Laity

Lagoon

Lambaste

v. beat; thrash verbally or physically.

Lament

v. grieve; express sorrow

Lampoon

v. ridicule

Lancet

n. small surgical tool for making incisions.

Lanquid

Adj. weary; sluggish; listless

Languish

v. lose animation or strength.

Languor

n. lassitude; depression.

Lank

adj. Long and thin.

Lap

v. take in food or drink with one's tongue; splash gently.

Larceny

theft

Larder

pantry;

Largess

generous gift

Lascivious

lustful

Lassitude

Languor; weariness

Latent

adj. potential but undeveloped; dormant; hidden.

Lateral

coming from the side.

latitude

freedom from narrow limitations

Laud

praise

Lavish

liberal; wasteful

lax

careless

leaven

cause to rise or grow lighter; enliven.

lechery

gross lewdness; lustfulness.

lectern

reading desk

Leery

suspicious; cautious

Leeway

room to move; margin

Legacy

a gift made by a will.

legend

explanatory list of symbols on a map

legerdemain

leniency

mildness; permissiveness

leonine

like a lion

lethal

deadly

lethargic

drowsy; dull

levee

earthen or stone embankment to prevent flooding.

levitate

float in the air

levity

lack of seriousness or steadiness; frivolity

levy

impose (a fine); collect (payment)

lewd

lustful

lexicographer

compiler of a dictionary

lexicon

dictionary

liability

drawback; debts

liason

libel

libertine

debauched person; roue

libidinous

lustful

libido

emotional urges behind human activity

libretto

text of an opera

licentious

amoral; lewd and lascivious; unrestrained.

lien

legal claim on a property

ligneous

like wood

liliputian

extremely small

limber

flexible

limbo

limn

draw; outline; describe.

limpid

clear

lineage

descent; ancestry

lineaments

features, especially of the face

linger

loiter or dawdle; continue or persist

linguistic

pertaining to language

lionize

treat as a celebrity

liquidate

settle accounts; clear up

list

tilt; lean over

listless

lacking in spirit or energy

litany

supplicatory prayer

lithe

flexible; supple

litigation

lawsuit

litotes

understatement for emphasis

livid

lead-colored; black and blue; ashen; enraged

loath

reluctant; disinclined

loathe

detest

lode

metal-bearing vein

lofty

very high

log

record of a voyage or flight; record of day to day activities

loiter

hang aroung; linger

loll

lounge about

longevity

long life

loom

appear or take shape (usually in an enlarged or distorted form)

lope

gallop slowly

loquacious

talkative

lout

clumsy person

low

moo

lucid

easily understood; clear; inteligible

lucrative

profitable

lucre

money

ludicrous

laughable; trifling

lugubrious

mournful

lull

moment of calm

lumber

move heavily or clumsily

lumen

unit of light energy (one candle's worth)

luminary

celebrity; dignitary

luminous

shining; issuing light

lunar

pertaining to the moon

lunge

make a quick forward dive or reach; thrust.

lurid

wild; sensational; graphic; gruesome

lurk

stealthily lie in waiting; slink; exist unperceived

luscious

pleasing to taste or smell

luster

shine; gloss

lustrous

shining

luxuriant

abundant; rich and splendid; fertile

macabre

gruesome; grisly

mace

ceremonial staff; clublike medieval weapon

macerate

soften by soaking in liquid; waste away

Machiavellian

crafty; double-dealing

machinations

evil schemes or plots

maculated

spotted; stained

madrigal

pastoral song

maelstrom

whirlpool

magisterial

authoritative; imperious

magnanimity

generosity

magnate

person of prominence or influence

magniloquent

boastful; pompous

magnitude

greatness; extent

maim

mutilate; injure

maladroit

clumsy; bungling

malady

illness

malaise

uneasiness; vague feeling of ill health

malapropism

comic misuse of a word

malcontent

person dissatisfied with existing state of affairs

malediction

curse

malefactor

evildoer; criminal

malevolent

wishing evil

malfeasance

wrongdoing

malicious

hateful; spiteful

malign

speak evil of; bad-mouth; defame

malignant

injurious; tending to cause death; agressively malevolent

malingerer

one who feigns illness to escape duty

malleable

capable of being shaped by punding; impressionable

malodorous

foul-smelling

mammal

vertebrate animal who's female suckles its young

mammoth

gigantic; enormous

manacle

restrain; handcuff

mandate

order; charge

mandatory

obligatory

mangy

shabby; wretched

maniacal

raging mad; insane

manifest

evident; visible; obvious

manifestation

outward demonstration; indication

manifesto

declaration; statement of policy

manifold

numerous; varied

manipulate

operate with one's hands; control or play upon artfully

mannered

affected; not natural

manumit

emancipate; free from bondage

marital

pertaining to marriage

maritime

bordering on the sea; nautical

marked

noticeable; targeted for vengeance

marred

damaged; disfigured

marshal

put in order

marsupial

martial

warlike

martinet

martyr

one who voluntarily suffers death for his or her religion or cause; great sufferer

masochist

person who enjoys his own pain

masticate

chew

materialism

preoccupation with physical comforts and things.

maternal

motherly

matriarch

matriculate

enroll (in college or grad school)

matrix

maudlin

effusively sentimental

maul

handle rough

mausoleum

monumental tomb

mauve

pale purple

maverick

rebel; nonconformist

mawkish

mushy and gushy; icky-sticky sentimental; maudlin

maxim

a truth pithily stated

mayhem

injury to body

meagor

scanty; inadequate

mealymouthed

indirect in speech; hypocritical; evasive

meander

wind or tune in its course

meddlesome

interfering

mediate

mediocre

ordinary; commonplace

meditation

reflection; thought

medley

mixture

meek

submissive; patient and long-suffering

megalomania

mania for doing grandoise things

melancholy

gloomy; morose; blue

melee

fight

mellifluous

sweetly or smoothly flowing; melodius

memento

token; reminder

memorialize

commemorate

menagerie

collection of wild animals

mendacious

lying; habitually dishonest

mendicant

beggar

menial

suitable for servants; lowly; mean

medium

medium

mentor

counselor; teacher

mercantile

concerning trade

mercenary

motivated solely by money or gain.

mercurial

capricious; changing; fickle

meretricious

flashy; tawdry

merger

combination (of two business corporations)

mesmerize

hypnotize

metallurgical

pertaining to the art of removing metals froms ores

metamorphosis

change of form

metaphor

implied comparison

metaphysical

pertaining to speculative philosophy

mete

measure; distribute

meteoric

swift; momentarily brilliant

methodical

systematic

meticulous

excessively careful; painstaking; scrupulous

metropolis

large city

mettle

courage; spirit

miasma

microcosm

small world; the world in miniature

migrant

changing its habitat; wandering

migratory

wandering

milieu

environment; means of expression

militant

combative; bellicose

militate

work against

millennium

mimicry

imitation

minatory

menacing; threatening

mincing

affectedly dainty

minion

a servile dependent

miniscule

extremely small

minute

extremely small

minutiae

petty details

mirage

unreal reflection; optical illusion

mire

entangle; stick in swampy ground

mirth

merriment; laughter

misadventure

mischance; ill luck

misanthrope

one who hates mankind

misapprehension

error; misunderstanding

miscellany

mixture of writings on various subjects

mischance

ill luck

misconstrue

interpret incorrectly; misjudge

miscreant

wretch; villain

misdemeanor

minor crime

miserly

stingy; mean

misgivings

doubts

mishap

accident

misnomer

wrong name; incorrect designation

misogamy

hatred of marriage

misogynist

hater of women