LION n.
A large carnivorous feline mammal (Felis leo), found in Southern Asia and in most parts of Africa, distinct varieties occurring in the different countries. The adult male, in most varieties, has a thick mane of long shaggy hair that adds to his apparent size, which is less than that of the largest tigers. The length, h…
LIVE a.
ressure on a roof. Live oak (Bot.), a species of oak (Quercus virens), growing in the Southern States, of great durability, and highly esteemed for ship timber. In California the Q. chrysolepis and some other species are also called live oaks. -- Live ring (Engin.), a circular train of rollers upon which a swing bridg…
LIZARD n.
öl.), a marine scopeloid fish of the genus Synodus, or Saurus, esp. S. foetens of the Southern United States and West Indies; -- called also sand pike. -- Lizard snake (Zoöl.), the garter snake (Eutænia sirtalis). -- Lizard stone (Min.), a kind of serpentine from near Lizard Point, Cornwall, England, -- used for orna…
LOBLOLLY n.
all tree, of the genus Gordonia (G. Lasianthus), growing in the maritime parts of the Southern United States. Its bark is sometimes used in tanning. Also, a similar West Indian tree (Laplacea hæmatoxylon). -- Loblolly boy, a surgeon's attendant on shipboard. Smollett. -- Loblolly pine (Bot.), a kind of pitch pine fou…
LOBSTER n.
lar in form. All these have a pair of large unequal claws. The spiny lobsters of more southern waters, belonging to Palinurus, Panulirus, and allied genera, have no large claws. The fresh-water crayfishes are sometimes called lobsters. Lobster caterpillar (Zoöl.), the caterpillar of a European bombycid moth (Stauropus…
LOCUST n.
grasshoppers; esp., (Edipoda, or Pachytylus, migratoria, and Acridium perigrinum, of Southern Europe, Asia, and Africa. In the United States the related species with similar habits are usually called grasshoppers. See Grasshopper.
LOON n.
Any one of several aquatic, wed-footed, northern birds of the genus Urinator (formerly Colymbus), noted for their expertness in diving and swimming under water. The common loon, or great northern diver (Urinator imber, or Colymbus torquatus), and the red-throated loon or diver (U. septentrionalis), are the best known s…
LOTUS n. 2 definitions
The lotus of the lotuseaters, probably a tree found in Northern Africa, Sicily, Portugal, and Spain (Zizyphus Lotus), the fruit of which is mildly sweet. It was fabled by the ancients to make strangers who ate of it forget their native country, or lose all desire to return to it.
LUNGWORT n.
ow's lungwort mullein. -- Sea lungwort, Mertensia maritima, found on the seacoast of Northern Europe and America. -- Tree lungwort, a lichen (Sticta pulmonacea) growing on trees and rocks. The thallus is lacunose, and in appearance somewhat resembles the lungs, for diseases of which it was once thought a remedy.…