legionnaire's disease
794
**legionnaire's dis,ease** *n* [U] a serious infectious disease of the lungs, caught especially by groups of people gathered together in a building such as a hospital or hotel. It first appeared in people attending a meeting of the American Legion in 1976.
**le-gis-late** /'ledʒɪslet/ *v* [I (for, against)] to make a law or laws: *The Senate has legislated against the importation of dangerous drugs.*
**le-gis-la-tion** /ˌledʒɪs'leɪən/ *n* [U] **1** a law or set of laws: *The government will introduce legislation to restrict the sale of firearms.* **2** the act of making laws
**le-gis-la-tive** /'ledʒɪslətɪv‖-leɪtɪv/ *adj* [A] having the power and duty to make laws: *a legislative assembly* → compare EXECUTIVE, JUDICIAL
**le-gis-la-tor** /'ledʒɪsleɪtər/ *n* a maker of laws or a member of a lawmaking body
**le-gis-la-ture** /'ledʒɪsleɪtʃər, -lætʃər/ *n* [C+sing./pl. v] a body of people who have the power to make and change laws → compare EXECUTIVE², JUDICIARY and see also Feature on page A20
**le-git** /lɪ'dʒɪt/ *adj slang* for LEGITIMATE: *I promise you, the deal's strictly legit.*
**le-git-i-mate¹** /lɪ'dʒɪtɪmət/ *adj* **1** correct or allowable **a)** according to the law: *The Crown Prince has a legitimate claim to the throne.* | *Far from being a legitimate business, it was a front for a drugs racket.* **b)** according to generally accepted standards of behaviour: *It's perfectly legitimate to question his instructions if you think they're wrong.* → opposite ILLEGITIMATE **2** born of parents who are legally married to each other → opposite ILLEGITIMATE **3** reasonable; sensible: *From her failure to reply we reached the quite legitimate conclusion that she wasn't interested.* → see LEGAL (USAGE)
→**-ly** *adv* —**macy** *n* [U]
**leg-it-i-mate²** /lɪ'dʒɪtɪmeɪt/ *v* [T] *AmE* for LEGITIMIZE
**le-git-i-mize** also, **-mise** *BrE* /lɪ'dʒɪtɪmaɪz/ also **le-git-i-ma-tize, -tise** *BrE* /lɪ'dʒɪtɪmətaɪz/ || also **legiti-mate** *AmE* — *v* [T] **1** **a)** to make legal **b)** to make (especially something bad) seem right or acceptable **2** to make (a child) legitimate, especially by the marriage of the parents
**leg-less** /'legləs/ *adj infml, especially BrE* very drunk
**Leg-o** /'legəʊ/ *trademark* a type of very popular children's toy made by the Danish company Lego. It consists of coloured plastic pieces of various shapes and sizes that can be fitted together to make buildings, vehicles etc. Many examples of what you can build from Lego can be seen at Legoland in Denmark or in WINDSOR in the UK.
**'leg-pull** *n infml* a playful attempt to make a fool of someone by telling them something that is not true → compare pull someone's leg (LEG¹)
**leg-room** /'legruːm, -ruːm/ *n* [U] room enough to position one's legs comfortably when seated: *There's not much leg-room in the back of this car.*
**'leg side** *n* LEG
**leg-ume** /'legjuːm, lɪ'gjuːm/ *n* **1** (the seed case of) a plant of the bean family that has its seeds in a POD (=a thin case) which breaks in two along its length **2** *especially AmE* PULSE
—**uminous** /lɪ'gjuːmɪnəs/ *adj*
**'leg-up** *n BrE infml* **1** a help in getting up onto something by using somebody's joined hands as a step: *Give me a leg-up onto this wall, will you?* **2** (help in) advancing oneself: *It's a bit of a leg-up from barmaid to banker, isn't it?*
**'leg-warmer** *n* a woollen covering for the leg from the ankle to the knee
**leg-work** /'legwɜːk‖-wɜːrk/ *n* [U] *infml* work that needs much walking about or tiring effort: *He leaves someone else to do all the legwork of gathering information while he sits in the office and collates it.*
**Le Havre** /lə 'ɑːvrə/ a city and port in northwest France where the River Seine flows into the English Channel. Ferries (FERRY) from the south of England take cars and passengers to Le Havre.
**Leh-man, Tom** /'leɪmən/ (1959–) a US GOLFER who won the BRITISH OPEN golf competition in 1996
**Leh-rer, Jim** /'leɪlər, dʒɪm/ (1934–) a US JOURNALIST and television news PRESENTER. He worked with Robert MacNeil on a news programme for many years and in 1995 became the ANCHOR of *The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer* on PBS.
**lei** /leɪ/ *n* a circular bunch of flowers placed round one's neck as a greeting, especially in Hawaii
**Leib-niz, Gottfried Wil-helm, Baron von** /'laɪbnɪts, 'gɒtfriːd 'vɪlhelm'gaɪt-/ (1646–1716) a German PHILOSOPHER and MATHEMATICIAN who invented CALCULUS at the same time as NEWTON
**Lei-ca** /'laɪkə/ *trademark* a BRAND (=type) of high-quality camera made by the Leica company, which also makes products such as MICROSCOPES and photographic equipment
**Leices-ter-shire** /'lestəʃər‖-tər-/, *written abbrev.* **Leics.** a COUNTY in central England
**Leices-ter Square** /ˌlestə 'skweər‖-tər-/ a SQUARE in central London which has several cinemas, restaurants, shops, and AMUSEMENT ARCADES. It is a popular place for tourists and young people, and it is always busy, especially at night.
**Leigh, Mike** /liː/ (1943–) a British film director known for his unusual style of making films. Before the film is made, the actors work together to develop the characters and decide what they will say. His films often deal with the lives of WORKING-CLASS British people, and include *Naked* (1993) and *Secrets and Lies* (1996). He has also made films for television, including *Abigail's Party* (1977).
**Leigh, Viv-i-en** /'vɪviən/ (1913–67) a British actress, famous for her beauty and for appearing as the characters Scarlett O'HARA in the film GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) and Blanche Dubois in the film *A Streetcar Named Desire* (1951). She is also known for having been married to Laurence OLIVIER for many years. → see colour photo on page A32
**Lein-ster** /'lenstər/ a PROVINCE in the Republic of Ireland which includes 12 counties (COUNTY) and the city of Dublin
**Leip-zig** /'laɪpsɪg/ a city in eastern central Germany, which has a famous university and is an important centre for business
**lei-sure** /'leʒər‖'liːʒ-/ *n* [U] **1** time when one is free from work or duties of any kind; free time: *She's very busy; she doesn't get much leisure (time).* | leisure shoes | a leisure suit **2** at one's leisure at a convenient time: *Do it at your leisure.*
**'leisure centre** *n BrE* a place providing some of a range of leisure activities e.g. various sports, swimming, cinema, restaurant etc
**lei-sured** /'leʒəd‖'liʒərd/ *adj* having no regular work and plenty of free time: *the leisured classes*
**lei-sure-ly¹** /'leʒəlɪ‖'liʒərli/ *adj* moving, acting, or done without hurrying: *a leisurely stroll* | *I had a leisurely glass of beer.* (=I drank it without hurrying) —**liness** *n* [U]
**leisurely²** *adv rare* in a leisurely way
**'leisure suit** *n AmE* a suit of matching shirt and trousers, typically made of POLYESTER and worn by middle-aged and older men. Leisure suits are considered very unfashionable by young people and are often the subject of jokes: *When we saw all the leisure suits waiting in line we decided we'd better pick another movie.*
**lei-sure-wear** /'leʒəweər‖'liːʒər-/ *n* [U] informal clothes suitable for sport or for relaxation
**leit-mo-tiv, -tif** /'laɪtməʊˌtiːf/ *n* **1** a musical phrase that is played at various times during an OPERA or similar musical work to suggest or go along with a particular character or idea → compare MOTIF **2** something in a work of art, a person's behaviour etc that appears repeatedly and is seen to be a controlling influence or important interest
**Lei-trim** /'liːtrɪm/ a COUNTY in the north of the Republic of Ireland
**Le Mans** /lə 'mɒn‖-'mɑːn/ a city in northwest France where a famous car race takes place every year. The race continues without stopping for 24 hours, and the winner is the car that has driven the most times around the track in that time.
**lem-ming** /'lemɪŋ/ *n* a ratlike animal living in cold northern parts of the world, which sometimes travels in large groups. Many of them drown in the sea on these journeys and it is popularly thought that they deliberately kill themselves in