LEVY Lev"y, n.; pl. Levies. Etym: [A contr. of elevenpence or elevenpenny bit.]
Defn: A name formerly given in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia to the Spanish real of one eight of a dollar (or 12
LEVYLev"y, n. Etym: [F. levée, fr. lever to raise. See Lever, and cf.Lever.]
1. The act of levying or collecting by authority; as, the levy of troops, taxes, etc. A levy of all the men left under sixty. Thirlwall.
2. That which is levied, as an army, force, tribute, etc. " The Irish levies." Macaulay.
3. (Law)
Defn: The taking or seizure of property on executions to satisfy judgments, or on warrants for the collection of taxes; a collecting by execution. Levy in mass Etym: [F. levée en masse], a requisition of all able-bodied men for military service.
LEVYLev"y, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Levied; p. pr. & vb. n. Levying.]
1. To raise, as a siege. [Obs.] Holland.
2. To raise; to collect; said of troops, to form into an army by enrollment, conscription. etc. Augustine . . . inflamed Ethelbert, king of Kent, to levy his power, and to war against them. Fuller.
3. To raise or collect by assessment; to exact by authority; as, to levy taxes, toll, tribute, or contributions. If they do this . . . my ransom, then, Will soon be levied. Shak.
4. (Law) (a) To gather or exact; as, to levy money. (b) To erect, build, or set up; to make or construct; to raise or cast up; as, to levy a mill, dike, ditch, a nuisance, etc. [Obs.] Cowell. Blackstone. (c) To take or seize on execution; to collect by execution. To levy a fine, to commence and carry on a suit for assuring the title to lands or tenements. Blackstone. — To levy war, to make or begin war; to take arms for attack; to attack.
LEVYLev"y, v. i.
Defn: To seize property, real or personal, or subject it to the operation of an execution; to make a levy; as, to levy on property; the usual mode of levying, in England, is by seizing the goods. To levy on goods and chattels, to take into custody or seize specific property in satisfaction of a writ.
LEVYNE; LEVYNITE Lev"yne, Lev"yn*ite, n. Etym: [From Mr. Levy, an English mineralogist.] (Min.)
Defn: A whitish, reddish, or yellowish, transparent or translucent mineral, allied to chabazite.
LEWLew, a. Etym: [Cf. lee a calm or sheltered place, lukewarm.]
Defn: Lukewarm; tepid. [Obs.] Wyclif.
LEWD Lewd, a. [Compar. Lewder; superl. Lewdest.] Etym: [OE.lewed, lewd, lay, ignorant, vile, AS. l laical, belonging to the laity.]
1. Not clerical; laic; laical; hence, unlearned; simple. [Obs.] For if priest be foul, on whom we trust, No wonder is a lewed man to rust. Chaucer. So these great clerks their little wisdom show To mock the lewd, as learn'd in this as they. Sit. J. Davies.
2. Belonging to the lower classes, or the rabble; idle and lawless; bad; vicious. [Archaic] Chaucer. But the Jews, which believed not, . . . took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, . . . and assaulted the house of Jason. Acts xvii. 5. Too lewd to work, and ready for any kind of mischief. Southey .
3. Given to the promiscuous indulgence of lust; dissolute; lustful; libidinous. Dryden.
4. Suiting, or proceeding from, lustfulness; involving unlawful sexual desire; as, lewd thoughts, conduct, or language.
Syn.— Lustful; libidinous; licentious; profligate; dissolute; sensual;unchaste; impure; lascivious; lecherous; rakish; debauched.— Lewd"ly, adv.— Lewd"ness, n.
LEWDSTERLewd"ster, n.
Defn: A lewd person. [Obs.] Shak.
LEWIS; LEWISSONLew"is, Lew"is*son, n.
1. An iron dovetailed tenon, made in sections, which can be fitted into a dovetail mortise; — used in hoisting large stones, etc.
2. A kind of shears used in cropping woolen cloth. Lewis hole, a hole wider at the bottom than at the mouth, into which a lewis is fitted. De Foe.
LEXLex, n.; pl. Leges. Etym: [L. See Legal.]
Defn: Law; as, lex talionis, the law of retaliation; lex terræ, the law of the land; lex fori, the law of the forum or court; lex loci, the law of the place; lex mercatoria, the law or custom of merchants.
LEXICALLex"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to a lexicon, to lexicography, or words; according or conforming to a lexicon. — Lex"ic*al*ly, adv.
LEXICOGRAPHERLex`i*cog"ra*pher, n. Etym: [Gr. lexicographe. See Lexicon.]
Defn: The author or compiler of a lexicon or dictionary. Every other author may aspire to praise; the lexicographer can only hope to escape reproach; and even this negative recompense has been yet granted to very few. Johnson.
LEXICOGRAPHIC; LEXICOGRAPHICAL Lex`i*co*graph"ic, Lex`i*co*graph"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. lexicographique.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to, or according to, lexicography.— Lex`i*co*graph"ic*al*ly, adv.
LEXICOGRAPHISTLex`i*cog"ra*phist, n.
Defn: A lexicographer. [R.] Southey.
LEXICOGRAPHYLex`i*cog"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Cf. F. lexicographie.]
Defn: The art, process, or occupation of making a lexicon or dictionary; the principles which are applied in making dictionaries.
LEXICOLOGISTLex`i*col"o*gist, n.
Defn: One versed in lexicology.
LEXICOLOGYLex`i*col"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. -logy: cf. F. lexicologie.]
Defn: The science of the derivation and signification of words; that branch of learning which treats of the signification and application of words.
LEXICONLex"i*con, n. Etym: [Gr. Legend.]
Defn: A vocabulary, or book containing an alphabetical arrangement of the words in a language or of a considerable number of them, with the definition of each; a dictionary; especially, a dictionary of the Greek, Hebrew, or Latin language.
LEXICONISTLex"i*con*ist, n.
Defn: A writer of a lexicon. [R.]
LEXIGRAPHICLex`i*graph"ic, a. Etym: [Cf. F. lexigraphique.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to lexigraphy.
LEXIGRAPHYLex*ig"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Gr. -graphy: cf. F. lexigraphie.]
Defn: The art or practice of defining words; definition of words.
LEXIPHANICLex`i*phan"ic, a. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Using, or interlarded with, pretentious words; bombastic; as, a lexiphanic writer or speaker; lexiphanic writing.
LEXIPHANICISMLex`i*phan"i*cism, n.
Defn: The use of pretentious words, language, or style.
LEXIPHARMICLex`i*phar"mic, a.
Defn: See Alexipharmic.
LEYLey, v. i.
Defn: , & i. To lay; to wager. [Obs.] Chaucer.
LEYLey, n. Etym: [OF.]
Defn: Law. Abbott.
LEYLey, n. [Obs.]
Defn: See Lye.
LEYLey, n.
Defn: Grass or meadow land; a lea.
LEYLey, a.
Defn: Fallow; unseeded. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
LEYDEN JAR; LEYDEN PHIALLey"den jar", Ley"den phi"al, (Elec.)
Defn: A glass jar or bottle used to accumulate electricity. It is coated with tin foil, within and without, nearly to its top, and is surmounted by a brass knob which communicates with the inner coating, for the purpose of charging it with electricity. It is so named from having been invented in Leyden, Holland.
LEYSERLey"ser, n.
Defn: Leisure. [Obs.] Chaucer.
LEZE MAJESTY Leze` maj"es*ty. Etym: [F. lese-majesté, fr. L. laesus, fem. laesa, injured (see Lesion) + majestas majesty; that is, crimen laesae majestatis.] [Written also lese majesty.] (Law)
Defn: Any crime committed against the sovereign power.
LHERZOLITELher"zo*lite, n. Etym: [From Lherz, a place in the Pyrenees + -lite.](Min.)
Defn: An igneous rock consisting largely of chrysolite, with pyroxene and picotite (a variety of spinel containing chromium).
LILi, n.
1. Chinese measure of distance, being a little more that one third of a mile.
2. A Chinese copper coin; a cash. See Cash.
LIABILITYLi`a*bil"i*ty, n.; pl. Liabilities (.
1. The state of being liable; as, the liability of an insurer; liability to accidents; liability to the law.
2. That which one is under obligation to pay, or for which one is liable. Specifically, in the pl.,
Defn: the sum of one's pecuniary obligations; — opposed to assets.Limited liability. See Limited company, under Limited.
LIABLELi"a*ble, a. Etym: [From F. lier to bind, L. ligare. Cf. Ally, v. t.,Ligature.]
1. Bound or obliged in law or equity; responsible; answerable; as, the surety is liable for the debt of his principal.
2. Exposed to a certain contingency or casualty, more or less probable; — with to and an infinitive or noun; as, liable to slip; liable to accident.
Syn. — Accountable; responsible; answerable; bound; subject; obnoxious; exposed. — Liable, Subject. Liable refers to a future possible or probable happening which may not actually occur; as, horses are liable to slip; even the sagacious are liable to make mistakes. Subject refers to any actual state or condition belonging to the nature or circumstances of the person or thing spoken of, or to that which often befalls one. One whose father was subject to attacks of the gout is himself liable to have that disease. Men are constantly subject to the law, but liable to suffer by its infraction. Proudly secure, yet liable to fall. Milton. All human things are subject to decay. Dryden.
LIABLENESSLi"a*ble*ness, n.
Defn: Quality of being liable; liability.
LIAGELi"age, n. Etym: [Cf. OF. liage a bond. See Liable.]
Defn: Union by league; alliance. [Obs.]
LIAISONLi`ai`son", n. Etym: [F., fr. L. ligatio, fr. ligare to bind. SeeLigature, and cf. Ligation.]
Defn: A union, or bond of union; an intimacy; especially, an illicit intimacy between a man and a woman.
LIANE; LIANALi*ane", Li*a"na, n. Etym: [F. liane; prob. akin to lien a band, fr.L. ligamen, fr. ligare to bind. Cf. Lien, n. ] (Bot.)
Defn: A luxuriant woody plant, climbing high trees and having ropelike stems. The grapevine often has the habit of a liane. Lianes are abundant in the forests of the Amazon region.
LIARLi"ar, n. Etym: [OE. liere. See Lie to falsify.]
Defn: A person who knowingly utters falsehood; one who lies.
LIARDLi"ard, a. Etym: [OF. liart, LL. liardus gray, dappie.]
Defn: Gray. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Note: Used by Chaucer as an epithet of a gray or dapple gray horse.Also used as a name for such a horse.
LIARDLiard, n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A French copper coin of one fourth the value of a sou.
LIASLi"as, n. Etym: [Cf. F. lias, fr. liais sort of limestone, OF. alsoliois; perh. of Celtic origin, cf. Armor. liach, leach, a stone,Gael. leac, W. llech. Cf. Cromlech.] (Geol.)
Defn: The lowest of the three divisions of the Jurassic period; a name given in England and Europe to a series of marine limestones underlying the Oölite. See the Chart of Geology.
LIASSICLi*as"sic, a. (Geol.)
Defn: Of the age of the Lias; pertaining to the Lias Formation.— n.
Defn: Same as Lias.
LIBLib, v. i. Etym: [Cf. Glib to geld.]
Defn: To castrate. [Obs.]
LIBAMENTLib"a*ment, n. Etym: [L. libamentum.]
Defn: Libation. [Obs.] Holland.
LIBANTLi"bant, a. Etym: [L. libans, p. pr. of libare to taste, touch.]
Defn: Sipping; touching lightly. [R.] Landor.
LIBATION Li*ba"tion, n. Etym: [L. libatio, fr. libare to take a little from anything, to taste, to pour out as an offering: cf. F. libation.]
Defn: The act of pouring a liquid or liquor, usually wine, either on the ground or on a victim in sacrifice, in honor of some deity; also, the wine or liquid thus poured out. Dryden. A heathen sacrifice or libation to the earth. Bacon.
LIBATORYLi"ba*to*ry, a.
Defn: Pertaining to libation.
LIBBARDLib"bard, n. Etym: [See Leopard.]
Defn: A leopard. [Obs. or Poetic] Spenser. Keats.
LIBBARD'S BANELib"bard's bane`
Defn: . Leopard's bane. [Obs.]
LIBEL Li"bel, n. Etym: [L. libellus a little book, pamphlet, libel, lampoon, dim. of liber the liber or inner bark of a tree; also (because the ancients wrote on this bark), paper, parchment, or a roll of any material used to write upon, and hence, a book or treatise: cf. F. libelle.]
1. A brief writing of any kind, esp. a declaration, bill, certificate, request, supplication, etc. [Obs.] Chaucer. A libel of forsaking [divorcement]. Wyclif (Matt. v. 31).
2. Any defamatory writing; a lampoon; a satire.
3. (Law)
Defn: A malicious publication expressed either in print or in writing, or by pictures, effigies, or other signs, tending to expose another to public hatred, contempt, or ridicule. Such publication is indictable at common law.
Note: The term, in a more extended sense, includes the publication of such writings, pictures, and the like, as are of a blasphemous, treasonable, seditious, or obscene character. These also are indictable at common law.
4. (Law)
Defn: The crime of issuing a malicious defamatory publication.
5. (Civil Law & Courts of Admiralty)
Defn: A written declaration or statement by the plaintiff of his cause of action, and of the relief he seeks.
LIBELLi"bel, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Liebeled or Libelled; p. pr. & vb. n.Libeling or Libelling.]
1. To defame, or expose to public hatred, contempt, or ridicule, by a writing, picture, sign, etc.; to lampoon. Some wicked wits have libeled all the fair. Pope.
2. (Law)
Defn: To proceed against by filing a libel, particularly against a ship or goods.
LIBELLi"bel, v. i.
Defn: To spread defamation, written or printed; — with against.[Obs.]What's this but libeling against the senate Shak.[He] libels now 'gainst each great man. Donne.
LIBELANTLi"bel*ant, n.
Defn: One who libels; one who institutes a suit in an ecclesiastical or admiralty court. [Written also libellant.] Cranch.
LIBELERLi"bel*er, n.
Defn: One who libels. [Written also libeller.] " Libelers of others."Buckkminster.
LIBELISTLi"bel*ist, n.
Defn: A libeler.
LI BELLALi *bel"la, n. Etym: [L., dim. of libra balance. See Level, n.]
1. A small balance.
2. A level, or leveling instrument.
LIBELLEE Li`bel*lee", n. (Law) (a) The party against whom a libel has been filed; — corresponding to defendant in a common law action. (b) The defendant in an action of libel.
LIBELLULIDLi*bel"lu*lid, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A dragon fly.
LIBELLULOID Li*bel"lu*loid, a. Etym: [NL. Libellula, the name of the typical genus + -oid.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Like or pertaining to the dragon fi
LIBELOUSLi"bel*ous, a.
Defn: Containing or involving a libel; defamatory; containing that which exposes some person to public hatred, contempt, or ridicule; as, a libelous pamphlet. [Written also libellous.] — Li"bel*ous*ly, adv.
LIBERLi"ber, n. Etym: [L. See Libel.] (Bot.)
Defn: The inner bark of plants, lying next to the wood. It usually contains a large proportion of woody, fibrous cells, and is, therefore, the part from which the fiber of the plant is obtained, as that of hemp, etc. Liber cells, elongated woody cells found in the liber.
LIBERAL Lib"er*al, a. Etym: [F. libéral, L. liberalis, from liber free; perh. akin to libet, lubet,it pleases, E. lief. Cf. Deliver.]
1. Free by birth; hence, befitting a freeman or gentleman; refined; noble; independent; free; not servile or mean; as, a liberal ancestry; a liberal spirit; liberal arts or studies. " Liberal education." Macaulay. " A liberal tongue." Shak.
2. Bestowing in a large and noble way, as a freeman; generous; bounteous; open-handed; as, a liberal giver. " Liberal of praise." Bacon. Infinitely good, and of his good As liberal and free as infinite. Milton.
3. Bestowed in a large way; hence, more than sufficient; abundant; bountiful; ample; profuse; as, a liberal gift; a liberal discharge of matter or of water. His wealth doth warrant a liberal dower. Shak.
4. Not strict or rigorous; not confined or restricted to the literal sense; free; as, a liberal translation of a classic, or a liberal construction of law or of language.
5. Not narrow or contracted in mind; not selfish; enlarged in spirit; catholic.
6. Free to excess; regardless of law or moral restraint; licentious. " Most like a liberal villain." Shak.
7. Not bound by orthodox tenets or established forms in political or religious philosophy; independent in opinion; not conservative; friendly to great freedom in the constitution or administration of government; having tendency toward democratic or republican, as distinguished from monarchical or aristocratic, forms; as, liberal thinkers; liberal Christians; the Liberal party. I confess I see nothing liberal in this " order of thoughts," as Hobbes elsewhere expresses it. Hazlitt.
Note: Liberal has of, sometimes with, before the thing bestowed, in before a word signifying action, and to before a person or object on which anything is bestowed; as, to be liberal of praise or censure; liberal with money; liberal in giving; liberal to the poor. The liberal arts. See under Art. — Liberal education, education that enlarges and disciplines the mind and makes it master of its own powers, irrespective of the particular business or profession one may follow.
Syn. — Generous; bountiful; munificent; beneficent; ample; large; profuse; free. — Liberal, Generous. Liberal is freeborn, and generous is highborn. The former is opposed to the ordinary feelings of a servile state, and implies largeness of spirit in giving, judging, acting, etc. The latter expresses that nobleness of soul which is peculiarly appropriate to those of high rank, — a spirit that goes out of self, and finds its enjoyment in consulting the feelings and happiness of others. Generosity is measured by the extent of the sacrifices it makes; liberality, by the warmth of feeling which it manifests.
LIBERALLib"er*al, n.
Defn: One who favors greater freedom in political or religious matters; an opponent of the established systems; a reformer; in English politics, a member of the Liberal party, so called. Cf. Whig.
LIBERALISMLib"er*al*ism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. libéralisme.]
Defn: Liberal principles; the principles and methods of the liberals in politics or religion; specifically, the principles of the Liberal party.
LIBERALISTLib"er*al*ist, n.
Defn: A liberal.
LIBERALISTICLib`er*al*is"tic, a.
Defn: Pertaining to, or characterized by, liberalism; as, liberalistic opinions.
LIBERALITY Lib`er*al"i*ty, n.; pl. Liberalities. Etym: [L. liberalitas: cf. F. libéralité.]
1. The quality or state of being liberal; liberal disposition or practice; freedom from narrowness or prejudice; generosity; candor; charity. That liberality is but cast away Which makes us borrow what we can not pay. Denham.
2. A gift; a gratuity; — sometimes in the plural; as, a prudent man is not impoverished by his liberalities.
LIBERALIZATIONLib`er*al*i*za"tion, n.
Defn: The act of liberalizing.
LIBERALIZELib"er*al*ize, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Liberalized; p. pr. & vb. n.Liberalizing.] Etym: [Cf. F. libéraliser.]
Defn: To make liberal; to free from narrow views or prejudices.To open and to liberalize the mind. Burke.
LIBERALIZERLib"er*al*i`zer, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, liberalizes. Emerson.
LIBERALLYLib"er*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a liberal manner.
LIBERATELib"er*ate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Liberated; p. pr. & vb. n.Liberating.] Etym: [L. liberatus, p. p. of liberare to free, fr.liber free. See Liberal, a., and cf. Deliver.]
Defn: To release from restraint or bondage; to set at liberty; to free; to manumit; to disengage; as, to liberate a slave or prisoner; to liberate the mind from prejudice; to liberate gases.
Syn.— To deliver; free; release. See Deliver.
LIBERATIONLib`er*a"tion, n. Etym: [L. liberatio: cf. F. libération. Cf.Livraison.]
Defn: The act of liberating or the state of being liberated. This mode of analysis requires perfect liberation from all prejudged system. Pownall.
LIBERATORLib"er*a`tor, n. Etym: [L.]
Defn: One who, or that which, liberates; a deliverer.
LIBERATORYLib"er*a*to*ry, a.
Defn: Tending, or serving, to liberate. [R.]
LIBERTARIANLib`er*ta"ri*an, a. Etym: [See Liberty.]
Defn: Pertaining to liberty, or to the doctrine of free will, as opposed to the doctrine of necessity.
LIBERTARIANLib`er*ta"ri*an, n.
Defn: One who holds to the doctrine of free will.
LIBERTARIANISMLib`er*ta"ri*an*ism, n.
Defn: Libertarian principles or doctrines.
LIBERTICIDE Lib"er*ti*cide, n. Etym: [L. libertas liberty + caedere to kill: cf. (for sense 2) F. liberticide.]
1. The destruction of civil liberty.
2. A destroyer of civil liberty. B. F. Wade.
LIBERTINAGELib"er*tin*age n. Etym: [Cf. F. libertinage. See Libertine.]
Defn: Libertinism; license. [R.]
LIBERTINE Lib"er*tine, n. Etym: [L. libertinus freedman, from libertus one made free, fr. liber free: cf. F. libertin. See Liberal.]
1. (Rom. Antiq.)
Defn: A manumitted slave; a freedman; also, the son of a freedman.
2. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: One of a sect of Anabaptists, in the fifteenth and early part of the sixteenth century, who rejected many of the customs and decencies of life, and advocated a community of goods and of women.
3. One free from restraint; one who acts according to his impulses and desires; now, specifically, one who gives rein to lust; a rake; a debauchee. Like a puffed and reckless libertine, Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads. Shak.
4. A defamatory name for a freethinker. [Obsoles.]
LIBERTINELib"er*tine, a. Etym: [L. libertinus of a freedman: cf. F. libertin.See Libertine, n. ]
1. Free from restraint; uncontrolled. [Obs.] You are too much libertine. Beau. & Fl.
2. Dissolute; licentious; profligate; loose in morals; as, libertine principles or manners. Bacon.
LIBERTINISMLib"er*tin*ism, n.
1. The state of a libertine or freedman. [R.] Hammond.
2. Licentious conduct; debauchery; lewdness.
3. Licentiousness of principle or opinion. That spirit of religion and seriousness vanished all at once, and a spirit of liberty and libertinism, of infidelity and profaneness, started up in the room of it. Atterbury.
LIBERTYLib"er*ty, n.; pl. Liberties (. Etym: [OE. liberte, F. liberté, fr.L. libertas, fr. liber free. See Liberal.]
1. The state of a free person; exemption from subjection to the will of another claiming ownership of the person or services; freedom; — opposed to slavery, serfdom, bondage, or subjection. But ye . . . caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid whom he had set at liberty at their pleasure, to return, and brought them into subjection. Jer. xxxiv. 16. Delivered fro the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. Bible, 1551. Rom. viii. 21.
2. Freedom from imprisonment, bonds, or other restraint upon locomotion. Being pent from liberty, as I am now. Shak.
3. A privilege conferred by a superior power; permission granted; leave; as, liberty given to a child to play, or to a witness to leave a court, and the like.
4. Privilege; exemption; franchise; immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant; as, the liberties of the commercial cities of Europe. His majesty gave not an entire county to any; much less did he grant . . . any extraordinary liberties. Sir J. Davies.
5. The place within which certain immunities are enjoyed, or jurisdiction is exercised. [Eng.] Brought forth into some public or open place within the liberty of the city, and there . . . burned. Fuller.
6. A certain amount of freedom; permission to go freely within certain limits; also, the place or limits within which such freedom is exercised; as, the liberties of a prison.
7. A privilege or license in violation of the laws of etiquette or propriety; as, to permit, or take, a liberty. He was repeatedly provoked into striking those who had taken liberties with him. Macaulay.
8. The power of choice; freedom from necessity; freedom from compulsion or constraint in willing. The idea of liberty is the idea of a power in any agent to do or forbear any particular action, according to the determination or thought of the mind, whereby either of them is preferred to the other. Locke. This liberty of judgment did not of necessity lead to lawlessness. J. A. Symonds.
9. (Manege)
Defn: A curve or arch in a bit to afford room for the tongue of the horse.
10. (Naut.)
Defn: Leave of absence; permission to go on shore. At liberty. (a) Unconfined; free. (b) At leisure. — Civil liberty, exemption from arbitrary interference with person, opinion, or property, on the part of the government under which one lives, and freedom to take part in modifying that government or its laws. — Liberty bell. See under Bell. — Liberty cap. (a) The Roman pileus which was given to a slave at his manumission. (b) A limp, close-fitting cap with which the head of representations of the goddess of liberty is often decked. It is sometimes represented on a spear or a liberty pole. — Liberty of the press, freedom to print and publish without official supervision. Liberty party, the party, in the American Revolution, which favored independence of England; in more recent usage, a party which favored the emancipation of the slaves. — Liberty pole, a tall flagstaff planted in the ground, often surmounted by a liberty cap. [U. S.] — Moral liberty, that liberty of choice which is essential to moral responsibility. — Religious liberty, freedom of religious opinion and worship.
Syn. — Leave; permission; license. — Liberty, Freedom. These words, though often interchanged, are distinct in some of of their applications. Liberty has reference to previous restraint; freedom, to the simple, unrepressed exercise of our powers. A slave is set at liberty; his master had always been in a state of freedom. A prisoner under trial may ask liberty (exemption from restraint) to speak his sentiments with freedom (the spontaneous and bold utterance of his feelings), The liberty of the press is our great security for freedom of thought.
LIBETHENITE Li*beth"en*ite, n. Etym: [From Libethen, in Hungary, where it was first found.] (Min.)
Defn: A mineral of an olive-green color, commonly in orthorhombic crystals. It is a hydrous phosphate of copper.
LIBIDINISTLi*bid"i*nist, n. Etym: [See Libidinous.]
Defn: One given to lewdness.
LIBIDINOSITYLi*bid`i*nos"i*ty, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being libidinous; libidinousness.Skelton.
LIBIDINOUS Li*bid"i*nous, a. Etym: [L. libidinosus, fr. libido, libidinis, pleasure, desire, lust, fr. libet, lubet, it pleases: cf. F. libidineux. See Lief.]
Defn: Having lustful desires; characterized by lewdness; sensual;lascivious.— Li*bid"i*nous*ly, adv.— Li*bid"i*nous*ness, n.
Syn. — Lewd; lustful; lascivious; unchaste; impure; sensual; licentious; lecherous; salacious.
LIBKEN; LIBKINLib"ken, Lib"kin, n. Etym: [AS. libban, F. live, v. i. + -kin.]
Defn: A house or lodging. [Old Slang] B. Jonson.
LIBRA Li"bra, n.; pl. Libræ. Etym: [L., a balance.] (Astron.) (a) The Balance; the seventh sign in the zodiac, which the sun enters at the autumnal equinox in September, marked thus libra in almanacs, etc. (b ) A southern constellation between Virgo and Scorpio.
LIBRALLi"bral, a. Etym: [L. libralis, fr. libra the Roman pound.]
Defn: Of a pound weight. [Obs.] Johnson.
LIBRARIANLi*bra"ri*an, n. Etym: [See Library.]
1. One who has the care or charge of a library.
2. One who copies manuscript books. [Obs.] Broome.
LIBRARIANSHIPLi*bra"ri*an*ship, n.
Defn: The office of a librarian.
LIBRARY Li"bra*ry, n.; pl. Libraries. Etym: [OE. librairie, F. librairie bookseller's shop, book trade, formerly, a library, fr. libraire bookseller, L. librarius, from liber book; cf. libraria bookseller's shop, librarium bookcase, It. libreria. See Libel.]
1. A considerable collection of books kept for use, and not as merchandise; as, a private library; a public library.
2. A building or apartment appropriated for holding such a collection of books. Holland.
LIBRATELi"brate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Librated p. pr. & & vb. n. Librating.]Etym: [L. libratus, p. p. of librare to balance, to make even, fr.libra.Cf. Level, Deliberate, Equilibrium.]
Defn: To vibrate as a balance does before resting in equilibrium;hence, to be poised.Their parts all liberate on too nice a beam. Clifton.
LIBRATELi"brate, v. i.
Defn: To poise; to balance.
LIBRATIONLi*bra"tion, n. Etym: [L. libratio: cf. F. libration.]
1. The act or state of librating. Jer. Taylor.
2. (Astron.)
Defn: A real or apparent libratory motion, like that of a balance before coming to rest. Libration of the moon, any one of those small periodical changes in the position of the moon's surface relatively to the earth, in consequence of which narrow portions at opposite limbs become visible or invisible alternately. It receives different names according to the manner in which it takes place; as: (a) Libration in longitude, that which, depending on the place of the moon in its elliptic orbit, causes small portions near the eastern and western borders alternately to appear and disappear each month. (b) Libration in latitude, that which depends on the varying position of the moon's axis in respect to the spectator, causing the alternate appearance and disappearance of either pole. (c) Diurnal or parallactic libration, that which brings into view on the upper limb, at rising and setting, some parts not in the average visible hemisphere.
LIBRATORYLi"bra*to*ry, a.
Defn: Balancing; moving like a balance, as it tends to an equipoise or level.
LIBRETTISTLi*bret"tist, n.
Defn: One who makes a libretto.
LIBRETTO Li*bret"to, n.; pl. E. Librettos, It. Libretti. Etym: [It., dim. of libro book, L. liber. See Libel.] (Mus.) (a) A book containing the words of an opera or extended piece of music. (b) The words themselves.
LIBRIFORMLi"bri*form, a. Etym: [Liber + -form.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having the form of liber, or resembling liber. Libriform cells, peculiar wood cells which are very slender and relatively thick- walled, and occasionally are furnished with bordered pits. Goodale.
LIBYANLib"y*an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Libya, the ancient name of that part ofAfrica between Egypt and the Atlantic Ocean, or of Africa as a whole.
LICELice, n.;
Defn: pl. of Louse.
LICENSABLELi"cens*a*ble, a.
Defn: That can be licensed.
LICENSE Li"cense, n. [Written also licence.] Etym: [F. licence, L. licentia, fr. licere to be permitted, prob. orig., to be left free to one; akin to linquere to leave. See Loan, and cf. Illicit, Leisure.]
1. Authority or liberty given to do or forbear any act; especially, a formal permission from the proper authorities to perform certain acts or to carry on a certain business, which without such permission would be illegal; a grant of permission; as, a license to preach, to practice medicine, to sell gunpowder or intoxicating liquors. To have a license and a leave at London to dwell. P. Plowman.
2. The document granting such permission. Addison.
3. Excess of liberty; freedom abused, or used in contempt of law or decorum; disregard of law or propriety. License they mean when they cry liberty. Milton.
4. That deviation from strict fact, form, or rule, in which an artist or writer indulges, assuming that it will be permitted for the sake of the advantage or effect gained; as, poetic license; grammatical license, etc.
Syn.— Leave; liberty; permission.
LICENSELi"cense, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Licensed; p. pr. & vb. n. Licensing.]
Defn: To permit or authorize by license; to give license to; as, to license a man to preach. Milton. Shak.
LICENSEDLi"censed, a.
Defn: Having a license; permitted or authorized by license; as, a licensed victualer; a licensed traffic. Licensed victualer, one who has a license to keep an in or eating house; esp., a victualer who has a license to sell intoxicating liquors.
LICENSEELi`cen*see", n. (Law)
Defn: The person to whom a license is given.
LICENSERLi"cens*er, n.
Defn: One who gives a license; as, a licenser of the press.
LICENSURELi"cen*sure, n.
Defn: A licensing. [R.]
LICENTIATE Li*cen"ti*ate, n. Etym: [LL. licentiatus, fr. licentiare to allow to do anything, fr. L. licentia license. See License, n.]
1. One who has a license to exercise a profession; as, a licentiate in medicine or theology. The college of physicians, in July, 1687, published an edict, requiring all the fellows, candidates, and licentiates, to give gratuitous advice to the neighboring poor. Johnson.
2. A friar authorized to receive confessions and grant absolution in all places, independently of the local clergy. [Obs.] Chaucer.
3. One who acts without restraint, or takes a liberty, as if having a license therefor. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
4. On the continent of Europe, a university degree intermediate between that of bachelor and that of doctor.
LICENTIATELi*cen"ti*ate, v. t.
Defn: To give a license to. [Obs.] L'Estrange.
LICENTIOUSLi*cen"tious, a. Etym: [L. licentiosus: cf. F. licencieux. SeeLicense.]
1. Characterized by license; passing due bounds; excessive; abusive of freedom; wantonly offensive; as, a licentious press. A wit that no licentious pertness knows. Savage.
2. Unrestrained by law or morality; lawless; immoral; dissolute; lewd; lascivious; as, a licentious man; a licentious life. "Licentious wickedness." Shak.
Syn.— Unrestrained; uncurbed; uncontrolled; unruly; riotous;ungovernable; wanton; profligate; dissolute; lax; loose; sensual;impure; unchaste; lascivious; immoral.— Li*cen"tious*ly, adv.— Li*cen"tious*ness, n.
LICHLich, a.
Defn: Like. [Obs.] Chaucer. Spenser.
LICHLich, n. Etym: [AS.lic body. See Like, a.]
Defn: A dead body; a corpse. [Obs.] Lich fowl (Zoöl.), the European goatsucker; — called also lich owl. — Lich gate, a covered gate through which the corpse was carried to the church or burial place, and where the bier was placed to await clergyman; a corpse gate. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell. — Lich wake, the wake, or watching, held over a corpse before burial. [Prov Eng.] Chaucer. — Lich wall, the wall of a churchyard or burying ground. — Lich way, the path by which the dead are carried to the grave. [Prov. Eng.]
LICHENLi"chen, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.
1. (Bot.)
Defn: One of a class of cellular, flowerless plants, (technically called Lichenes), having no distinction of leaf and stem, usually of scaly, expanded, frond-like forms, but sometimes erect or pendulous and variously branched. They derive their nourishment from the air, and generate by means of spores. The species are very widely distributed, and form irregular spots or patches, usually of a greenish or yellowish color, upon rocks, trees, and various bodies, to which they adhere with great tenacity. They are often improperly called rock moss or tree moss.
Note: A favorite modern theory of lichens (called after its inventor the Schwendener hypothesis), is that they are not autonomous plants, but that they consist of ascigerous fungi, parasitic on algæ. Each lichen is composed of white filaments and green, or greenish, rounded cells, and it is argued that the two are of different nature, the one living at the expense of the other. See Hyphæ, and Gonidia.
2. (Med.)
Defn: A name given to several varieties of skin disease, esp. to one characterized by the eruption of small, conical or flat, reddish pimples, which, if unchecked, tend to spread and produce great and even fatal exhaustion.
LICHENEDLi"chened, a.
Defn: Belonging to, or covered with, lichens. Tennyson.
LICHENICLi*chen"ic, a.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or obtained from, lichens. Lichenic acid. (a) An organic acid, C14H24O3 obtained from Iceland moss. (b) An old name of fumaric acid.
LICHENIFORMLi*chen"i*form, a.
Defn: Having the form of a lichen.
LICHENINLi"chen*in, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A substance isomeric with starch, extracted from several species of moss and lichen, esp. from Iceland moss.
LICHENOGRAPHIC; LICHENOGRAPHICAL Li"chen*o*graph"ic, Li`chen*o*graph"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. lichénographique.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to lichenography.
LICHENOGRAPHISTLi`chen*og"ra*phist, n.
Defn: One who describes lichens; one versed in lichenography.
LICHENOGRAPHY Li`chen*og"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Lichen + -graphy: cf. F. lichénographie.]
Defn: A description of lichens; the science which illustrates the natural history of lichens.
LICHENOLOGISTLi`chen*ol"o*gist, n.
Defn: One versed in lichenology.
LICHENOLOGYLi`chen*ol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Lichen + -logy.]
Defn: The science which treats of lichens.
LICHENOUSLi"chen*ous, a.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or resembling, lichens; abounding in lichens; covered with lichens. G. Eliot.
LICHILi"chi`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: See Litchi.
LICHWALELich"wale`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: The gromwell.
LICHWORTLich"wort`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: An herb, the wall pellitory. See Pellitory.
LICIT Lic"it, a. Etym: [L.licitus permitted, lawful, from licere: cf. F. licite. See License.]
Defn: Lawful. "Licit establishments." Carlyle.— Lic"it*ly, adv.— Lic"it*ness, n.
LICITATION Lic`i*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. licitatio, fr. licitari, liceri, to bid, offer a price.]
Defn: The act of offering for sale to the highest bidder. [R.]
LICKLick, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Licked; p. pr. & vb. n. Licking.] Etym:[AS. liccian; akin to OS. likk, D. likken, OHG. lecch, G. lecken,Goth. bi-laig, Russ. lizate, L. lingere, Gr. lih, rih. . Cf. Lecher,Relish.]
1. To draw or pass the tongue over; as, a dog licks his master's hand. Addison.
2. To lap; to take in with the tongue; as, a dog or cat licks milk. Shak. To lick the dust, to be slain; to fall in battle. "His enemies shall lick the dust." Ps. lxxii. 9. — To lick into shape, to give proper form to; — from a notion that the bear's cubs are born shapeless and subsequently formed by licking. Hudibras. — To lick the spittle of, to fawn upon. South. — To lick up, to take all of by licking; to devour; to consume entirely. Shak. Num. xxii. 4.
LICKLick, n. Etym: [See Lick, v.]
1. A stroke of the tongue in licking. "A lick at the honey pot." Dryden.
2. A quick and careless application of anything, as if by a stroke of the tongue, or of something which acts like a tongue; as, to put on colors with a lick of the brush. Also, a small quantity of any substance so applied. [Colloq.] A lick of court white wash. Gray.
3. A place where salt is found on the surface of the earth, to which wild animals resort to lick it up; — often, but not always, near salt springs. [U. S.]
LICKLick, v. t. Etym: [Cf. OSw. lägga to place, strike, prick.]
Defn: To strike with repeated blows for punishment; to flog; to whip or conquer, as in a pugilistic encounter. [Colloq. or Low] Carlyle. Thackeray.
LICKLick, n.
Defn: A slap; a quick stroke.[Colloq.] "A lick across the face."Dryden.
LICKERLick"er, n. Etym: [Cf. Lecher.]
Defn: One who, or that which, licks. Licker in (Carding Machine), the drum, or cylinder, by which the lap is taken from the feed rollers.
LICKERISHLick"er*ish, a. Etym: [Cf. Lecherous.]
1. Eager; craving; urged by desire; eager to taste or enjoy; greedy. "The lickerish palate of the glutton." Bp. Hall.
2. Tempting the appetite; dainty. "Lickerish baits, fit to insnare a brute." Milton.
3. lecherous; lustful. Robert of Brunne.— Lick"er*ish*ly, adv.— Lick"er*ish*ness, n.
LICKEROUSLick"er*ous, a.
Defn: Lickerish; eager; lustful. [Obs.] — Lick"er*ous*ness, n.[Obs.] Chaucer.
LICKINGLick"ing, n.
1. A lapping with the tongue.
2. A flogging or castigation. [Colloq. or Low]
LICKPENNYLick"pen`ny, n.
Defn: A devourer or absorber of money. "Law is a lickpenny." Sir W.Scott.
LICK-SPIGOTLick"-spig`ot, n.
Defn: A tapster. [Obs.]
LICK-SPITTLELick"-spit`tle, n.
Defn: An abject flatterer or parasite. Theodore Hook.
LICORICELic"o*rice, n. Etym: [OE. licoris, though old French, fr. L.liquiritia, corrupted fr. glycyrrhiza, Gr. Glycerin, Glycyrrhiza,Wort.] [Written also liquorice.]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: A plant of the genus Glycyrrhiza (G. glabra), the root of which abounds with a juice, and is much used in demulcent compositions.
2. The inspissated juice of licorice root, used as a confection and medicinal purposes. Licorice fern (Bot.), a name of several kinds of polypody which have rootstocks of a sweetish flavor. — Licorice sugar. (Chem.) See Glycyrrhizin. — Licorice weed (Bot.), the tropical plant Scapania aulcis. — Mountain licorice (Bot.), a kind of clover (Trifolium alpinum), found in the Alps. It has large purplish flowers and a sweetish perennial rootstock. — Wild licorice. (Bot.) (a) The North American perennial herb Glycyrrhiza lepidota. (b) Certain broad-leaved cleavers (Galium circæzans and G. lanceolatum). (c) The leguminous climber Abrus precatorius, whose scarlet and black seeds are called black-eyed Susans. Its roots are used as a substitute for those of true licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra).
LICOROUSLic"o*rous, a.
Defn: See Lickerish.— Lic"o*rous*ness, n. [Obs.] Herbert.
LICOURLic"our, n.
Defn: Liquor. [Obs.] Chaucer.
LICTORLic"tor, n. Etym: [L.] (Rom. Antiq.)
Defn: An officer who bore an ax and fasces or rods, as ensigns of his office. His duty was to attend the chief magistrates when they appeared in public, to clear the way, and cause due respect to be paid to them, also to apprehend and punish criminals. Lictors and rods, the ensigns of their power. Milton.
LIDLid, n. Etym: [AS. hlid, fr. hlidan (in comp.) to cover, shut; akinto OS. hlidan (in comp.), D. lid, OHG. hlit, G. augenlid eyelid,Icel. hli gate, gateway.
1. That which covers the opening of a vessel or box, etc. ; a movable cover; as, the lid of a chest or trunk.
2. The cover of the eye; an eyelid. Shak. Tears, big tears, gushed from the rough soldier's lid. Byron.
3. (Bot.) (a) The cover of the spore cases of mosses. (b) A calyx which separates from the flower, and falls off in a single piece, as in the Australian Eucalypti. (c) The top of an ovary which opens transversely, as in the fruit of the purslane and the tree which yields Brazil nuts.
LIDDEDLid"ded, a.
Defn: Covered with a lid. Keats.
LIDGELidge, n.
Defn: Same Ledge.[Obs.] Spenser.
LIDLESSLid"less, a.
Defn: Having no lid, or not covered with the lids, as the eyes; hence, sleepless; watchful. A lidless watcher of the public weal. Tennyson.
LIELie, n.
Defn: See Lye.
LIELie, n. Etym: [AS. lyge; akin to D. leugen, OHG. lugi, G. lüge, lug,Icel. lygi, Dan. & Sw. lögn, Goth. liugn. See Lie to utter afalsehood.]
1. A falsehood uttered or acted for the purpose of deception; an intentional violation of truth; an untruth spoken with the intention to deceive. It is willful deceit that makes a lie. A man may act a lie, as by pointing his finger in a wrong direction when a traveler inquires of him his road. Paley.
2. A fiction; a fable; an untruth. Dryden.
3. Anything which misleads or disappoints. Wishing this lie of life was o'er. Trench. To give the lie to. (a) To charge with falsehood; as, the man gave him the lie. (b) To reveal to be false; as, a man's actions may give the lie to his words. — White lie, a euphemism for such lies as one finds it convenient to tell, and excuses himself for telling.
Syn. — Untruth; falsehood; fiction; deception. — lie, Untruth. A man may state what is untrue from ignorance or misconception; hence, to impute an untruth to one is not necessarily the same as charging him with a lie. Every lie is an untruth, but not every untruth is a lie. Cf. Falsity.
LIELie, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Lied; p. pr. & vb. n. Lying.] Etym: [OE.lien, li, le, leo, AS. leógan; akin to D. liegen, OS. & OHG. liogan,G. lügen, Icel. lj, Sw. ljuga, Dan.lyve, Goth. liugan, Russ. lgate.]
Defn: To utter falsehood with an intention to deceive; to say or do that which is intended to deceive another, when he a right to know the truth, or when morality requires a just representation.
LIE Lie, v. i. [imp. Lay; p. p. Lain, (Lien (, [Obs.]); p. pr. & vb. n. Lying.] Etym: [OE. lien, liggen, AS. licgan; akin to D. liggen, OHG. ligen, licken, G. liegen, Icel. liggja, Sw. ligga, Dan. ligge, Goth. ligan, Russ. lejate, L. lectus bed, Gr. Lair, Law, Lay, v. t., Litter, Low, adj.]
1. To rest extended on the ground, a bed, or any support; to be, or to put one's self, in an horizontal position, or nearly so; to be prostate; to be stretched out; — often with down, when predicated of living creatures; as, the book lies on the table; the snow lies on the roof; he lies in his coffin. The watchful traveler . . . Lay down again, and closed his weary eyes. Dryden.
2. To be situated; to occupy a certain place; as, Ireland lies west of England; the meadows lie along the river; the ship lay in port.
3. To abide; to remain for a longer or shorter time; to be in a certain state or condition; as, to lie waste; to lie fallow; to lie open; to lie hid; to lie grieving; to lie under one's displeasure; to lie at the mercy of the waves; the paper does not lie smooth on the wall.
4. To be or exist; to belong or pertain; to have an abiding place; to consist; — with in. Envy lies between beings equal in nature, though unequal in circumstances. Collier. He that thinks that diversion may not lie in hard labor, forgets the early rising and hard riding of huntsmen. Locke.
5. To lodge; to sleep. Whiles I was now trifling at home, I saw London, . . . where I lay one night only. Evelyn. Mr. Quinion lay at our house that night. Dickens.
6. To be still or quiet, like one lying down to rest. The wind is loud and will not lie. Shak.
7. (Law)
Defn: To be sustainable; to be capable of being maintained. "An appeal lies in this case." Parsons.
Note: Through ignorance or carelessness speakers and writers often confuse the forms of the two distinct verbs lay and lie. Lay is a transitive verb, and has for its preterit laid; as, he told me to lay it down, and I laid it down. Lie is intransitive, and has for its preterit lay; as, he told me to lie down, and I lay down. Some persons blunder by using laid for the preterit of lie; as, he told me to lie down, and I laid down. So persons often say incorrectly, the ship laid at anchor; they laid by during the storm; the book was laying on the shelf, etc. It is only necessary to remember, in all such cases, that laid is the preterit of lay, and not of lie. To lie along the shore (Naut.), to coast, keeping land in sight. — To lie at the door of, to be imputable to; as, the sin, blame, etc., lies at your door. — To lie at the heart, to be an object of affection, desire, or anxiety. Sir W. Temple. — To lie at the mercy of, to be in the power of. — To lie by. (a) To remain with; to be at hand; as, he has the manuscript lying by him. (b) To rest; to intermit labor; as, we lay by during the heat of the day. — To lie hard or heavy, to press or weigh; to bear hard. — To lie in, to be in childbed; to bring forth young. — To lie in one, to be in the power of; to belong to. "As much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." Rom. xii. 18. — To lie in the way, to be an obstacle or impediment. — To lie in wait , to wait in concealment; to lie in ambush. — To lie on or upon. (a) To depend on; as, his life lies on the result. (b) To bear, rest, press, or weigh on. — To lie low, to remain in concealment or inactive. [Slang] — To lie on hand, To lie on one's hands, to remain unsold or unused; as, the goods are still lying on his hands; they have too much time lying on their hands. — To lie on the head of, to be imputed to. What he gets more of her than sharp words, let it lie on my head. Shak. — To lie over. (a) To remain unpaid after the time when payment is due, as a note in bank. (b) To be deferred to some future occasion, as a resolution in a public deliberative body. — To lie to (Naut.), to stop or delay; especially, to head as near the wind as possible as being the position of greatest safety in a gale; — said of a ship. Cf. To bring to, under Bring. — To lie under, to be subject to; to suffer; to be oppressed by. — To lie with. (a) To lodge or sleep with. (b) To have sexual intercourse with. (c) To belong to; as, it lies with you to make amends.
LIELie, n.
Defn: The position or way in which anything lies; the lay, as of landor country. J. H. Newman.He surveyed with his own eyes . . . the lie of the country on theside towards Thrace. Jowett (Thucyd.).
LIEBERKUHN; LIEBERKUEHN Lie"ber*kühn, n. Etym: [Named after a German physician and instrument maker, J. n. Lieberkühn.] (Optics)
Defn: A concave metallic mirror attached to the object-glass end of a microscope, to throw down light on opaque objects; a reflector.
LIEBERKUHN'S GLANDS; LIEBERKUEHN'S GLANDSLie"ber*kühn's glands`. Etym: [See Lieberkühn.] (Anat.)
Defn: The simple tubular glands of the small intestines; — called also crypts of Lieberkühn.
LIEDLied, n. ; pl. Lieder. Etym: [G.] (Mus.)
Defn: A lay; a German song. It differs from the French chanson, and the Italian canzone, all three being national. The German Lied is perhaps the most faithful reflection of the national sentiment. Grove.
LIEDERKRANZLie"der*kranz, n. [G. See Lied, and Grants.] (Mus.)
Defn: Lit., wreath of songs; — used as the title of a group of songs, and esp. as the common name for German vocal clubs of men.
LIEDERTAFELLie"der*ta`fel, n. Etym: [G., lit., a song table.] (Mus.)
Defn: A popular name for any society or club which meets for the practice of male part songs.
LIEFLief, n.
Defn: Same as Lif.
LIEFLief, a. [Written also lieve.] Etym: [OE. leef, lef, leof, AS. leóf;akin to OS.liof, OFries. liaf, D. lief, G. lieb, OHG. liob, Icel. lj,Sw.ljuf, Goth. liubs, and E. love. sq. root124. See Love, and cf.Believe, Leave, n., Furlough, Libidinous.]
1. Dear; beloved. [Obs., except in poetry.] "My liefe mother." Chaucer. "My liefest liege." Shak. As thou art lief and dear. Tennyson.
2.
Note: (Used with a form of the verb to be, and the dative of the personal pronoun.)
Defn: Pleasing; agreeable; acceptable; preferable. [Obs.] See Lief,adv., and Had as lief, under Had.Full lief me were this counsel for to hide. Chaucer.Death me liefer were than such despite. Spenser.
3. Willing; disposed. [Obs.] I am not lief to gab. Chaucer. He up arose, however lief or loth. Spenser.
LIEFLief, n.
Defn: A dear one; a sweetheart. [Obs.] Chaucer.
LIEFLief, adv.
Defn: Gladly; willingly; freely; — now used only in the phrases, hadas lief, and would as lief; as, I had, or would, as lief go as not.All women liefest would Be sovereign of man's love. Gower.I had as lief the town crier spoke my lines. Shak.Far liefer by his dear hand had I die. Tennyson.
Note: The comparative liefer with had or would, and followed by the infinitive, either with or without the sign to, signifies prefer, choose as preferable, would or had rather. In the 16th century rather was substituted for liefer in such constructions in literary English, and has continued to be generally so used. See Had as lief, Had rather, etc. , under Had.
LIEFSOMELief"some, a.
Defn: Pleasing; delightful. [Obs.]
LIEGANCELieg"ance, n.
Defn: Same as Ligeance.
LIEGE Liege, a. Etym: [OE. lige, lege, F. lige, LL. ligius, legius, liege, unlimited, complete, prob. of German origin; cf. G. ledig free from bonds and obstacles, MHG. ledec, ledic, lidic, freed, loosed, and Charta Ottonis de Benthem, ann. ligius homo quod Teutonicè dicitur ledigman," i. e., uni soli homagio obligatus, free from all obligations to others; influenced by L.ligare to bind. G. ledig perh. orig. meant, free to go where one pleases, and is perh. akin to E.lead to conduct. Cf. Lead to guide.]
1. Sovereign; independent; having authority or right to allegiance; as, a liege lord. Chaucer. She looked as grand as doomsday and as grave; And he, he reverenced his liege lady there. Tennyson.
2. serving an independent sovereign or master; bound by a feudal tenure; obliged to be faithful and loyal to a superior, as a vassal to his lord; faithful; loyal; as, a liege man; a liege subject.
3. (Old Law)
Defn: Full; perfect; complete; pure. Burrill. Liege homage (Feudal Custom), that homage of one sovereign or prince to another which acknowledged an obligation of fealty and services. — Liege poustie Etym: [L. legitima potestas] (Scots Law), perfect, i. e., legal, power; specif., having health requisite to do legal acts. — Liege widowhood, perfect, i. e., pure, widowhood. [Obs.]
LIEGELiege, n.
1. A free and independent person; specif., a lord paramount; a sovereign. Mrs. Browning. The anointed sovereign of sighs and groans, Liege of all loiterers and malcontents. Shak.
2. The subject of a sovereign or lord; a liegeman. A liege lord seems to have been a lord of a free band; and his lieges, though serving under him, were privileged men, free from all other obligations, their name being due to their freedom, not to their service. Skeat.
LIEGEMANLiege"man, n.; pl. Liegemen (.
Defn: Same as Liege, n., 2. Chaucer. Spenser.
LIEGERLie"ger, n. Etym: [See Leger, Ledger.]
Defn: A resident ambassador. [Obs.] See Leger. Denham.
LIEGIANCYLie"gian*cy, n.
Defn: See Ligeance.
LIENLi"en, obs. p. p.
Defn: of Lie. See lain. Ps. lxviii. 13.
LIEN Lien, n. Etym: [F. lien band, bond, tie, fr. L. ligamen, fr. ligare to bind. Cf. League a union, Leam a string, Leamer, Ligament.] (Law)
Defn: A legal claim; a charge upon real or personal property for the satisfaction of some debt or duty; a right in one to control or hold and retain the property of another until some claim of the former is paid or satisfied.