Emily Dickinson Lexicon

LI-BID'IN-OUS, a. [L. libidinosus, from libido, lubido, lust, from libeo, libet, lubet, to please, it pleaseth; G. liebe, love; lieben, to love; Eng. love – which see. The root is lib or lub.]

Lustful; lewd; having an eager appetite for venereal pleasure. Bentley.

LI-BID'IN-OUS-LY, adv.

Lustfully; with lewd desire.

LI-BID'IN-OUS-NESS, n.

The state or quality of being lustful; inordinate appetite for venereal pleasure.

LI'BRA, n. [L.]

The balance; the seventh sign in the zodiac, which the sun enters at the autumnal equinox, in September.

LI-BRA'RI-AN, n. [L. librarius, with a different signification, from liber, bark, a book.]

1. The keeper or one who has the care of a library or collection of books.
2. One who transcribes or copies books. [Not now used.] Broome.

LI-BRA'RI-AN-SHIP, n.

The office of a librarian.

LI'BRA-RY, n. [L. librarium, libraria, from liber, a book.]

1. A collection of books belonging to a private person, or to a public institution or a company.
2. An edifice, or an apartment for holding a collection of books.

LI'BRATE, v.i.

To move, as a balance; to be poised. Their parts all librate on too nice a beam. Clifton.

LI'BRATE, v.t. [L. libro from libra, a balance, a level; allied perhaps to Eng. level.]

To poise; to balance; to hold in equipoise.

LI'BRA-TED, pp.

Poised; balanced.

LI'BRA-TING, ppr.

Moving, as a balance; poising.

LI-BRA'TION, n.

1. The act of balancing or state of being balanced; a state of equipoise, with equal weights on both sides of a center.
2. In astronomy, an apparent irregularity of the moon's motions, by which it seems to librate about its axis. Encyc. Libration is the balancing motion or trepidation in the firmament, whereby the declination of the sun and the latitude of the stars change from time to time. Dict. Tt ev.
3. A balancing or equipoise between extremes. Darwin.

LI'BRA-TO-RY, a.

Balancing; moving like a balance, as it tends to an equipoise or level.

LICE, n. plur.

of Louse.

LICE'-BANE, n.

A plant.

LI'CENS-A-BLE, a.

That may may be licensed or permitted by legal grant.

LI'CENSE, n. [Fr. from L. licentia, from liceo, to be permitted, Fr. leighim, ligim, to allow or permit.]

1. Leave; permission; authority or liberty given to do or forbear any act. A license may be verbal or written; when written, the paper continuing the authority is called a license. A man is not permitted to retail spirituous liquors till he has obtained a license.
2. Excess of liberty; exorbitant freedom; freedom abused, or used in contempt of law, or decorum. License they mean, when they cry liberty. Milton

LI'CENSE, v.t.

1. To permit by grant of authority; to remove legal restraint by a grant of permission; as, to license, a man to keep an inn.
2. To authorize to act in a particular character; as, to license, a physician or a lawyer.
3. To dismiss. [Not in use.] Wotton.

LI'CENS-ED, pp.

Permitted by authority.

LI'CENS-ER, n.

One who grants permission; a person authorized to grant permission to others; as, a licenser of the press.

LI'CENS-ING, ppr.

Authorizing by legal grant.

LI-CEN'TIATE, n. [from L. licentiosus.]

1. One who has a license; as, a licentiate in physic or medicine.
2. In Spain, one who has a degree; as, a licentiate in law or divinity. The officers of justice are mostly distinguished by this title. Encyc.

LI-CEN'TIATE, v.t.

To give license or permission. L'Estrange.

LI-CEN'TIOUS, a. [L. licentionm.]

1. Using license; indulging freedom to excess; unrestrained by law or morality; loose; dissolute; as, a licentious man.
2. Exceeding the limits of law or propriety; wanton; unrestrained; as, licentious desires. Licentious thoughts precede licentious conduct.

LI-CENT'IOUS-LY, adv.

With excess of liberty; in contempt of law and morality.