795
leonine
large numbers: The soldiers continued their advance, pos-
sessed by some lemming-like instinct for self-destruction.
lem·on /'lemən/ n 1 [C;U] a fruit with a hard yellow skin and
sour juice: fish served with slices of lemon 2 [U] a drink
made from this fruit 3 [U] pale yellow: walls painted in
lemon 4 [C] BrE slang a foolish person: Don't do it like that,
you lemon! 5 [C] slang something unsatisfactory or worth-
less; a failure: That car turned out to be a real lemon!
lem·on·ade /,lemə'neɪd/ / n [U] 1 BrE a CARBONATED drink
tasting of lemon 2 a drink made from fresh lemons with
sugar and water added
,lemon 'curd n [U] BrE a cooked mixture of eggs, butter, and
lemon juice, eaten on bread
,lemon 'sole n a flat fish used as food
,lemon 'squash n [U] especially BrE a drink made from lemon
juice and sugar, to which water is added before it is drunk
Lem·sip /'lemsɪp/ trademark a type of medicine in the form of
a powder, which is mixed with hot water to make a drink for
curing colds
le·mur /'li:mə/ / n any of several mostly small monkey-like
forest animals that are active at night, found especially in
Madagascar
lend /lend/ v lent /lent/ 1 [T(to)] to give (someone) the
possession or use of (something, such as money or a car) on
the condition that it or something like it will be returned
later: I never lend money. | Reluctantly I agreed to lend it to
her. | [+obj(i)+obj(d)] Can you lend me £10 until tomorrow? 2 [I;T]
to give out (money that must be repaid) so as to earn profit
from interest, especially as a business: The bank currently
lends (money) at 10 per cent interest. 3 [T+obj (i)+obj (d)] to give
as an additional quality: The presence of the bishop lent the
occasion a certain dignity. | [+obj+to] The many flags lent
colour to the streets. 4 lend an ear to listen, especially
sympathetically: She was talking about her operation to any-
one willing to lend an ear. 5 lend itself to rather fml (of a thing)
to be suitable for: This book lends itself admirably to film
adaptation. | [+v-ing] This play lends itself to being performed
in an open-air theatre. 6 lend one's name to to agree to be
publicly connected with: I'm surprised he lent his name to a
cheap publicity stunt. → compare BORROW; see also lend a
hand (with) (HAND¹) —er n
'lending library n a library which lends books, music etc
'lending rate n the RATE charged by a bank or BUILDING
SOCIETY for lending money → see also MINIMUM LENDING
RATE
'lend-lease n an arrangement during World War II by which
the US sent necessary supplies to countries friendly to the
US. Either these were returned at the end of the war or a
similar exchange was made.
length /leŋθ/ n 1 [C;U] the measurement of something from
one end to the other or of its longest side: The length of the
room is ten metres; it is ten metres in length. (compare It is ten
metres LONG¹.) | Take two pieces of string of different lengths.
→ compare BREADTH, WIDTH 2 [U] the quality or condition
of being long: The students complained about the length of
the exam paper. (=complained that it was too long) 3 [the (of)]
the distance from one end to the other: We walked the length
of (=all along) the street. 4 [C] the measure from one end to
the other of a horse, boat etc, used in stating distances in
races: The horse won by three lengths. 5 [C(of)] a piece of
something, especially of a certain length or for a particular
purpose: He tied it with a length of string. 6 at length fml a)
using many words; in great detail: She spoke at (great) length
about the plight of the refugees. b) after a long time; at
last: At length he returned. 7 go to any length(s)/great/
some/considerable/unprecedented lengths to be willing
to do anything, however difficult, dangerous, unpleasant, or
morally wrong: He'll go to any lengths to get his child back
from his ex-wife. | They went to unprecedented lengths to limit
press coverage of the trial. 8 the length and breadth of in
or through every part of: He travelled the length and breadth
of the country raising funds for the party. → see also at arm's
length (ARM¹), measure one's length (MEASURE¹)
length·en /'leŋθən/ v [I;T] to make or become longer: to
lengthen a skirt | The days lengthened as summer approached.
→ opposite SHORTEN
length·ways /'leŋθweɪz/ also length·wise /-waɪz/ adv in
the direction of the longest side: He laid the bricks length-
ways.
length·y /'leŋθi/ adj sometimes derog very long: a lengthy
meeting/speech/discussion —ily adv —iness n [U]
le·ni·ent /'li:niənt/ adj not severe in judgment or punish-
ment; gentle: a lenient judge who passes lenient sentences
—ly adv —ence, -ency n [U]
Len·in, Vlad·i·mir Il·yich /'lenɪn, 'vlædɪmɪə 'ɪlɪtʃ/
(1870-1924) a Russian Marxist REVOLUTIONARY and writer who
was leader of the Bolshevik party and first leader of the
Soviet Union (1918-24)
Len·in·grad /'lenɪŋgræd/ the name of the Russian city of ST
PETERSBURG during the time when Russia was part of the
former SOVIET UNION. It was named after Lenin, the first
leader of the SOVIET UNION.
Len·in·is·m /'lenɪnɪzəm/ n [U] the teachings of Lenin, based
on those of Karl Marx, regarding political, economic, and
social matters; MARXISM-LENINISM —Leninist, Leninite n, adj
Len·non, John /'lenən/ (1940-80) a British singer and song-
writer, who was a member of The BEATLES, and wrote most
of their songs with Paul MCCARTNEY. After The Beatles sepa-
rated, he continued to write and sing songs, especially about
peace and love, including Give Peace a Chance and Imagine.
He was married to the artist Yoko Ono. He was shot and killed
outside his home in New York City.
Len·nox, An·nie /'lenəks, 'æni/ (1954-) a British singer and
SONGWRITER from Scotland. Before she began singing on her
own, she had been the main singer in The Tourists and The
Eurythmics with her former PARTNER Dave Stewart.
Len·o, Jay /'lenəʊ/ (1950-) a US COMEDIAN and television
PRESENTER, famous for appearing as the host on The Tonight
Show, a late-night TALK SHOW on US television → see colour
photo on page A46
lens /lenz/ n 1 a piece of glass, plastic, or other transparent
material, curved on one or both sides, which makes a beam
of light passing through it bend, spread out, become nar-
rower, change direction etc. It is used in glasses for the eyes,
in cameras, in microscopes etc: He has very thick lenses in his
glasses. → see pictures at CAMERA and GLASSES 2 a piece of
round transparent flesh behind the PUPIL (=black opening in
front of the eye) which acts like a glass lens in focusing
(FOCUS) light → see picture at EYE 3 infml for CONTACT LENS
lent /lent/ past tense and participle of LEND
Lent n [U] the period of 40 days before Easter, during which
Christians traditionally 'give up something for Lent', mean-
ing that they stop doing something that they enjoy, such as
drinking coffee or eating cakes. Lent begins on ASH WEDNES-
DAY and is based on the belief that Jesus spent 40 days in the
desert without food before he began his work as a religious
teacher.
len·til /'lentəl/ n the small round seed of a beanlike plant,
dried and used for food. Lentils are popular with people who
like to eat healthily, especially those who do not eat meat,
and are often made fun of by non-VEGETARIANS.
len·to /'lentəʊ/ adj, adv (of music) played slowly
Le·o /'li:əʊ/ n pl. Leos 1 [S] the sign of the ZODIAC, repre-
sented by a lion, which some people believe affects the
character and life of people born between 23 July and 22
August 2 [C] someone who was born between 23 July and
22 August
Le·o·nar·do da Vin·ci /,li:ə,nɑ:dəʊ də 'vɪntʃɪl-,nɑ:r-/
(1452-1519) an Italian painter, inventor, and scientist of the
RENAISSANCE period, who is generally regarded as one of the
greatest artists and GENIUSES who ever lived. His most
famous paintings are The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. As a
scientist and engineer, he made many important discoveries
and designed and invented many machines, including one
that looks similar to a modern HELICOPTER.
Le·o·ne, Ser·gi·o /li'əʊni, 'sɜ:dʒiəʊ||'sɜ:r-/ (1921-89) an
Italian film DIRECTOR known for his SPAGHETTI WESTERNS
(=films about the American West in the 19th century, made
in Europe by Italian directors), such as A Fistful of Dollars
(1964) and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
le·o·nine /'li:ənaɪn/ adj fml of or like a lion: a noble leonine
head