Page 157 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

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lame (LAYM) adj. 1. disabled or crippled, especially in one or both legs;
2. stiff and painful; 3. weak; unconvincing; ineffectual
• When Lucy fell off the horse and hurt her leg, there was a danger that she
might be lame for life.
• While running the bases, Sebbie came up lame and had to limp off the
field.
• “The dog ate my homework” is universally recognized as a very lame
excuse.
[lamer, lamest, lamely adv.]
languid (LANG wid) adj. 1. lacking vitality; drooping; weak; 2. lacking interest;
3. indifferent; sluggish
• After his bout with mononucleosis, Jim was languid for a number of weeks.
• Ian’s interest in mathematics is lacking and can best be described as
languid.
• Kathy was unprepared for her trip to Quebec because of her languid
attempts to learn enough French.
[languidly adv., languidness n.]
latent (LAY tint) adj. hidden; present but not visible; inactive —n. a fingerprint
left at a crime scene
• Brown-eyed Jose carries a latent blue eye color gene.
• Ali has a latent desire to dress like a fireman.
[-ly adv., latency n.] [Syn. potential, quiescent]
lavish (LA vish) adj. 1. very generous in spending or giving; 2. more than
enough; abundant —vt. to give or spend abundantly on
•A lavish amount of green paint was used to cover the brown front lawn.
• Jim’s friend Shaila was lavish in her gifts to him.
• All the wedding guests lavished attention on the new bride.
[-ed, -ing, -ly adv., -ness n.] [Syn. profuse]
legislation (LEJ is LAY shin) n. 1. the act or process of making a law; 2. the law
itself
• Congress is currently considering legislation to require all citizens to keep
physically fit.
• The process of legislation usually takes a fairly lengthy amount of time.
• There is no legislation requiring that all children be fed ice cream for
dessert, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea.
legislator (LEJ is LAY tir) n. one who makes laws; a member of a legislative
body, such as an assemblyman, a congressman, or a senator
• Legislators are elected for a specific length of time.
• A U.S. senator has the longest term of any American legislator, namely 6
years.
[Syn. lawmaker]
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