pos>n. 1. L is the twelfth letter of the English alphabet, and a vocal consonant. It is usually called a semivowel or liquid. Its form and value are from the Greek, through the Latin, the form of the Greek letter being from the Phœnician, and the ultimate origin prob. Egyptian. Etymologically, it is most closely related to r and u; as in pilgrim, peregrine, couch (fr. collocare), aubura (fr. LL. alburnus). [ 1913 Webster ]

At the end of monosyllables containing a single vowel, it is often doubled, as in fall, full, bell; but not after digraphs, as in foul, fool, prowl, growl, foal. In English words, the terminating syllable le is unaccented, the e is silent, and l is preceded by a voice glide, as in able, eagle, pronounced See Guide to Pronunciation, §241. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. As a numeral, L stands for fifty in the English, as in the Latin language. [ 1913 Webster ]

For 50 the Romans used the Chalcidian chi, &unr_;, which assumed the less difficult lapidary type, &unr_;, and was then easily assimilated to L. I. Taylor (The Alphabet). [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. An extension at right angles to the length of a main building, giving to the ground plan a form resembling the letter L; sometimes less properly applied to a narrower, or lower, extension in the direction of the length of the main building; a wing. [ Written also ell. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Mech.) A short right-angled pipe fitting, used in connecting two pipes at right angles. [ Written also ell. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Having the general shape of the (capital) letter L; as, an L beam, or L-beam. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. Elevated; -- a symbol for el. as an abbreviation of elevated in elevated road or railroad. -- n. An elevated road; as, to ride on the L. [ Colloq., U. S. ] [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. (Mus.) (a) A syllable applied to the sixth tone of the scale in music in solmization. (b) The tone A; -- so called among the French and Italians. [ 1913 Webster ]

interj. [ Cf. Lo. ] 1. Look; see; behold; -- sometimes followed by you. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An exclamation of surprise; -- commonly followed by me; as, La me! [ Low ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. & i. [ From Laager, n. ] To form into, or camp in, a laager, or protected camp. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ D., also leger. Cf. 2d Leaguer, Lair. ] A camp, especially one surrounded by a circular formation of travelers' wagons for temporary defense. [ South Africa ]
Syn. -- lager. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

Wagons . . . can be readily formed into a laager, a camp, by being drawn into a circle, with the oxen placed inside and so kept safe from the attacks of wild beasts. James Bryce. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. A lace. See Lace. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ Cf. OD. labben to babble. ] To prate; to gossip; to babble; to blab. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A telltale; a prater; a blabber. [ Obs. ] “I am no lab.” Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. [ By truncation of laboratory. ] Laboratory. [ Colloq. ] [ PJC ]

a. Of or pertaining to a laboratory; as, a lab bench. [ Colloq. ] [ PJC ]

n. (Eccl. Hist.) A follower of Jean de Labadie, a religious teacher of the 17th century, who left the Roman Catholic Church and taught a kind of mysticism, and the obligation of community of property among Christians. [ 1913 Webster ]

pos>n. [ From Labarraque, a Parisian apothecary. ] (Med.) An aqueous solution of sodium hypochlorite, extensively used as a disinfectant. [ 1913 Webster ]

Sodium hypochlorite is the same compound used in the commercial trademarked bleach Clorox(TM). It has both disinfectant and bleaching activity. [ PJC ]

‖n.; pl. Labara [ L. ] The standard adopted by the Emperor Constantine after his conversion to Christianity. It is described as a pike bearing a silk banner hanging from a crosspiece, and surmounted by a golden crown. It bore a monogram of the first two letters (ΧΡ) (which appear like the English letters X and P), of the name of Christ in its Greek form. Later, the name was given to various modifications of this standard. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) See Ladanum. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Labefy. ] The act of labefying or making weak; the state of being weakened; decay; ruin. [ 1913 Webster ]

There is in it such a labefaction of all principles as may be injurious to morality. Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. labefacere; labare to totter + facere to make. ] To weaken or impair. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. label sort of ribbon or fringe, label in heraldry, F. lambeau shred, strip, rag; of uncertain origin; cf. L. labellum, dim. of labrum lip, edge, margin, G. lappen flap, patch, rag, tatter (cf. Lap of a dress), W. llab, llabed, label, flap, Gael. leab, leob, slice, shred, hanging lip. ] 1. A tassel. [ Obs. ] Huloet. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A slip of silk, paper, parchment, etc., affixed to anything, and indicating, usually by an inscription, the contents, ownership, destination, etc.; as, the label of a bottle or a package. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A slip of ribbon, parchment, etc., attached to a document to hold the appended seal; also, the seal. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A writing annexed by way of addition, as a codicil added to a will. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Her.) A barrulet, or, rarely, a bendlet, with pendants, or points, usually three, especially used as a mark of cadency to distinguish an eldest or only son while his father is still living. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. A brass rule with sights, formerly used, in connection with a circumferentor, to take altitudes. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. (Gothic Arch.) The name now generally given to the projecting molding by the sides, and over the tops, of openings in mediæval architecture. It always has a square form, as in the illustration. Arch. Pub. Soc. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. In mediæval art, the representation of a band or scroll containing an inscription. Fairholt. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Labeled r Labelled; p. pr. & vb. n. Labeling or Labelling. ] 1. To affix a label to; to mark with a name, etc.; as, to label a bottle or a package. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To affix in or on a label. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who labels. [ Written also labeller. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. L. Labella E. Labellums [ L., dim. of labrum lip. ] 1. (Bot.) The lower or apparently anterior petal of an orchidaceous flower, often of a very curious shape. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) A small appendage beneath the upper lip or labrum of certain insects. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. labens, p. pr. of labi to slide, glide. ] Slipping; sliding; gliding. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. See Labium. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ LL. labialis, fr. L. labium lip: cf. F. labial. See Lip. ] 1. Of or pertaining to the lips or labia; as, labial veins. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Mus.) Furnished with lips; as, a labial organ pipe. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Phonetics) (a) Articulated, as a consonant, mainly by the lips, as b, p, m, w. (b) Modified, as a vowel, by contraction of the lip opening, as &oomacr_; (f&oomacr_;d), ō (ōld), etc., and as eu and u in French, and ö, ü in German. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 11, 178. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Zool.) Of or pertaining to the labium; as, the labial palpi of insects. See Labium. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. (Phonetics) A letter or character representing an articulation or sound formed or uttered chiefly with the lips, as b, p, w. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Mus.) An organ pipe that is furnished with lips; a flue pipe. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Zool.) One of the scales which border the mouth of a fish or reptile. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Phonetics) The quality of being labial; as, the labialism of an articulation; conversion into a labial, as of a sound which is different in another language. J. Peile. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Phonetics) The modification of an articulation by contraction of the lip opening. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. (Phonetics) To modify by contraction of the lip opening. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a labial manner; with, or by means of, the lips. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To labialize. Brewer. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ NL. labiatus, fr. L. labium lip. ] (Bot.) (a) Having the limb of a tubular corolla or calyx divided into two unequal parts, one projecting over the other like the lips of a mouth, as in the snapdragon, sage, and catnip. (b) Belonging to a natural order of plants (Labiatæ), of which the mint, sage, and catnip are examples. They are mostly aromatic herbs. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) A plant of the order Labiatæ. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Bot.) Same as Labiate, a. (a). [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ Labiate + L. flos, floris, flower. ] (Bot.) Having labiate flowers, as the snapdragon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. labi`s, -i`dos, a forceps + meter: cf. F. labidometre. ] (Med.) A forceps with a measuring attachment for ascertaining the size of the fetal head. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. labilis apt to slip, fr. labi to slip. ] 1. Liable to slip, err, fall, or apostatize. [ Obs. ] Cheyne. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Liable or likely to change. [ PJC ]

3. (Chem.) Easily decomposed or inactivated when subjected to heat, radiation, or mildly acidic or alkaline conditions; -- of chemical compounds; as, enzymes from thermophilic organisms are not as labile as those from mesophiles. [ PJC ]

n. 1. Liability to lapse, err, or apostatize. [ Archaic ] Coleridge. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The property of changing readily. [ PJC ]

3. (Chem.) The property of being labile{ 3 }; -- of chemical compounds; as, the lability of some natural products makes them difficult to isolate and identify. [ PJC ]

n. [ Cf. F. labimetre. ] (Med.) See Labidometer. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Labium + dental. ] (Phonetics) Formed or pronounced by the cooperation of the lips and teeth, as f and v. -- n. A labiodental sound or letter. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Labium + nasal. ] (Phonetics) Formed by the lips and the nose. -- n. A labionasal sound or letter. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Labium + -plasty. ] (Surg.) A plastic operation for making a new lip, or for replacing a lost tissue of a lip. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

a. [ From Labium. ] (Bot.) Having the appearance of being labiate; -- said of certain polypetalous corollas. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) A labial palp. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

‖n.; pl. Labipalpi [ NL. See Labium, and Palpus. ] (Zool.) One of the labial palpi of an insect. See Illust. under Labium. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. L. Labia E. Labiums [ L. ] 1. A lip, or liplike organ. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The lip of an organ pipe. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. pl. (Anat.) The folds of integument at the opening of the vulva. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Zool.) (a) The organ of insects which covers the mouth beneath, and serves as an under lip. It consists of the second pair of maxillæ, usually closely united in the middle line, but bearing a pair of palpi in most insects. It often consists of a thin anterior part (ligula or palpiger) and a firmer posterior plate (mentum). (b) Inner margin of the aperture of a shell. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) an East Indian name for several twining leguminous plants related to the bean, but commonly applied to the hyacinth bean (Dolichos Lablab). [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. labour, OF. labour, laber, labur, F. labeur, L. labor; cf. Gr. lamba`nein to take, Skr. labh to get, seize. ] [ Written also labour. ] 1. Physical toil or bodily exertion, especially when fatiguing, irksome, or unavoidable, in distinction from sportive exercise; hard, muscular effort directed to some useful end, as agriculture, manufactures, and like; servile toil; exertion; work. [ 1913 Webster ]

God hath set
Labor and rest, as day and night, to men
Successive. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Intellectual exertion; mental effort; as, the labor of compiling a history. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. That which requires hard work for its accomplishment; that which demands effort. [ 1913 Webster ]

Being a labor of so great a difficulty, the exact performance thereof we may rather wish than look for. Hooker. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Travail; the pangs and efforts of childbirth. [ 1913 Webster ]

The queen's in labor,
They say, in great extremity; and feared
She'll with the labor end. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Any pang or distress. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Naut.) The pitching or tossing of a vessel which results in the straining of timbers and rigging. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. [ Sp. ] A measure of land in Mexico and Texas, equivalent to an area of 1771/7 acres. Bartlett.

8. (Mining.) A stope or set of stopes. [ Sp. Amer. ] [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

Syn. -- Work; toil; drudgery; task; exertion; effort; industry; painstaking. See Toll. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Labored p. pr. & vb. n. Laboring. ] [ OE. labouren, F. labourer, L. laborare. See Labor, n. ] [ Written also labour. ] 1. To exert muscular strength; to exert one's strength with painful effort, particularly in servile occupations; to work; to toil. [ 1913 Webster ]

Adam, well may we labor still to dress
This garden. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To exert one's powers of mind in the prosecution of any design; to strive; to take pains. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To be oppressed with difficulties or disease; to do one's work under conditions which make it especially hard, wearisome; to move slowly, as against opposition, or under a burden; to be burdened; -- often with under, and formerly with of. [ 1913 Webster ]

The stone that labors up the hill. Granville. [ 1913 Webster ]

The line too labors, and the words move slow. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

To cure the disorder under which he labored. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matt. xi. 28 [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To be in travail; to suffer the pangs of childbirth; to be in labor. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Naut.) To pitch or roll heavily, as a ship in a turbulent sea. Totten. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ F. labourer, L. laborare. ] 1. To work at; to work; to till; to cultivate by toil. [ 1913 Webster ]

The most excellent lands are lying fallow, or only labored by children. W. Tooke. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To form or fabricate with toil, exertion, or care. “To labor arms for Troy.” Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To prosecute, or perfect, with effort; to urge strenuously; as, to labor a point or argument. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To belabor; to beat. [ Obs. ] Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. laborans, p. pr. of laborare to labor. ] A chemist. [ Obs. ] Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]