<B>Leninolatry, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> idolization of Lenin. </DL>
<A NAME="lenis">
<B>lenis, </B>adjective, noun, pl. <B>lenes.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Phonetics.) <DD><I>adj. </I> articulated with relatively little muscular tension and force. In English, <I>b, d, v, z</I> are generally lenis in comparison with <I>p, t, f,</I> and <I>s,</I> which are fortis. <DD><I>noun </I> a lenis consonant. </DL>
<A NAME="lenition">
<B>lenition, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Phonetics.) the gradual lessening of the force with which a consonant is articulated, sometimes leading to change or loss. </DL>
<A NAME="lenitive">
<B>lenitive, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>softening; mitigating. <DD><B> 2. </B>tending to relieve; soothing. <BR> <I>Ex. Aspirin is a lenitive medicine.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>mildly laxative. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>anything that soothes or softens; palliative. <DD><B> 2. </B>a soothing medicine or application. <BR> <I>Ex. Tranquilizers are lenitives.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>a mild laxative. </DL>
<A NAME="lenity">
<B>lenity, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ties.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>mildness; gentleness; mercifulness; leniency. <BR> <I>Ex. His Majesty gave many marks of his great lenity, often ... endeavouring to extenuate your crimes (Jonathan Swift).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>an instance of this. </DL>
<A NAME="lennilenape">
<B>Lenni-Lenape, </B>noun, pl. <B>-pe</B> or <B>-pes.</B> =Lenape.</DL>
<A NAME="leno">
<B>leno, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a textile weave in which the warp threads alone intersect and are bound in position by the weft threads; gauze weave. <DD><B> 2. </B>an open-weave cotton gauze used for such items as caps, veils, and curtains. </DL>
<A NAME="lens">
<B>lens, </B>noun, pl. <B>lenses.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a curved piece of glass, or something like glass, that will bring closer together or send wider apart the rays of light passing through it. The lens of a camera forms images. The lenses of a telescope make things look larger and nearer. Lenses have two opposite surfaces, either both curved or one plane and one curved, and are used alone or in combination in optical instruments. <DD><B> 2. </B>a combination of two or more of these pieces, especially as used in a camera, microscope, or telescope. <DD><B> 3. </B>the part of the eye that directs light rays upon the retina. The lens is a clear, oval structure behind the iris. <DD><B> 4. </B>a device to focus radiations other than those of light. <DD><B> 5. </B>(Geology.) a layer of uniform sedimentary material that becomes progressively thinner along its edges. adj. <B>lensless.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="lensed">
<B>lensed, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having a lens or lenses. </DL>
<A NAME="lenshood">
<B>lens hood,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Photography.) a tube-shaped device with a blackened inside surface, attached to a lens to keep stray light from striking it. </DL>
<A NAME="lenslet">
<B>lenslet, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a small lens. </DL>
<A NAME="lensman">
<B>lensman, </B>noun, pl. <B>-men.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Informal.) a photographer. <BR> <I>Ex. amateur lensmen.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="lensshade">
<B>lens shade,</B> =lens hood.</DL>
<A NAME="lent">
<B>lent, </B>verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> the past tense and past participle of <B>lend.</B> <BR> <I>Ex. I lent you my pencil. He had lent me money.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="lent">
<B>Lent, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the forty weekdays between Ash Wednesday and Easter, observed in many Christian churches as a time for fasting and repenting of sins; Quadragesima. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Obsolete.) (in the Middle Ages) any season of religious fasting. </DL>
<A NAME="lentamente">
<B>lentamente, </B>adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Music.) slowly (used as a direction). </DL>
<A NAME="lentando">
<B>lentando, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Music.) becoming slower (used as a direction). Also, <B>slentando.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="lenten">
<B>Lenten</B> or <B>lenten, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>of Lent; during Lent; suitable for Lent. <DD><B> 2. </B>such as may be used in Lent; meager; plain; dismal or somber. </DL>
<A NAME="lentenrose">
<B>Lenten rose,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a perennial herb of the crowfoot family, native to Asia Minor, with showy green to purple flowers that bloom before spring. </DL>
<A NAME="lentic">
<B>lentic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Ecology.) of or living in standing or stagnant water, such as ponds and swamps (contrasted with <I>lotic</I>). </DL>
<A NAME="lenticel">
<B>lenticel, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Botany.) a usually lens-shaped body of cells formed in the corky layer of bark, which serves as a pore for the exchange of gases between the plant and the atmosphere. </DL>
<B>lenticular, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>having the form of a lens, especially a double-convex lens, as some seeds do; convexo-convex; biconvex. <DD><B> 2. </B>resembling a lentil or double-convex lens in size or form. <DD><B> 3. </B>of or having to do with a lens, especially that of the eye. adv. <B>lenticularly.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="lenticularcloud">
<B>lenticular cloud,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a cloud shaped like a lens, formed especially above hills and mountains. </DL>
<A NAME="lenticularnucleus">
<B>lenticular nucleus,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Anatomy.) the lower gray nucleus in the corpus striatum at the base of the brain. </DL>
<A NAME="lenticulate">
<B>lenticulate, </B>transitive verb, <B>-lated,</B> <B>-lating.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to furnish (film) with lenticules. </DL>
<A NAME="lenticule">
<B>lenticule, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> one of a large number of cylindrical embossings on black-and-white film that act as lenses to reproduce color images under certain kinds of projection, especially for television. </DL>
<B>lentil, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>an annual plant having pods that contain small, flat seeds. It belongs to the pea family and grows mostly in southern Europe, Egypt, Asia, and the United States. <DD><B> 2. </B>a vegetable much like a bean; seed of the lentil. Lentils are cooked like peas and are often eaten in soup. </DL>
<A NAME="lentiscus">
<B>lentiscus, </B>noun, pl. <B>-tiscuses,</B> <B>-tisci.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the mastic tree. </DL>
<A NAME="lentissimo">
<B>lentissimo, </B>adjective, adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Music.) <DD><I>adj. </I> very slow (used as a direction). <DD><I>adv. </I> very slowly. </DL>
<A NAME="lentivirus">
<B>lentivirus, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any one of a group of slow viruses that undergo frequent structural changes and cause various infectious diseases in sheep, horses, and other animals. </DL>
<A NAME="lento">
<B>lento, </B>adjective, adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Music.) <DD><I>adj. </I> slow (used as a direction). <DD><I>adv. </I> slowly. </DL>
<B>l'envoi</B> or <B>l'envoy, </B>noun. <B>=envoy</B> (2).</DL>
<A NAME="lenzslaw">
<B>Lenz's law,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Physics.) the law that an induced electric current creates a magnetic field that opposes the action of the force that produces the current. </DL>
<A NAME="leo">
<B>Leo, </B>noun. genitive (def. 1) <B>Leonis.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a northern constellation between Cancer and Virgo, seen by ancient astronomers as having the rough outline of a lion. <DD><B> 2. </B>the fifth sign of the zodiac; Lion. The sun enters Leo about July 23. <DD><B> 3. </B>a person born under the sign of Leo. </DL>
<A NAME="leominor">
<B>Leo Minor, </B>genitive <B>Leonis Minoris.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a northern constellation south of Ursa Major. </DL>
<A NAME="leonardesque">
<B>Leonardesque, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> in or resembling the style of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). </DL>
<A NAME="leone">
<B>leone, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the unit of money of Sierra Leone, a note equal to 100 Sierra Leone cents. </DL>
<A NAME="leonid">
<B>Leonid, </B>noun, pl. <B>Leonids,</B> <B>Leonides.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> one of a shower of meteors occurring about November 14. The Leonids seem to radiate from the constellation Leo. </DL>
<A NAME="leonine">
<B>leonine, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of a lion; like a lion. <BR> <I>Ex. The dog's tawny color and heavy coat gave him an almost leonine appearance.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="leonine">
<B>Leonine, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with some person named Leo, Leonius, or Leoninus. </DL>
<A NAME="leoninepartnership">
<B>leonine partnership,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a partnership in which one partner has all the profits and none of the losses. </DL>
<A NAME="leonines">
<B>Leonines, </B>noun pl. =Leonine verse.</DL>
<A NAME="leonineverse">
<B>Leonine verse,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a kind of Latin verse consisting of hexameters or alternate hexameters and pentameters, in which the last word of the line rhymes with the word immediately preceding the middle caesura. </DL>
<A NAME="leonis">
<B>Leonis, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> genitive of <B>Leo</B> (the constellation). </DL>
<A NAME="leonisminoris">
<B>Leonis Minoris,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> genitive of <B>Leo Minor.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="leonstrain">
<B>Leon strain,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> one of the three known types of virus causing polio. The other two are the Brunhilde and Lansing strains. </DL>
<A NAME="leontiasis">
<B>leontiasis, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ses.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Medicine.) a form of leprosy in which the face becomes bloated and wrinkled, thus appearing more or less leonine. </DL>
