| letter of marque |
formerly, a government document that authorized a ship captain to seize the ships of other nations. |
| letter opener |
a knifelike tool used to open sealed envelopes. |
| letter-perfect |
correct or accurate in every detail. |
| letterpress |
a method of printing characters from raised type as opposed to flat or intaglio plates or blocks. [2 definitions] |
| letters patent |
a government-issued document granting a person a patent or exclusive right to sell or otherwise profit from an invention or process. |
| let the cat out of the bag |
to reveal a secret. |
| Lettish |
Latvian. |
| lettuce |
any of several varieties of a common, edible annual plant that has large, crisp leaves. [2 definitions] |
| letup |
a stop, pause, or momentary relief. [2 definitions] |
| let up |
to cease or diminish. [2 definitions] |
| leu |
the chief monetary unit of Rumania, equaling one hundred bani. |
| leucine |
an amino acid, essential in the diet of humans and other animals, that is found in proteins. |
| leuco- |
variant of leuko-. |
| leukemia |
any of a group of cancers of bone marrow, usu. resulting in an abnormally high production of white blood cells. |
| leuko- |
white; colorless. |
| leukocyte |
one of the white or colorless blood cells that normally function to defend the body from infection. |
| leukocytosis |
a large temporary increase in the number of white blood cells in the blood, due esp. to infection or pregnancy rather than leukemia. |
| leukoderma |
a lack of skin pigmentation, either total or partial, that results in white patches. |
| leukoma |
a dense white opacity of the cornea, caused by infection or injury. |
| lev |
the chief monetary unit of Bulgaria, equaling one hundred stotinki. |
| Levant |
the lands bordering or near the eastern shore of the Mediterranean, including Turkey, Syria, Israel, and Lebanon (usu. prec. by "the"). [2 definitions] |