Pierre Charles L'Enfant
L'Enfant, Pierre Charles (1754–1825), French-American engineer and architect who fought in the Revolutionary War and was commissioned (1791) to plan Washington, D.C.
21st Century Webster's Family Encyclopedia - Lange, Dorothea to Lilac
Léopoldville
Léopoldville See: Kinshasa.
Claude Lévi-Strauss
Lévi-Strauss, Claude (1908–90), Belgian-born French anthropologist, best known as the founder of structuralism, an analytical method whereby different cultural patterns are compared so as to examine the way they order the elements of their environment into systems.
La Paz
La Paz (pop. 1,049,800), largest city and administrative capital of Bolivia (the legal capital being Sucre).
François La Rochefoucauld Duc de François Duc de
La Rochefoucauld, François, Duc de, François, Duc de (1613–80), French writer.
La Rochelle
La Rochelle (pop. 75,800), French city on the Atlantic coast, capital of the Charente Maritime department.
Jean La Salle
La Salle, Jean See: Jean Baptiste de la Salle, Saint.
Robert Cavelier La Salle Sieur de
La Salle, Robert Cavelier, Sieur de (1643–87), French explorer and fur trader in North America who claimed the Louisiana territory for France.
Dorothea Lange
Lange, Dorothea (1895–1965), U.S. documentary photographer.
William Langland
Langland, William (1332–1400), presumed poet of The Vision of Piers Plowman, a religious allegory representing a dream-vision of the Christian life and a satire, one of the finest examples of Middle English alliterative verse.
Irving Langmuir
Langmuir, Irving (1881–1957), U.S. physical chemist awarded the 1932 Nobel Prize for chemistry for his work on thin films on solid and liquid surfaces (particularly oil on water), giving rise to the new science of surface chemistry.
Stephen Langton
Langton, Stephen (c.1155–1228), English cardinal and theologian whose appointment as archbishop of Canterbury (1207) led to a quarrel between Pope Innocent III and King John.
Lillie Langtry
Langtry, Lillie (Emily Charlotte Le Breton; 1853–1929), English actress.
Language
Language (from Latin lingua, “tongue”), means by which humans express themselves vocally and communicate with others.
Sidney Lanier
Lanier, Sidney (1842–81), U.S. poet and musician.
Lansing
Lansing (pop. 432,674), capital of Michigan, in the southern part of the state at the junction of the Grand and Cedar rivers.
Robert Lansing
Lansing, Robert (1864–1928), U.S. international lawyer and statesman.
Lanthanide
Lanthanide See: Rare earth.
Lanthanum
Lanthanum, chemical element, symbol La; for physical constants see Periodic Table.
Lanzhou
Lanzhou, or Lanchow (pop. 1,510,000), capital city of Gansu Province in northwestern China, on the Huang He River.
Lao Tzu
Lao Tzu, or Lao Tze (Old Master), legendary Chinese philosopher of the 6th century B.C., said to be the founder of Taoism and the author of Tao-te-ching.
Laocoön
Laocoön, in Greek mythology, priest of Apollo who warned the Trojan people not to accept the gift of the wooden horse from the Greeks, with whom they had been at war for 10 years.
Laos
Laos, officially Lao People's Democratic Republic, Southeast Asian country formerly part of French Indochina. It is bordered by China to the north, Vietnam to the east, Kampuchea to the south and Thailand and Burma to the west. It is a small country (650 mi/1,046 km-long and in places barely 50 mi/81 km-wide). The administrative capital is Vientiane. The total population is over 4,000,000. …
Lapland
Lapland, region in the extreme north of Europe, the homeland of the Lapps (or Finns, as they are called in Norway).
Lapps
Lapps See: Lapland.
Lapwing
Lapwing, or peewit (Vanellus vanellus), shore bird found in Western Europe and the British Isles.
Laramie
Laramie (pop. 24,410), city in southeast Wyoming, county seat of Albany County, and the third largest city in the state.
Larceny
Larceny, in law, the unlawful removal of the property of another person without the owner's consent and with intent to steal.
Larch
Larch, pine (genus Larix) that is unusual in being deciduous rather than evergreen, shedding its needles in winter, becoming completely bare.
Ring Lardner
Lardner, Ring (1885–1933), U.S. sports journalist and short-story writer.
Laredo
Laredo (pop. 133,239), city in southern Texas, on the Rio Grande River.
Lares and penates
Lares and penates, in Roman mythology, household guardian gods.
Lark
Lark, any of a family (Alaudidae) of small terrestrial songbirds of Europe, Asia, North America, and Africa.
Larkspur
Larkspur, any of a genus (Delphinium) of flowering plants of the buttercup family, growing mostly in the temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere.
Lyndon Hermyle LaRouche Jr.
LaRouche, Lyndon Hermyle, Jr. (1922– ), U.S. political leader and thrice-unsuccessful candidate for the presidency of the United States.
Larva
Larva, metamorphic stage of development in some animals in which the young are noticeably different in feature and behavior from their parents.
Larynx
Larynx, specialized organ of the respiratory tract used in voice production.
Las Campanas Observatory
Las Campanas Observatory See: Mount Wilson Observatory.
Bartolomé de Las Casas
Las Casas, Bartolomé de (1474–1566), Spanish missionary in Central America.
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (pop. 741,459), city in southwestern Nevada, seat of Clark County.
Laser
Laser, device that produces an intense beam of light with a precisely defined wavelength.
Harold Joseph Laski
Laski, Harold Joseph (1893–1950), English political therorist and economist, active in the Fabian Society and the Labour Party.
Mount Lassen
Lassen, Mount, volcano in Lassen Volcanic National Park, northeastern California.
Orlando di Lasso
Lasso, Orlando di (1532–94), Flemish Renaissance singer, choirmaster, and composer of a wide range of more than 2,000 sacred and secular works.
Last Supper
Last Supper, the final passover meal held by Jesus and his disciples in Jerusalem before his crucifixion.
Latakia
Latakia, or Al-Ladhiqiyah (pop. 234,000), principal seaport city in western Syria, on the Mediterranean Sea, about 110 mi (177 km) north of Beirut.
Lateran
Lateran, district of southeastern Rome, given to the church by Emperor Constantine I in 311.
Lateran Treaty
Lateran Treaty, concordat between the papacy and the government of Italy, signed 1929 in the Lateran palace and confirmed by the 1948 Italian constitution.
Latex
Latex, milky substance extracted from various plants and trees that serves as the source of natural rubber.
Julia Clifford Lathrop
Lathrop, Julia Clifford (1858–1932), U.S. social worker, founder of the first U.S.
Hugh Latimer
Latimer, Hugh (c.1490–1555), English Protestant martyr and Reformation leader.
Latin
Latin, Indo-European language of the Italic group, language of ancient Rome, and ancestor of the Romance languages.
Latin America
Latin America, 33 independent countries and 13 other political entities in Central and South America where Romance languages are spoken: Spanish in most of Latin America; Portuguese in Brazil; and French in Haiti. Sometimes the term includes Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana in South America, and, less often, also all the Caribbean islands. The population growth of almost 2% per year is o…
Latin-American literature
Latin-American literature, literature of the Spanish-speaking countries of the Western Hemisphere. It also includes Brazil, where the native language is Portuguese, not Spanish. The literary period began with the explorations in the 1400s and lasted some 300 years. The earliest literature was written by soldiers and missionaries describing new lands and civilizations. Hernando Cortés, the c…
Latin literature
After the death of Augustus, Roman writers demonstrated new styles. The works of Seneca, Lucan, and Petronius' Satyricon are of this era. The Satyricon is considered the first Latin novel. Other notable writers are the historian Tacitus and Pliny the Younger. The foundations of Christian Latin literature were laid during the 4th and 5th centuries by church fathers like Augustine, Jerome, an…
Latitude
Latitude, distance from the equator, measured in degrees, of any point on the surface of the earth.
Latium
Latium, historic region of Italy, “the cradle of the Roman people,” extending from the Tiber River to the Alban Hills.
Benjamin Henry Latrobe
Latrobe, Benjamin Henry (1764–1820), English-born U.S. architect and engineer.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Latter-day Saints, The Church of Jesus Christ of See: Mormons.
Latvia
Latvia (Republic of), independent country, bordering on the Baltic Sea (west), between Estonia (north), Russia (east), and Lithuania (south). Its capital is Riga. It is a lowland country, covering some 24,938 sq mi (64,589 sq km), with a moderate continental climate. Nearly a third of the people are Russians, but the majority are Latvians, an ancient Baltic people. Minorities include Byelorussians…
William Laud
Laud, William (1573–1645), archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 and a chief advisor of Charles I.
Laudanum
Laudanum See: Opium.
Max Theodor Felix von Laue
Laue, Max Theodor Felix von (1879–1960), German physicist awarded the 1914 Nobel Prize for physics for his discovery of X-ray diffraction in crystals.
Laughing gas
Laughing gas See: Nitrous oxide.
Charles Laughton
Laughton, Charles (1899–1962), English-born actor, a U.S. citizen from 1950.
Laureate
Laureate See: Poet laureate.
Laurel
Laurel, family (Lauraceae) of evergreen trees and shrubs that grow in the tropics and subtropics.
Laurel
Laurel (pop. 21,897), city in southeast Mississippi, seat of Jones County.
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy, famous comedy team of Hollywood films.
Marie Laurencin
Laurencin, Marie (1885–1956), French painter and printmaker, designer of textiles, clothing, and stage decorations for the Ballet Russe and the Comédie Française.
Laurentian Plateau
Laurentian Plateau See: Canadian Shield.
Sir Wilfrid Laurier
Laurier, Sir Wilfrid (1841–1919), first French-Canadian prime minister of Canada (1896–1911).
Lausanne
Lausanne (pop. 117,500), city in western Switzerland, on the north shore of Lake Geneva.
Lava
Lava, molten rock rising to the earth's surface through volcanoes and other fissures, or the same after solidification.
Laval
Laval (pop. 284,200), city in Quebec province, southeastern Canada, part of the Montreal metropolitan area.
Pierre Laval
Laval, Pierre (1883–1945), French politician who collaborated with the Germans in World War II.
Lavender
Lavender (Lavandula vera), shrub of the mint family, cultivated for its aromatic flowers that, along with the leaves, are used for medicinal purposes.
Rod Laver
Laver, Rod (Rodney George Laver; 1938– ), Australian tennis player.
Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran
Laveran, Charles Louis Alphonse (1845–1922), French army physician.
Antoine Laurent Lavoisier
Lavoisier, Antoine Laurent (1743–94), French scientist, foremost in the establishment of modern chemistry.
Law
Law, body of rules governing the relationships between the members of a community and between the individual and the state. In England, the British Commonwealth, and the United States, the law is based upon statute law, or laws enacted by legislative bodies such as Congress, and upon common law, the body of law created by custom and adherence to rules derived from previous judgments. The other mai…
Law enforcement
Law enforcement, method used by the various levels of government to regulate social conduct.
Law of the land
Law of the land See: Due process.
Lawn tennis
Lawn tennis See: Tennis.
Lawrence of Arabia
Lawrence of Arabia See: Lawrence, T(homas) E(dward).
D.H. Lawrence
Lawrence, D.H. (David Herbert Lawrence; 1885–1930), English author.
Ernest Orlando Lawrence
Lawrence, Ernest Orlando (1901–58), U.S. physicist awarded the 1939 Nobel Prize for physics for his invention of the cyclotron and his studies of atomic structure and transmutation.
James Lawrence
Lawrence, James (1781–1813), U.S. naval officer.
T(homas) E(dward) Lawrence
Lawrence, T(homas) E(dward) (1888–1935), called Lawrence of Arabia, English scholar, writer, and soldier, legendary guerrilla fighter with the Arabs against the Turks in World War I.
Lawrencium
Lawrencium, chemical element, symbol Lr; for physical constants see Periodic Table.
Ernest Lawson
Lawson, Ernest (1873–1939), U.S. impressionist painter.
Laxative
Laxative, drug or food taken to promote bowel action and to treat constipation.
Lazarus
Lazarus, in the New Testament, brother of Mary and Martha of Bethany, who was restored to life by Jesus 4 days after his death (John 11:1–44; 12:1–5); also in the New Testament, beggar at the rich man's gate in a parable (Luke 16:19–25).
Emma Lazarus
Lazarus, Emma (1849–87), U.S. poet best known for the sonnet, “The New Colossus,” engraved at the base of the Statue of Liberty.
John Le Carré
Le Carré, John (David John Moore Cornwell; 1931– ), English author of novels of international espionage, including The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963), Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1974), The Little Drummer Girl (1983), and The Russia House (1989).
Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier (Charles-Édouard Jeanneret; 1887–1965), Swiss-born, French-trained architect, a founder of the international style.
Le Havre
Le Havre (pop. 199,400), French seaport on the English Channel and the Seine River.
Le Mans
Le Mans (pop. 148,400), city in northwestern France on the Sarthe and Huisne rivers, dating from pre-Roman times.
León
León, medieval kingdom of northwestern Spain, including the provinces of León, Salamanca, and Zamora.
André Le Nôtre
Le Nôtre, André (1613–1700), French landscape architect.
Alain René Le Sage
Le Sage, Alain René (1668–1747), French novelist and dramatist.
Stephen Butler Leacock
Leacock, Stephen Butler (1869–1944), Canadian writer, scholar, and humorist.
Lead
Lead, chemical element, symbol Pb; for physical constants see Periodic Table.
Lead monoxide
Lead monoxide See: Litharge.
Lead pencil
Lead pencil See: Graphite.
Lead poisoning
Lead poisoning, cumulative chronic disease caused by excessive lead levels in tissues and blood.
Leadwort
Leadwort See: Plumbago.
Leaf
Leaf, green outgrowth from the stems of higher plants; the main site of photosynthesis.
Leaf insect
Leaf insect, any of about 25 species of herbivorous, tropical, usually nocturnal insects of the family Phylliidae, whose green, ribbed, and veined wings and flat shape make them appear leaflike.
Leaf miner
Leaf miner, name for many species of insect, including flies, moths, wasps, caterpillars, beetles, and weevils, whose larvae infest and feed within leaves.
Leaf-monkey
Leaf-monkey See: Colobus; Langur.
Leafhopper
Leafhopper, about 70 genera and over 700 species of slender, sucking insects of the family Cicadellidae.
League of Nations
League of Nations (1920–1946), the first major international association of countries, set up after World War I.
League of Women Voters
League of Women Voters, nonpartisan organization with about 125,000 members in the United States and Puerto Rico, founded in 1920 by members of the National American Women Suffrage Association.
Leakey
Leakey, family name of English archeologists and anthropologists.
Leander
Leander See: Hero and Leander.
Leaning Tower of Pisa
Leaning Tower of Pisa, white marble bell tower, or campanile, in Pisa, Italy.
Edward Lear
Lear, Edward (1812–1888), English artist and writer, best known for his limericks and nonsense rhymes, such as “The Owl and the Pussy-Cat” (1871).
Learning
Learning, the process by which behavior is modified through experience and practice. All animals are capable of learning. Humans far surpass all these in the ability to learn, especially in the ability to acquire a language. Psychologists do not agree about how learning takes place, but certain principles seem clear. The simplest type of learning is the formation of conditioned reflexes in this pr…
Learning disabilities
Learning disabilities, conditions or factors that hinder one's comprehension or impairs one's ability to use standard educational tools and methods. An inability to perform in the school environment at the same level as one's peers can be the result of an inherited condition causing mental retardation, a developmental defect, a physical handicap such as impaired hearing or vis…
Leather
Leather, animal hide or skin preserved by tanning.
Leathernecks
Leathernecks See: Marine Corps, U.S.
Leavenworth
Leavenworth (pop. 33,656), city in northeastern Kansas, on the Missouri River.
Lebanon
Lebanon, small republic of about 3,8 million people in southwest Asia, on the Mediterranean, bordered by Syria on the north and east and Israel on the south. Modern Lebanon is the only Arab State with a large Christian community. The capital is the free port of Beirut. Since the Civil War and subsequent conflicts (beginning in the 1970s), the strong financial and trade industries have weakened as …
Lecithin
Lecithin See: Soybean.
Joshua Lederberg
Lederberg, Joshua (1925– ), U.S. geneticist awarded (with G.W.
Leon Max Lederman
Lederman, Leon Max (1922– ), U.S. physicist who was part of a team that won the 1988 Nobel Prize.
Charles Lee
Lee, Charles (1731–82), American major general in the Revolutionary War.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Lee, Francis Lightfoot (1734–97), American patriot and revolutionary leader.
Harper Lee
Lee, Harper (1926– ), U.S. author whose only novel, To Kill A Mockingbird (1960), won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
Henry Lee
Lee, Henry (1756–1818), American cavalry officer in the Revolutionary War (known as “Light Horse Harry”) and father of Confederate Civil War general Robert E.
Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew (1923– ), prime minister of Singapore 1959–90.
Richard Henry Lee
Lee, Richard Henry (1732–94), American Revolutionary statesman.
Robert Edward Lee
Lee, Robert Edward (1807–70), U.S. general and commander of the Confederate Army in the Civil War. His father, Henry “Light-Horse Harry” Lee, was a noted cavalry leader during the Revolutionary War, and 2 other Lees were among the signers of the Declaration of Independence. During the Mexican War (1846–48), Lee served brilliantly on the headquarters staff. After the war…
Lee Teng-hui
Lee Teng-hui (1923– ), Taiwanese president (1990– ), became interim president of Taiwan in 1988 as a result of the death of President Chiang Kai-shek.
Leech
Leech, annelid (segmented) worm (class Hirudinea) with a prominent attachment sucker at the posterior end and another sucker around the mouth.
Leechee
Leechee See: Litchi.
Leeds
Leeds (pop. 721,800), city in western Yorkshire, northern England.
Leek
Leek (Allium porrum), relative of the onion, originating in the Middle East.
Anton van Leeuwenhoek
Leeuwenhoek, Anton van (1632–1723), Dutch microscopist who made important observations of capillaries, red blood corpuscles, and sperm.
Leeward Islands
Leeward Islands, chain of about 15 islands and many islets in the West Indies, northernmost group of the Lesser Antilles.
Legion
Legion, principal unit of the Roman army, having between 3,000 and 6,000 infantry with attached cavalry.
American Legion
Legion, American See: American Legion.
Foreign Legion
Legion, Foreign See: Foreign Legion.
Legionnaires' disease
Legionnaires' disease, severe lung infection. Legionnaires' disease appeared in 1976 when 182 delegates attending an annual convention of the American Legion in Philadelphia contracted a severe respiratory infection. Of 147 of those hospitalized, 90% developed pneumonia and 29 died. All had stayed in, or visited, the same hotel during the 4-day convention. Five months later, t…
Legislature
Legislature, representative assembly empowered to enact, revise, or repeal the laws or statutes of a community.
Legume
Legume, any of nearly 17,000 species of plant of the pulse or pea family (Leguminosae) including peas, beans, lentils, soybeans, and peanuts, fodder plants such as clover, alfalfa, and cowpeas, and hardwoods such as ebony, locust, mahogany, and rosewood.
Franz Lehár
Lehár, Franz (1870–1948), Hungarian composer of Viennese-style light opera.
Lotte Lehmann
Lehmann, Lotte (1888–1976), German-born U.S. soprano.
Wilhelm Lehmbruck
Lehmbruck, Wilhelm (1881–1919), German sculptor noted for his images of pathos and heroism of spirit.
Jean-Marie Lehn
Lehn, Jean-Marie (1939– ), French chemist and university professor who was part of a team that won the 1987 Nobel Prize for chemistry.
Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz
Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm von (1646–1716), German philosopher, historian, jurist, geologist, and mathematician, codiscoverer of the calculus, and author of the theory of monads.
Leicester
Leicester (pop. 285,400); important historic and industrial city in central England known for hosiery, shoes and machinery products.
Robert Dudley Leicester Earl of
Leicester, Robert Dudley, Earl of (1532–88), favorite of Elizabeth I of England.
Leiden
Leiden, or Leyden (pop. 115,400), city in western Netherlands, center for science and light industry, particularly printing and textiles.
Leipzig
Leipzig (pop. 507,800), city in eastern Germany, former capital of Leipzig district.
Lemming
Lemming, Arctic rodent, about 3–6 in (7–15 cm) in length, closely related to the vole.
Lemon
Lemon (Citrus limon), small evergreen tree that produces sour yellow fruits that are rich in vitamin C.
Lemur
Lemur, family of cat-sized primates found only on Madagascar and small islands nearby, related to primitive ancestors of the whole primate group of monkeys and apes.
Lend-lease
Lend-lease, program by which the United States sent aid to the Allies in World War II, during and after neutrality.
Ivan Lendl
Lendl, Ivan (1960– ), Czechoslovakian-born U.S. tennis player.
V.I. Lenin
Lenin, V.I. (1870–1924), Russian revolutionary, founder of the Bolshevik (later Communist) Party, leader of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, and founder of the Soviet state. Born Vladimir llyich Ulyanov, Lenin became a revolutionary after his older brother was executed (1887) on charges of plotting to assassinate the tsar. By then a follower of the ideas of Karl Marx, Lenin was arrested an…
Leningrad
Leningrad (pop. 4,468,000), second largest city and chief port of the RF, on the Gulf of Finland, and former Russian capital (as St. Petersburg, 1712–1914, and Petrograd, 1914–24). It was founded in 1703 by Tsar Peter I (Peter the Great). Linked by its port with western Europe, it rapidly became a cultural and commercial center. Industrial expansion during the 19th century was follow…
John Lennon
Lennon, John (1940–1980), rock musician, a founding member of the Beatles.
Jean Joseph Étienne Lenoir
Lenoir, Jean Joseph Étienne (1822–1900), French inventor.
Lens
Lens, transparent substance, usually glass, having 2 opposite surfaces, either both curved or one curved and one straight, used for refraction, (changing the direction of light rays).
Lent
Lent (from Old English lencten, “spring”), period of 40 days dedicated by Christians to penitential prayer and fasting as a preparation for Easter.
Lentil
Lentil (Lens culinaris), leguminous plant grown in warm parts of the Old World.
Lotte Lenya
Lenya, Lotte (1900–81), Austrian-born U.S. singer and actress.
Leo
Leo, name of 13 popes. Saint Leo I (c. 400–461), an Italian, r. 440–461. Called “the Great,” he suppressed heresy and established his authority in both the West and East. He persuaded the barbarian leaders Attila (in 452) and Genseric (in 455) not to destroy Rome. Saint Leo III (d. 816), a Roman, r. 795–816. He crowned Charlemagne “Emperor of the Romans&#x…
Sugar Ray Leonard
Leonard, Sugar Ray (Ray Charles Leonard; 1956– ), U.S. boxer.
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci See: Da Vinci, Leonardo.
Ruggiero Leoncavallo
Leoncavallo, Ruggiero (1858–1919), Italian opera composer.
Leonidas I
Leonidas I (d.480 B.C.), king of Sparta.
Leopard
Leopard (Panthera pardus), big cat similar to the jaguar, with a yellow coat marked with black rosettes, or with black fur (the panther).
Leopard cat
Leopard cat See: Ocelot.
Giacomo Leopardi
Leopardi, Giacomo (1798–1837), Italian poet and philosopher, foremost writer of his time.
Aldo Leopold
Leopold, Aldo (1886–1948), American outdoors enthusiast, naturalist, and conservationist.
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera See: Butterfly; Moth.
Leprosy
Leprosy, or Hansen's disease, chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae and chiefly found in tropical zones.
Lepton
Lepton, one of the 4 classes of elementary particles (the others are bosons, measons, and baryons).
Alan Jay Lerner
Lerner, Alan Jay (1918–86), U.S. lyricist and dramatist.
Lesbos
Lesbos, Greek island in the Aegean Sea, near Turkey.
Lesch-Nyhan syndrome
Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, hereditary metabolic disorder, affecting the central nervous system.
Lesotho
Lesotho (formerly Basutoland), land-locked kingdom surrounded by, and economically dependent on, the Republic of South Africa. Part of the great plateau of South Africa, Lesotho lies mainly between 8,000 ft (2,439 m) and 11,000 ft (3,353 m). In the east and the north is the Drakensberg mountain range. The chief rivers are the Orange River and its tributaries. Annual rainfall averages less than 30 …
Lespedeza
Lespedeza, any of a genus (Lespedeza) of shrublike plants and herbs characterized by 3-parted leaves and smooth edges.
Ferdinand Marie de Lesseps
Lesseps, Ferdinand Marie de (1805–95), French diplomat and engineer who conceived the idea for the Suez Canal.
Doris Lessing
Lessing, Doris (1919– ), British novelist, raised in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), who has dealt perceptively with the struggles of intellectual women for political, sexual, and artistic integrity.
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim (1729–81), German playwright, critic, and philosopher.
Lethe
Lethe (Greek, “forgetfulness”), in Greek mythology, river in Hades.
Lettuce
Lettuce, popular garden plant (genus Lactuca) of the composite family.
Leucippus
Leucippus (c.400 B.C.), Greek philosopher who developed the theory of atomism (from Greek atamos, “uncuttable”).
Leukemia
Leukemia, common name for any of various cancerous diseases of the blood or bone marrow, characterized by malignant proliferation of white blood cells.
Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze
Leutze, Emanuel Gottlieb (1816–68), U.S. historical painter.
Lever
Lever, simplest type of machine, consisting of a rigid beam supported at a stationary point (the fulcrum) so that a force applied to one point of the beam can shift a load at another point.
Rita Levi-Montalcini
Levi-Montalcini, Rita (1909– ), U.S. scientist, shared the Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine (1986) with Stanley Cohen for their discovery (1952–53) of a natural substance that stimulates the growth of nerve cells.
James Levine
Levine, James (1943– ), U.S. pianist and conductor.
Levites
Levites, in ancient Israel, tribe descended from Levi, son of Jacob.
Leviticus
Leviticus, book of the Old Testament, third of the 5 books of the Pentateuch, traditionally ascribed to Moses.
C(live) S(taples) Lewis
Lewis, C(live) S(taples) (1898–1963), British author, literary scholar, and defender of Christianity.
Lewis and Clark expedition
Lewis and Clark expedition, first overland expedition to the northwest Pacific coast (1804–06), under the command of Meriwether Lewis (1774–1809) and William Clark (1770–1838), with Sacagawea, the Native American wife of an expedition member, acting as interpreter and guide.
Francis Lewis
Lewis, Francis (1713–1802), New York delegate to the Continental Congress (1774–79) and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
John L. Lewis
Lewis, John L. (1880–1969), U.S. labor leader, president of the United Mine Workers of America, 1920–60.
Meriwether Lewis
Lewis, Meriwether (1774–1809), American explorer and commander of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which penetrated to the Northwest Pacific coast 1803–06.
Sinclair Lewis
Lewis, Sinclair (1885–1951), U.S. novelist, best known for 5 novels presenting a devastatingly critical view of life in the Middle West.
Wyndham Lewis
Lewis, Wyndham (1882–1957), controversial English painter, critic, and writer, the founder of the vorticism movement, which simplified forms into machinelike angularity.
Lewiston
Lewiston (pop. 88,141), second largest city in Maine, first settled in 1770.
Lexington
Lexington (pop. 348,428), second largest city in Kentucky, in the bluegrass region in the north central part of the state.
Battle of Lexington
Lexington, Battle of See: Revolutionary War in America.
Leyden
Leyden See: Leiden.
Leyden jar
Leyden jar, simplest and earliest form of capacitor, a device for storing electric charge, developed at the University of Leiden, Holland, in the 18th century.
Lhasa
Lhasa (pop. 105,900), capital and largest city of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.
Lhasa apso
Lhasa apso, small dog, 10 in (25 cm) high, that originated in Tibet as a watchdog.
Li Bo
Li Bo, Li Po, or Li Bai (A.D. 701–762), considered one of China's foremost poets.
Liège
Liège (pop. 195,400), city and cultural center on the Meuse River in eastern, French-speaking Belgium.
Liana
Liana, any climbing vine with roots in the ground, most often found in tropical forests.
Libel
Libel, false and malicious statement in permanent form, such as in writing or on film, tending to injure the reputation of a living person, or blacken the memory of the dead.
Liberal Party
Liberal Party, British political party, powerful from about 1832 to 1922.
Liberal Republican Party
Liberal Republican Party, U.S. political party formed in 1872, during the administration of President Ulysses S.
Liberalism
Liberalism, political philosophy that stresses individual liberty and equality of opportunity.
Liberia
Liberia, independent republic on the west coast of Africa, with a land area slightly larger than the state of Ohio. It has a coastline of over 300 mi (483 km) on the Atlantic Ocean. Liberia is the oldest republic in Africa. It originated from the efforts of American philanthropists who in 1822 organized the first settlement of freed American black slaves near the place where the capital, Monrovia,…
Libertarian Party
Libertarian Party, U.S. political party that upholds the unfettered right of private property and a laissez-faire, free-market economy, and opposes restrictions on individual rights.
Liberty Bell
Liberty Bell, historic bell housed near Independence Hall, Philadelphia.
Liberty Island
Liberty Island, in New York Bay, it is the home of the Statue of Liberty.
Liberty Party
Liberty Party, antislavery political party founded in 1839 by James G.
Library
Library, collection of books, manuscripts, films, musical recordings, and other materials arranged in convenient order for use but not for sale. The earliest libraries were kept by the ancient peoples of Mesopotamia; inscribed clay tablets have been found going back to about 3500 B.C. The first public library in Greece was established in 330 B.C. The most famous library of the ancient world was be…
Library of Congress
Library of Congress, U.S. national library located east of the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Libya
Libya, independent Arab republic in North Africa, consisting of 10 administrative divisions that occupy an area of 685,524 sq mi (1,775,500 sq km). Less than 10% of Libya's land is fertile, most of the remainder being part of the Sahara Desert. The exploitation of oil resources (discovered in the late 1950s) provides the wealth that is transforming Libya from a poor peasant nation in…
Lichee
Lichee See: Litchi.
Lichen
Lichen, name given to plants that consist of algae living in association with fungi.
Roy Lichtenstein
Lichtenstein, Roy (1923–97), U.S. painter prominent in the Pop Art movement of the early 1960s.
Licorice
Licorice, European herb (Glycyrrhiza glabra) with blue flowers and lemon yellow roots that contain a juice used as a flavoring.
Lidice
Lidice (pop. 500), village in the northwestern Czech Republic.
Lidocaine
Lidocaine, drug used as a local or block anesthetic, which bars pain in specific areas of the body.
Trygve Lie
Lie, Trygve (1896–1968), Norwegian political leader, first secretary-general of the United Nations, 1946–53.
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein, European principality in the Alps, between Switzerland and Austria.
Life
Life, despite the lack of any generally accepted definition of life, physiologists regard as living any system capable of eating, metabolizing, excreting, breathing, moving, growing, and reproducing, and able to respond to external stimuli.
Life expectancy
Life expectancy, number of years a person in a particular population group is expected to live, based on actuarial calculations.
Ligament
Ligament, band of strong fibrous tissue connecting bones at a joint or serving to hold body organs in place.
Light
Light, the portion of electromagnetic radiation that the human eye can see. To be seen, light must have a wavelength between 400 and 750 nanometers, a range known as the visible spectrum. The eye recognizes light of different wavelengths as being of different colors, the shorter wavelengths forming the blue end of the visible spectrum, the longer the red. The term light is also applied to radiatio…
Light bulb
Light bulb See: Edison, Thomas Alva; Electric light.
invisible Light
Light, invisible See: Infrared rays; Ultraviolet rays.
Light meter
Light meter, device that measures the intensity of light.
Lighthouse
Lighthouse, tower with a light at its head, erected on or near a coast or on a rock in the sea, as a warning to ships.
Lightning
Lightning, discharge of atmospheric electricity resulting in a flash of light in the sky.
Lightning bug
Lightning bug See: Firefly.
Lignum vitae
Lignum vitae, either of 2 species (Guaiacum officinale and G. sanctum) of flowering evergreen tree of the West Indies, Mexico, and Florida.
Ligurian Sea
Ligurian Sea, portion of the Mediterranean Sea enclosed by the Italian regions of Liguria and Tuscany in the north and east and the French island of Corsica in the south.
Lilac
Lilac, shrub or small tree (genus Syringa) whose pyramids of small, sweet-scented flowers cap heart-shaped leaves.