L Flashcards
labile
adj. likely to change
Tom’s labile personality can make him difficult to get along with.
labyrinth
n. maze
The office building was like a labyrinth.
laceration
n. cut or wound
The child was treated for lacerations suffered in the accident.
lachrymose
adj. tearful, sad
The mood at the funeral was lachrymose.
lackadaisical
adj. idle, lazy; apathetic, indifferent
Stuart is a lackadaisical studnet.
lackluster
adj. lacking brightness or vitality
His performance this year has been lackluster.
laconic
adj. using few words
The laconic scientist was not an ideal guest on the talk show.
laissez-faire
adj. relating to a doctrine that opposes government interference in the economy; noninterference in the affairs of others
The principal asked the teacher to take a less laissez-faire approach to students.
Lamaism
n. Tibetan Buddhism
The term “Lamaism” probably derives from the Chinese “lama jiao” used to distinguish Tibetan Buddhism from Han Chinese Buddhism, “fo jiao.”
Lamarckism
n. a theory of biological evolution holding that acquired traits can be inherited
A form of Lamarckism was revived in the Soviet Union of the 1930s when Trofim Lysenko promoted Lysenkoism, which suited the ideological opposition of Joseph Stalin to genetics.
lambaste
v. to thrash verbally or physically\
The champion boxer lambasted his opponent.
lament
v. to grieve; express sorrow; regret deeply
The poem laments the death of the poet’s son.
lamentable
adj. distressing; deplorable
There has been a lamentable increase in air pollution.
lampoon
v. to attack with satire, mock harshly
The movie lampoons the country’s leaders.
languid
adj. lacking energy, indifferent, slow
Time moves at a languid pace at this tropical island resort.
languish
v. to become weak; to live in disheartening conditions; to be neglected
A small part of the population was left to languish in poverty.
languor
n. lassitude
They were overcome by weakness and languor during their stay in the tropics.
lapidary
adj. relating to precious stones
Mr. Saunders sells lapidary equipment to jewelers in the New York area.
larceny
n. theft of property
Bob was charged with larceny.
larder
n. place where food is stored
It’s a good idea to keep some canned food in the larder in case of emergency.
largess
n. generosity; gift
As a result of the billionaire’s largess, our town has a new public library.
larynx
n. organ containing vocal cords
The larynx plays a vital role in speech.
lascivious
adj. lustful
The movie appeals primarily to the lascivious impulses in people.
lassitude
n. lethargy, sluggishness
I’m often overcome by lassitude on Sunday afternoon.
latent
adj. present but hidden; potential
The program is designed to bring out the student’s latent talent.
laud
v. to praise
Julia’s mother lauded her daughter’s effort to improve her vocabulary.
laudable
adj. praiseworthy
The student made a laudable effort to improve his vocabulary.
lavish
adj. liberal; wasteful
The company president put a stop to lavish spending by his staff.
lax
adj. careless
Lax safety standards were partially to blame for the accident.
layman
n. a nonprofessional
The layman could not understand the technical language in the scientist’s paper.
leery
adj. suspicious
The child was taught to be leery of strangers.
legacy
n. a gift made by a will; something handed down
Tom’s watch is a legacy from his grandfather.
legerdemain
n. trickery
The magician’s legerdemain entertained the audience.
legible
adj. readable
Make sure your handwriting is legible.
legion
adj. constituting a large number
The number of atoms in the universe is legion.
legislate
v. to decree, mandate, make laws
The primary purpose of Congress is to legislate.
legislation
n. laws decrees, mandates
The legislation was passed unanimously.
legitimate
adj. in accordance with established standards; genuine; reasonable
The New York Jets have a legitimate change to win the Super Bowl this year.
leitmotif
n. a dominant, recurrent theme
Staircase imagery is a leitmotif in T.S. Eliot’s writings.
lethargy
n. inactivity
After a summer of lethargy, the students had difficult adjusting to school work.
levitate
v. to rise in the air or cause to rise
The magician made his assistant appear to levitate.
levity
n. light manner or attitude
The principal told the students she wanted no levity during the exam period.
lexicon
n. dictionary, list of words
The teacher compiled a lexicon of words that appear frequently on the GRE.
lexis
n. vocabulary; the set of words in a language
Professor Summers is an expert in the field of lexis and grammar.
liaise
v. to communicate and maintain contact
One of Amy’s tasks as county librarian is to liaise with local libraries.
libel
n. defamatory statement; act of writing something that smears a person’s character
The writer was sued for libel.
liberal
adj. tolerant, broad-minded; generous, lavish
Humanism is generally credited with creating a more liberal populace in Europe.
liberation
n. freedom; emancipation
The liberation of the political prisoners was celebrated around the world.
libertarian
n. one who believes in unrestricted freedom
The libertarian believes that government is an unnecessary evil.
livertine
n. one without moral restraint
The young libertine was condemned by members of his community.
libidinal
adj. relating to sexual desire
The court ruled that the movie appeals solely to libidinal impulses.
libido
n. sexual desire
The research team is studying the effects of the drug on the male libido.
libretto
n. the text of a dramatic musical work
The opera’s libretto was translated from French into English.
licentious
adj. immoral; unrestrained by society
Tom’s licentious behavior threatened his good standing in the community.
lien
n. right to possess and sell the property of a debtor
The court ordered a lien to be put on the property.
Lilliputian
adj. extremely small
The doll house contains Lilliputian dishes on the dining table.
limn
v. to draw; describe
The art teacher asked her students to limn the models torso.
limpid
adj. clear, transparent
Looking into the lake’s limpid water, Paul saw fish swimming near the bottom.
lineage
n. ancestry
The family has an ancient lineage.
linear
adj. having one dimension; straight
Time can be imagined as moving in a linear fashion.
lingua franca
n. a language used for communication among peoples speaking different languages
In Asia, English is often used as a lingua franca in business.
linguistics
n. study of language
Linguistics studies such topics as the origin and structure of language.
liniment
n. medicinal liquid used externally to ease pain
The trainer applied liniment to the football player’s strained muscle.
lionize
v. to to treat as a celebrity
After winning the Nobel Prize for Literature, the writer was lionized.
lissome
adj. easily flexed, limber, agile
The lissome gymnast warmed up for her performance.
listless
adj. lacking energy and enthusiasm
The class was listless on the hot July afternoon.
litany
n., a lengthy recitation; repetitive chant
The student repeated his usual litany of excuses.
literate
adj. able to read and write; well-read and educated
The government started a program to increase the proportion of literate people.
literati
n. scholarly or learned persons
The London literati united to defend one of its members.
lithe
adj. moving and bending with ease; graceful
We admired the dancer’s lithe movements.
litigation
n. legal proceedings
The government discouraged litigation in order to conserve the court’s resources.
livid
adj. discolored from a bruise; reddened with anger
Tom’s father was livid after learning that his son had been caught stealing.
loath
adj. unwilling or reluctant; disinclined
Russ is loath to change his major so late in his academic career.
loathe
v. to abhor, despise, hate
Gavin loathes snakes.
lobbyist
n. person who attempts to influence legislators or other public officials toward desired action
The Congressman ignored the lobbyists and voted the way he wanted to.
locomotion
n. movement from place to place
Humankind has devised many means of locomotion.
locus
n. locality; center of great activity
The locus of the bomb blast was the town center.
lofty
adj. very high; noble
Ralph has lofty ideals.
logo
n. corporate symbol
The company recently changed its logo.
loiter
v. to stand around idly
The principal doesn’t allow students to loiter around the school after 5 P.M.
loquacious
adj. talkative
The people on the bus were so loquacious I had trouble doing any work.
Lothario
n. seducer
Henry has a reputation on campus as something of a Lothario.
low
v. to make a deep sustained sound like a cow, moo
As I went to sleep I heard the sheep lowing in the field.
lucid
adj. bright; clear; intelligible
This is a lucid piece of writing.
lucre
adj. money or profits
Modern men and women spend a lot of their time in pursuit of lucre.
ludicrous
adj. laughable, ridiculous
For many years the idea of space flight was considered ludicrous.
lugubrious
ad. sorrowful, mournful
We listened to the lugubrious notes of the bagpipes.
lumber
v. to move slowly and awkwardly
The child ran ahead, her grandfather lumbering behind.
luminary
n. a person who has achieved eminence in a specific field
Every year science luminaries gather in Stockholm, Sweden, to receive the Nobel Prize.
luminous
adj. bright, brilliant, glowing
Witnesses said that the UFO suddenly became luminous.
lunar
adj. relating to the moon
The astronomy department recently appointed a specialist in lunar science.
lurid
adj. harshly shocking, sensational
The newspaper account left out the lurid details of the murder.
lurk
v. to prowl, sneak
The thief lurked outside the store.
luxuriant
adj. marked by lavishness
The luxuriant palace contains priceless antiques.
luxuriate
v. take luxurious pleasure; indulge oneself
Sally luxuriated in a bubble bath.
lyric
adj. suitable for poetry and song; expressing feeling
The English poet John Keats wrote excellent lyric poetry.
