Book14 Flashcards
crochet
make (a piece of needlework) by looping thread with a hooked needle; N. CF. crotchet
knoll
little round hill; hillock
knotty
intricate; difficult; tangled; CF. knot
kudos
honor; glory; acclaim or praise for exceptional achievement
entourage
group of attendants; retinue; CF. surround
labile
likely to change; unstable; Ex. emotionally labile; N. lability
laborious
demanding much work or care; tedious
labyrinth
maze
laceration
torn ragged wound; V. lacerate: tear (the skin as with broken glass); wound
rip
tear or be torn quickly and violently; Ex. The sail ripped under the force of the wind; N.
rag
scrap of cloth; ADJ. ragged: old and torn; seeming unfinished and imperfect; Ex. ragged debut/performance
lachrymose
producing tears; tearful
lackadaisical
lacking interest or effort; lacking purpose or zest; lazy; halfhearted; languid
halfhearted
exhibiting little interest or enthusiasm
lackluster
lacking luster(shine; gloss); dull
laconic
brief and to the point; using few words; terse
laggard
slow; sluggish; N: one who lags; straggler
lag
move or develop more slowly; straggle; Ex. lag behind the rest; N.
straggle
stray or fall behind (a main group); spread out in a scattered group; Ex. straggling marathon racer; Ex. straggling branch
lagoon
shallow body of water or lake near a sea; lake separated from a sea by sandbars or coral reefs
laity
laypersons; laymen; persons not connected with the clergy
layman
man who is not a cleric; man who is nonprofessional
lament
grieve; express sorrow; N. lamentation
lampoon
ridicule; N: written attack ridiculing or satirizing a person, group, or institution
lancet
small surgical tool for making incisions
lance
pierce with a lance; cut into; N: spearlike weapon
languid
lacking energy or vitality; weary; sluggish; listless
languish
lose animation or strength
languor
lack of physical or mental energy; lassitude; depression
lank
long and thin; Ex. Lank, gaunt, Abraham Lincoln
lap
take in food or drink with one’s tongue; splash gently; Ex. waves lapping the shore; N: front area from the waist to the knees of a seated person
larceny
theft; Ex. petit larceny
larder
pantry; place where food is kept
largess
generous gift (given to people who do not have enough)
lascivious
lustful
lust
intense sexual desire; intense eagerness; V.
lassitude
languor; weariness; listlessness
latent
present but not yet noticeable or active; dormant; hidden; N. latency; CF. potential
lateral
of or coming from the side
latitude
freedom from narrow limitations
laud
praise; N. ADJ. laudable: praiseworthy; ADJ. laudatory: expressing praise
lavish
liberal; wasteful; generous or wasteful in giving or using; abundant; profuse; great; Ex. decorated lavishly; V. give in abundance
lax
careless; negligent; not paying enough attention; Ex. lax service
leaven
add leaven to; cause to rise or grow lighter; enliven; N: agent, such as yeast, that causes dough to rise (by fermentation); element that lightens or enlivens
enliven
make lively or spirited; animate
lechery
gross lewdness; lustfulness; ADJ. lecherous; N. lecher: lecherous man
lectern
reading desk or stand for a public speaker
leery
(of someone) suspicious; wary; cautious
leeway
room to move; margin; latitude; Ex. leeway for the deadline
margin
border; room; allowance beyond what is needed; Ex. margin of safety
marginal
of a margin; barely within a limit; Ex. marginal effect/writing ability
legacy
gift made by a will; something handed down from an ancestor
legend
explanatory list of symbols on a map
legerdemain
sleight(dexterity) of hand; CF. light of hand
leniency
mildness; permissiveness; ADJ. lenient: not severe in judgment or punishment
permissive
allowing much freedom; lenient; Ex. permissive society
leonine
like a lion
lethal
deadly
lethargic
drowsy; dull; N. lethargy: state of sluggishness and inactivity
levee
earthen or stone embankment to prevent flooding; CF. raise
levitate
rise and float in the air (especially by magical means); CF. light
levity
lack of seriousness or steadiness; frivolity; lightness of manner
levy
impose (a fine); collect (a payment); impose or collect (a tax); Ex. levy a tax on tobacco
lewd
lustful
lexicographer
compiler of a dictionary; CF. lexicography: work of compiling a dictionary
lexicon
dictionary
liability
drawback; handicap; debts; obligation; responsibility; condition of being liable; ADJ. liable: likely; responsible (for paying)
liaison
contact that keeps parties in communication; communication between groups; one that maintains communication; go-between; secret love affair; V. liaise: keep a connection
libel
defamatory written statement; act of writing something that smears a person’s character; V. ADJ. libelous
libertine
debauched person; dissolute or licentious person; rou'e; CF. free
rou'e
lecherous man
libidinous
lustful
libido
psychic and emotional energy or urges behind human activity; sexual desire
libretto
text of an opera or oratorio; CF. book
licentious
amoral; lewd and lascivious; unrestrained
license
official or legal permission; latitude of action or speech; excessive freedom that causes harm or damage; V.
lien
legal claim or right on a property
ligneous
like wood
lilliputian
extremely small; CF. Lilliput in Gulliver’s Travels
limber
flexible; supple; pliable; V.