812
them or keep them in order so that they can be found: a list
of things to buy | a shopping list | an alphabetical list | How
many people are there on the council's housing list? → see
also LISTS, CIVIL LIST, DANGER LIST, HIT LIST, SHORT LIST,
WAITING LIST
list² v [T] 1 to put into or include in a list: She listed all the
things she had to do. 2 to put on a government list of
buildings of historical interest which must be protected
list³ v [I] (especially of a ship) to lean or slope to one side:
listing to port —list n
listed 'building n (in Britain) a building on a government
list of buildings which are of historical interest and must be
protected. Listed buildings must not be changed in any
important way or pulled down.
lis·ten¹ /'lɪsən/ v [I(to)] 1 to give attention in hearing: We sat
listening to music/listening to a play on the radio. | If you
listen carefully you can hear a funny sound in the engine. 2 to
take notice; hear or consider with thoughtful attention: I
warned him not to go but he just wouldn't listen. | She never
listens to me/to my advice. | Listen, I think we may be able to
solve your problem. → see HEAR (USAGE)
listen for sthg./sbdy. phr v [T] to pay attention so as to be
sure of hearing: Listen for the moment when the music
changes.
listen in phr v [I] 1 [to] to listen to a broadcast on the
radio: to listen in to the news → see also tune in (TUNE) 2 [on,
to] to listen to the conversation of other people, especially
secretly and without permission: I think the police have been
listening in on my phone calls.
listen out phr v [I(for)] BrE infml to listen carefully, especially
for an expected sound: Listen out for the baby in case she
wakes up.
listen² n [S] infml an act of listening: Have a listen to this new
album!
lis·ten·a·ble /'lɪsənəbəl/ adj [to] infml pleasant to hear: The
music is quite listenable (to).
lis·ten·er /'lɪsənər/ n a person who listens or is listening,
especially to the radio: Good morning, listeners. | Regular
listeners will remember that a few weeks ago ... | If you've got
any problems, she's a good listener. (=listens patiently and
sympathetically to what you want to say) → compare
VIEWER
'listening ,bank [the] a description of itself used in an
advertisement for the Midland Bank. The idea was that the
bank would listen to its customers and try to help them.
'listening ,device n something which allows one to hear
other people's conversations, usually secretly; a BUG → com-
pare HEARING AID
Lis·ter, Joseph /'lɪstər/ (1827-1912) a British SURGEON (=a
doctor who does operations on the body) who was the first
person to use ANTISEPTICS (=chemicals that prevent wounds
from becoming infected) during operations
lis·te·ri·a /lɪ'stɪərɪə/ n [U] any of various kinds of bacteria
which cause an illness called listeriosis, a kind of FOOD
POISONING
Lis·te·rine /'lɪstəriːn/ trademark a type of MOUTHWASH (=liq-
uid for making your mouth feel clean and smell fresh)
list·ings /'lɪstɪŋz/ n [P] lists of films, plays, and other events
which will take place soon, with the time and place of each.
The listings appear in some newspapers and in some special
magazines.
list·less /'lɪstləs/ adj lacking movement, activity, and interest,
as if tired; LANGUID: Heat makes some people listless. →
compare LIFELESS —ly adv —ness n [U]
'list price n a price which is suggested for an article by the
people who make it, but which a shopkeeper does not
necessarily have to charge
lists /lɪsts/ n BrE enter the lists to (start to) take part in a
competition, argument etc
Liszt, Franz /lɪst, frænts||frɑːnts/ (1811-86) a Hungarian
COMPOSER and PIANIST considered to be the greatest pianist
of the 19th century. He is known especially for writing
piano music in the ROMANTIC style.
lit¹ /lɪt/ past tense & participle of LIGHT²
lit² abbrev. for 1 literature or LITERARY: lit crit (=literary CRITI-
CISM) 2 litre
lit·a·ny /'lɪtəni/ n a form of long prayer in the Christian
church in which the priest calls out and the people reply,
always in the same words: (fig.) They continued with a long
litany of complaints.
li·tchi /'laɪtʃiː/ n pl. -s —a LYCHEE
lite /laɪt/ adj → see LIGHT
,lite 'beer, light beer n [U] AmE a beer which has fewer
CALORIES than other beer
li·ter /'liːtər/ n AmE for LITRE
lit·er·a·cy /'lɪtərəsi/ n [U] fml the state or condition of being
LITERATE (=able to read and write): an adult-literacy
campaign | (fig.) computer-literacy (=a simple understanding
of how computers work)
lit·er·al¹ /'lɪtərəl/ adj 1 being or following the exact or
original meaning of a word, phrase etc without any addi-
tional meanings (e.g. without METAPHOR or ALLEGORY): The
literal meaning of 'blue' is a colour, but it can also mean
'unhappy'. | a literal interpretation → compare FIGURA-
TIVE 2 giving a single word in place of each original word: A
literal translation is not always the closest to the original
meaning. 3 derog not showing much imagination; PROSAIC: a
boring literal-minded person —ness n [U]
literal² BrE | typo, typographical error AmE — n tech a
printing mistake, especially in the spelling of a word
lit·er·al·ly /'lɪtərəli/ adv 1 a) in a literal sense; really: The
Olympic Games were watched by literally billions of people
around the world. b) (used for giving force to an already
strong and especially METAPHORICAL expression): She was
literally blue with cold. | He was literally blazing with
anger. 2 so as to give a single word in place of each original
word: to translate literally 3 according to the words and not
the intention: I took what he said literally, but afterwards it
became clear that he really meant something else.
USAGE Literally should really be used to mean 'exactly as
stated': Their house is literally 10 metres from the sea.
(=I am telling the exact truth) It is often used more
generally to give force to an expression, but many
teachers feel this is incorrect: He literally exploded with
anger. (=his anger was very like an explosion)
lit·er·ary /'lɪtərəri||'lɪtəreri/ adj 1 (typical) of literature. Lit-
erary words or phrases are marked lit in this dictionary: a
literary style | one of the most coveted literary prizes 2 [A]
fond of, studying, or producing literature: a literary man | a
literary society
lit·er·ate /'lɪtərɪt/ adj 1 able to read and write → compare
NUMERATE 2 having studied or read a great deal 3 -literate
having enough knowledge to use the stated thing: computer-
literate → opposite ILLITERATE; see also LITERACY —ly adv
—ness n [U]
lit·er·a·ti /lɪtə'rɑːti/ n [the+ P] fml, sometimes derog people with
great knowledge of literature, especially forming a fairly
small group in society
lit·er·a·ture /'lɪtərətʃər||-tʃʊər/ n 1 [U] a) written works
which are of artistic value: one of the great works of English
literature b) such works as a subject for study: studying
language and literature | a course in modern African litera-
ture 2 [S;U] all the books, articles etc on a particular subject:
She is trying to keep abreast of the literature (in her field). |
There is now a vast literature on the subject. 3 [U] infml
printed material, especially giving information: Have you got
any literature on the new car? | sales literature | promotional
literature
lithe /laɪð/ adj (especially of people or animals) able to bend
and move easily and gracefully: the lithe bodies of the
dancers —ly adv
lith·i·um /'lɪθiəm/ n [U] a soft silver-white simple substance
(ELEMENT) that is the lightest known metal. A lithium battery
does not lose quality quickly, so is used when a small
BATTERY is needed to supply a little electricity over a long
period, e.g. in a camera, watch, or calculator.
lith·o·graph¹ /'lɪθəgræf||-græf/ n a picture, print etc made
by lithography
lithograph² v [I;T] to print by lithography