Chapter I: W. W (14)

17. (Print.) (a) To place and arrange (pages) for a form upon the imposing stone. (b) To place (new type) properly in the cases. To lay asleep, to put sleep; to make unobservant or careless. Bacon. -- To lay bare, to make bare; to strip. And laid those proud roofs bare to summer's rain. Byron. -- To lay before, to present to; to submit for consideration; as, the papers are laid before Congress. -- To lay by. (a) To save. (b) To discard. Let brave spirits . . . not be laid by. Bacon. -- To lay by the heels, to put in the stocks. Shak. -- To lay down. (a) To stake as a wager. (b) To yield; to relinquish; to surrender; as, to lay down one's life; to lay down one's arms. (c) To assert or advance, as a proposition or principle. -- To lay forth. (a) To extend at length; (reflexively) to exert one's self; to expatiate. [Obs.] (b) To lay out (as a corpse). [Obs.] Shak. -- To lay hands on, to seize. -- To lay hands on one's self, or To lay violent hands on one's self, to injure one's self; specif., to commit suicide. -- To lay heads together, to consult. -- To lay hold of, or To lay hold on, to seize; to catch. -- To lay in, to store; to provide. -- To lay it on, to apply without stint. Shak. -- To lay on, to apply with force; to inflict; as, to lay on blows. -- To lay on load, to lay on blows; to strike violently. [Obs. or Archaic] -- To lay one's self out, to strive earnestly. No selfish man will be concerned to lay out himself for the good of his country. Smalridge. -- To lay one's self open to, to expose one's self to, as to an accusation. -- To lay open, to open; to uncover; to expose; to reveal. -- To lay over, to spread over; to cover. -- To lay out. (a) To expend. Macaulay. (b) To display; to discover. (c) To plan in detail; to arrange; as, to lay out a garden. (d) To prepare for burial; as, to lay out a corpse. (e) To exert; as, to lay out all one's strength. -- To lay siege to. (a) To besiege; to encompass with an army. (b) To beset pertinaciously. -- To lay the course (Naut.), to sail toward the port intended without jibing. -- To lay the land (Naut.), to cause it to disappear below the horizon, by sailing away from it. -- To lay to (a) To charge upon; to impute. (b) To apply with vigor. (c) To attack or harass. [Obs.] Knolles. (d) (Naut.) To check the motion of (a vessel) and cause it to be stationary. -- To lay to heart, to feel deeply; to consider earnestly. -- To lay under, to subject to; as, to lay under obligation or restraint. -- To lay unto. (a) Same as To lay to (above). (b) To put before. Hos. xi. 4. -- To lay up. (a) To store; to reposit for future use. (b) To confine; to disable. (c) To dismantle, and retire from active service, as a ship. -- To lay wait for, to lie in ambush for. -- To lay waste, to destroy; to make desolate; as, to lay waste the land.

Syn. -- See Put, v. t., and the Note under 4th Lie.

LAY Lay, v. i.

1. To produce and deposit eggs.

2. (Naut.)

Defn: To take a position; to come or go; as, to lay forward; to lay aloft.

3. To lay a wager; to bet. To lay about, or To lay about one, to strike vigorously in all directions. J. H. Newman. -- To lay at, to strike or strike at. Spenser. -- To lay for, to prepare to capture or assault; to lay wait for. [Colloq.] Bp Hall. -- To lay in for, to make overtures for; to engage or secure the possession of. [Obs.] "I have laid in for these." Dryden. -- To lay on, to strike; to beat; to attack. Shak. -- To lay out, to purpose; to plan; as, he lays out to make a journey.

LAY Lay, n.

1. That which lies or is laid or is conceived of as having been laid or placed in its position; a row; a stratum; a layer; as, a lay of stone or wood. Addison. A viol should have a lay of wire strings below. Bacon.

Note: The lay of a rope is right-handed or left-handed according to the hemp or strands are laid up. See Lay, v. t., 16. The lay of land is its topographical situation, esp. its slope and its surface features.

2. A wager. "My fortunes against any lay worth naming."

3. (a) A job, price, or profit. [Prov. Eng.] Wright. (b) A share of the proceeds or profits of an enterprise; as, when a man ships for a whaling voyage, he agrees for a certain lay. [U. S.]

4. (Textile Manuf.) (a) A measure of yarn; a les. See 1st Lea (a). (b) The lathe of a loom. See Lathe, 8.

5. A plan; a scheme. [Slang] Dickens. Lay figure. (a) A jointed model of the human body that may be put in any attitude; -- used for showing the disposition of drapery, etc. (b) A mere puppet; one who serves the will of others without independent volition. -- Lay race, that part of a lay on which the shuttle travels in weaving; -- called also shuttle race.

LAYER Lay"er, n. Etym: [See Lay to cause to lie flat.]

1. One who, or that which, lays.

2. Etym: [Prob. a corruption of lair.]

Defn: That which is laid; a stratum; a bed; one thickness, course, or fold laid over another; as, a layer of clay or of sand in the earth; a layer of bricks, or of plaster; the layers of an onion.

3. A shoot or twig of a plant, not detached from the stock, laid under ground for growth or propagation.

4. An artificial oyster bed.

LAYERING Lay"er*ing, n.

Defn: A propagating by layers. Gardner.

LAYETTE Lay*ette", n. [F.] (Med.)

Defn: The outfit of clothing, blankets, etc., prepared for a newborn infant, and placed ready for used.

LAYING Lay"ing, n.

1. The act of one who, or that which, lays.

2. The act or period of laying eggs; the eggs laid for one incubation; a clutch.

3. The first coat on laths of plasterer's two-coat work.

LAYLAND Lay"land`, n. Etym: [Lay a meadow + land.]

Defn: Land lying untilled; fallow ground. [Obs.] Blount.

LAYMAN Lay"man n.; pl. Laymen (. Etym: [Lay, adj. + man.]

1. One of the people, in distinction from the clergy; one of the laity; sometimes, a man not belonging to some particular profession, in distinction from those who do. Being a layman, I ought not to have concerned myself with speculations which belong to the profession. Dryden.

2. A lay figure. See under Lay, n. (above). Dryden

LAYNER Lay"ner, n.Etym: [See Lanier.]

Defn: A whiplash. [Obs.]

LAY READER Lay" read"er. (Eccl.)

Defn: A layman authorized to read parts of the public service of the church.

LAY SHAFT; LAYSHAFT Lay shaft, or Lay"shaft`, n. (Mach.)

Defn: A secondary shaft, as in a sliding change gear for an automobile; a cam shaft operated by a two-to-one gear in an internal- combustion engine. It is generally a shaft moving more or less independently of the other parts of a machine, as, in some marine engines, a shaft, driven by a small auxiliary engine, for independently operating the valves of the main engine to insure uniform motion.

LAYSHIP Lay"ship, n.

Defn: The condition of being a layman. [Obs.] Milton.

LAYSTALL Lay"stall`, n.

1. A place where rubbish, dung, etc., are laid or deposited.[Obs.] B. Jonson. Smithfield was a laystall of all ordure and filth. Bacon.

2. A place where milch cows are kept, or cattle on the way to market are lodged. [Obs.]

LAZAR La"zar, n. Etym: [OF. lazare, fr. Lazarus the beggar. Luke xvi. 20.]

Defn: A person infected with a filthy or pestilential disease; a leper. Chaucer. Like loathsome lazars, by the hedges lay. Spenser. Lazar house a lazaretto; also, a hospital for quarantine.

LAZARET; LAZARETTO Laz`a*ret", Laz`a*ret"to, n. Etym: [F. lazaret, or It. lazzeretto, fr. Lazarus. See Lazar.]

Defn: A public building, hospital, or pesthouse for the reception of diseased persons, particularly those affected with contagious diseases.

LAZARET FEVER Lazaret fever. (Med.)

Defn: Typhus fever.

LAZARIST; LAZARITE Laz"a*rist, Laz"a*rite, n. (R. C. Ch.)

Defn: One of the Congregation of the Priests of the Mission, a religious institute founded by Vincent de Paul in 1624, and popularly called Lazarists or Lazarites from the College of St. Lazare in Paris, which was occupied by them until 1792.

LAZARLIKE; LAZARLY La"zar*like`, La"zar*ly, a.

Defn: Full of sores; leprous. Shak. Bp. Hall.

LAZARONI Laz`a*ro"ni, n. pl.

Defn: See Lazzaroni.

LAZARWORT La"zar*wort`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: Laserwort.

LAZE Laze, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lazed; p. pr. & vb. n. Lazing.] Etym: [See Lazy.]

Defn: To be lazy or idle. [Colloq.] Middleton.

LAZE Laze, v. t.

Defn: To waste in sloth; to spend, as time, in idleness; as, to laze away whole days. [Colloq.]

LAZILY La"zi*ly, adv.

Defn: In a lazy manner. Locke.

LAZINESS La"zi*ness, n.

Defn: The state or quality of being lazy. Laziness travels so slowly, that Poverty soon overtakes him. Franklin.

LAZULI Laz"u*li, n.Etym: [F. & NL. lapis lazuli, LL. lazulus, lazurius, lazur from the same Oriental source as E. azure. See Azure.] (Min.)

Defn: A mineral of a fine azure-blue color, usually in small rounded masses. It is essentially a silicate of alumina, lime, and soda, with some sodium sulphide, is often marked by yellow spots or veins of sulphide of iron, and is much valued for ornamental work. Called also lapis lazuli, and Armenian stone.

LAZULITE Laz"u*lite, n. Etym: [From lazuli : cf. F. lazulite, G. lazulith.] (Min.)

Defn: A mineral of a light indigo-blue color, occurring in small masses, or in monoclinic crystals; blue spar. It is a hydrous phosphate of alumina and magnesia.

LAZY La"zy, a. [Compar. Lazier; superl. Laziest.] Etym: [OE. lasie, laesic, of uncertain origin; cf. F. las tired, L. lassus, akin to E. late; or cf. LG. losig, lesig.]

1. Disinclined to action or exertion; averse to labor; idle; shirking work. Bacon.

2. Inactive; slothful; slow; sluggish; as, a lazy stream. "The night owl's lazy flight." Shak.

3. Wicked; vicious. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] B. Jonson.

Lazy tongs, a system of jointed bars capable of great extension, originally made for picking up something at a distance, now variously applied in machinery.

Syn. -- Idle; indolent; sluggish; slothful. See Idle.

LAZYBACK La"zy*back`, n.

Defn: A support for the back, attached to the seat of a carriage. [Colloq.]

LAZYBONES La"zy*bones`, n.

Defn: A lazy person. [Colloq.]

LAZZARONI Laz`za*ro"ni (; It. , n. pl. Etym: [It. lazzarone, pl. lazzaroni.]

Defn: The homeless idlers of Naples who live by chance work or begging; -- so called from the Hospital of St. Lazarus, which serves as their refuge. [Written also, but improperly, lazaroni.]

LEA Lea, n. Etym: [Cf. Lay, n. (that which is laid), 4.] (Textile Manuf.) (a) A measure of yarn; for linen, 300 yards; for cotton, 120 yards; a lay. (b) A set of warp threads carried by a loop of the heddle.

LEA Lea, n. Etym: [OE. ley, lay, As. leáh, leá; akin to Prov. G. lon bog, morass, grove, and perh. to L. lucus grove, E. light, n.]

Defn: A meadow or sward land; a grassy field. "Plow-torn leas." Shak. The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea. Gray.

LEACH Leach, n. (Naut.)

Defn: See 3d Leech.

LEACH Leach, n. [Written also letch.] Etym: [Cf. As. leáh lye, G. lauge. See Lye.]

1. A quantity of wood ashes, through which water passes, and thus imbibes the alkali.

2. A tub or vat for leaching ashes, bark, etc. Leach tub, a wooden tub in which ashes are leached.

LEACH Leach, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Leached; p. pr. & vb. n. Leaching.] Etym: [Written also leech and letch.]

1. To remove the soluble constituents from by subjecting to the action of percolating water or other liquid; as, to leach ashes or coffee.

2. To dissolve out; -- often used with out; as, to leach out alkali from ashes.

LEACH Leach, v. i.

Defn: To part with soluble constituents by percolation.

LEACH Leach, n.

Defn: See Leech, a physician. [Obs.]

LEACHY Leach"y, a.

Defn: Permitting liquids to pass by percolation; not capable of retaining water; porous; pervious; -- said of gravelly or sandy soils, and the like.

LEAD Lead (lêd), n. Etym: [OE. led, leed, lead, AS. leád; akin to D. lood, MHG. lot, G. loth plummet, sounding lead, small weight, Sw. & Dan. lod. sq. root123]

1. (Chem.)

Defn: One of the elements, a heavy, pliable, inelastic metal, having a bright, bluish color, but easily tarnished. It is both malleable and ductile, though with little tenacity, and is used for tubes, sheets, bullets, etc. Its specific gravity is 11.37. It is easily fusible, forms alloys with other metals, and is an ingredient of solder and type metal. Atomic weight, 206.4. Symbol Pb (L. Plumbum). It is chiefly obtained from the mineral galena, lead sulphide.

2. An article made of lead or an alloy of lead; as: (a) A plummet or mass of lead, used in sounding at sea. (b) (Print.) A thin strip of type metal, used to separate lines of type in printing. (c) Sheets or plates of lead used as a covering for roofs; hence, pl., a roof covered with lead sheets or terne plates. I would have the tower two stories, and goodly leads upon the top. Bacon

3. A small cylinder of black lead or plumbago, used in pencils. Black lead, graphite or plumbago, ; -- so called from its leadlike appearance and streak. [Colloq.] -- Coasting lead, a sounding lead intermediate in weight between a hand lead and deep-sea lead. -- Deep-sea lead, the heaviest of sounding leads, used in water exceeding a hundred fathoms in depth. Ham. Nav. Encyc. -- Hand lead, a small lead use for sounding in shallow water. -- Krems lead, Kremnitz lead Etym: [so called from Krems or Kremnitz, in Austria], a pure variety of white lead, formed into tablets, and called also Krems, or Kremnitz, white, and Vienna white. -- Lead arming, tallow put in the hollow of a sounding lead. See To arm the lead (below). -- Lead colic. See under Colic. -- Lead color, a deep bluish gray color, like tarnished lead. -- Lead glance. (Min.) Same as Galena. -- Lead line (a) (Med.) A dark line along the gums produced by a deposit of metallic lead, due to lead poisoning. (b) (Naut.) A sounding line. -- Lead mill, a leaden polishing wheel, used by lapidaries. -- Lead ocher (Min.), a massive sulphur-yellow oxide of lead. Same as Massicot. -- Lead pencil, a pencil of which the marking material is graphite (black lead). -- Lead plant (Bot.), a low leguminous plant, genus Amorpha (A. canescens), found in the Northwestern United States, where its presence is supposed to indicate lead ore. Gray. -- Lead tree. (a) (Bot.) A West Indian name for the tropical, leguminous tree, Leucæna glauca; -- probably so called from the glaucous color of the foliage. (b) (Chem.) Lead crystallized in arborescent forms from a solution of some lead salt, as by suspending a strip of zinc in lead acetate. -- Mock lead, a miner's term for blende. -- Red lead, a scarlet, crystalline, granular powder, consisting of minium when pure, but commonly containing several of the oxides of lead. It is used as a paint or cement and also as an ingredient of flint glass. -- Red lead ore (Min.), crocoite. -- Sugar of lead, acetate of lead. -- To arm the lead, to fill the hollow in the bottom of a sounding lead with tallow in order to discover the nature of the bottom by the substances adhering. Ham. Nav. Encyc. -- To cast, or heave, the lead, to cast the sounding lead for ascertaining the depth of water. -- White lead, hydrated carbonate of lead, obtained as a white, amorphous powder, and much used as an ingredient of white paint.

LEAD Lead, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Leaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Leading.]

1. To cover, fill, or affect with lead; as, continuous firing leads the grooves of a rifle.

2. (Print.)

Defn: To place leads between the lines of; as, to lead a page; leaded matter.

LEAD Lead (led), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Led; p. pr. & vb. n. Leading.] Etym: [OE. leden, AS. l (akin to OS. l, D. leiden, G. leiten,Icel. le, Sw. leda, Dan.lede), properly a causative fr. AS. li to go; akin to OHG. l, Icel. l,Goth. leipan (in comp.). Cf. Lode, Loath.]

1. To guide or conduct with the hand, or by means of some physical contact connection; as, a father leads a child; a jockey leads a horse with a halter; a dog leads a blind man. If a blind man lead a blind man, both fall down in the ditch. Wyclif (Matt. xv. 14.) They thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill. Luke iv. 29. In thy right hand lead with thee The mountain nymph, sweet Liberty. Milton.

2. To guide or conduct in a certain course, or to a certain place or end, by making the way known; to show the way, esp. by going with or going in advance of. Hence, figuratively: To direct; to counsel; to instruct; as, to lead a traveler; to lead a pupil. The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way. Ex. xiii. 21. He leadeth me beside the still waters. Ps. xxiii. 2. This thought might lead me through the world's vain mask. Content, though blind, had I no better guide. Milton.

3. To conduct or direct with authority; to have direction or charge of; as, to lead an army, an exploring party, or a search; to lead a political party. Christ took not upon him flesh and blood that he might conquer and rule nations, lead armies, or possess places. South.

4. To go or to be in advance of; to precede; hence, to be foremost or chief among; as, the big sloop led the fleet of yachts; the Guards led the attack; Demosthenes leads the orators of all ages. As Hesperus, that leads the sun his way. Fairfax. And lo ! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest. Leigh Hunt.

5. To draw or direct by influence, whether good or bad; to prevail on; to induce; to entice; to allure; as, to lead one to espouse a righteous cause. He was driven by the necessities of the times, more than led by his own disposition, to any rigor of actions. Eikon Basilike. Silly women, laden with sins,led away by divers lusts. 2 Tim. iii. 6 (Rev. Ver.).

6. To guide or conduct one's self in, through, or along (a certain course); hence, to proceed in the way of; to follow the path or course of; to pass; to spend. Also, to cause (one) to proceed or follow in (a certain course). That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life. 1 Tim. ii. 2. Nor thou with shadowed hint confuse A life that leads melodious days. Tennyson. You remember . . . the life he used to lead his wife and daughter. Dickens.

7. (Cards & Dominoes)

Defn: To begin a game, round, or trick, with; as, to lead trumps; the double five was led. To lead astray, to guide in a wrong way, or into error; to seduce from truth or rectitude. -- To lead captive, to carry or bring into captivity. -- To lead the way, to show the way by going in front; to act as guide. Goldsmith.

LEAD Lead, v. i.

1. To guide or conduct, as by accompanying, going before, showing, influencing, directing with authority, etc.; to have precedence or preëminence; to be first or chief; -- used in most of the senses of lead, v. t.

2. To tend or reach in a certain direction, or to a certain place; as, the path leads to the mill; gambling leads to other vices. The mountain foot that leads towards Mantua. Shak. To lead off or out, to go first; to begin.

LEAD Lead, n.

1. The act of leading or conducting; guidance; direction; as, to take the lead; to be under the lead of another. At the time I speak of, and having a momentary lead, . . . I am sure I did my country important service. Burke.

2. precedence; advance position; also, the measure of precedence; as, the white horse had the lead; a lead of a boat's length, or of half a second.

3. (Cards & Dominoes)

Defn: The act or right of playing first in a game or round; the card suit, or piece, so played; as, your partner has the lead.

4. An open way in an ice field. Kane.

5. (Mining)

Defn: A lode.

6. (Naut.)

Defn: The course of a rope from end to end.

7. (Steam Engine)

Defn: The width of port opening which is uncovered by the valve, for the admission or release of steam, at the instant when the piston is at end of its stroke.

Note: When used alone it means outside lead, or lead for the admission of steam. Inside lead refers to the release or exhaust.

8. (Civil Engineering)

Defn: the distance of haul, as from a cutting to an embankment.

9. (Horology)

Defn: The action of a tooth, as a tooth of a wheel, in impelling another tooth or a pallet. Saunier. Lead angle (Steam Engine), the angle which the crank maker with the line of centers, in approaching it, at the instant when the valve opens to admit steam. -- Lead screw (Mach.), the main longitudinal screw of a lathe, which gives the feed motion to the carriage.

LEADED Lead"ed, a.

1. Fitted with lead; set in lead; as, leaded windows.

2. (Print.)

Defn: Separated by leads, as the lines of a page.

LEADEN Lead"en, a.

1. Made of lead; of the nature of lead; as, a leaden ball.

2. Like lead in color, etc. ; as, a leaden sky.

3. Heavy; dull; sluggish. "Leaden slumber." Shak.

LEADER Lead"er, n.

1. One who, or that which, leads or conducts; a guide; a conductor. Especially: (a) One who goes first. (b) One having authority to direct; a chief; a commander. (c) (Mus.) A performer who leads a band or choir in music; also, in an orchestra, the principal violinist; the one who plays at the head of the first violins. (d) (Naut.) A block of hard wood pierced with suitable holes for leading ropes in their proper places. (e) (Mach.) The principal wheel in any kind of machinery. [Obs. or R.] G. Francis. (f) A horse placed in advance of others; one of the forward pair of horses. He forgot to pull in his leaders, and they gallop away with him at times. Hare.

(g) A pipe for conducting rain water from a roof to a cistern or to the ground; a conductor. (h) (Fishing)

Defn: 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. (i) (Mining) A branch or small vein, not important in itself, but indicating the proximity of a better one.

2. The first, or the principal, editorial article in a newspaper; a leading or main editorial article.

3. (Print.) (a) A type having a dot or short row of dots upon its face. (b) pl.

Defn: 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.

Syn. -- chief; chieftain; commander. See Chief.

LEADERSHIP Lead"er*ship, n.

Defn: The office of a leader.

LEADHILLITE Lead"hill*ite, n. (Min.)

Defn: 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 Lead"ing, a.

Defn: Guiding; directing; controlling; foremost; as, a leading motive; a leading man; a leading example. -- Lead"ing*ly, adv. Leading case (Law), a reported decision which has come to be regarded as settling the law of the question involved. Abbott. -- Leading motive Etym: [a translation of G. leitmotif] (Mus.), a guiding theme; in the modern music drama of Wagner, a marked melodic phrase or short passage which always accompanies the reappearance of a certain person, situation, abstract idea, or allusion in the course of the play; a sort of musical label. -- Leading note (Mus.), the seventh note or tone in the ascending major scale; the sensible note. -- Leading question, a question so framed as to guide the person questioned in making his reply. -- Leading strings, strings by which children are supported when beginning to walk. -- To be in leading strings, to be in a state of infancy or dependence, or under the guidance of others. -- Leading wheel, a wheel situated before the driving wheels of a locomotive engine.

LEADING Lead"ing, n.

1. The act of guiding, directing, governing, or enticing; guidance. Shak.

2. Suggestion; hint; example. [Archaic] Bacon.

LEADING EDGE Lead"ing edge. (Aëronautics)

Defn: same as Advancing edge, above.

LEADMAN Lead"man, n.; pl. Leadmen (.

Defn: One who leads a dance.[Obs.] B. Jonson.

LEADSMAN Leads"man, n.; pl. Leadsmen (. (Naut.)

Defn: The man who heaves the lead. Totten.

LEADWORT Lead"wort`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of maritime herbs (Plumbago). P. Europæa has lead- colored spots on the leaves, and nearly lead-colored flowers.

LEADY Lead"y, a.

Defn: Resembling lead. Sir T. Elyot.

LEAF Leaf, n.; pl. Leaves. Etym: [OE. leef, lef, leaf, AS. leáf; akin to S. l, OFries. laf, D. loof foliage, G. laub,OHG. loub leaf, foliage, Icel. lauf, Sw. löf, Dan. löv, Goth. laufs; cf. Lith. lapas. Cf. Lodge.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: 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.

Note: Such leaves usually consist of a blade, or lamina , supported upon a leafstalk or petiole, which, continued through the blade as the midrib, gives off woody ribs and veins that support the cellular texture. The petiole has usually some sort of an appendage on each side of its base, which is called the stipule. The green parenchyma of the leaf is covered with a thin epiderm pierced with closable microscopic openings, known as stomata.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: 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.

Note: In this view every part of a plant, except the root and the stem, is either a leaf, or is composed of leaves more or less modified and transformed.

3. 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. Leaf beetle (Zoöl.), any beetle which feeds upon leaves; esp., any species of the family Chrysomelidæ, as the potato beetle and helmet beetle. -- Leaf bridge, a draw-bridge having a platform or leaf which swings vertically on hinges. -- Leaf bud (Bot.), a bud which develops into leaves or a leafy branch. -- Leaf butterfly (Zoöl.), any butterfly which, in the form and colors of its wings, resembles the leaves of plants upon which it rests; esp., butterflies of the genus Kallima, found in Southern Asia and the East Indies. -- Leaf crumpler (Zoöl.), a small moth (Phycis indigenella), the larva of which feeds upon leaves of the apple tree, and forms its nest by crumpling and fastening leaves together in clusters. -- Leaf cutter (Zoöl.) , any one of various species of wild bees of the genus Megachile, which cut rounded pieces from the edges of leaves, or the petals of flowers, to be used in the construction of their nests, which are made in holes and crevices, or in a leaf rolled up for the purpose. Among the common American species are M. brevis and M. centuncularis. Called also rose-cutting bee. -- Leaf fat, the fat which lies in leaves or layers within the body of an animal. -- Leaf flea (Zoöl.), a jumping plant louse of the family Psyllidæ. -- Leaf frog (Zoöl.), any tree frog of the genus Phyllomedusa. -- Leaf green.(Bot.) See Chlorophyll. -- Leaf hopper (Zoöl.), any small jumping hemipterous insect of the genus Tettigonia, and allied genera. They live upon the leaves and twigs of plants. See Live hopper. -- Leaf insect (Zoöl.), any one of several genera and species of orthopterous insects, esp. of the genus Phyllium, in which the wings, and sometimes the legs, resemble leaves in color and form. They are common in Southern Asia and the East Indies. -- Leaf lard, lard from leaf fat. See under Lard. -- Leaf louse (Zoöl.), an aphid. -- Leaf metal, metal in thin leaves, as gold, silver, or tin. -- Leaf miner (Zoöl.), any one of various small lepidopterous and dipterous insects, which, in the larval stages, burrow in and eat the parenchyma of leaves; as, the pear-tree leaf miner (Lithocolletis geminatella). -- Leaf notcher (Zoöl.), a pale bluish green beetle (Artipus Floridanus), which, in Florida, eats the edges of the leaves of orange trees. -- Leaf roller (Zoöl.), the larva of any tortricid moth which makes a nest by rolling up the leaves of plants. See Tortrix. -- Leaf scar (Bot.), the cicatrix on a stem whence a leaf has fallen. -- Leaf sewer (Zoöl.), a tortricid moth, whose caterpillar makes a nest by rolling up a leaf and fastening the edges together with silk, as if sewn; esp., Phoxopteris nubeculana, which feeds upon the apple tree. -- Leaf sight, a hinges sight on a firearm, which can be raised or folded down. -- Leaf trace (Bot.), one or more fibrovascular bundles, which may be traced down an endogenous stem from the base of a leaf. -- Leaf tier (Zoöl.), a tortricid moth whose larva makes a nest by fastening the edges of a leaf together with silk; esp., Teras cinderella, found on the apple tree. -- Leaf valve, a valve which moves on a hinge. -- Leaf wasp (Zoöl.), a sawfiy. -- To turn over a new leaf, to make a radical change for the better in one's way of living or doing. [Colloq.] They were both determined to turn over a new leaf. Richardson.

LEAF Leaf, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Leafed; p. pr. & vb. n. Leafing.]

Defn: To shoot out leaves; to produce leaves; to leave; as, the trees leaf in May. Sir T. Browne.

LEAFAGE Leaf"age, n.

Defn: Leaves, collectively; foliage.

LEAFCUP Leaf"cup`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A coarse American composite weed (Polymnia Uvedalia).

LEAFED Leafed, a.

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

LEAFET Leaf"et, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A leaflet.

LEAF-FOOTED Leaf"-foot`ed, a. (Zoöl.)

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

LEAFINESS Leaf"i*ness, n.

Defn: The state of being leafy.

LEAFLESS Leaf"less, a.

Defn: Having no leaves or foliage; bearing no foliage. "Leafless groves." Cowper. -- Leaf"less*ness, n. Leafless plants, plants having no foliage, though leaves may be present in the form of scales and bracts. See Leaf, n., 1 and 2.

LEAFLET Leaf"let, n.

1. A little leaf; also, a little printed leaf or a tract.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: One of the divisions of a compound leaf; a foliole.

3. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A leaflike organ or part; as, a leaflet of the gills of fishes.

LEAF-NOSED Leaf"-nosed`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having a leaflike membrane on the nose; -- said of certain bats, esp. of the genera Phyllostoma and Rhinonycteris. See Vampire.

LEAFSTALK Leaf"stalk`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: The stalk or petiole which supports a leaf.

LEAFY Leaf"y, a. [Compar. Leafier; superl. Leafiest.]

1. Full of leaves; abounding in leaves; as, the leafy forest. "The leafy month of June." Coleridge.

2. Consisting of leaves. "A leafy bed." Byron.

LEAGUE League, n. Etym: [Cf. OE. legue, lieue, a measure of length, F. lieue, Pr. lega, legua, It. & LL. lega, Sp. legua, Pg. legoa, legua; all fr. LL. leuca, of Celtic origin: cf. Arm. leo, lev (perh. from French), Ir.leige (perh. from English); also Ir. & Gael. leac a flag, a broad, flat stone, W. llech, -- such stones having perh. served as a sort of milestone (cf. Cromlech).]

1. 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.

Note: The English land league is equal to three English statute miles. The Spanish and French leagues vary in each country according to usage and the kind of measurement to which they are applied. The Dutch and German leagues contain about four geographical miles, or about 4.6 English statute miles.

2. A stone erected near a public road to mark the distance of a league. [Obs.]

LEAGUE League, n. Etym: [F.ligue, LL. liga, fr. L. ligare to bind; cf. Sp. liga. Cf. Ally a confederate, Ligature.]

Defn: 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. And let there be 'Twixt us and them no league, nor amity. Denham.

Note: A league may be offensive or defensive, or both; offensive, when the parties agree to unite in attacking a common enemy; defensive, when they agree to a mutual defense of each other against an enemy. The Holy League, an alliance of Roman Catholics formed in 1576 by influence of the Duke of Guise for the exclusion of Protestants from the throne of France. -- Solemn League and Covenant. See Covenant,2. -- The land league, an association, organized in Dublin in 1879, to promote the interests of the Irish tenantry, its avowed objects being to secure fixity of tenure fair rent, and free sale of the tenants' interest. It was declared illegal by Parliament, but vigorous prosecutions have failed to suppress it.

Syn. -- Alliance; confederacy; confederation; coalition; combination; compact; coöperation.

LEAGUE League, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Leagued; p. pr. & vb. n. Leaguing.] Etym: [Cf. F. se liguer. See 2d League.]

Defn: To unite in a league or confederacy; to combine for mutual support; to confederate South.

LEAGUE League, v. t.

Defn: 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 Lea"guer, n. Etym: [D.leger camp, bed, couch, lair. See Lair, and cf.Beleaguer.]

1. The camp of a besieging army; a camp in general. b. Jonson.

2. A siege or beleaguering. [R.] Sir W. Scott.

LEAGUER Lea"guer, v. t.

Defn: To besiege; to beleaguer. [Obs.]

LEAGUERER Lea"guer*er, n.

Defn: A besieger. [R.] J. Webster.

LEAK Leak, n. Etym: [Akin to D. lek leaky, a leak, G.leck, Icel. lekr leaky, Dan. læk leaky, a leak, Sw. läck; cf. AS. hlec full of cracks or leaky. Cf. Leak, v.]

1. 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. "One leak will sink a ship." Bunyan.

2. The entrance or escape of a fluid through a crack, fissure, or other aperture; as, the leak gained on the ship's pumps. To spring a leak, to open or crack so as to let in water; to begin to let in water; as, the ship sprung a leak.

LEAK Leak, a.

Defn: Leaky. [Obs.] Spenser.

LEAK Leak, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Leaked; p. pr. & vb. n. Leaking.] Etym: [Akin to D. lekken, G. lecken, lechen, Icel. leka, Dan. lække, Sw. läcka, AS. leccan to wet, moisten. See Leak, n.]

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

2. 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. To leak out, to be divulged gradually or clandestinely; to become public; as, the facts leaked out.

LEAKAGE Leak"age (, n. Etym: [Cf. D. lekkage, for sense 1.]

1. A leaking; also, the quantity that enters or issues by leaking.

2. (Com.)

Defn: An allowance of a certain rate per cent for the leaking of casks, or waste of liquors by leaking.

LEAKINESS Leak"i*ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being leaky.

LEAKY Leak"y, a. [Compar. Leakier; superl. Leakiest.]

1. Permitting water or other fluid to leak in or out; as, a leaky roof or cask.

2. Apt to disclose secrets; tattling; not close. [Colloq.]

LEAL Leal, a. Etym: [OE. leial, another form of loial, F. loyal. See Loyal.]

Defn: Faithful; loyal; true. All men true and leal, all women pure. Tennyson. Land of the leal, the place of the faithful; heaven.

LEAM Leam, n. & v. i.

Defn: See Leme. [Obs.] Holland.

LEAM Leam, n. Etym: [See Leamer, Lien.]

Defn: A cord or strap for leading a dog. Sir W. Scott.

LEAMER Leam"er, n. Etym: [F. limier, OF. liemier, fr. L. ligamen band, bandage. See Lien.]

Defn: A dog held by a leam.

LEAN Lean, v. t. Etym: [Icel. leyna; akin to G. läugnen to deny, AS. l, also E. lie to speak falsely.]

Defn: To conceal. [Obs.] Ray.

LEAN Lean, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Leaned, sometimes Leant (p. pr. & vb. n. Leaning.] Etym: [OE. lenen, AS. hlinian, hleonian, v. i.; akin to OS. hlinon, D. leunen, OHG. hlinen, linen, G. lehnen, L. inclinare, Gr. clivus hill, slope. sq. root40. Cf. Declivity, Climax, Incline, Ladder.]

1. 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. "He leant forward." Dickens.

2. To incline in opinion or desire; to conform in conduct; -- with to, toward, etc. They delight rather to lean to their old customs. Spenser.

3. To rest or rely, for support, comfort, and the like; -- with on, upon, or against. He leaned not on his fathers but himself. Tennyson.

LEAN Lean, v. t. Etym: [From Lean, v. i. ; AS. hl, v. t., fr. hleonian, hlinian, v. i.]

Defn: To cause to lean; to incline; to support or rest. Mrs. Browning. His fainting limbs against an oak he leant. Dryden.

LEAN Lean, a. [Compar. Leaner; superl. Leanest.] Etym: [OE. lene, AS. hl; prob. akin to E. lean to incline. See Lean, v. i. ]

1. Wanting flesh; destitute of or deficient in fat; not plump; meager; thin; lank; as, a lean body; a lean cattle.

2. 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. "No lean wardrobe." Shak. Their lean and fiashy songs. Milton. What the land is, whether it be fat or lean. Num. xiii. 20. Out of my lean and low ability I'll lend you something. Shak.

3. (Typog.)

Defn: Of a character which prevents the compositor from earning the usual wages; -- opposed to fat; as lean copy, matter, or type.

Syn. -- slender; spare; thin; meager; lank; skinny; gaunt.

LEAN Lean, n.

1. That part of flesh which consist principally of muscle without the fat. The fat was so white and the lean was so ruddy. Goldsmith.

2. (Typog.)

Defn: Unremunerative copy or work.

LEAN-FACED Lean"-faced`, a.

1. Having a thin face.

2. (Typog.)

Defn: slender or narrow; -- said of type the letters of which have thin lines, or are unusually narrow in proportion to their height. W. Savage.

LEANING Lean"ing, n.

Defn: The act, or state, of inclining; inclination; tendency; as, a leaning towards Calvinism.

LEANLY Lean"ly, adv.

Defn: Meagerly; without fat or plumpness.

LEANNESS Lean"ness, n. Etym: [AS. hlænnes.]

Defn: The condition or quality of being lean.

LEAN-TO Lean"-to`, a. (Arch.)

Defn: Having only one slope or pitch; -- said of a roof. -- n.

Defn: 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. The outer circuit was covered as a lean-to, all round this inner apartment. De Foe.

LEAN-WITTED Lean"-wit`ted, a.

Defn: Having but little sense or shrewdness.

LEANY Lean"y, a.

Defn: Lean. [Obs.] Spenser.

LEAP Leap, n. Etym: [AS. leáp.]

1. A basket. [Obs.] Wyclif.

2. A weel or wicker trap for fish. [Prov. Eng.]

LEAP Leap, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Leaped, rarely Leapt; p. pr. & vb. n. Leaping.] Etym: [OE. lepen, leapen, AS. hleápan to leap, jump, run; akin to OS. ahl, OFries. hlapa, D. loopen, G. laufen, OHG. louffan, hlauffan, Icel. hlaupa, Sw. löpa, Dan. löbe, Goth. ushlaupan. Cf. Elope, Lope, Lapwing, Loaf to loiter.]

1. 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. Bacon. Leap in with me into this angry flood. Shak.

2. To spring or move suddenly, as by a jump or by jumps; to bound; to move swiftly. Also Fig. My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky. Wordsworth.

LEAP Leap, v. t.

1. To pass over by a leap or jump; as, to leap a wall, or a ditch.

2. To copulate with (a female beast); to cover.

3. To cause to leap; as, to leap a horse across a ditch.

LEAP Leap, n.

1. The act of leaping, or the space passed by leaping; a jump; a spring; a bound. Wickedness comes on by degrees, . . . and sudden leaps from one extreme to another are unnatural. L'Estrange. Changes of tone may proceed either by leaps or glides. H. Sweet.

2. Copulation with, or coverture of, a female beast.

3. (Mining)

Defn: A fault.

4. (Mus.)

Defn: A passing from one note to another by an interval, especially by a long one, or by one including several other and intermediate intervals.

LEAPER Leap"er, n. Etym: [AS. hleápere.]

Defn: One who, or that which, leaps.

LEAPER Leap"er, n. Etym: [See 1st Leap.]

Defn: A kind of hooked instrument for untwisting old cordage.

LEAPFROG Leap"frog`, n.

Defn: A play among boys, in which one stoops down and another leaps over him by placing his hands on the shoulders of the former.

LEAPFUL Leap"ful, n. Etym: [See 1st Leap.]

Defn: A basketful. [Obs.]

LEAPING Leap"ing, a. & n.

Defn: from Leap, to jump. Leaping house, a brothel. [Obs.] Shak. -- Leaping pole, a pole used in some games of leaping. -- Leaping spider (Zoöl.), a jumping spider; one of the Saltigradæ.

LEAPINGLY Leap"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: By leaps.

LEAP YEAR Leap" year`

Defn: . Bissextile; a year containing 366 days; every fourth year which leaps over a day more than a common year, giving to February twenty-nine days. See Bissextile.

Note: Every year whose number is divisible by four without a remainder is a leap year, excepting the full centuries, which, to be leap years, must be divisible by 400 without a remainder. If not so divisible they are common years. 1900, therefore, is not a leap year.

LEAR Lear, v. t.

Defn: To learn. See Lere, to learn. [Obs.]

LEAR Lear, n.

Defn: Lore; lesson. [Obs.] Spenser.

LEAR Lear, a.

Defn: See Leer, a. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

LEAR Lear, n.

Defn: An annealing oven. See Leer, n.

LEARN Learn, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Learned, or Learnt (p. pr. & vb. n. Learning.] Etym: [OE. lernen, leornen, AS. leornian; akin to OS. linon, for lirnon, OHG. lirnen, lernen, G. lernen, fr. the root of AS. l to teach, OS. lerian, OHG.leran, G. lehren, Goth. laisjan, also Goth lais I know, leis acquainted (in comp.); all prob. from a root meaning, to go, go over, and hence, to learn; cf. AS. leoran to go . Cf. Last a mold of the foot, lore.]

1. To gain knowledge or information of; to ascertain by inquiry, study, or investigation; to receive instruction concerning; to fix in the mind; to acquire understanding of, or skill; as, to learn the way; to learn a lesson; to learn dancing; to learn to skate; to learn the violin; to learn the truth about something. "Learn to do well." Is. i. 17. Now learn a parable of the fig tree. Matt. xxiv. 32.

2. To communicate knowledge to; to teach. [Obs.] Hast thou not learned me how To make perfumes Shak.

Note: Learn formerly had also the sense of teach, in accordance with the analogy of the French and other languages, and hence we find it with this sense in Shakespeare, Spenser, and other old writers. This usage has now passed away. To learn is to receive instruction, and to teach is to give instruction. He who is taught learns, not he who teaches.

LEARN Learn, v. i.

Defn: To acquire knowledge or skill; to make progress in acquiring knowledge or skill; to receive information or instruction; as, this child learns quickly. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me. Matt. xi. 29. To learn by heart. See By heart, under Heart. -- To learn by rote, to memorize by repetition without exercise of the understanding.

LEARNABLE Learn"a*ble, a.

Defn: Such as can be learned.

LEARNED Learn"ed, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to learning; possessing, or characterized by, learning, esp. scholastic learning; erudite; well-informed; as, a learned scholar, writer, or lawyer; a learned book; a learned theory. The learnedlover lost no time. Spenser. Men of much reading are greatly learned, but may be little knowing. Locke. Words of learned length and thundering sound. Goldsmith. The learned, learned men; men of erudition; scholars. -- Learn"ed*ly, adv. Learn"ed*ness, n. Every coxcomb swears as learnedly as they. Swift.

LEARNER Learn"er, n.

Defn: One who learns; a scholar.

LEARNING Learn"ing, n. Etym: [AS. leornung.]

1. The acquisition of knowledge or skill; as, the learning of languages; the learning of telegraphy.

2. The knowledge or skill received by instruction or study; acquired knowledge or ideas in any branch of science or literature; erudition; literature; science; as, he is a man of great learning. Book learning. See under Book.

Syn. -- Literature; erudition; lore; scholarship; science; letters. See Literature.

LEASABLE Leas"a*ble, a. Etym: [From 2d Lease.]

Defn: Such as can be leased.

LEASE Lease, v. i. Etym: [AS. lesan to gather; akin to D. lezen to gather, read, G. lesen, Goth. lisan to gather; cf. Lith lesti to peck.]

Defn: To gather what harvesters have left behind; to glean. [Obs.] Dryden.

LEASE Lease, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Leased; p. pr. & vb. n. Leasing.] Etym: [F.laisser, OF. laissier, lessier, to leave, transmit, L. laxare to loose, slacken, from laxus loose, wide. See Lax, and cf. Lesser.]

1. To grant to another by lease the possession of, as of lands, tenements, and hereditaments; to let; to demise; as, a landowner leases a farm to a tenant; -- sometimes with out. There were some [houses] that were leased out for three lives. Addison.

2. To hold under a lease; to take lease of; as, a tenant leases his land from the owner.

LEASE Lease, n. Etym: [Cf. OF. lais. See Lease, v. t.]

1. A demise or letting of lands, tenements, or hereditaments to another for life, for a term of years, or at will, or for any less interest than that which the lessor has in the property, usually for a specified rent or compensation.

2. The contract for such letting.

3. Any tenure by grant or permission; the time for which such a tenure holds good; allotted time. Our high-placed Macbeth Shall live the lease of nature. Shak. Lease and release a mode of conveyance of freehold estates, formerly common in England and in New York. its place is now supplied by a simple deed of grant. Burrill. Warren's Blackstone.

LEASEHOLD Lease"hold`, a.

Defn: Held by lease.

LEASEHOLD Lease"hold`, n.

Defn: A tenure by lease; specifically, land held as personalty under a lease for years.

LEASEHOLDER Lease"hold`er, n.

Defn: A tenant under a lease. -- Lease"hold`ing, a. & n.

LEASER Leas"er, n. Etym: [From 1st Lease.]

Defn: One who leases or gleans. [Obs.] Swift.

LEASER Leas"er, n.

Defn: A liar. [Obs.] See Leasing.

LEASH Leash, n. Etym: [OE. lese, lees, leece, OF. lesse, F. laisse, LL.laxa, fr. L. laxus loose. See Lax.]

1. A thong of leather, or a long cord, by which a falconer holds his hawk, or a courser his dog. Even like a fawning greyhound in the leash. Shak.

2. (Sporting)

Defn: A brace and a half; a tierce; three; three creatures of any kind, especially greyhounds, foxes, bucks, and hares; hence, the number three in general. [I] kept my chamber a leash of days. B. Jonson. Then were I wealthier than a leash of kings. Tennyson.

3. (Weaving)

Defn: A string with a loop at the end for lifting warp threads, in a loom.

LEASH Leash, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Leashed; p. pr. & vb. n. Leashing.]

Defn: To tie together, or hold, with a leash.

LEASING Leas"ing, n. Etym: [AS. leásung, fr. leás loose, false, deceitful. See -less, Loose, a.]

Defn: The act of lying; falsehood; a lie or lies. [Archaic] Spenser. Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing. Ps. v. 6. Blessed be the lips that such a leasing told. Fairfax. Leasing making (Scots Law), the uttering of lies or libels upon the personal character of the sovereign, his court, or his family. Bp. Burnet.

LEASOW Lea"sow, n. Etym: [AS. lesu, læsu.]

Defn: A pasture. [Obs.]

LEAST Least, a. Etym: [OE. last, lest, AS. l, l, superl. of l less. See Less, a.] [Used as the superlative of little.]

Defn: Smallest, either in size or degree; shortest; lowest; most unimportant; as, the least insect; the least mercy; the least space.

Note: Least is often used with the, as if a noun. I am the least of the apostles. 1 Cor. xv. 9. At least, or At the least, at the least estimate, consideration, chance, etc.; hence, at any rate; at all events; even. See However. He who tempts, though in vain, at least asperses The tempted with dishonor. Milton. Upon the mast they saw a young man, at least if he were a man, who sat as on horseback. Sir P. Sidney. -- In least, or In the least, in the least degree, manner, etc. "He that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much." Luke xvi. 10. -- Least squares (Math.), a method of deducing from a number of carefully made yet slightly discordant observations of a phenomenon the most probable values of the unknown quantities.

Note: It takes as its fundamental principle that the most probable values are those which make the sum of the squares of the residual errors of the observation a minimum.

LEAST Least, adv.

Defn: In the smallest or lowest degree; in a degree below all others; as, to reward those who least deserve it.

LEAST Least, conj.

Defn: See Lest, conj. [Obs.] Spenser.

LEASTWAYS; LEASTWISE Least"ways`, Least"wise`, adv.

Defn: At least; at all events. [Colloq.] At leastways, or At leastwise, at least. [Obs.] Fuller.

LEASY Lea"sy, a. Etym: [AS. leás void, loose, false. Cf. Leasing.]

Defn: Flimsy; vague; deceptive. [Obs.] Ascham.

LEAT Leat, n. Etym: [Cf. Lead to conduct.]

Defn: An artificial water trench, esp. one to or from a mill. C. Kingsley.

LEATHER Leath"er, n. Etym: [OE. lether, AS. le; akin to D. leder, leêr, G. leder, OHG. ledar, Icel. le, Sw. läder, Dan. læder.]

1. The skin of an animal, or some part of such skin, tanned, tawed, or otherwise dressed for use; also, dressed hides, collectively.

2. The skin. [Ironical or Sportive]