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short for MOUNTAIN LAUREL. - short for CHERRY LAUREL. - the bay tree. See BAY2 . 2 an aromatic evergreen shrub related to the bay tree, several kinds of which form forests in tropical and warm countries. Lauraceae 3 (usu. laurels) the foliage of the bay tree woven into a wreath or crown and worn on the head as an emblem of victory or mark of honor in classical times. FIGURATIVE honor: she has rightly won laurels for this brilliantly perc..
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has already achieved that one makes no further effort. Middle English lorer, from Old French lorier, from Provencal laurier, from earlier laur, from Latin laurus. Linked entries: MOUNTAIN LAUREL # CHERRY LAUREL # BAY # Lau*rel and Har*dy U.S. comedy duo that consisted of Stan Laurel (born Arthur Stanley Jefferson) (1890-1965) and Oliver Hardy (1892-1957). British-born Laurel played the scatterbrained and often tearful innocent; Hardy playe..
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CANADIAN SHIELD. Laurentian from Latin Laurentius 'Lawrence' (from St. Lawrence River) + -AN. Linked entries: CANADIAN SHIELD # -AN # Lau*ri*er Sir Wilfrid (1841-1919), Canadian statesman; prime minister 1896-1911. He was Canada's first French-Canadian and first Roman Catholic prime minister. lau*rus*ti*nus n. an evergreen winter-flowering viburnum with dense glossy green leaves and white or pink flowers, native to the Mediterranean area a..
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Lau*sanne a town in southwestern Switzerland, on the north shore of Lake Geneva; pop. 123,000. Lau*sit*zer Neis*se German name for NEISSE (sense 1). Linked entries: NEISSE # lav n. INFORMAL a lavatory. early 20th cent.: abbreviation. la*va n. hot molten or semifluid rock erupted from a volcano or fissure, or solid rock resulting from cooling of this. mid 18th cent.: from Italian (Neapolitan dialect), denoting the lava stream from Vesuvius..
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la*va*bo n. (pl. -boes) (in the Roman Catholic Church) a towel or basin used for the ritual washing of the celebrant's hands at the offertory of the Mass. - ritual washing of this type. - DATED a washbasin. - a washing trough in a monastery. mid 18th cent.: from Latin, literally 'I will wash', in Lavabo inter innocentes manus meas 'I will wash my hands among the innocent' (Ps. 26:6), which was recited at the washing of hands in the Roman ..
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late 18th cent. (in the general sense 'washing, a wash'): from French, from laver 'to wash'. la*va lamp n. a transparent electric lamp containing a viscous liquid in which a brightly colored waxy substance is suspended, rising and falling in irregular and constantly changing shapes. la*vash n. a Middle Eastern crisp flatbread. Armenian, from Turkish. lav*a*to*ri*al adj. of or relating to lavatories, in particular: - (of conversation or hu..
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supposed to typify public lavatories: the lavatorial utility that was a feature of subway design. lav*a*to*ry n. (pl. -ries) a room or compartment with a toilet and washbasin; a bathroom. - a sink or washbasin in a bathroom. - BRIT. a flush toilet. late Middle English: from late Latin lavatorium 'place for washing', from Latin lavare 'to wash'. The word originally denoted something in which to wash, such as a bath or piscina, later (mid 1..
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lave v. [trans.] POETIC/LITERARY wash: she ran cold water in the basin, laving her face and hands. (of water) wash against or over (something): the sea below laved the shore with small, agitated waves. la*va*tion n. Old English lafian, from Latin lavare 'to wash'; reinforced in Middle English by Old French laver. lav*en*der n. 1 a small aromatic evergreen shrub of the mint family, with narrow leaves and bluish-purple flowers. Lavender ha..
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DATED used in reference to refinement or gentility: [as adj.] she had a certain lavender charm. 2 a pale blue color with a trace of mauve. # v. [trans.] perfume with lavender. Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French lavendre, based on medieval Latin lavandula. lav*en*der cot*ton (CHIEFLY BRIT. also cotton lavender) n. a small aromatic shrubby plant of the daisy family, with silvery or greenish lavenderlike foliage and yellow button flower..
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la*ver 2 n. ARCHAIC or POETIC/LITERARY a basin or similar container used for washing oneself. (in biblical use) a large brass bowl for the ritual ablutions of Jewish priests. Middle English: from Old French laveoir, from late Latin lavatorium 'place for washing' (see LAVATORY). Linked entries: LAVATORY # lav*ish adj. sumptuously rich, elaborate, or luxurious: a lavish banquet. - (of a person) very generous or extravagant: he was lavish w..
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quantities upon: the media couldn't lavish enough praise on the film. (lavish something with) cover something thickly or liberally with: she lavished our son with kisses. lav*ish*ly adv. lav*ish*ness n. late Middle English (as a noun denoting profusion): from Old French lavasse 'deluge of rain', from laver 'to wash', from Latin lavare. La*voi*sier Antoine Laurent (1743-94), French scientist. He is regarded as the father of modern chemist..
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consist with) ARCHAIC be consistent with: the information perfectly consists with our friend's account. # n. [RAILROAD] late Middle English (in the sense 'be located or inherent in'): from Latin consistere 'stand firm or still, exist', from con- 'together' + sistere 'stand (still)'. con*sist*ence n. another term for CONSISTENCY. Linked entries: CONSISTENCY # con*sist*en*cy (also con*sist*ence ) n. (pl. -cies) 1 conformity in the
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something that one has begun): I continued my stroll;| [asadj.] (continued) he asked for their continued support. - remain in a specified position or state: they have indicated their willingness to continue in office; | the weather continued warm and pleasant.; carry on traveling in the same direction: he hummed
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software
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esp. (in mining) one used for washing ore. a channel for conveying molten metal from a furnace or container to a ladle or mold. laun*der*er n. Middle English (as a noun denoting a person who washes linen): contraction of lavender, from Old French lavandier, based on Latin lavanda 'things to be washed', from lavare 'to wash'. laun*der*ette (also laun*drette) n. a laundromat. laun*dress n. a woman who is employed to launder clothes and lin..
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mel*lif*lu*ous
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La*ver Rod (1938- ), Australian tennis player; full name Rodney George Laver. In 1962, he won the four major singles championships (British, American, French, and Australian) in one year, called the "Grand Slam," a feat he repeated in 1969. la*ver 1 (also purple laver) n. an edible seaweed with thin sheetlike fronds of a reddish-purple and green color that becomes black when dry. Laver typically grows on exposed shores, but in Japan it is c..
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adv. # o*ver*ex*er*cise v. # o*ver*ex*ert v. # o*ver*ex*er*tion n. # o*ver*ex*pan*sion n. # o*ver*fa*tigue n. # o*ver*feed v.; -fed # o*ver*fond adj. # o*ver*fond*ly adv. # o*ver*fond*ness n. # o*ver*full adj. # o*ver*gen*er*ous adj. # o*ver*hast*y adj. # o*ver*im*ag*i*na*tive adj. # o*ver*large adj. # o*ver*op*ti*mism n. # o*ver*op*ti*mis*tic adj. # o*ver*op*ti*mis*ti*cal*ly adv.
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mind regarded as a store of things remembered: he searched his memory frantically for an answer. - the capacity of a substance to return to a previous state or condition after having been altered or deformed. See also SHAPE MEMORY. 2 something remembered from the past; a recollection: one of my earliest memories is of sitting on his knee | the mind can bury all memory of traumatic abuse. - the remembering or recollection of a dead person, ..
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COMPUTING] change (a piece of text within a program) from being a comment to being part of the program that is run by the computer by removing tagging that identifies the text as a comment. un*com*mer*cial adj. not making, intended to make, or allowing a profit. not having profit as a primary aim: a seemingly uncommercial verse drama. un*com*mit*ted adj. not committed to a particular
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large, long-necked ungulate mammal of arid country, with long slender legs, broad cushioned feet, and either one or two humps on the back. Camels can survive for long periods without food or drink, chiefly by using up the fat reserves in their humps. Genus Camelus, family Camelidae (the camel family): two species (see ARABIAN CAMEL, BACTRIAN CAMEL). The camel family also includes the llama and its relatives. - a fabric made from camel ha..
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forming the superlative of adjectives and adverbs, esp. those of more than one syllable: the most important event of my life; sandy plains where fire tends to spread most quickly. 3 extremely; very: it was most kind of you; that is most probably correct. 4 INFORMAL almost: most everyone understood. # at (the) most not more than: the walk took four minutes at the most. # be the most INFORMAL be the best of all; be the ultimate. # for the mo..
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city in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina, southwest of Sarajevo, the chief town of Herzegovina; pop. 126,000. Its chief landmark, an old Turkish bridge across the Neretva River, was destroyed during the siege of the city by Serbian forces in 1993. The majority of Mostar's inhabitants are Muslim. most*est pron. HUMOROUS most: the winner
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Rev*er*end n. the title of an Anglican archbishop or an Irish Roman Catholic bishop. most sig*nif*i*cant bit (abbr.: MSB) n. [COMPUTING] the bit in a binary number that is of the greatest numerical value. Mo*sul a city in northern Iraq, on the Tigris River, opposite the ruins of Nineveh; pop. 571,000. mot n. (pl. mots ) short for BON MOT. Linked entries: BON MOT # mote n. a tiny piece of a substance: the tiniest mote of dust. a mote in som..
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short piece of sacred choral music, typically polyphonic and unaccompanied. late Middle English: from Old French, diminutive of mot 'word'. moth n. (pl. moths ) a chiefly nocturnal insect related to the butterflies. It lacks the clubbed antennae of butterflies and typically has a stout body, drab coloration, and wings that fold flat when resting. Most superfamilies of the order Lepidoptera. Formerly placed in a grouping known as the Hete..
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mother church. - FIGURATIVE something that is the origin of or stimulus for something else: the wish was the mother of the deed. - INFORMAL an extreme example or very large specimen of something: I got stuck in the mother of all traffic jams. 2 VULGAR SLANG short for MOTHERFUCKER. # v. [trans.] 1 [often as n.] (mothering) bring up (a child) with care and affection: the art of mothering. look after kindly and protectively, sometimes excessi..
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moth*er*craft n. ARCHAIC skill in or knowledge of looking after children as a mother.
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coun*try n. (often the mother country) a country in relation to its colonies: the bicentennial
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food
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arranged
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straits) used in reference to a situation characterized by a specified degree of trouble or difficulty:
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behaving
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pe*dan*tic adj. of or like a pedant: many of the essays are long, dense, and too pedantic to hold great appeal. pe*dan*ti*cal*ly adv.
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linch*pin (also lynch*pin) n. 1 a pin passed through the end of an axle to keep a wheel in position.
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by pushing it or allowing it to roll into the water: the town's lifeboat was launched to rescue the fishermen. - set (a newly built ship or boat) afloat for the first time, typically as part of an official ceremony: King Gustav II Adolph of Sweden launched a huge new warship. - send (a missile, satellite, or spacecraft) on its course or into orbit: they launched two Scud missiles. - [trans.] hurl (something) forcefully: she launched a tort..
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Spi*no*za Baruch (or Benedict) de (1632-77), Dutch philosopher. Spinoza espoused a pantheistic system, seeing "God or nature" as a single infinite substance, with mind and matter being two incommensurable ways of conceiving the one reality."
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po*lit*bu*ro n. (pl. -ros) the principal policymaking committee of a Communist Party. (Politburo) this committee in the former Soviet Union, founded in 1917. Also called (1952-66) PRESIDIUM. from Russian politbyuro, from polit(icheskoe) byuro 'political bureau'.
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trans.] reduce (a judicial sentence, esp. a sentence of death) to one less severe: the governor recently commuted the sentences of dozens of women convicted of killing their husbands.
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model
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in the hands. the
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Got*ter*dam*mer*ung (in Germanic mythology) the downfall of the gods. German, literally 'twilight of the gods', popularized by Wagner's use of the word as the title of the last opera of the Ring cycle.
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a*bid*ing adj. [attrib.] (of a feeling or a memory) lasting a long time; enduring: he had an abiding respect for her. a*bid*ing*ly adv.
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a*bide v. 1 [intrans.] (abide by) accept or act in accordance with (a rule, decision, or recommendation): I said I would abide by their decision.
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abbreviation 1. [Physics] barn(s). 2. (b.) -- born (used to indicate a date of birth) * George Lloyd (b. 1913). 3. billion. 4. bass. 5. basso. B1 /be / b I. noun 1. the second letter of the alphabet. 2. the second highest class of academic mark. 3. denoting the second-highest-earning socioeconomic category for marketing purposes, including intermediate management and professional personnel. 4. (b) -- [Chess] denoting the second file from th..
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