Staff L of the English Wordbook.
Basic abbreviations:
- OE = Old English
- ME = Middle English
- SC = Scots
- WF = West Frish
- NF = North Frish
- SF = Saterlandish Frish
- WLG = West Low Theech
- ELG = East Low Theech
- NL = Netherlandish
- NHG = New High Theech
- IC = Icelandish
- HIC = High Icelandish
- NO = Nornish
- SW = Swedish
- DN = Danish
- MLG = Middle Low Theech
- MNL = Middle Netherlandish
- MHG = Middle High Theech
- OF = Old Frish
- OS = Old Saxish
- OHG = Old High Theech
- ON = Old Norse
- GO = Gottish
- PWG = Or-West-Theedish
- PG = Or-Theedish
For a full list of etymological and other abbreviations used in these wordlists, see: Offshortenings.
Staffs under English Wordbook/L:
La Lb Lc Ld
Le Lf Lg Lh
Li Lj Lk Ll Lm Ln Lo Lp Lq Lr Ls Lt Lu Lv
Lw Lx Ly Lz
*Note: If you click on one of the links above, and nothing happens, then that means no words have been put forth for that bookstaff as of yet.
| Chancery English | Class | Anglish/English | ||
| Attested | Unattested | |||
La[] | ||||
| labia majora | n | - | greater ladylips (calque of Leeden + lady) | |
| labia minora | n | - | lesser ladylips (calque of Leeden + lady) | |
| labor | vb | work, swink; sweat, grind, slog, struggle | wirch/worch/werch (<OE wyrċan; attested as dialectal verbs) | |
| labor | n | work, swink, swot; sweat, elbow grease, struggle med: childbirth, birthing |
arveth (<OE earfoðe) | |
| labor union (see trade union) | n | - | workship, styfellowship | |
| laborer | n | worker, swinker | - | |
| laboratory | n | workshop, workhall | workstead | |
| laborious | adj | backbreaking, burdensome, toilsome | - | |
| labyrinth | n | maze | - | |
| lacerate | vb | cut | rend, snithe | |
| lachrymose | adj | sad, teary, tearful, weeping, weepy | - | |
| lackadaisical | adj | lackadaisy, listless, lazy | - | |
| lacklustre | adj | dim, dull, leaden, lifeless, dead, brightless | - | |
| lacrimal bone | n | - | tearbone | |
| lactose | n | - | milksweet | |
| lacuna | n | dearth, hole | gapfall | |
| lager (beer) (<NHG) | n | - | light beer (cf. SW ljust öl), "a light" (inf.) | |
| lagoon | n | - | sealock | |
| lambaste | vb | berate, flog, scathe, upbraid | flay | |
| lament | n/vb | mourn, weep, yammer, wail, bewail | norn, quithe, beweep (<OE) | |
| lamentable | adj | bemoaning, doleful | - | |
| lamp | n | beacon, light | lightvat (<OE leohtfæt), bloakern (< ME blācern ⁊ OE blācern), crusie, waylight | |
| lampion | n | - | lightvat | |
| LAN (local area network) | n | - | ord network | |
| language | n | tongue/tung, speech, leid (from Scots), talk |
atheed (<ME ithēode <OE geþēode), reard (< NE rerd ⁊ OE reord) literary: bookleaden (<OE bōclēden) | |
| languid | adj | limp; down-and-out, sapped, wimpish | slack | |
| languish | vb | pine, dwindle, droop, ebb, lessen, wane, wither, weaken, wear away, swine | dwine, addle (<OE ádlian) | |
| languor | n | listlessness; lowness, wimpiness | - | |
| lanolin | n | - | woolwax | |
| lantern | n | lightbearer, handlight, waylight | ||
| lapidary | n | - | ingraver | |
| lapis lazuli | n | - | skystone (calque), hewenstone (from minecraft) | |
| lapse | n | fluff, slip, screwup, backslide | dwild (<OE dwild) | |
| large | adj | great, broad, wide, mickle, muckle, stour | entish | |
| largely | adv | broadly, mostly, mainly, greatly, stourly | - | |
| Larvik, Norway | n(p) | - | Laywick (Calque of ON *Lagarvík (> NO Larvik), w/ first element kinword with Eng. "lay", and -wick coming from ON vik) | |
| larynx | n | Speech box | stevenbox (cf. Eng. voice box)
throathead (cf. NHG Kehlkopf) | |
| lascivious | adj | foul, lewd; lustful; horny | gole (<ME<OE gāl; listed in OED as obsolete), gat-toothed (<ME gat-toþed) | |
| laser | n | - | losyr (light outbroadening by spurred yoreputting of rodding) | |
| lasso | n | - | throwsling; throwknot | |
| Latin | n(p) | - | Leeden (<ME lēden <OE Lǣden/Lēden) | |
| latitude | n | - | bowheight | |
| Latvia | n(p) | Lettenland (archaic) | Lettland | |
| Latvian | n(p) | Lett | - | |
| laud | vb | - | herry (<ME herien) | |
| laughable | adj | - | laughworthy | |
| launch | vb | take off | - | |
| launder | vb | wash, cleanse | furb | |
| laundrette | n | washhouse | furby's | |
| laundry | n | wash, washing | furbing | |
| lava | n | molten rock | rown/rean (cf. ON; IC hraun), barrowquick (cf. IC bergkvika) | |
| lawn | n | mead | - | |
| lawyer | n | lawman | lawer (<ME lawere) | |
| lax | adj | careless, slack; loose, slackened | - | |
| laxative | n | - | (stool-)loosener | |
| lay (poem/song) | n | - | yedding | |
| layman | n | newbie, dabbler, beginner | byfellow | |
Lc[] | ||||
| LCD | n | - | frost outplay, flowing frosted outplay | |
Le[] | ||||
| leakage (foreign suffix) | n | leak, leaking | - | |
| league | n | - | measure: waystound (cf. NHG Wegstunde), Gallish mile
group/association: bend (cf. NHG Bund) | |
| lease | vb | let | - | |
| leash | n | lead, tether | - | |
| lecherous | adj | hot, itchy, lewd, wanton | - | |
| lecture | vb | read, teach | foreread (calque of all Ger. speeches) | |
| lecture | n | reading
teach: leer |
talk: foredraw (calque of all Ger. speeches)
(school): forereading (calque of all Ger. speeches) | |
| lecturer | n | reader | leerer, lorespeaker | |
| lederhosen (<NHG) | n | - | leatherhosen | |
| leg (<ON) | n | shank | - | |
| legacy | n | bequest | - | |
| legal | adj | lawful, aboveboard | ewly (<OE ǣwlīc) | |
| legalize | vb | phrase: make lawful | belaw, berighten | |
| legend | n | key; folktale, saga | must-read tale, wonder-tale | |
| legendary | adj | - | talewoven | |
| leggings (<ON) | n | tights, stockings | hosen (< NE hosen ⁊ ME hōse), strumps (cf. MHG strumpf) | |
| legible | adj | - | readsome | |
| legislation | n | law | wit (cf. NL wet) | |
| legislator | n | lawmaker, lawgiver | - | |
| legislature | n | lawmaking body | - | |
| legitimate | adj | rightful, (of birth) fullborn, lawful | - | |
| legume | n | - | ovet (<ME ōvet ⁊ <OE ofet) | |
| leishmaniasis | n | - | blackdriff (cf. Eng. black fever) | |
| leisure | n | free-time, time off, holiday, rest, spare time, freedom | faining, list, eathdom (cf. SC aisedom) | |
| leisure | adj | free, busiless, off | - | |
| leisure, have | vb | rest, loaf, while away the time | fain, list | |
| lemon | n | - | sourapple | |
| Leningrad Oblast | n(p) | - | Ingermanland (<NHG) | |
| lenitive | adj | soothing | milding | |
| lens | n | eyeglass | - | |
| lepidoptera | n | moths, flinders (butterflies) | - | |
| lepton | n | - | mairmote (<OE mæger "lean, thin" + mote) | |
| lesson | n | teaching, learning | read (<OE rǣde), reading (<OE rǣding) | |
| -let | sfx | -ling, -el, -le | - | |
| lethal | adj | deadly, fey (obsolete) | - | |
| lethargic | adj | sluggish, listless, tired, sleepy | sleeple | |
| lethargy | n | listlessness, sluggishness, sleepiness | sleepleness | |
| letter | n | character: bookstaff, bookstave, rune/roun | speech-token; kite (US prison slang); errandwrit, errandbook (<OE ǽrendbóc) | |
| lettuce | n | sleepwort | lectrick (<OE lēactric) | |
| leukemia | n | - | blood MTF (see cancer) | |
| level | n | layer, rung
(of a game): board |
kerf (cf. NHG Einkerbung), flack (calque: NL vlak)
tool: emnet (<OE emnett) | |
| level | adj | flat, even, straight | - | |
| lever | n | switch | liftstaff | |
| leverage | n | heft, pull, sway | - | |
| leveret | n | young hare | hareling | |
| leviathan | n | - | nicker (<OE nicor 'sea monster') | |
| lexicon | n | wordhoard (<OE wordhord), wordlist | - | |
Lg[] | ||||
| LGBT | n/adj | queer | otherfolk (wordly umwriting of queer), LVTO (Lesbish, Vincish, Twiloving, Overhoad) | |
Li[] | ||||
| liability | n | downside, drawback | law: linkworthiness | |
| liable | adj | guilty |
law: linkworthy | |
| liberal | adj | broad-minded, freehearted, openhanded, unstinting, unselfish | kisty (<OE cystig), givel (<OE gifol) (politics): freewardish | |
| liberalism | n | - | freewardness | |
| libertarian(ism) | n/adj | - | freesome (troth/seeker) | |
| liberate | vb | free, befree (<OE befrēon, cf. WF befrije), let go | leese (<ME lēsen), redd (<ME redden), loose | |
| liberation | n | freeing, freedom | befreeing | |
| liberty | n | freedom, free will | frelse (<OE frēols) | |
| library | n | bookhouse, bookhoard | bookhall, bookstrain, booksamning | |
| librarian | n | bookman, bookkeeper | - | |
| license | n | leave | - | |
| licentious | adj | hot, lewd, itchy | - | |
| lichen | n | lungwort | raw (<OE ragu) | |
| lieutenant | n | helpmate, sidekick | steadholder | |
| life course | n | - | lifeswend (calque: NL levenswende) | |
| life of the mind | phr | intellectual or aesthetic pursuits, scholarship,. 2. the realm of the imagination. | mind's life | |
| ligature | n | belt, binding, strap, string | - | |
| lilac | n | - | elderbloom (cf. NHG Fliederblüte) | |
| lily | n | - | lilie, liliebloom | |
| lily pad | n | - | seabloom (cf. NHG Seerose), waterbloom | |
| limbo | n | - | netherworld | |
| limerence | n | crush | - | |
| limit | n | bound, threshold, cap, stint; landmark | mere (<ME mēre) | |
| limit | vb | bound, tint, narrow | - | |
| limitation | n | cramp | - | |
| limpid | adj | see-through; cool, smooth, together, unruffled, unshaken, unworried | - | |
| lineage | n | blood-ties, house, strain, seed | strind | |
| line | n | streak | - | |
| linear | adj | straight(wise) | - | |
| lingerie | n | - | knickerwear, smallclothes | |
| lingua franca | n | shared tongue | - | |
| linguistic | adj | - | tonguely, speechly, wordly | |
| linguistic purism | n | - | speechly cleanliness, sheerspeechcraft/lore | |
| linguistics | n | - | tunglore, speechlore, quidlore (<OE cwide) | |
| linguist | n | - | speechloresman, quidloresman (<OE cwide) | |
| linnet | n | lintwhite | - | |
| linoleum | n | - | corksail | |
| linseed (<PG) | n | flaxseed | - | |
| lion | n | - | lee (<OE lēo), manecat | |
| lipid | n | fat, speck | lind | |
| liquid | n | wet (OED) | bree, wettock, quickshaft, weet/wete (archaic/dialectal variants of "wet") | |
| liquid | adj | flowsome, flowy, wet | weet/wete (variant form of "wet" < OE wǽt/wét < PG *wēt-) | |
| liquor | n | mead, shench, shenk, firewater, booze | gut-rot, knock-out drops, srandy, burning wine, lith | |
| liquorice/licorice | n | sweetroot | sweetwood (calque: NL zoethout, NHG Süßholz) | |
| litany | n | - | beesong (cf. IC bænasöngur) | |
| literal | adj | - | verbatim: wordly (calque: NHG wörtlich) of letters: bookstavely (calque: NHG buchstäblich), staffly (< ME staffliȝ ⁊ OE stæflīc) | |
| literally | adv | word for word | staffly (<ME staffliȝ), wordly | |
| literary | adj | bookly, written, bookish | - | |
| literary horror | n | dread-devils, death-devils. A genre of fiction which is intended to frighten, scare, disgust, or startle its readers by inducing feelings of horror and terror. | - | |
| literate | adj | learned, well-read | staffwise (<OE stæfwīs) | |
| literature | n | bookcraft | booklore, the written word, writings, written works, writcraft | |
| lithium | n | - | stoneshaft | |
| lithograph | n | - | stonewrit | |
| lithography | n | - | stonewritting | |
| Lithuania | n | - | Lithland, Lower Lithland, West Lithland; Samogitland | |
| Lithuanian | n | - | Lith, Lithman, Lithlander; Samogitter | |
| littoral | adj | strand, ashore; edge | searim, shorely | |
| liturgy | n | - | ledework (calque of Gk. leit-urgia), | |
| lizard | n | ask, askard (Brit. dialect) | athex (<OE āþexe), eft | |
Ll[] | ||||
| llama | n | - | sheepolvend (calque of NL schaapkameel + olvend (<OE olfend) for camel) | |
Lo[] | ||||
| lobe | n | - | lap (cf. NHG Lappen) | |
| lobotomy | n | - | lapdeal (calque) | |
| lobster (<OE) | n | - | hummer (<DN/SW hummer) | |
| local | adj | near, nearby, neighboring | steadly, stowly | |
| locality | n | shire, neighborhood | bystead | |
| locate | vb | find; come upon | - | |
| location | n | spot, whereabouts | lying (cf. NL ligging), ord (NE but seldom; cf. NL od, NHG Ort, SW udd) | |
| locomotive | n | ironhorse | draughtwain | |
| lodge | n | inn, guesthouse, bed & breakfast; watchman's hut, shed, gatehouse, townhouse | cote | |
| lodge | n/vb | vb: dwell
n: dwelling, stow |
stow; ern (<OE ærn) | |
| lodger | n | boarder, roomer | - | |
| logarithm | n | - | splittle | |
| logic | n | witcraft | flitcraft | |
| logistics | n | - | yieldship, yieldcraft | |
| logo | n | trademark, token, tag, stamp | brandmark | |
| logos | n | Word | thew | |
| -logy | sfx | -lore, -craft | -frod (cf. IC jarðfræði; earthfrod ~ geology; OE frōd 'wise') | |
| longitude | n | length | bowlength | |
| loin | n | - | lend (<ME lēnd) | |
| loot | vb | steal, rob, thieve | - | |
| loot | n | plunder (<NHG), pickings, fang, stolen goods | - | |
| loquacious | adj | feather-tongued, gabby | speakle | |
| lothario | n | widow-hunter | ||
| lottery | n | gamble, game of luck, sweep, sweepstake, draw, drawing | lotting | |
| lottery ticket | n | scratcher | - | |
| lounge | n | living room, sitting room | - | |
| lounge | vb | idle, lie, moon | - | |
| loveress (outborn ending) | n | - | lovester | |
| low (<ON) | adj | neath, nether | - | |
| Lower Saxony | n(p) | - | Nether Saxen, Nethersaxen, Nethersaxland, Nethersex | |
| loyal | adj | steadfast, trothful, stalwart, down-the-line, true-hearted, fast, steady | trowfast (<OE trēowfæst), trothfast (<NE troth + fast, cf. SW trofast, NO trofast <ON trúfastr) | |
| loyalist | n | stalwart | trowend (cf. NL getrouw, NHG Getreue) | |
| loyalty | n | troth, trueness | trow (<OE trēow, cf. WF trou, NL trouw), holdship (<OE holdscipe) | |
Lu[] | ||||
| lubricate | vb | slick, wax, wet | - | |
| lubricated | adj | slippery | - | |
| lubricious | adj | hot, lewd, itchy, wanton | - | |
| lucid | adj | shining, glowing | - | |
| Lucifer | n(p) | - | Lightbearer (cf. OE lēohtberend), Earendle (<OE Ēarendel) | |
| Lügenpresse | n | - | lying-news | |
| lullaby | n | cradle-song | - | |
| luminous | adj | light-bearing, bright, lightened, beamful | - | |
| lunacy | n | madness, witlessness | moonmadness, moonstroke | |
| lunar | adj | moonly, moonish | - | |
| lunar phase | n | moon shape | mooncast | |
| lunate bone | n | - | moonbone, sicklebone | |
| lunatic | adj | bats, batty, unhinged, moonstruck (archaic) | moonmad | |
| lupine | adj | wolven | - | |
| luscious | adj | lush, sweet, good, lovely, smacky, smackful | - | |
| luster | n | gloss, gleam | - | |
| lutein | n | - | yellowen (calque: luteus -> yellow + -in -> -en) | |
| luteinizing hormone (LH) | n | - | beyellowenning spur (BS) | |
| lutetium | n | - | lutetshaft, parisshaft | |
| luxe | adj | silken | - | |
| luxuriant | adj | green, leafy | - | |
| luxurious | adj | - | goleful (<OE gālfull) | |
| luxury | n | - | gole (<OE gāl) | |
Ly[] | ||||
| lycanthropy | n | - | werewolf-sickness | |
| lymph | n | - | suckedderweet (cf. IC sogæðavökvi) | |
| lymphatic | adj | - | suckedderweetish | |
| lynx | n | - | lox (<OE lox <PIE leuk "light") | |