Emily Dickinson Lexicon

lash, n. [see lash, v.] (webplay: rider, secure, sudden, whip).

Phrase. “Whip lash”: Smiting cord; slender braided rope; flexible end of a whip; braided leather strand used for beating; [fig.] quick movement; sudden flash; potential danger; [metonymy] snake; serpent.

lash, v. [perhaps onomatopoeic, or possibly related to OFr lascher, to loose, let go.] (webplay: whip).

Scourge; thrash; flog; strike; beat repeatedly with a whip.

lassitude (-s), n. [Fr. < L. lassus, weary.] (webplay: action).

Languor; lethargy; inactivity; inanition; lack of physical movement; [fig.] trance; spell; poetic musing.

last, adj. [OE.] (webplay: adores, after, apples, before, bend, best, church, comes, corn, day, desires, drawn, existence, expect, feathers, finally, honest, human, latest, load, long, lowest, man, measure, more, names, next, others, perish, place, pleased, read, red, remain, time, water, week, weight, wood, wool, year).

1. Previous; most recent; one just before the present.
2. Final; ultimate; terminal; finishing; only remaining; one that comes after all others.
3. Latter; second in a series of two.

last, adv. [see last, adj.] (webplay: admires, after, beyond, blunder, business, certain, church, color, comes, conclusion, day, finally, find, form, good, hour, latest, long, lowest, man, more, names, next, others, perish, place, pleased, present, prize, read, remain, shoes, winter, wood).

1. Eventually; finally; in the end.
2. Most recently.
3. Phrase. “At last”: finally; eventually; after all; in the end.
4. Phrase. “The last”: after all others.

last (-s), n. [OE hlæst, load, OE lást, footstep.] (webplay: before, bend, comes, day, drawn, foot, load, names, year).

1. End; closing; conclusion; final part; concluding time.
2. Footstep; track; trace; form of a shoe.
3. Ultimate one; culminating weight; [word play] final step; terminal footstep; [fig.] concluding phase of life.

last (-ed, -s), v. [OE læstan, to follow, accomplish, perform, pay tribute, maintain, etc.] (webplay: after, before, best, business, certain, color, comes, conclusion, find, hour, man, others, perish, time, water, white, winter, year).

1. Span; linger; stay; tarry; continue in existence.
2. Endure; survive; abide; be preserved; remain unconsumed.

latch, n. [see latch, v.] (webplay: door, fastening, shoe).

Fastener; lock; hook which keeps a door closed; [fig.] that which connects the spirit to the mortal body; that which keeps the partition between life and death closed.

latch, v. [OE læcc(e)an, to catch.]

Close; shut; secure; seal.

late (-r, -st), adj. [OE læt.] (webplay: after, coming, day, delay, depart, end, far, happening, hour, Italy, last, leaps, lie, life, long, ministry, near, night, period, place, rains, round, see, slow, summer, tardy, time, toward).

1. Delayed; tardy; slow; after the appointed hour; following the necessary time.
2. Gone; lost; disappeared; former; decayed; departed.
3. After dark; at night.
4. Most recent.
5. Last; after all the others; final in a sequence.
6. Too advanced; too far gone; too much after the present; too far along in time.
7. More lasting; more enduring.