| ladyship |
(often cap.) the title used when referring or speaking directly to a woman with the rank of lady (often prec. by Her or Your). [2 definitions] |
| lady's man |
see ladies' man. |
| lady's room |
See ladies' room. |
| lady's-slipper |
any of various related orchids that bear flowers with a protruding, inflated lip that somewhat resembles a woman's slipper. |
| Laertes |
in Greek mythology, king of Ithaca and, in certain myths, father of Odysseus. |
| laetrile |
a drug made of substances from almond seeds and apricot or peach pits, used to treat some types of cancer but banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. |
| Laffer Curve |
a graph illustrating the theory that increasing taxes results in increased government revenue only up to a certain point, after which further tax increases discourage production and investment. |
| lag |
to fall behind an established or expected pace. [6 definitions] |
| lag bolt |
see lag screw. |
| lager |
a light, carbonated beer that is stored from six weeks to six months to permit sedimentation. |
| laggard |
someone or something that lags. [2 definitions] |
| laggardly |
slowly or belatedly; in the way of a laggard. [2 definitions] |
| lagging |
thermal insulation that is wrapped around pipes, boilers, and the like. [3 definitions] |
| lagniappe |
an extra gift, bonus, or tip. |
| lagomorph |
any of an order of plant-eating mammals, including rabbits, hares, and pikas, having short tails and two pairs of upper incisors. |
| lagoon |
a shallow, saltwater area by the sea but separated from it by sandbars or by coral reefs or islands. [3 definitions] |
| Lagos |
the seaport capital of Nigeria. |
| lag screw |
a heavy wood screw with a hexagonal or square bolt head that is turned by a wrench. |
| lahar |
a mudflow down the side of a volcano, or the deposit left by such a mudflow. |
| laic |
of or pertaining to the laity; lay; secular. [2 definitions] |
| laicism |
secular or nonclerical control of social or political institutions. |