<B>lubricant, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> oil, grease, graphite, or detergents for putting on parts of machines that move against one another, to make them smooth and slippery so that they will work easily. <DD><I>adj. </I> lubricating. </DL>
<A NAME="lubricate">
<B>lubricate, </B>verb, <B>-cated,</B> <B>-cating.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to make (machinery) smooth and easy to work by putting on oil or grease. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) to make slippery or smooth; expedite. <BR> <I>Ex. Dinner lubricates business (Lord Stowell).</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> to act as a lubricant. </DL>
<A NAME="lubrication">
<B>lubrication, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the act or process of lubricating or oiling. <DD><B> 2. </B>the state of being lubricated or oiled. </DL>
<A NAME="lubricational">
<B>lubricational, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with lubrication. </DL>
<A NAME="lubricative">
<B>lubricative, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having the property of lubricating. </DL>
<A NAME="lubricator">
<B>lubricator, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person or thing that lubricates. <DD><B> 2. </B>a device for lubricating machinery. <DD><B> 3. </B>a lubricating substance; lubricant. </DL>
<A NAME="lubricatorium">
<B>lubricatorium, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a place or establishment where motor vehicles are lubricated. </DL>
<B>lubricity, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ties.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>oily smoothness; slipperiness. <BR> <I>Ex. this ... lubricity of all objects, which lets them slip through our fingers then when we clutch hardest (Emerson).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>shiftiness; unsteadiness. (SYN) instability, elusiveness. <DD><B> 3. </B>lasciviousness; lewdness; wantonness. </DL>
<B>lucarne, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an opening in a roof, such as a skylight or dormer window. </DL>
<A NAME="lucayan">
<B>Lucayan, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with the Lucayo, or their language. </DL>
<A NAME="lucayo">
<B>Lucayo, </B>noun, pl. <B>-yo</B> or <B>-yos.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a member of an extinct Arawakan tribe of American Indians that inhabited the Bahamas at the time of Columbus. The Lucayo had the bow and arrow but used it for fishing. <DD><B> 2. </B>the language of this tribe. </DL>
<A NAME="luce">
<B>luce, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a pike (fish), especially when fully grown. </DL>
<B>luces, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> luxes; a plural of <B>lux.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="lucid">
<B>lucid, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>easy to follow or understand. <BR> <I>Ex. A good explanation is lucid. The tangled weights and measures of old France gave place to the simple and lucid decimal system (H. G. Wells).</I> (SYN) plain. <DD><B> 2. </B>clear in intellect; sane; rational. <BR> <I>Ex. An insane person sometimes has lucid intervals.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>clear; translucent or transparent. <BR> <I>Ex. a lucid stream.</I> (SYN) pellucid, limpid. <DD><B> 4. </B>shining; bright. (SYN) luminous. adv. <B>lucidly.</B> noun <B>lucidness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="lucidity">
<B>lucidity, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> lucid quality or condition; clearness, especially of thought, expression, perception, or the like. <BR> <I>Ex. The lucidity and accuracy of French had, both in style and in thought, served him well (New Yorker).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="lucifer">
<B>Lucifer, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the chief rebel angel who was cast out of heaven; Satan; the Devil. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Poetic.) the planet Venus when it is the morning star. </DL>
<A NAME="lucifer">
<B>lucifer, </B>noun, or <B>lucifer match,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a match that lights by friction. </DL>
<A NAME="luciferase">
<B>luciferase, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Biochemistry.) an enzyme found in the cells of luminescent organisms, which acts on luciferin to produce luminosity. </DL>
<A NAME="luciferian">
<B>Luciferian, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> like Lucifer; evil; diabolic. </DL>
<A NAME="luciferin">
<B>luciferin, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Biochemistry.) a chemical substance found in the cells of luminescent organisms, such as fireflies, which, when acted on by luciferase, undergoes oxidation producing heatless light. </DL>
<A NAME="luciferous">
<B>luciferous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>bringing illumination or insight; illuminating. <DD><B> 2. </B>that brings, conveys, or emits light. </DL>
<A NAME="lucifugous">
<B>lucifugous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> shunning the light, as bats and cockroaches do. </DL>
<A NAME="lucina">
<B>Lucina, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Roman Mythology.) the goddess of childbirth, identified with Juno or sometimes Diana. </DL>
<A NAME="lucite">
<B>Lucite, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Trademark.) a plastic, an acrylic resin, used instead of glass for airplane windows, lighting fixtures, camera lenses, automobile tail lights, and surgical and scientific instruments; methyl methacrylate. </DL>
<A NAME="lucivee">
<B>lucivee, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S. Dialect and Canada.) the Canada lynx. </DL>
<A NAME="luck">
<B>luck, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>that which seems to happen or come to one by chance; fortune; chance. <BR> <I>Ex. Luck favored me, and I won. There is no luck in literary reputation (Emerson).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>good luck; success, prosperity, or advantage coming by chance. <BR> <I>Ex. to wish one luck, to have luck in fishing. She gave me a penny for luck. She had the luck to win first prize.</I> (SYN) success. <DD><B> 3. </B>some object on which good fortune is supposed to depend. <DD><I>v.i., v.t. </I> (Informal.) to come by sheerest chance or luck. <BR> <I>Ex. I will admit that a number of them have lucked in on me while I was backing good, sensible 30-1 shots, but I have never let that affect my basic thinking about horse racing (New Yorker).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>as luck would have it,</B> </I>as it happened; just by chance. <BR> <I>Ex. [She] fell in love with Mexico and, as luck would have it, an elegant band of Mexicans reciprocated (New York Times).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>down on one's luck,</B> </I>(Informal.) having bad luck; unlucky. <BR> <I>Ex. He would not hesitate to give money to anyone down on his luck (London Times).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>in luck,</B> </I>having good luck; fortunate; lucky. <BR> <I>Ex. I am in luck today: I found a quarter.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>out of luck,</B> </I>having bad luck; unlucky. <BR> <I>Ex. In the big storm, the fishermen were out of luck.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>push one's luck,</B> </I>(Informal.) to carry one's advantage too far. <BR> <I>Ex. Would you, I asked, pushing my luck, admit His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia? (Punch).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>try one's luck,</B> </I>to see what one can do. <BR> <I>Ex. He tried his luck at various jobs until he found one that suited him.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>worse luck,</B> </I>unfortunately. <BR> <I>Ex. Worse luck, it rained.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="luckily">
<B>luckily, </B>adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> by good luck; fortunately. </DL>
<A NAME="luckiness">
<B>luckiness, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the quality or condition of being lucky; fortunateness. </DL>
<A NAME="luckless">
<B>luckless, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having bad luck; bringing bad luck; unlucky; unfortunate. adv. <B>lucklessly.</B> noun <B>lucklessness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="luckpenny">
<B>luck penny,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (British.) <DD><B> 1. </B>a penny or other coin kept or given to bring good luck. <DD><B> 2. </B>a small sum given back for luck by the seller to the purchaser in a business transaction. </DL>
<A NAME="lucky">
<B>lucky, </B>adjective, <B>luckier,</B> <B>luckiest.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>having good luck. <BR> <I>Ex. a lucky person.</I> (SYN) happy. <DD><B> 2. </B>bringing good luck. <BR> <I>Ex. a person's lucky star, a lucky charm, a lucky meeting. This is a lucky day.</I> (SYN) happy. </DL>
<A NAME="lucrative">
<B>lucrative, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> bringing in money; yielding gain or profit; profitable. <BR> <I>Ex. a lucrative profession, a lucrative investment.</I> (SYN) gainful, remunerative. adv. <B>lucratively.</B> noun <B>lucrativeness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="lucre">
<B>lucre, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> money considered as a bad or degrading influence; gain viewed as a low motive for action. <BR> <I>Ex. not greedy of filthy lucre (I Timothy 3:3).</I> (SYN) pelf, mammon. </DL>
<A NAME="lucretian">
<B>Lucretian, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having to do with Lucretius (about 94-about 55 B.C.), the Roman poet and Epicurean philosopher, or with his philosophical doctrines. </DL>
<A NAME="lucubrate">
<B>lucubrate, </B>intransitive verb, <B>-brated,</B> <B>-brating.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to work by artificial light. <DD><B> 2. </B>to produce lucubrations; discourse learnedly in writing. noun <B>lucubrator.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="lucubration">
<B>lucubration, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>laborious study: Absolute measure, which always inspired the lucubrations of the Greeks, was never popular in Greek trade (Atlantic). <DD><B> 2. </B>a learned or carefully written production, especially one that is labored and dull. <DD><B> 3. </B>study carried on late at night. <BR> <I>Ex. the well-earned harvest of ... many a midnight lucubration (Edward Gibbon).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="luculent">
<B>luculent, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>clear, convincing, or lucid, as of evidence, arguments, or explanations. <DD><B> 2. </B>full of light; bright; luminous. adv. <B>luculently.</B> </DL>
