretend not to treat of them in their full latitude. Locke.

5. (Geog.)

Defn: Distance north or south of the equator, measured on a meridian.

6. (Astron.)

Defn: The angular distance of a heavenly body from the ecliptic. Ascending latitude, Circle of latitude, Geographical latitude, etc. See under Ascending. Circle, etc. -- High latitude, that part of the earth's surface near either pole, esp. that part within either the arctic or the antarctic circle. -- Low latitude, that part of the earth's surface which is near the equator.

LATITUDINAL Lat`i*tu"di*nal, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to latitude; in the direction of latitude.

LATITUDINARIAN Lat`i*tu`di*na"ri*an, a. Etym: [Cf. F. latitudinaire.]

1. Not restrained; not confined by precise limits.

2. Indifferent to a strict application of any standard of belief or opinion; hence, deviating more or less widely from such standard; lax in doctrine; as, latitudinarian divines; latitudinarian theology. Latitudinarian sentiments upon religious subjects. Allibone.

3. Lax in moral or religious principles.

LATITUDINARIAN Lat`i*tu`di*na"ri*an, n.

1. One who is moderate in his notions, or not restrained by precise settled limits in opinion; one who indulges freedom in thinking.

2. (Eng. Eccl. Hist.)

Defn: A member of the Church of England, in the time of Charles II., who adopted more liberal notions in respect to the authority, government, and doctrines of the church than generally prevailed. They were called "men of latitude;" and upon this, men of narrow thoughts fastened upon them the name of latitudinarians. Bp. Burnet.

3. (Theol.)

Defn: One who departs in opinion from the strict principles of orthodoxy.

LATITUDINARIANISM Lat`i*tu`di*na"ri*an*ism, n.

Defn: A latitudinarian system or condition; freedom of opinion in matters pertaining to religious belief. Fierce sectarianism bred fierce latitudinarianism. De Quincey. He [Ammonius Saccas] plunged into the wildest latitudinarianism of opinion. J. S. Harford.

LATITUDINOUS Lat`i*tu"di*nous, a.

Defn: Having latitude, or wide extent.

LATON; LATOUN Lat"on, Lat"oun, n.

Defn: Latten, 1. [Obs.] Chaucer.

LATRANT La"trant, a. Etym: [L. latrans, p. pr. of latrare. See Latrate.]

Defn: Barking. [Obs.] Tickell.

LATRATE La"trate, v. i. Etym: [L. latratus, p. p. of latrare to bark.]

Defn: To bark as a dog. [Obs.]

LATRATION La*tra"tion, n.

Defn: A barking. [Obs.]

LATREUTICAL La*treu"tic*al, a. Etym: [Gr.

1. Acting as a hired servant; serving; ministering; assisting. [Obs.]

2. Of or pertaining to latria. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.

LATRIA La*tri"a, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.

Defn: The highest kind of worship, or that paid to God; -- distinguished by the Roman Catholics from dulia, or the inferior worship paid to saints.

LATRINE La*trine", n. Etym: [L. latrina: cf. F. latrines.]

Defn: A privy, or water-closet, esp. in a camp, hospital, etc.

LATROCINY Lat"ro*cin`y, n. Etym: [L. latrocinium. Cf. Larceny.]

Defn: Theft; larceny. [Obs.]

LATTEN Lat"ten, n. Etym: [OE. latoun, laton, OF. laton, F. laiton, prob. fr. OF. late lath, F. latte; -- because made in thin plates; cf. It. latta a sheet of tinned iron, tin plate. F. latte is of German origin. See Lath a thin board.]

1. A kind of brass hammered into thin sheets, formerly much used for making church utensils, as candlesticks, crosses, etc.; -- called also latten brass. He had a cross of latoun full of stones. Chaucer.

2. Sheet tin; iron plate, covered with tin; also, any metal in thin sheets; as, gold latten. Black latten, brass in milled sheets, composed of copper and zinc, used by braziers, and for drawing into wire. -- Roll latten, latten polished on both sides ready for use. -- Shaven latten, a thinner kind than black latten. -- White latten, a mixture of brass and tin.

LATTER Lat"ter, a. Etym: [OE. later, lætter, compar. of lat late. See Late, and cf. Later.]

1. Later; more recent; coming or happening after something else; -- opposed to former; as, the former and latter rain.

2. Of two things, the one mentioned second. The difference between reason and revelation, and in what sense the latter is superior. I. Watts.

3. Recent; modern. Hath not navigation discovered in these latter ages, whole nations at the bay of Soldania Locke.

4. Last; latest; final. [R.] "My latter gasp." Shak. Latter harvest, the last part of the harvest. -- Latter spring, the last part of the spring of the year. Shak.

LATTERDAY Lat"ter*day`, a.

Defn: Belonging to present times or those recent by comparison.

LATTER-DAY SAINT Lat"ter-day` saint".

Defn: A Mormon; -- the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints being the name assumed by the whole body of Mormons.

LATTERKIN Lat"ter*kin, n.

Defn: A pointed wooden tool used in glazing leaden lattice.

LATTERLY Lat"ter*ly, adv.

Defn: Lately; of late; recently; at a later, as distinguished from a former, period. Latterly Milton was short and thick. Richardson.

LATTERMATH Lat"ter*math, n. Etym: [Cf. Aftermath.]

Defn: The latter, or second, mowing; the aftermath.

LATTICE Lat"tice, n. Etym: [OE. latis, F. lattis lathwork, fr. latte lath. See Latten, 1st Lath.]

1. Any work of wood or metal, made by crossing laths, or thin strips, and forming a network; as, the lattice of a window; -- called also latticework. The mother of Sisera looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice. Judg. v. 28.

2. (Her.)

Defn: The representation of a piece of latticework used as a bearing, the bands being vertical and horizontal. Lattice bridge, a bridge supported by lattice girders, or latticework trusses. -- Lattice girder (Arch.), a girder of which the wed consists of diagonal pieces crossing each other in the manner of latticework. -- Lattice plant (Bot.), an aquatic plant of Madagascar (Ouvirandra fenestralis), whose leaves have interstices between their ribs and cross veins, so as to resemble latticework. A second species is O. Berneriana. The genus is merged in Aponogeton by recent authors.

LATTICE Lat"tice, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Latticed; p. pr. & vb. n. Latticing.]

1. To make a lattice of; as, to lattice timbers.

2. To close, as an opening, with latticework; to furnish with a lattice; as, to lattice a window. To lattice up, to cover or inclose with a lattice. Therein it seemeth he [Alexander] hath latticed up Cæsar. Sir T. North.

LATTICEWORK Lat"tice*work`, n.

Defn: Same as Lattice, n., 1.

LATTICING Lat"ti*cing, n.

1. The act or process of making a lattice of, or of fitting a lattice to.

2. (Bridge Building)

Defn: A system of bars crossing in the middle to form braces between principal longitudinal members, as of a strut.

LATUS RECTUM La"tus rec"tum. Etym: [L., the right side.] (Conic Sections)

Defn: The line drawn through a focus of a conic section parallel to the directrix and terminated both ways by the curve. It is the parameter of the principal axis. See Focus, and Parameter.

LAUD Laud, n. Etym: [L. laus, laudis. See Laud, v. i.]

1. High commendation; praise; honor; exaltation; glory. "Laud be to God." Shak. So do well and thou shalt have laud of the same. Tyndals.

2. A part of divine worship, consisting chiefly of praise; -- usually in the pl.

Note: In the Roman Catholic Church, the prayers used at daybreak, between those of matins and prime, are called lauds.

3. Music or singing in honor of any one.

LAUD Laud, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lauded; p. pr. & vb. n. Lauding.] Etym: [L.laudare, fr. laus, laudis, praise. Cf. Allow.]

Defn: To praise in words alone, or with words and singing; to celebrate; to extol. With all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify thy glorious name. Book of Common Prayer.

LAUDABILITY Laud`a*bil"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. laudabilitas.]

Defn: Laudableness; praiseworthiness.

LAUDABLE Laud"a*ble, a. Etym: [L. laudabilis: cf. OE. laudable. See Laud, v. i.]

1. Worthy of being lauded; praiseworthy; commendable; as, laudable motives; laudable actions; laudable ambition.

2. (Med.)

Defn: Healthy; salubrious; normal; having a disposition to promote healing; not noxious; as, laudable juices of the body; laudable pus. Arbuthnot.

LAUDABLENESS Laud"a*ble*ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being laudable; praiseworthiness; commendableness.

LAUDABLY Laud"a*bly, adv.

Defn: In a laudable manner.

LAUDANINE Lau"da*nine, n. Etym: [From Laudanum.] (Chem.)

Defn: A white organic base, resembling morphine, and obtained from certain varieties of opium.

LAUDANUM Lau"da*num, n. Etym: [Orig. the same wort as ladanum, ladbdanum: cf. F. laudanum, It. laudano, ladano. See Ladanum.]

Defn: Tincture of opium, used for various medical purposes.

Note: A fluid ounce of American laudanum should contain the soluble matter of one tenth of an ounce avoirdupois of powdered opium with equal parts of alcohol and water. English laudanum should have ten grains less of opium in the fluid ounce. U. S. Disp. Dutchman's laudanum (Bot.) See under Dutchman.

LAUDATION Lau*da"tion, n. Etym: [L. laudatio: cf. OE. taudation. See Land, v. t.]

Defn: The act of lauding; praise; high commendation.

LAUDATIVE Laud"a*tive, a. Etym: [L. laudativus laudatory: cf. F. laudatif.]

Defn: Laudatory.

LAUDATIVE Laud"a*tive, n.

Defn: A panegyric; a eulogy. [Obs.] Bacon.

LAUDATOR Lau*da"tor, n. Etym: [L.]

1. One who lauds.

2. (Law)

Defn: An arbitrator. [Obs.] Cowell.

LAUDATORY Laud"a*to*ry, a. Etym: [L. laudatorius: cf. OF. laudatoire.]

Defn: Of or pertaining praise, or to the expression of praise; as, laudatory verses; the laudatory powers of Dryden. Sir J. Stephen.

LAUDER Laud"er, n.

Defn: One who lauds.

LAUGH Laugh, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Laughed; p. pr. & vb. n. Laughing.] Etym: [OE. laughen, laghen, lauhen, AS. hlehhan, hlihhan, hlyhhan, hliehhan; akin to OS. hlahan, D. & G.lachen, OHG. hlahhan, lahhan, lahh, Icel. hlæja. Dan. lee, Sw. le, Goth. hlahjan; perh. of imitative origin.]

1. To show mirth, satisfaction, or derision, by peculiar movement of the muscles of the face, particularly of the mouth, causing a lighting up of the face and eyes, and usually accompanied by the emission of explosive or chuckling sounds from the chest and throat; to indulge in laughter. Queen Hecuba laughed that her eyes ran o'er. Shak. He laugheth that winneth. Heywood's Prov.

2. Fig.: To be or appear gay, cheerful, pleasant, mirthful, lively, or brilliant; to sparkle; to sport. Then laughs the childish year, with flowerets crowned. Dryden. In Folly's cup still laughs the bubble Joy. Pope. To laugh at, to make an object of laughter or ridicule; to make fun of; to deride. No wit to flatter left of all his store, No fool to laugh at, which he valued more. Pope. -- To laugh in the sleeve, to laugh secretly, or so as not to be observed, especially while apparently preserving a grave or serious demeanor toward the person or persons laughed at. -- To laugh out, to laugh in spite of some restraining influence; to laugh aloud. -- To laugh out of the other corner (or side) of the mouth, to weep or cry; to feel regret, vexation, or disappointment after hilarity or exaltation. [Slang]

LAUGH Laugh, v. t.

1. To affect or influence by means of laughter or ridicule. Will you laugh me asleep, for I am very heavy Shak. I shall laugh myself to death. Shak.

2. To express by, or utter with, laughter; -- with out. From his deep chest laughs out a loud applause. Shak. To laugh away. (a) To drive away by laughter; as, to laugh away regret. (b) To waste in hilarity. "Pompey doth this day laugh away his fortune." Shak. -- To laugh down. (a) To cause to cease or desist by laughter; as, to laugh down a speaker. (b) To cause to be given up on account of ridicule; as, to laugh down a reform. -- To laugh one out of, to cause one by laughter or ridicule to abandon or give up; as, to laugh one out of a plan or purpose. -- To laugh to scorn, to deride; to treat with mockery, contempt, and scorn; to despise.

LAUGH Laugh, n.

Defn: An expression of mirth peculiar to the human species; the sound heard in laughing; laughter. See Laugh, v. i. And the loud laugh that spoke the vacant mind. Goldsmith. That man is a bad man who has not within him the power of a hearty laugh. F. W. Robertson.

LAUGHABLE Laugh"a*ble, a.

Defn: Fitted to excite laughter; as, a laughable story; a laughable scene.

Syn. -- Droll; ludicrous; mirthful; comical. See Droll, and Ludicrous. -- Laugh"a*ble*ness, n. -- Laugh"a*bly, adv.

LAUGHER Laugh"er, n.

1. One who laughs.

2. A variety of the domestic pigeon.

LAUGHING Laugh"ing, a. & n.

Defn: from Laugh, v. i. Laughing falcon (Zoöl.), a South American hawk (Herpetotheres cachinnans); -- so called from its notes, which resemble a shrill laughing. -- Laughing gas (Chem.), hyponitrous oxide, or protoxide of nitrogen; -- so called from the exhilaration and laughing which it sometimes produces when inhaled. It is much used as an anæsthetic agent. -- Laughing goose (Zoöl.), the European white-fronted goose. -- Laughing gull. (Zoöl.) (a) A common European gull (Xema ridibundus); -- called also pewit, black cap, red-legged gull, and sea crow. (b) An American gull (Larus atricilla). In summer the head is nearly black, the back slate color, and the five outer primaries black. -- Laughing hyena (Zoöl.), the spotted hyena. See Hyena. -- Laughing jackass (Zoöl.), the great brown kingfisher (Dacelo gigas), of Australia; -- called also giant kingfisher, and gogobera. -- Laughing owl (Zoöl.), a peculiar owl (Sceloglaux albifacies) of New Zealand, said to be on the verge of extinction. The name alludes to its notes.

LAUGHINGLY Laugh"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: With laughter or merriment.

LAUGHINGSTOCK Laugh"ing*stock`, n.

Defn: An object of ridicule; a butt of sport. Shak. When he talked, he talked nonsense, and made himself the laughingstock of his hearers. Macaulay.

LAUGHSOME Laugh"some, a.

Defn: Exciting laughter; also, addicted to laughter; merry. [R.]

LAUGHTER Laugh"ter, n. Etym: [AS. hleahtor; akin to OHG. hlahtar, G. gelächter, Icel. hlatr, Dan. latter. See Laugh, v. i. ]

Defn: A movement (usually involuntary) of the muscles of the face, particularly of the lips, with a peculiar expression of the eyes, indicating merriment, satisfaction, or derision, and usually attended by a sonorous and interrupted expulsion of air from the lungs. See Laugh, v. i. The act of laughter, which is a sweet contraction of the muscles of the face, and a pleasant agitation of the vocal organs, is not merely, or totally within the jurisdiction of ourselves. Sir T. Browne. Archly the maiden smiled, and with eyes overrunning with laughter. Longfellow.

LAUGHTERLESS Laugh"ter*less, a.

Defn: Not laughing; without laughter.

LAUGHWORTHY Laugh"wor`thy, a.

Defn: Deserving to be laughed at. [R.] B. Jonson.

LAUMONTITE Lau"mont*ite, n. Etym: [From Dr. Laumont, the discoverer.] (Min.)

Defn: A mineral, of a white color and vitreous luster. It is a hydrous silicate of alumina and lime. Exposed to the air, it loses water, becomes opaque, and crumbles. [Written also laumonite.]

LAUNCE Launce, n.

Defn: A lance. [Obs.]

LAUNCE Launce, n. Etym: [It. lance, L. lanx, lancis, plate, scale of a balance. Cf. Balance.]

Defn: A balance. [Obs.] Fortune all in equal launce doth sway. Spenser.

LAUNCE Launce, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Lant, the fish.

LAUNCEGAYE Launce"gaye`, n.

Defn: See Langegaye. [Obs.]

LAUNCH Launch, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Launched; p. pr. & vb. n. Launching.] Etym: [OE. launchen to throw as a lance, OF. lanchier, another form of lancier, F. lancer, fr. lance lance. See Lance.] [Written also lanch.]

1. To throw, as a lance or dart; to hurl; to let fly.

2. To strike with, or as with, a lance; to pierce. [Obs.] Launch your hearts with lamentable wounds. Spenser.

3. To cause to move or slide from the land into the water; to set afloat; as, to launch a ship. With stays and cordage last he rigged the ship, And rolled on levers, launched her in the deep. Pope.

4. To send out; to start (one) on a career; to set going; to give a start to (something); to put in operation; as, to launch a son in the world; to launch a business project or enterprise. All art is used to sink episcopacy, and launch presbytery in England. Eikon Basilike.

LAUNCH Launch, v. i.

Defn: To move with force and swiftness like a sliding from the stocks into the water; to plunge; to make a beginning; as, to launch into the current of a stream; to launch into an argument or discussion; to launch into lavish expenditures; -- often with out. Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. Luke v. 4. He [Spenser] launches out into very flowery paths. Prior.

LAUNCH Launch, n.

1. The act of launching.

2. The movement of a vessel from land into the water; especially, the sliding on ways from the stocks on which it is built.

3. Etym: [Cf. Sp. lancha.] (Naut.)

Defn: The boat of the largest size belonging to a ship of war; also, an open boat of any size driven by steam, naphtha, electricity, or the like. Launching ways. (Naut.) See Way, n. (Naut.).

LAUND Laund (lalnd), n. Etym: [See Lawn of grass.]

Defn: A plain sprinkled with trees or underbrush; a glade. [Obs.] In a laund upon an hill of flowers. Chaucer. Through this laund anon the deer will come. Shak.

LAUNDER Laun"der, n. Etym: [Contracted fr. OE. lavender, F. lavandière, LL. lavandena, from L. lavare to wash. See Lave.]

1. A washerwoman. [Obs.]

2. (Mining)

Defn: A trough used by miners to receive the powdered ore from the box where it is beaten, or for carrying water to the stamps, or other apparatus, for comminuting, or sorting, the ore.

LAUNDER Laun"der, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Laundered; p. pr. & vb. n. Laundering.]

1. To wash, as clothes; to wash, and to smooth with a flatiron or mangle; to wash and iron; as, to launder shirts.

2. To lave; to wet. [Obs.] Shak.

LAUNDERER Laun"der*er, n.

Defn: One who follows the business of laundering.

LAUNDERING Laun"der*ing, n.

Defn: The act, or occupation, of one who launders; washing and ironing.

LAUNDRESS Laun"dress, n.

Defn: A woman whose employment is laundering.

LAUNDRESS Laun"dress, v. i.

Defn: To act as a laundress.[Obs.]

LAUNDRY Laun"dry, n.; pl. Laundries. Etym: [OE. lavendrie, OF. lavanderie. See Launder.]

1. A laundering; a washing.

2. A place or room where laundering is done.

LAUNDRYMAN Laun"dry*man, n.; pl. Laundrymen (.

Defn: A man who follows the business of laundering.

LAURA Lau"ra, n. Etym: [LL., fr. Gr. ( (R. C. Ch.)

Defn: A number of hermitages or cells in the same neighborhood occupied by anchorites who were under the same superior. C. Kingsley.

LAURACEOUS Lau*ra"ceous, a. Etym: [From Laurus.] (Bot.)

Defn: Belonging to, or resembling, a natural order (Lauraceæ) of trees and shrubs having aromatic bark and foliage, and including the laurel, sassafras, cinnamon tree, true camphor tree, etc.

LAURATE Lau"rate, n. (Chem.)

Defn: A salt of lauric acid.

LAUREATE Lau"re*ate, a. Etym: [L. laureatus, fr. laurea laurel tree, fr. laureus of laurel, fr. laurus laurel: cf. F. lauréat. Cf. Laurel.]

Defn: Crowned, or decked, with laurel. Chaucer. To strew the laureate hearse where Lycid lies. Milton. Soft on her lap her laureate son reclines. Pope. Poet laureate. (b) One who received an honorable degree in grammar, including poetry and rhetoric, at the English universities; -- so called as being presented with a wreath of laurel. [Obs.] (b) Formerly, an officer of the king's household, whose business was to compose an ode annually for the king's birthday, and other suitable occasions; now, a poet officially distinguished by such honorary title, the office being a sinecure. It is said this title was first given in the time of Edward IV. [Eng.]

LAUREATE Lau"re*ate, n.

Defn: One crowned with laurel; a poet laureate. "A learned laureate." Cleveland.

LAUREATE Lau"re*ate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Laureated; p. pr. & vb. n. Laureating.]

Defn: To honor with a wreath of laurel, as formerly was done in bestowing a degree at the English universities.

LAUREATESHIP Lau"re*ate*ship, n.

Defn: State, or office, of a laureate.

LAUREATION Lau`re*a"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. lauréation.]

Defn: The act of crowning with laurel; the act of conferring an academic degree, or honorary title.

LAUREL Lau"rel, n. Etym: [OE. lorel, laurer, lorer, OF. lorier, laurier, F. laurier, (assumed) LL. Laurarius, fr. L. laurus.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: An evergreen shrub, of the genus Laurus (L. nobilis), having aromatic leaves of a lanceolate shape, with clusters of small, yellowish white flowers in their axils; -- called also sweet bay.

Note: The fruit is a purple berry. It is found about the Mediterranean, and was early used by the ancient Greeks to crown the victor in the games of Apollo. At a later period, academic honors were indicated by a crown of laurel, with the fruit. The leaves and tree yield an aromatic oil, used to flavor the bay water of commerce.

Note: The name is extended to other plants which in some respect resemble the true laurel. See Phrases, below.

2. A crown of laurel; hence, honor; distinction; fame; -- especially in the plural; as, to win laurels.

3. An English gold coin made in 1619, and so called because the king's head on it was crowned with laurel. Laurel water, water distilled from the fresh leaves of the cherry laurel, and containing prussic acid and other products carried over in the process. American laurel, or Mountain laurel, Kalmia latifolia. See under Mountain. -- California laurel, Umbellularia Californica. -- Cherry laurel (in England called laurel). See under Cherry. -- Great laurel, the rosebay (Rhododendron maximum). -- Ground laurel, trailing arbutus. -- New Zealand laurel, Laurelia Novæ Zelandiæ. -- Portugal laurel, the Prunus Lusitanica. -- Rose laurel, the oleander. See Oleander. -- Sheep laurel, a poisonous shrub, Kalmia angustifolia, smaller than the mountain laurel, and with smaller and redder flowers. -- Spurge laurel, Daphne Laureola. -- West Indian laurel, Prunus occidentalis.

LAURELED Lau"reled, a.

Defn: Crowned with laurel, or with a laurel wreath; laureate. [Written also laurelled.]

LAURENTIAN Lau*ren"tian, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or near, the St. Lawrence River; as, the Laurentian hills. Laurentian period (Geol.), the lower of the two divisions of the Archæan age; -- called also the Laurentian.

LAURER Lau"rer, n.

Defn: Laurel. [Obs.] Chaucer.

LAURESTINE Lau"res*tine, n. Etym: [NL. lautus tinus, fr. L. laurus the laurel + tinus laurestine. See Laurel.] (Bot.)

Defn: The Viburnum Tinus, an evergreen shrub or tree of the south of Europe, which flowers during the winter mouths. [Written also laurustine and laurestina.]

LAURIC Lau"ric, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or derived from, the European bay or laurel (Laurus nobilis). Lauric acid (Chem.), a white, crystalline substance, C12H24O2, resembling palmitic acid, and obtained from the fruit of the bay tree, and other sources.

LAURIFEROUS Lau*rif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. laurifer; laurus + ferre to bear.]

Defn: Producing, or bringing, laurel.

LAURIN Lau"rin, n. Etym: [Cf. F. laurine.] (Chem.)

Defn: A white crystalline substance extracted from the fruit of the bay (Laurus nobilis), and consisting of a complex mixture of glycerin ethers of several organic acids.

LAURINOL Lau"ri*nol, n. Etym: [Laurin + -ol.] (Chem.)

Defn: Ordinary camphor; -- so called in allusion to the family name (Lauraceæ) of the camphor trees. See Camphor.

LAURIOL Lau"ri*ol, n.

Defn: Spurge laurel. [Obs.] Chaucer.

LAURITE Lau"rite, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.] (Min.)

Defn: A rare sulphide of osmium and ruthenium found with platinum in Borneo and Oregon.

LAURONE Lau"rone, n. Etym: [Lauric + -one.] (Chem.)

Defn: The ketone of lauric acid.

LAURUS Lau"rus, n. Etym: [L., laurel.] (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of trees including, according to modern authors, only the true laurel (Laurus nobilis), and the larger L. Canariensis of Madeira and the Canary Islands. Formerly the sassafras, the camphor tree, the cinnamon tree, and several other aromatic trees and shrubs, were also referred to the genus Laurus.

LAUS Laus, a.

Defn: Loose. [Obs.] Chaucer.

LAUTVERSCHIEBUNG Laut"ver*schie`bung, n.; pl. -schiebungen. [G.; laut sound + verschiebung shifting.] (Philol.) (a) The regular changes which the primitive Indo-European stops, or mute consonants, underwent in the Teutonic languages, probably as early as the 3d century b. c. , often called the first Lautverschiebung, sound shifting, or consonant shifting. (b) A somewhat similar set of changes taking place in the High German dialects (less fully in modern literary German) from the 6th to the 8th century, known as the second Lautverschiebung, the result of which form the striking differences between High German and The Low German Languages. The statement of these changes is commonly regarded as forming part of Grimm's law, because included in it as originally framed.

LAVA La"va, n. Etym: [It. lava lava, orig. in Naples, a torrent of rain overflowing the streets, fr. It. & L. lavare to wash. See Lave.]

Defn: The melted rock ejected by a volcano from its top or fissured sides. It flows out in streams sometimes miles in length. It also issues from fissures in the earth's surface, and forms beds covering many square miles, as in the Northwestern United States.

Note: Lavas are classed, according to their structure, as scoriaceous or cellular, glassy, stony, etc., and according to the material of which they consist, as doleritic, trachytic, etc. Lava millstone, a hard and coarse basaltic millstone from the neighborhood of the Rhine. -- Lava ware, a kind of cheap pottery made of iron slag cast into tiles, urns, table tops, etc., resembling lava in appearance.

LA VALLIERE; LAVALLIERE La val`liere", or La`val`liere", n.

Defn: A neck ornament consisting of a chain and single pendant, or drop.

LAVARET Lav"a*ret, n. Etym: [F.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A European whitefish (Coregonus laveretus), found in the mountain lakes of Sweden, Germany, and Switzerland.

LAVATIC La*vat"ic, a.

Defn: Like lava, or composed of lava; lavic.

LAVATION La*va"tion, n. Etym: [L. lavatio: cf. OF. lavation.]

Defn: A washing or cleansing. [Obs. or R.]

LAVATORY Lav"a*to*ry, a.

Defn: Washing, or cleansing by washing.

LAVATORY Lav"a*to*ry, n.; pl. Lavatories. Etym: [L. lavatorium: cf. lavatoire. See Lave to wash, and cf. Laver.]

1. A place for washing.

2. A basin or other vessel for washing in.

3. A wash or lotion for a diseased part.

4. A place where gold is obtained by washing.

LAVATURE Lav"a*ture, n.

Defn: A wash or lotion. [Obs.]

LAVE Lave, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Laved; p. pr. & vb. n. Laving.] Etym: [F. laver, L. lavare, akin to luere to wash, Gr. Ablution, Deluge, Lavender, Lava, Lotion.]

Defn: To wash; to bathe; as, to lave a bruise. His feet the foremost breakers lave. Byron.

LAVE Lave, v. i.

Defn: To bathe; to wash one's self. In her chaste current oft the goddess laves. Pope.

LAVE Lave, v. t. Etym: [OE. laven. See Lavish.]

Defn: To lade, dip, or pour out. [Obs.] Dryden.

LAVE Lave, n. Etym: [AS. laf the remainder, what is left. Leave.]

Defn: The remainder; others. [Scot.] Bp. Hall.

LAVE-EARED Lave"-eared`, a. Etym: [Cf. W. llaf that extends round, llipa flaccid, flapping, G. lapp flabby, lappohr flap ear.]

Defn: Having large, pendent ears. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.

LAVEER La*veer", v. i. Etym: [D. laveren.] (Naut.)

Defn: To beat against the wind; to tack. [Obs.] Dryden.

LAVEMENT Lave"ment, n. Etym: [F. lavement, fr. laver to wash.]

Defn: A washing or bathing; also, a clyster.

LAVENDER Lav"en*der, n. Etym: [OE. lavendre, F. lavande, It. lavanda lavender, a washing, fr. L. lavare to wash; cf. It. lsavendola, LL. lavendula. So called because it was used in bathing and washing. See Lave. to wash, and cf. Lavender.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: An aromatic plant of the genus Lavandula (L. vera), common in the south of Europe. It yields and oil used in medicine and perfumery. The Spike lavender (L. Spica) yields a coarser oil (oil of spike), used in the arts.

2. The pale, purplish color of lavender flowers, paler and more delicate than lilac. Lavender cotton (Bot.), a low, twiggy, aromatic shrub (Santolina Chamæcyparissus) of the Mediterranean region, formerly used as a vermifuge, etc., and still used to keep moths from wardrobes. Also called ground cypress. -- Lavender water, a perfume composed of alcohol, essential oil of lavender, essential oil of bergamot, and essence of ambergris. -- Sea lavender. (Bot.) See Marsh rosemary. -- To lay in lavender. (a) To lay away, as clothing, with sprigs of lavender. (b) To pawn. [Obs.]

LAVER Lav"er, n. Etym: [OE. lavour, F. lavoir, L. lavatorium a washing place. See Lavatory.]

1. A vessel for washing; a large basin.

2. (Script. Hist.) (a) A large brazen vessel placed in the court of the Jewish tabernacle where the officiating priests washed their hands and feet. (b) One of several vessels in Solomon's Temple in which the offerings for burnt sacrifices were washed.

3. That which washes or cleanses. J. H. Newman.

LAVER Lav"er, n. Etym: [From Lave to wash.]

Defn: One who laves; a washer. [Obs.]

LAVER La"ver, n.

Defn: The fronds of certain marine algæ used as food, and for making a sauce called laver sauce. Green laver is the Ulva latissima; purlpe laver, Porphyra laciniata and P. vulgaris. It is prepared by stewing, either alone or with other vegetables, and with various condiments; - - called also sloke, or sloakan. Mountain laver (Bot.), a reddish gelatinous alga of the genus Palmella, found on the sides of mountains

LAVEROCK La"ver*ock, n. Etym: [See Lark the bird.]

Defn: The lark. [Old Eng. & Scot.] [Written also lavrock.] Gower.

LAVIC La"vic, a.

Defn: See Lavatic.

LAVISH Lav"ish, a. Etym: [Akin to E. lave to lade out; cf. AS. gelafian to refresh, G. laben.]

1. Expending or bestowing profusely; profuse; prodigal; as, lavish of money; lavish of praise.

2. Superabundant; excessive; as, lavish spirits. Let her have needful, but not lavish, means. Shak.

Syn. -- Profuse; prodigal; wasteful; extravagant; exuberant; immoderate. See Profuse.

LAVISH Lav"ish, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Lavished; p. pr. & vb. n. Lavishing.]

Defn: To expend or bestow with profusion; to use with prodigality; to squander; as, to lavish money or praise.

LAVISHER Lav"ish*er, n.

Defn: One who lavishes.

LAVISHLY Lav"ish*ly, adv.

Defn: In a lavish manner.

LAVISHMENT Lav"ish*ment, n.

Defn: The act of lavishing.

LAVISHNESS Lav"ish*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being lavish.

LAVOESIUM La*voe"si*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Lavoisier, the celebrated French chemist.] (Chem.)

Defn: A supposed new metallic element. It is said to have been discovered in pyrites, and some other minerals, and to be of a silver-white color, and malleable.

LAVOLT; LAVOLTA La*volt", La*vol"ta, n. Etym: [It.la volta the turn, turning, whirl. Cf. Volt of a horse, Volta.]

Defn: An old dance, for two persons, being a kind of waltz, in which the woman made a high spring or bound. Shak.

LAVOLTATEER La*vol`ta*teer", n.

Defn: A dancer of the lavolta.

LAVOUR Lav"our, n.

Defn: A laver. [Obs.] Chaucer.

LAVROCK La"vrock, n.

Defn: Same as Laverock.

LAW Law, n. Etym: [OE. lawe, laghe, AS. lagu, from the root of E. lie: akin to OS. lag, Icel. lög, Sw. lag, Dan. lov; cf. L. lex, E. legal. A law is that which is laid, set, or fixed; like statute, fr. L. statuere to make to stand. See Lie to be prostrate.]

1. In general, a rule of being or of conduct, established by an authority able to enforce its will; a controlling regulation; the mode or order according to which an agent or a power acts.

Note: A law may be universal or particular, written or unwritten, published or secret. From the nature of the highest laws a degree of permanency or stability is always implied; but the power which makes a law, or a superior power, may annul or change it. These are the statutes and judgments and law, which the Lord made. Lev. xxvi. 46. The law of thy God, and the law of the King. Ezra vii. 26. As if they would confine the Interminable . . . Who made our laws to bind us, not himself. Milton. His mind his kingdom, and his will his law. Cowper.

2. In morals: The will of God as the rule for the disposition and conduct of all responsible beings toward him and toward each other; a rule of living, conformable to righteousness; the rule of action as obligatory on the conscience or moral nature.

3. The Jewish or Mosaic code, and that part of Scripture where it is written, in distinction from the gospel; hence, also, the Old Testament. What things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law . . . But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets. Rom. iii. 19, 21.

4. In human government: (a) An organic rule, as a constitution or charter, establishing and defining the conditions of the existence of a state or other organized community. (b) Any edict, decree, order, ordinance, statute, resolution, judicial, decision, usage, etc., or recognized, and enforced, by the controlling authority.

5. In philosophy and physics: A rule of being, operation, or change, so certain and constant that it is conceived of as imposed by the will of God or by some controlling authority; as, the law of gravitation; the laws of motion; the law heredity; the laws of thought; the laws of cause and effect; law of self-preservation.

6. In matematics: The rule according to which anything, as the change of value of a variable, or the value of the terms of a series, proceeds; mode or order of sequence.

7. In arts, works, games, etc.: The rules of construction, or of procedure, conforming to the conditions of success; a principle, maxim; or usage; as, the laws of poetry, of architecture, of courtesy, or of whist.

8. Collectively, the whole body of rules relating to one subject, or emanating from one source; -- including usually the writings pertaining to them, and judicial proceedings under them; as, divine law; English law; Roman law; the law of real property; insurance law.

9. Legal science; jurisprudence; the principles of equity; applied justice. Reason is the life of the law; nay, the common law itself is nothing else but reason. Coke. Law is beneficence acting by rule. Burke. And sovereign Law, that state's collected will O'er thrones and globes elate, Sits empress, crowning good, repressing ill. Sir W. Jones.

10. Trial by the laws of the land; judicial remedy; litigation; as, to go law. When every case in law is right. Shak. He found law dear and left it cheap. Brougham.

11. An oath, as in the presence of a court. [Obs.] See Wager of law, under Wager. Avogadro's law (Chem.), a fundamental conception, according to which, under similar conditions of temperature and pressure, all gases and vapors contain in the same volume the same number of ultimate molecules; -- so named after Avogadro, an Italian scientist. Sometimes called Ampère's law. -- Bode's law (Astron.), an approximative empirical expression of the distances of the planets from the sun, as follows: -- Mer. Ven. Earth. Mars. Aste. Jup. Sat. Uran. Nep. 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 0 3 6 12 24 48 96 192 384 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --- ---4 7 10 16 28 52 100 196 388 5.9 7.3 10 15.2 27.4 52 95.4 192 300 where each distance (line third) is the sum of 4 and a multiple of 3 by the series 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, etc., the true distances being given in the lower line. -- Boyle's law (Physics), an expression of the fact, that when an elastic fluid is subjected to compression, and kept at a constant temperature, the product of the pressure and volume is a constant quantity, i. e., the volume is inversely proportioned to the pressure; -- known also as Mariotte's law, and the law of Boyle and Mariotte. -- Brehon laws. See under Brehon. -- Canon law, the body of ecclesiastical law adopted in the Christian Church, certain portions of which (for example, the law of marriage as existing before the Council of Tent) were brought to America by the English colonists as part of the common law of the land. Wharton. -- Civil law, a term used by writers to designate Roman law, with modifications thereof which have been made in the different countries into which that law has been introduced. The civil law, instead of the common law, prevails in the State of Louisiana. Wharton. -- Commercial law. See Law merchant (below). -- Common law. See under Common. -- Criminal law, that branch of jurisprudence which relates to crimes. -- Ecclesiastical law. See under Ecclesiastical. -- Grimm's law (Philol.), a statement (propounded by the German philologist Jacob Grimm) of certain regular changes which the primitive Indo-European mute consonants, so-called (most plainly seen in Sanskrit and, with some changes, in Greek and Latin), have undergone in the Teutonic languages. Examples: Skr. bhatr, L. frater, E. brother, G. bruder; L. tres, E. three, G. drei, Skr. go, E. cow, G. kuh; Skr. dha to put, Gr. ti-qe`-nai, E. do, OHG, tuon, G. thun. -- Kepler's laws (Astron.), three important laws or expressions of the order of the planetary motions, discovered by John Kepler. They are these: (1) The orbit of a planet with respect to the sun is an ellipse, the sun being in one of the foci. (2) The areas swept over by a vector drawn from the sun to a planet are proportioned to the times of describing them. (3) The squares of the times of revolution of two planets are in the ratio of the cubes of their mean distances. -- Law binding, a plain style of leather binding, used for law books; -- called also law calf. -- Law book, a book containing, or treating of, laws. -- Law calf. See Law binding (above). -- Law day. (a) Formerly, a day of holding court, esp. a court-leet. (b) The day named in a mortgage for the payment of the money to secure which it was given. [U. S.] -- Law French, the dialect of Norman, which was used in judicial proceedings and law books in England from the days of William the Conqueror to the thirty-sixth year of Edward III. -- Law language, the language used in legal writings and forms. -- Law Latin. See under Latin. -- Law lords, peers in the British Parliament who have held high judicial office, or have been noted in the legal profession. -- Law merchant, or Commercial law, a system of rules by which trade and commerce are regulated; -- deduced from the custom of merchants, and regulated by judicial decisions, as also by enactments of legislatures. -- Law of Charles (Physics), the law that the volume of a given mass of gas increases or decreases, by a definite fraction of its value for a given rise or fall of temperature; -- sometimes less correctly styled Gay Lussac's law, or Dalton's law. -- Law of nations. See International law, under International. -- Law of nature. (a) A broad generalization expressive of the constant action, or effect, of natural conditions; as, death is a law of nature; self-defense is a law of nature. See Law, 4. (b) A term denoting the standard, or system, of morality deducible from a study of the nature and natural relations of human beings independent of supernatural revelation or of municipal and social usages. -- Law of the land, due process of law; the general law of the land. -- Laws of honor. See under Honor. -- Laws of motion (Physics), three laws defined by Sir Isaac Newton: (1) Every body perseveres in its state of rest or of moving uniformly in a straight line, except so far as it is made to change that state by external force. (2) Change of motion is proportional to the impressed force, and takes place in the direction in which the force is impressed. (3) Reaction is always equal and opposite to action, that is to say, the actions of two bodies upon each other are always equal and in opposite directions. -- Marine law, or Maritime law, the law of the sea; a branch of the law merchant relating to the affairs of the sea, such as seamen, ships, shipping, navigation, and the like. Bouvier. -- Mariotte's law. See Boyle's law (above). -- Martial law.See under Martial. -- Military law, a branch of the general municipal law, consisting of rules ordained for the government of the military force of a state in peace and war, and administered in courts martial. Kent. Warren's Blackstone. -- Moral law,the law of duty as regards what is right and wrong in the sight of God; specifically, the ten commandments given by Moses. See Law, 2. -- Mosaic, or Ceremonial, law. (Script.) See Law, 3. -- Municipal, or Positive, law, a rule prescribed by the supreme power of a state, declaring some right, enforcing some duty, or prohibiting some act; -- distinguished from international and constitutional law. See Law, 1. -- Periodic law. (Chem.) See under Periodic. -- Roman law, the system of principles and laws found in the codes and treatises of the lawmakers and jurists of ancient Rome, and incorporated more or less into the laws of the several European countries and colonies founded by them. See Civil law (above). -- Statute law, the law as stated in statutes or positive enactments of the legislative body. -- Sumptuary law. See under Sumptuary. -- To go to law, to seek a settlement of any matter by bringing it before the courts of law; to sue or prosecute some one. -- To take, or have, the law of, to bring the law to bear upon; as, to take the law of one's neighbor. Addison. -- Wager of law. See under Wager.

Syn. -- Justice; equity. -- Law, Statute, Common law, Regulation, Edict, Decree. Law is generic, and, when used with reference to, or in connection with, the other words here considered, denotes whatever is commanded by one who has a right to require obedience. A statute is a particular law drawn out in form, and distinctly enacted and proclaimed. Common law is a rule of action founded on long usage and the decisions of courts of justice. A regulation is a limited and often, temporary law, intended to secure some particular end or object. An edict is a command or law issued by a sovereign, and is peculiar to a despotic government. A decree is a permanent order either of a court or of the executive government. See Justice.

LAW Law, v. t.

Defn: Same as Lawe, v. t. [Obs.]

LAW Law, interj. Etym: [Cf. La.]

Defn: An exclamation of mild surprise. [Archaic or Low]

LAW-ABIDING Law"-a*bid`ing, a.

Defn: Abiding the law; waiting for the operation of law for the enforcement of rights; also, abiding by the law; obedient to the law; as, law-abiding people.

LAWBREAKER Law"break`er, n.

Defn: One who disobeys the law; a criminal. -- Law"break`ing, n. & a.

LAWE Lawe, v. t. Etym: [See 2d Lawing.]

Defn: To cut off the claws and balls of, as of a dog's fore feet. Wright.

LAWER Law"er, n.

Defn: A lawyer. [Obs.] Bale.

LAWFUL Law"ful, a.

1. Conformable to law; allowed by law; legitimate; competent.

2. Constituted or authorized by law; rightful; as, the lawful owner of lands. Lawful age, the age when the law recognizes one's right of independent action; majority; -- generally the age of twenty-one years.

Note: In some of the States, and for some purposes, a woman attains lawful age at eighteen. Abbott.

Syn. -- Legal; constitutional; allowable; regular; rightful. -- Lawful, Legal. Lawful means conformable to the principle, spirit, or essence of the law, and is applicable to moral as well as juridical law. Legal means conformable to the letter or rules of the law as it is administered in the courts; conformable to juridical law. Legal is often used as antithetical to equitable, but lawful is seldom used in that sense. -- Law"ful*ly, adv. -- Law"ful*ness, n.

LAWGIVER Law"giv`er, n.

Defn: One who makes or enacts a law or system of laws; a legislator.

LAWGIVING Law"giv`ing, a.

Defn: Enacting laws; legislative.

LAWING Law"ing, n.

Defn: Going to law; litigation. Holinshed.

LAWING Law"ing, n. Etym: [So called because done in compliance with an English forest law.]

Defn: Expeditation. Blackstone.

LAWLESS Law"less, a.

1. Contrary to, or unauthorized by, law; illegal; as, a lawless claim. He needs no indirect nor lawless course. Shak.

2. Not subject to, or restrained by, the law of morality or of society; as, lawless men or behavior.

3. Not subject to the laws of nature; uncontrolled. Or, meteorlike, flame lawless through the void. Pope. -- Law"less*ly, adv. -- Law"less*ness, n.

LAWMAKER Law"mak`er, n.

Defn: A legislator; a lawgiver.

LAWMAKING Law"mak`ing, a.

Defn: Enacting laws; legislative. -- n.

Defn: The enacting of laws; legislation.

LAWMONGER Law"mon`ger, n.

Defn: A trader in law; one who practices law as if it were a trade. Milton.

LAWN Lawn, n. Etym: [OE. laund, launde, F. lande heath, moor; of Celtic origin; cf. W. llan an open, clear place, llawnt a smooth rising hill, lawn, Armor. lann or lan territory, country, lann a prickly plant, pl. lannou heath, moor.]

1. An open space between woods. Milton. "Orchard lawns and bowery hollows." Tennyson.

2. Ground (generally in front of or around a house) covered with grass kept closely mown. Lawn mower, a machine for clipping the short grass of lawns. -- Lawn tennis, a variety of the game of tennis, played in the open air, sometimes upon a lawn, instead of in a tennis court. See Tennis.

LAWN Lawn, n. Etym: [Earlier laune lynen, i. e., lawn linen; prob. from the town Laon in France.]

Defn: A very fine linen (or sometimes cotton) fabric with a rather open texture. Lawn is used for the sleeves of a bishop's official dress in the English Church, and, figuratively, stands for the office itself. A saint in crape is twice in lawn. Pope.

LAWND Lawnd, n. [Obs.]

Defn: See Laund.

LAWNY Lawn"y, a.

Defn: Having a lawn; characterized by a lawn or by lawns; like a lawn. Musing through the lawny park. T. Warton.

LAWNY Lawn"y, a.

Defn: Made of lawn or fine linen. Bp. Hall.

LAWSONIA Law*so"ni*a, n. (Bot.)

Defn: An Asiatic and North African shrub (Lawsonia inermis), with smooth oval leaves, and fragrant white flowers. Henna is prepared from the leaves and twigs. In England the shrub is called Egyptian privet, and in the West Indies, Jamaica mignonette.

LAWSUIT Law"suit`, n.

Defn: An action at law; a suit in equity or admiralty; any legal proceeding before a court for the enforcement of a claim.

LAWYER Law"yer, n. Etym: [From Law, like bowyer, fr.bow.]

1. One versed in the laws, or a practitioner of law; one whose profession is to conduct lawsuits for clients, or to advise as to prosecution or defence of lawsuits, or as to legal rights and obligations in other matters. It is a general term, comprehending attorneys, counselors, solicitors, barristers, sergeants, and advocates.

2. (Zoöl.) (a) The black-necked stilt. See Stilt. (b) The bowfin (Amia calva). (c) The burbot (Lota maculosa).

LAWYERLIKE; LAWYERLY Law"yer*like`, Law"yer*ly, a.

Defn: Like, or becoming, a lawyer; as, lawyerlike sagacity. "Lawyerly mooting of this point." Milton.

LAX Lax, a. [Compar. Laxer; superl. Laxest.] Etym: [L. laxus Cf. Laches, Languish, Lease, v. t., Leash.]

1. Not tense, firm, or rigid; loose; slack; as, a lax bandage; lax fiber. The flesh of that sort of fish being lax and spongy. Ray.

2. Not strict or stringent; not exact; loose; weak; vague; equivocal. The discipline was lax. Macaulay. Society at that epoch was lenient, if not lax, in matters of the passions. J. A. Symonds. The word "æternus" itself is sometimes of a lax signification. Jortin.

3. Having a looseness of the bowels; diarrheal.

Syn. -- Loose; slack; vague; unconfined; unrestrained; dissolute; licentious.

LAX Lax, n.

Defn: A looseness; diarrhea.

LAXATION Lax*a"tion, n. Etym: [L. laxatio, fr. laxare to loosen, fr. laxus loose, slack.]

Defn: The act of loosening or slackening, or the state of being loosened or slackened.

LAXATIVE Lax"a*tive, a. Etym: [L. laxativus mitigating, assuaging: cf. F. laxatif. See Lax, a.]

1. Having a tendency to loosen or relax. Milton.

2. (Med.)

Defn: Having the effect of loosening or opening the intestines, and relieving from constipation; -- opposed to astringent. -- n. (Med.)

Defn: A laxative medicine. See the Note under Cathartic.

LAXATIVENESS Lax"a*tive*ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being laxative.

LAXATOR Lax*a"tor, n. Etym: [NL., fr. L. laxare, laxatum, to loosen.] (Anat.)

Defn: That which loosens; -- esp., a muscle which by its contraction loosens some part.

LAXIITY Lax"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. laxitas, fr. laxus loose, slack: cf. F. laxité, See Lax, a.]

Defn: The state or quality of being lax; want of tenseness, strictness, or exactness.

LAXITY Lax"i*ty (laks"i*ty), n. [L. laxitas, fr. laxus loose, slack: cf. F. laxité, See Lax, a.]

Defn: The state or quality of being lax; want of tenseness, strictness, or exactness.

LAXLY Lax"ly, adv.

Defn: In a lax manner.

LAXNESS Lax"ness, n.

Defn: The state of being lax; laxity.

LAY Lay, imp.

Defn: of Lie, to recline.

LAY Lay, a. Etym: [F. lai, L. laicus, Gr. Laic.]

1. Of or pertaining to the laity, as distinct from the clergy; as, a lay person; a lay preacher; a lay brother.

2. Not educated or cultivated; ignorant.[Obs.]

3. Not belonging to, or emanating from, a particular profession; unprofessional; as, a lay opinion regarding the nature of a disease. Lay baptism (Eccl.), baptism administered by a lay person. F. G. Lee. -- Lay brother (R. C. Ch.), one received into a convent of monks under the three vows, but not in holy orders. -- Lay clerk (Eccl.), a layman who leads the responses of the congregation, etc., in the church service. Hook. -- Lay days (Com.), time allowed in a charter party for taking in and discharging cargo. McElrath. -- Lay elder. See 2d Elder, 3, note.

LAY Lay, n.

Defn: The laity; the common people. [Obs.] The learned have no more privilege than the lay. B. Jonson.

LAY Lay, n.

Defn: A meadow. See Lea. [Obs.] Dryden.

LAY Lay, n. Etym: [OF.lei faith, law, F. loi law. See Legal.]

1. Faith; creed; religious profession. [Obs.] Of the sect to which that he was born He kept his lay, to which that he was sworn. Chaucer.

2. A law. [Obs.] "Many goodly lays." Spenser.

3. An obligation; a vow. [Obs.] They bound themselves by a sacred lay and oath. Holland.

LAY Lay, a. Etym: [OF. lai, lais, prob. of Celtic origin; cf. Ir. laoi, laoidh, song, poem, OIr.laoidh poem, verse; but cf. also AS. lac play, sport, G. leich a sort of poem (cf. Lake to sport).

1. A song; a simple lyrical poem; a ballad. Spenser. Sir W. Scott.

2. A melody; any musical utterance. The throstle cock made eke his lay. Chaucer.

LAY Lay, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Laid; p. pr. & vb. n. Laying.] Etym: [OE. leggen, AS. lecgan, causative, fr. licgan to lie; akin to D.leggen, G. legen, Icel. leggja, Goth. lagjan. See Lie to be prostrate.]

1. To cause to lie down, to be prostrate, or to lie against something; to put or set down; to deposit; as, to lay a book on the table; to lay a body in the grave; a shower lays the dust. A stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den. Dan. vi. 17. Soft on the flowery herb I found me laid. Milton.

2. To place in position; to establish firmly; to arrange with regularity; to dispose in ranks or tiers; as, to lay a corner stone; to lay bricks in a wall; to lay the covers on a table.

3. To prepare; to make ready; to contrive; to provide; as, to lay a snare, an ambush, or a plan.

4. To spread on a surface; as, to lay plaster or paint.

5. To cause to be still; to calm; to allay; to suppress; to exorcise, as an evil spirit. After a tempest when the winds are laid. Waller.

6. To cause to lie dead or dying. Brave Cæneus laid Ortygius on the plain, The victor Cæneus was by Turnus slain. Dryden.

7. To deposit, as a wager; to stake; to risk. I dare lay mine honor He will remain so. Shak.

8. To bring forth and deposit; as, to lay eggs.

9. To apply; to put. She layeth her hands to the spindle. Prov. xxxi. 19.

10. To impose, as a burden, suffering, or punishment; to assess, as a tax; as, to lay a tax on land. The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Is. Iiii. 6.

11. To impute; to charge; to allege. God layeth not folly to them. Job xxiv. 12. Lay the fault on us. Shak.

12. To impose, as a command or a duty; as, to lay commands on one.

13. To present or offer; as, to lay an indictment in a particular county; to lay a scheme before one.

14. (Law)

Defn: To state; to allege; as, to lay the venue. Bouvier.

15. (Mil.)

Defn: To point; to aim; as, to lay a gun.

16. (Rope Making)

Defn: To put the strands of (a rope, a cable, etc.) in their proper places and twist or unite them; as, to lay a cable or rope.