Emily Dickinson Lexicon

lethargic, adj. [L. lēthargic-us.]

Sluggish; frozen; inactive; motionless.

Lethe, proper n. [L. Lēthē < Gk 'forgetfulness'.]

Transport; oblivion; memory loss; obliteration of past pain; [mythology] dew; rain water; Hades river that made drinkers forget their past.

letter, (-'s, -s), n. [OFr lettre.]

1. Missive; epistle; written note; printed message; communication made by visible characters from one person to another at a distance.
2. Verbal expression; [fig.] gift; trinket of memory; token of affection.
3. Warning; message; means of communication.
4. Secret note; private document.
5. Revelation; divine inscription; message from God.
6. Paper; correspondence; [fig.] good works.
7. Character; alphabetic symbol; [fig.] word; writing.

lettre (-s), n. [see belles lettres.]

level, adj. [OFr livel.]

Horizontal; parallel; equal in rank; [fig.] steady; constant; incessant; perpetual.

level (-ed, levelled), v. [see level, adj.]

1. Efface; wear down; make smooth; remove obstacles from; change from rough to plain; transform from difficult to easy (see Isaiah 40:4).
2. Aim; point at horizontally; identify as a target; line up to shoot at.

lever, n. [OFr leveour, to raise.]

1. Pole for moving heavy objects; long metal bar used for lifting an obstacle; [fig.] coercion; peer pressure; compulsory means.
2. Tool; implement; instrument for heavy labor; [fig.] motivation; inspiration; driving force.

Le Verriere, proper n. [Norman Fr. Verrier, glass blower < L. vitrum, glass.]

Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier (1811-1877); French astronomer; renowned scientist who accurately predicted the existence and position of the planet Neptune; [fig.] a seer; one highly skilled in observation.

lexicon (-s), n. [Gr. λεξικόν, word, diction, phrase.]

1. Interpreter's guide; vocabulary of a specific group; language of a particular domain.
2. Dictionary; word book; alphabetical arrangement of words with definitions of each.
3. Explanation; translation; key to the significance of something; tool for determining the meaning of words.

Lexington, proper n. [OE Lexea, personal name, estate.]

Town in Massachusetts; New England village named after a town in England; site of the first battle of the Revolutionary War; place where Paul Revere rode to warn political leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock to escape from the British forces; [fig.] crisis; turning point.