Emily Dickinson Lexicon

LIS'TEN, v.t. [lis'n.]

To hear; to attend. – Shak.

LIS'TEN-ED, pp.

Hearkened; heard.

LIST'EN-ER, n.

One who listens; a hearkener.

LIST'ER, n.

Ono who makes a list or roll.

LIST'FUL, a.

Attentive. [Obs.] – Spenser.

LIST'ING, n.

In architecture, the cutting away the sappy part from the edge of a board.

LIST'ING, ppr.

Inclosing for combat; covering with list; enlisting.

LIST'LESS, a.

Not listening; not attending; indifferent to what is passing; heedless; inattentive; thoughtless; careless; as, a listless hearer or spectator.

LIST'LESS-LY, adv.

Without attention; heedlessly.

LIST'LESS-NESS, n.

Inattention; heedlessness; indifference to what is passing and may be interesting.

LIT, v. [pret. of light.]

The bird lit on a tree before me. I lit my pipe with the paper. – Addison. [This word, though used by some good writers, is very inelegant.]

LIT'A-NY, n. [Fr. litanie; Gr. λιτανεια, supplication, from λιτανευω, λιτομαι, λισσομαι, to pray.]

A solemn form of supplication, used in public worship. Supplications for the appeasing of God's wrath, were by the Greek church termed litanies, by the Latin, rogations. – Hooker.

LITE, a.

Little. [Not in use.]

LI'TER, n. [Fr. litre, from Gr. λιτρα.]

A French measure of capacity, being a cubic decimeter, containing, according to Lunier, about a pint and a half old French measure. The liter is equal to 60.02800 cubic inches, or nearly 2 1/8 wine pints. – Cyc.

LIT'ER-AL, a. [Fr. from L. litera, a letter.]

1. According to the letter; primitive; real; not figurative or metaphorical; as, the literal meaning of a phrase.
2. Following the letter or exact words; not free; as, a literal translation.
3. Consisting of letters. The literal notation of numbers was known to Europeans before the ciphers. – Johnson.

LIT'ER-AL, n.

Literal meaning. [Not used.] – Brown.

LIT'ER-AL-ISM, n.

That which accords with the letter. – Milton.

LIT'ER-AL'ITY, n.

Original or literal meaning. – Brown.

LIT'ER-AL-LY, adv.

1. According to the primary and natural import of words; not figuratively. A man and his wife can not be literally one flesh.
2. With close adherence to words; word by word. So wild and ungovernable a poet can not be translated literally. – Dryden.

LIT'ER-AL-NESS, n.

The state of being literal; literal import. – Quart. Rev.

LIT'ER-A-RY, a. [L. literarius.]

1. Pertaining to letters or literature; respecting learning or learned men; as, a literary history; literary conversation.
2. Derived from erudition; as, literary fame.
3. Furnished with erudition; versed in letters; as, a literary man.
4. Consisting in letters, or written or printed compositions; as, literary property.

LIT'ER-ATE, a. [L. literatus.]

Learned; lettered; instructed in learning and science. Johnson.

LIT-ER-A'TI, n. [plur. L. literatus.]

The learned men; men of erudition. – Spectator.

LITERATIM, adv. [Literatim; L.]

Letter for letter.

LIT'ER-A-TOR, n. [L.]

A petty schoolmaster. – Burke.