Emily Dickinson Lexicon

LEPID-OID, n. [Gr. {foreign} and {foreign}]

One of a family of extinct fossil fishes of the oolitic formation. Buckland.

LEP'I-DO-LITE, n. [Gr. {foreign}, a scale.]

A mineral found in scaly masses, ordinarily of a violet or lilac color; allied to mica. Dict. Lepidolite is of a peach-blossom red color, sometimes gray; massive and in small concretions. On account of its beautiful color, it has been put into snuff-boxes. It is sometimes called lilalite. Jameson. Ure.

LEP'I-DOP-TER, or LEP-I-DOP'TE-RA, n. [Gr. {foreign}, a scale, and {foreign}, a wing.]

The Lepidopters are an order of insects having four membranaceous wings covered with fine imbricate scales, like powder, as the butterfly.

LEP-I-DOP'TER-AL, a.

Belonging to the order of Lepidopters.

LEP-I-DOPTER-OUS, a.

Lepidopteral.

LEP'O-RINE, a. [L. leporinus, from lepus, a hare. Qu. the Teutonic leap, to run.]

Pertaining to a hare; having the nature or qualities of the hare. Johnson.

LE-PROS'I-TY, n.

Squamousness. [Little used.] Bacon.

LEP'RO-SY, a. [See Leper.]

A foul cutaneous disease, appearing in dry, white, thin, scurfy scabs, attended with violent itching. It sometimes covers the whole body, rarely the face. One species of it is called elephantiasis. Encyc. The term leprosy is loosely and incorrectly applied to two very distinct diseases, the scaly and the tuberculated, or the proper leprosy and the elephantiasis. The former is characterized by patches of smooth laminated scales, sometimes livid, but usually whitish; in the latter the skin is thickened, livid and tuberculated. It is called the black leprosy, but this term is also applied to the livid variety of the scaly leprosy. Good.

LEP'ROUS, a. [Fr. lepreux. See Leper.]

Infected with leprosy; covered with white scales. His hand was leprous as snow. Ex. iv.

LEP'ROUS-LY, adv.

In an infectious degree.

LEP'ROUS-NESS, n.

The state of being leprous.

LEP-TO-DAC'TYL, n. [Gr. {foreign}, slender, and {foreign}, a toe.]

A bird or other animal having slender toes. Hitchcock.

LEP-TOL'O-GY, n. [Gr. {foreign}, small, and hors, discourse.]

A minute and tedious discourse on trifling things.

LERE, n.

Learning; lesson; lore. [Obs.] Spenser.

LERE, v.t.

To learn; to teach. [Obs.] Chaucer.

LER'NE-ANS, n.

A tribe of parasitic animals, with a body consisting of two segments, like that of the Arachnidans, and two egg-pouches.

LE'SION, n. [le'zhun. L. læsio, from lado, to hurt.]

A hurting: hurt; wound; injury. Rush.

LESS,

for unless. [Not in use.]

LESS,

a terminating syllable of many nouns and some adjectives, is the Sax. leas, Goth. laus, belonging to the verb lysan, lausy-za, to loose, free, separate. Hence it is a privative word, denoting destitution; as, a witless man, a man destitute of wit; childless, without children; fatherless; faithless; pennyless; lawless, &c.

LESS, a. [Sax. læs; perhaps allied to Dan. liser, to abate, to lessen, to relieve, to case. Less has the sense of the comparative degree of little.]

Smaller; not so large or great; as, a less quantity or number; of less size or value. We are all destined to suffer in a greater or less degree.

LESS, adv.

Not so much; in a smaller or lower degree; as, less bright or loud; less beautiful; less obliging; less careful. The less a man praises himself, the more disposed are others to praise him.

LESS, n.

1. Not so much. They gathered some more, some less. Exod. xvi.
2. An inferior. The less is blessed by the better. Heb. vii.

LESS, v.t.

To make less. [Not in use.] Gower.

LES-SEE', n. [from lease.]

The person to whom a lease is given, or who takes an estate by lease. Blackstone.

LESS'EN, v.i. [les'n.]

1. To become less; to shrink; to contract in bulk, quantity, number or amount; to be diminished. The apparent magnitude of objects lessens as we recede from them.
2. To become less in degree, quality or intensity; to decrease. The strength of the body, and the vivacity of the temper usually lessen as we advance in age.