835
luxurious
which includes the Bristol Channel and the eastern part of
the Atlantic Ocean between the Republic of Ireland and
southwest England
lung /lʌŋ/ n either of the two breathing organs in the chest of
humans or certain other animals: Smoking can cause lung
cancer. | (humor) The baby has a good pair of lungs. (=can cry
loudly) | She was screaming at the top of her lungs. (=very
loudly)
lunge /lʌndʒ/ v [I(at, towards)] to make a sudden forceful
forward movement, especially with the arm and often in
order to make an attack: He lunged at me with a knife.
—lunge n: He made a lunge at me.
lung·ful /'lʌŋfʊl/ n the amount of air, smoke etc that you
breathe in at one time: [+of] Polly took in a lungful of crisp
cool air.
lunk·head /'lʌŋkhed/ n AmE infml a stupid person: That's not
the way to do it, you lunkhead!
lu·pin BrE || lupine AmE /'lu:pɪn/ n a garden plant with a tall
stem covered in many flowers
lu·pus /'lu:pəs/ n [U] one of several diseases that affect the
skin and joints
lurch¹ /lɜ:t||lɜ:rt/ v [I] to move with irregular swinging or
rolling movements: The drunken man lurched across the
street. | The truck lurched over the bumpy road.
lurch² n 1 a lurching movement: The boat gave a lurch and I
fell overboard. 2 leave someone in the lurch infml to leave
someone alone and without help in a place or time of
difficulty; desert someone
lure¹ /lʊər, ljuər||lʊr/ n 1 [the (of)] the power to attract,
especially by seeming to promise pleasure, profit etc, which
may not in fact exist: The prospectors of 1849 were drawn to
California by the lure of gold. | the lure of fame 2 [C] a piece
of equipment, such as a plastic bird or fish, to attract animals
into a place where they can be caught; DECOY
lure² v [T+obj+adv/prep] usually derog to attract or TEMPT by
seeming to promise pleasure, profit etc; ENTICE: She lured
him into the shop doorway and her accomplice hit him over the
head. | He's been lured to the Middle East by the promise of
high wages.
Lu·rex /'ljʊəreks||'lʊr-/ trademark a type of thread that looks
like metal, usually gold or silver, used in material for making
clothes: a gold Lurex top
lur·gy /'lɜ:gi||lɜ:r-/ n BrE humor an illness or disease
lu·rid /'lʊərɪd, 'ljuərɪd||'lʊrɪd/ adj derog 1 unnaturally
bright or strongly coloured: a lurid sunset/carpet 2 shock-
ing, especially because violent; unpleasant: The papers gave
all the lurid details of the murder. —ly adv —ness n [U]
lurk /lɜ:k||lɜ:rk/ v [I+adv/prep] derog 1 to move or wait quietly
and secretly, as if intending to do something wrong and not
wanting to be seen: The photographer lurked behind a tree,
waiting for her to come past. | There's someone lurking about
outside. 2 to exist unseen: Danger lurks in that quiet river. |
doubts that lurk in my mind
Lu·sa·ka /lu:'sa:kə/ the capital city of Zambia
lus·cious /'lʌʃəs/ adj apprec 1 having a very pleasant sweet
taste or smell: luscious fruit/wine 2 infml (usually considered
offensive to women) very sexually attractive: a luscious
waitress —ly adv —ness n [U]
lush¹ /lʌʃ/ adj 1 (of a plant, especially grass) growing very
well, thickly, and healthily: the lush meadows | lush tropical
vegetation 2 infml providing great comfort, especially as a
result of wealth: I felt out of place in such lush surroundings.
lush² n slang, especially AmE a person who habitually drinks too
much alcohol; ALCOHOLIC
Lu·si·ta·ni·a, the /ˌlu:sɪ'teɪnɪə/ a British passenger ship
that was sunk off the Irish coast in 1915 by the German
navy during World War I. Some of the 1195 people who
were killed were Americans, and this made many Americans
feel that the US should enter the war against Germany.
lust¹ /lʌst/ n derog 1 [U] very strong sexual desire, especially
when uncontrolled and not related to liking or love. Lust is
one of the SEVEN DEADLY SINS: He attacked women to satisfy
his lust. 2 [C;U(for)] strong desire; eagerness to possess some-
thing: his unbridled lust for power ➔ see DESIRE (USAGE)
lust² v
lust after/for sbdy./sthg. phr v [T] derog to desire very
strongly, especially sexually
lust·ful /'lʌstfəl/ adj derog full of strong especially sexual
desire —ly adv —ness n [U]
lus·tre BrE || -ter AmE /'lʌstər/ n [S;U] the brightness of a
shiny polished surface: the lustre of gold | (fig.) The company
hope that this prestigious publication will add (a) new lustre
(=glory, fame) to their image.
lus·trous /'lʌstrəs/ adj especially lit shining; BRILLIANT: lustrous
black hair —ly adv
lust·y /'lʌsti/ adj apprec full of strength, power, or health: lusty
singing | The baby gave a lusty cry. —ily adv —iness n [U]
lu·ta·nist, -tenist /'lu:tənɪst/ n a person who plays a lute
lute /lu:t/ n a musical instrument with strings, having a long
neck and a body shaped like a PEAR, played with the fingers
and used especially in former times
Lu·ther, Martin /'lu:θər/ (1483-1546) a German religious
leader whose ideas have had great influence on religion in
Europe. In 1517, he started the REFORMATION (=the time
when many Christians in Europe left the Catholic religion
and started the Protestant religion) by writing his 95 Theses,
in which he criticized the Catholic religion and by fastening
them with nails to the door of his church in Wittenburg. He
is also known for translating the Bible from Latin into
German.
Lu·ther·an /'lu:θərən/ n the Protestant religious group that
follows the ideas and teachings of Martin Luther. Lutherans
are the largest Christian group in Germany and in all the
countries of Scandinavia, and there are also many Lutherans
in the US, especially in the midwest.
Lu·ther·an·ism /'lu:θərənɪzəm/ n [U] the beliefs or prac-
tice of that branch of the Protestant church which is based on
the teachings of Martin Luther, especially the belief that
SALVATION can be gained by faith alone
Lu·ton Air·port /ˌlu:tn 'eəpɔ:t||-'eərpɔ:t/ an airport near
Luton in south central England. Luton is an international
airport used especially by planes taking people on PACKAGE
TOURS.
luv /lʌv/ n BrE, nonstandard or humor for LOVE
luv·vie /'lʌvi/ n LOVEY
Lux·em·bourg, Luxemburg /'lʌksəmbɜ:g||-bə:rg/ a
small country in western Europe, surrounded by Belgium,
Germany, and France. Capital: Luxembourg-Ville. Popula-
tion: 454,157 (2003). Luxembourg is a member of the EU,
and its official name is the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.
The EU's main law court, the European Court of Justice, is in
Luxembourg. —Luxembourger n
Lux·em·burg, Ro·sa /'lʌksəmbɜ:g||-bə:rg, 'rəʊzə/ (1871-
1919) a German SOCIALIST leader, born in Poland. In 1892 she
helped to start the Polish Socialist Party, and later the
Spartacus League, a political group which became the Ger-
man Communist Party. She was killed by soldiers during a
protest organized by the Spartacus League.
Lux·or /'lʌksɔ:/ a city in Egypt on the east bank of the River
Nile, famous for its ancient TEMPLES (=holy buildings) and
very popular with tourists. In 1997, 59 tourists were killed in
Luxor by a group of TERRORISTS opposed to the Egyptian
government.
Lu Xun /ˌlu: 'ʃun/ (1881-1936) a Chinese writer of great
influence, whose real name was Zhou Shuren. He criticized
Chinese government thinking at the time and encouraged
people in China to become interested in Western ideas and
science. He is famous for his short stories, especially The True
Story of Ah Q.
lux·u·ri·ant /lʌg'zjʊəriənt, ləg'ʒʊəriənt ləg'ʒʊriənt/
adj 1 growing healthily and in large amounts: Luxuriant
forests covered the hills. | a luxuriant beard 2 sometimes derog
very highly decorated: luxuriant prose —ly adv —ance n
[U]
lux·u·ri·ate /lʌg'zjʊəriət, ləg'ʒʊəriət||ləg'ʒʊri-/ v
luxuriate in sthg. phr v [T] to consciously enjoy oneself in;
take great pleasure in (especially a situation of great com-
fort): luxuriating in a hot bath with a good book
lux·u·ri·ous /lʌg'zjʊəriəs, ləg'ʒʊəriəs||ləg'ʒʊriəs/