Words starting with L — 777 entries

The 777 dictionary words that begin with the letter L, in alphabetical order, each with its first definition. Accents do not affect filing: an accented initial is shelved under its base letter.

• leadership3 sensesThe capacity of someone to lead others.
• leading6 sensesProviding guidance or direction.
• leaf18 sensesThe usually green and flat organ that represents the most prominent feature of most vegetative plants.
• Leaf4 sensesA surname from Old English.
• league9 sensesA group or association of cooperating members.
• League1 senseA surname.
• Leah3 sensesThe elder daughter of Laban, sister to Rachel, and first wife of Jacob.
• leak16 sensesA crack, crevice, fissure, or hole which admits water or other fluid, or lets it escape.
• Leak1 senseA surname.
• leaked1 senseOf a document, etc, produced by a company or organization, intended to be confidential but having been released to the public or the press.
• leaking2 sensesThe act by which something leaks.
• lean16 sensesTo incline, deviate, or bend, from a vertical position; to be in a position thus inclining or deviating.
• Lean1 senseA surname.
• leaning1 senseA tendency or propensity.
• Leanne1 senseA female given name originating as a coinage, variant of Lee Ann.
• leap17 sensesTo jump.
• Leap1 senseA surname.
• LEAP1 senseA solution stack consisting of the Linux operating system, Eucalyptus cloud, AppScale cloud computing framework, and Python programming language.
• lear4 sensesSomething learned; a lesson.
• Lear2 sensesA surname.
• learn7 sensesTo acquire, or attempt to acquire knowledge or an ability to do something.
• Learn1 senseA surname from Scottish Gaelic.
• learned4 sensesHaving much learning, knowledgeable, erudite; highly educated.
• Learned1 senseA surname.
• learner2 sensesOne who is learning; one receiving instruction.
• learning3 sensesAn act in which something is learned.
• lease16 sensesAn interest in land granting exclusive use or occupation of real estate for a limited period; a leasehold.
• Lease1 senseA surname.
• leash9 sensesA strap, cord or rope with which to restrain an animal, often a dog.
• least13 sensesChiefly preceded by the: superlative form of little: most little. Chiefly used with abstract nouns: less than all others in extent or size; littlest,…
• leather14 sensesA tough material produced from the skin of animals, by tanning or similar process, used e.g. for clothing; often denotes leather from cattle when no…
• Leather1 senseA surname.
• leave22 sensesTo have a consequence or remnant. To cause or allow (something) to remain as available; to refrain from taking (something) away; to stop short of…
• Lebanon27 sensesA country in West Asia in the Middle East. Official name: Lebanese Republic. Capital: Beirut. Also (especially formerly) known as "the Lebanon".
• Lebeau1 senseA surname from French.
• lecture6 sensesA spoken lesson or exposition, usually delivered to a group.
• lecturing1 senseThe act of delivering a lecture or harangue.
• led2 sensesUnder somebody's control or leadership.
• ledge11 sensesA narrow surface projecting horizontally from a wall, cliff, or other surface.
• ledger9 sensesA book for keeping notes; a record book, a register.
• Ledger1 senseA surname.
• lee6 sensesA protected cove or harbor, out of the wind.
• Lee32 sensesAn English topographic surname from Middle English.
• leech10 sensesA typically aquatic blood-sucking annelid of the subclass Hirudinea, especially Hirudo medicinalis.
• Leech1 senseA surname originating as an occupation, derived from the profession leech, a former word for a physician.
• Leeds11 sensesA large city and metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England.
• Leela1 senseA female given name from Sanskrit used in India, a spelling variant of Lila.
• left13 sensesDesignating the side of the body toward the west when one is facing north; the side of the body on which the heart is located in most humans; the…
• Left1 senseThe political left wing seen as a whole, as distinguished from an individual left-wing political party.
• left-handed8 sensesUsing one's left hand in preference to, or more skillfully than, one's right.
• leftover3 sensesRemaining; left behind; extra; odd; in reserve.
• lefty7 sensesOne who is left-handed.
• leg32 sensesA limb or appendage that an animal uses for support or locomotion on land.
• legacy5 sensesMoney or property bequeathed to someone in a will.
• legal11 sensesRelating to the law or to lawyers.
• Legal1 senseA town in Alberta, Canada.
• legally2 sensesAs permitted by law; not contrary to law.
• legend14 sensesThe life story of a saint (such stories are often embellished, but any kind is called a legend).
• Legend1 senseA male given name.
• legendary7 sensesOf or pertaining to a legend or to legends.
• legion9 sensesNumerous; vast; very great in number.
• legislation2 sensesThe act of legislating; preparation and enactment of laws.
• legit9 sensesA legitimate; a legitimate actor.
• legitimate9 sensesIn accordance with the law or established legal forms and requirements.
• legs3 sensesEleven.
• lei1 senseA garland of flowers in Hawaii.
• Lei1 senseA surname from Chinese.
• leigh1 senseA meadow.
• Leigh11 sensesA surname from Middle English, variant of Lee.
• Leila1 senseA female given name from Arabic.
• leisure3 sensesFreedom provided by the cessation of activities.
• Leisure1 senseA surname.
• Leland9 sensesA surname from Irish.
• Lem1 senseA surname.
• LEM2 sensesOriginally Lunar Excursion Module, latterly Lunar Module.
• lemme1 senseLet me.
• lemon13 sensesA yellowish citrus fruit.
• Lemon3 sensesA surname.
• lemonade3 sensesA flavored beverage consisting of water, lemon, and sweetener, sometimes ice, served mainly as a refreshment. (In the UK and Ireland, generally…
• Len3 sensesA diminutive of the male given name Leonard.
• Lena5 sensesA female given name from Ancient Greek.
• lend8 sensesTo allow to be used by someone temporarily, on condition that it or its equivalent will be returned.
• lending1 senseThe action of, or an instance of the action of the verb to lend.
• length12 sensesThe distance measured along the longest dimension of an object.
• lenient2 sensesLax; not strict; tolerant of dissent or deviation.
• Lenin1 senseVladimir Ilyich Lenin, a Russian revolutionary and politician.
• Leningrad3 sensesAn oblast of Russia, which surrounds, but no longer contains, Saint Petersburg, its former administrative centre.
• Lennon4 sensesA surname from Irish, notably of John Lennon (1940–1980), one of the Beatles.
• Lennox4 sensesA region of Scotland centred on Loch Lomond and its outlet, the River Leven.
• Lenny1 senseA diminutive of the male given name Leonard.
• Lenore1 senseA female given name, variant of Eleanor.
• lens10 sensesAn object, usually made of glass, that focuses or defocuses the light that passes through it.
• Lens3 sensesA municipality in Hainaut, Belgium.
• Lent5 sensesA period of the ecclesiastical year preceding Easter, traditionally involving temporary abstention from certain foods and pleasures.
• leo1 senseA fairy chess piece which moves analogously to the xiangqi cannon and queen, moving either orthogonally or diagonally and must hop over a piece of…
• Leo8 sensesA male given name from Latin, borne by numerous saints and 14 popes.
• Leon22 sensesA male given name from Latin or Ancient Greek.
• Leonard9 sensesA male given name from the Germanic languages.
• Leonardo3 sensesA male given name from Italian, equivalent to English Leonard.
• leone1 senseA unit of currency of Sierra Leone, divided into 100 cents.
• leopard7 sensesA large wild cat with a spotted coat native to Africa and Asia (Panthera pardus).
• Leopard1 senseA surname.
• Leopold5 sensesA male given name from the Germanic languages. Used in the 19th century but rare today.
• leprechaun2 sensesA type of diminutive, solitary fairy or sprite, traditionally depicted as a small, bearded man wearing a green coat and hat, often found repairing a…
• Leroy5 sensesA surname from French, borne by English speakers.
• LeRoy5 sensesA male given name transferred from the surname.
• Les2 sensesA diminutive of the male given names Lester or Leslie.
• lesbian7 sensesHomosexual, gay; preferring exclusively women as romantic or sexual partners.
• Lesbian6 sensesA native or inhabitant of Lesbos.
• Leslie14 sensesA Scottish surname from Scottish Gaelic.
• less9 sensesUsed for constructing syntactic diminutive comparatives of adjectives and adverbs.
• lesser2 sensesOf two (or, rarely, more than two) things: the smaller in size (littler), in value, in importance etc.
• Lesser1 senseA surname.
• lesson9 sensesA section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided.
• lest2 sensesFor fear that; that not; in order to prevent something from happening; in case.
• Lester9 sensesA surname from Old English derived from the English place name Leicester.
• let13 sensesTo allow to, not to prevent (+ infinitive, but usually without to).
• lethal4 sensesOf, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal.
• letter12 sensesA symbol in an alphabet.
• letters2 sensesLiterature (school subject).
• letting2 sensesSynonym of tenancy.
• lettuce6 sensesAn edible plant, Lactuca sativa and its close relatives, having a head of green or purple leaves.
• leukemia1 senseAny of a class of types of cancer affecting the blood cells, especially the white blood cells (usually with massive leukocytosis), and the blood…
• Leung1 senseA surname from Cantonese.
• level32 sensesThe same height at all places; parallel to a flat ground.
• Level1 senseA surname from French.
• lever12 sensesA rigid piece which is capable of turning about one point, or axis (fulcrum), and in which are two or more other points where forces are applied; —…
• Lever1 senseA surname.
• leverage7 sensesA force compounded by means of a lever rotating around a pivot.
• Levi4 sensesThe third son of Jacob, by his wife Leah.
• Levine1 senseA surname from Hebrew.
• lew11 sensesLukewarm, tepid.
• Lew3 sensesA diminutive of the male given name Lewis.
• lewis3 sensesA cramp iron inserted into a cavity in order to lift heavy stones; used as a symbol of strength in Freemasonry.
• Lewis17 sensesA male given name from Frankish.
• lex3 sensesTo perform lexical analysis; to convert a character stream to a token stream as a preliminary to parsing.
• Lex4 sensesLexington.
• Lexi1 senseA diminutive of the female given names Alexa, Alexandra, Alexia, or Alexis, from Ancient Greek.
• Lexington13 sensesA number of places in the United States: A small city, the county seat of Oglethorpe County, Georgia.
• li6 sensesThe Chinese mile, a traditional unit of distance equal to 1500 chis or 150 zhangs, now standardized as a half-kilometer (500 meters).
• Li7 sensesA surname from Chinese
• liability6 sensesAn obligation, debt or responsibility owed to someone.
• liable4 sensesBound or obliged in law or equity; responsible; answerable.
• liaison10 sensesA thickening for sauces, typically based on egg yolks.
• Liam1 senseA male given name from Irish, currently popular in Ireland, England, Scotland, and the United States.
• Lian1 senseA surname.
• liang1 senseSynonym of tael, a former Chinese unit of weight (about 40 g) and a related unit of silver currency.
• Liang3 sensesA surname from Chinese.
• liar2 sensesSomeone who tells a lie; especially, a person who frequently lies.
• Libby3 sensesA diminutive of the female given name Elizabeth and Isabel.
• liberal12 sensesGenerous; permitting liberty; willing to give unsparingly.
• Liberal11 sensesA political party and philosophy
• liberate10 sensesOften followed by from: to allow or cause (someone or something) to be free; to set free, to release.
• liberated1 senseFreed, especially from traditional ideas in social and sexual matters.
• liberation3 sensesThe act of liberating or the state of being liberated.
• liberty8 sensesThe condition of being free.
• Liberty17 sensesA surname. A surname from French.
• librarian3 sensesThe keeper, manager of a library.
• library8 sensesAn institution which holds books and/or other forms of media for use by the public or qualified people often lending them out, as well as providing…
• Libya2 sensesA country in North Africa. Capital: Tripoli.
• lice1 senselouse
• licence1 senseUK, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand, Malaysia, and Singapore standard spelling of license.
• license9 sensesA legal document giving official permission to do something; a permit.
• licensed4 sensesHaving been issued with a licence (by the required authority).
• lick20 sensesTo stroke with the tongue.
• Lick1 senseA surname.
• licked2 sensesHaving been the target of a lick; touched by a tongue.
• licking3 sensesThe act by which something is licked.
• lid13 sensesThe top or cover of a container.
• lie21 sensesTo rest in a horizontal position on a surface.
• Lie1 senseA Norwegian surname.
• lied1 senseAn art song, usually sung solo in German and accompanied on the piano.
• liege6 sensesA free and independent person; specifically, a lord paramount; a sovereign.
• lies1 senseGreat, wonderful
• lieutenant9 sensesThe lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines. In the US Army, Air Force and Marines, holding the…
• life28 sensesThe state of organisms preceding their death, characterized by biological processes such as metabolism and reproduction and distinguishing them from…
• Life3 sensesGod.
• lifeguard3 sensesA lifesaver: a rescuer, usually an expert swimmer, employed to save swimmers in trouble or near drowning at a body of water.
• lifeless4 sensesinanimate; having no life
• lifeline7 sensesA line to which a drowning or falling victim may cling.
• lifelong1 senseExtending for the entire duration of life.
• lifestyle2 sensesA style of living that reflects the attitudes and values of a person or group.
• lifetime2 sensesThe duration of the life of someone or something.
• lift40 sensesTo raise or rise.
• lifted2 sensesRaised up; held aloft.
• lifting6 sensesThe action or process by which something is lifted; elevation
• light63 sensesElectromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range visible to the human eye (about 400–750 nanometers): visible light.
• Light6 sensesA surname.
• lighten11 sensesTo make brighter or clearer; to illuminate.
• lighter5 sensesA person who lights things.
• lighthouse1 senseA tower or other structure exhibiting a light or lights to warn or guide sailors.
• lighting3 sensesThe equipment used to provide illumination; the illumination so provided.
• lightly1 senseIn a light manner.
• lightning6 sensesA flash of light produced by short-duration, high-voltage discharge of electricity within a cloud, between clouds, or between a cloud and the earth.
• lights1 senseThe lungs, now chiefly of an animal (being lighter than adjacent parts).
• lightweight13 sensesA particular weight class, or member of such, as prescribed by the rules, between that of the heavier welterweight and the lighter featherweight. See…
• like36 sensesTo enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of.
• Like1 senseA surname.
• liked1 senseviewed favorably, held in high regard
• likelihood4 sensesThe probability of a specified outcome; the chance of something happening; probability; the state or degree of being probable.