116 words starting with L

• lab noun

  a room or building with equipment for scientific experiments

  We mixed vinegar and baking soda in the school lab.

  Like laboratory

• label noun

  a small piece of paper or cloth on something, giving information about it

  Read the label on the bottle to see what is inside.

  Like tag, sticker

• labor noun

  hard work, especially work done with the body

  Building the stone wall took weeks of labor.

  Like work, effort, toil

• laboratory noun

  a room with equipment for doing science experiments

  We tested the water samples in the school laboratory.

  Like lab

• lack noun

  not having enough of something, or not having it at all

  The plants died because of a lack of water.

  Like shortage, absence

• lady noun

  a polite word for a woman

  The lady at the ticket counter helped us find the right bus.

  Like woman

• lake noun

  a large area of water with land all around it

  We rowed a boat across Phewa Lake in Pokhara.

• land noun

  the solid surface of Earth that is not covered by water

  Frogs can live on land and in water.

  Like ground, earth

• landscape noun

  everything you can see in a wide area of land

  The landscape around Pokhara has lakes, hills and snowy peaks.

  Like scenery, view

• language noun

  the system of words that a group of people use to speak and write

  Nepali is the language spoken in most homes in Kathmandu.

  Like tongue

• large adjective

  big in size or amount

  A large crowd gathered to watch the cricket match.

  Like big, huge, vast

• largely adverb

  mostly, but not completely

  The village is largely made up of farmers.

  Like mostly, mainly

• last adjective

  coming after all the others; most recent

  The last bus to Lalitpur leaves at eight in the evening.

  Like final, latest

• late adjective

  coming after the expected or usual time

  He was late for class because the bus broke down.

  Like delayed, tardy

• lateral adjective

  relating to the side of something; moving sideways

  Crabs are famous for their lateral movement along the beach.

  Like sideways, side

• latter adjective

  the second of two things just mentioned

  Of tea and coffee, I prefer the latter.

• laugh verb

  to make sounds with your voice that show you think something is funny

  The children laughed at the clown’s silly tricks.

• laughter noun

  the sound people make when something is funny

  The room was full of laughter when the clown fell over.

• launch verb

  to send a rocket or boat into the air or water; to start something new

  Scientists launched a rocket to study the moon.

  Like send up, start, begin

• law noun

  a rule made by a government that everyone must follow

  The law says that riders on a motorbike must wear a helmet.

  Like rule, act

• lawyer noun

  a person whose job is to advise people about the law and speak for them in court

  My aunt is a lawyer who helps families with land problems.

  Like attorney

• lay verb

  to put something down carefully in a flat position; to produce eggs

  Lay the map flat on the table so everyone can see it.

  Like place, put, set

• layer noun

  a sheet of material that covers a surface or lies between other sheets

  The cake had three layers with chocolate cream between them.

  Like coating

• layout noun

  the way the parts of something are arranged

  The layout of the new museum makes it easy to find each room.

  Like arrangement, plan, design

• lazy adjective

  not wanting to work or make an effort

  The lazy cat slept in the sun all afternoon.

  Like idle

• lead verb

  to go in front to show the way; to be in charge of a group

  Our guide led us along a narrow path to the waterfall.

  Like guide, direct, head

• leader noun

  a person who guides or is in charge of a group

  The team leader made sure everyone reached the camp safely.

  Like head, chief

• leadership noun

  the ability to guide and direct a group of people

  The captain’s good leadership helped our team win.

  Like guidance, direction

• leaf noun

  one of the flat green parts of a plant that grow from a stem

  In autumn, every leaf on the maple tree turned red.

• league noun

  a group of teams that play matches against each other

  Our school team won the district football league.

• lean verb

  to bend your body in one direction; to rest against something

  Don’t lean against the wet paint on the wall.

  Like tilt, rest

• leap verb

  to jump high or far

  The deer leapt over the stream.

  Like jump, spring, bound

• learn verb

  to get knowledge or a skill by studying, practicing or being taught

  My little sister is learning to ride a bicycle.

  Like study, discover, master

• leather noun

  animal skin made into material for shoes, bags and belts

  My school shoes are made of leather.

• leave verb

  to go away from a place or person

  We leave home at seven to reach school on time.

  Like depart, exit, go

• lecture noun

  a talk given to teach a group of people

  The professor gave a lecture on volcanoes to a hall full of students.

  Like talk, speech

• lecturer noun

  a person who teaches at a college or university

  The lecturer explained how earthquakes form along the edges of plates.

• left adjective

  on the side of your body where your heart is

  Write with your left hand if it is easier for you.

• leg noun

  one of the parts of the body used for walking and standing

  A spider has eight legs, but an insect has only six.

  Like limb

• legal adjective

  allowed by the law; connected to the law

  It is not legal to drive without a license.

  Like lawful, permitted

• legend noun

  an old story about the past that may not be true; a list explaining the symbols on a map

  A legend says the Kathmandu Valley was once a great lake.

  Like myth, tale

• legislation noun

  laws made by a government

  New legislation protects the forests from illegal logging.

  Like laws

• legitimate adjective

  allowed by law or rules; fair and reasonable

  Being sick is a legitimate reason for missing school.

  Like valid, lawful, proper

• leisure noun

  free time when you are not working or studying

  In his leisure time, my grandfather likes to tend his garden.

  Like free time, spare time, recreation

• lend verb

  to give something to someone for a short time, expecting to get it back

  Can you lend me your eraser? I will give it back after the test.

  Like loan

• length noun

  how long something is from one end to the other

  The length of the table is two meters.

  Like distance

• lesson noun

  a period of time when someone is taught something

  Our first lesson today is science, and the second is English.

  Like class

• let verb

  to allow someone to do something

  My parents let me stay up late on festival nights.

  Like allow, permit

• letter noun

  a written sign for a sound, like A or B; a written message sent to someone

  The English alphabet has twenty-six letters.

  Like character, message

• level noun

  a position on a scale of amount or quality; a floor of a building

  The water level in the river rises during the monsoon.

  Like degree, stage, height

• lever noun

  a bar that turns on a fixed point to help lift or move a heavy load

  We used a long stick as a lever to move the big rock.

• lexical adjective

  relating to the words of a language

  Learning new lexical items every week helps you read faster.

• liability noun

  legal responsibility for something; a person or thing that causes problems

  The company accepted liability for the damage to the road.

  Like responsibility; burden

• liable adjective

  likely to do or experience something; legally responsible for something

  The low road by the river is liable to flood after heavy rain.

  Like likely, prone

• liberal adjective

  willing to accept different opinions and ways of behaving; generous

  Our school has a liberal rule about what students can wear on Fridays.

  Like tolerant, open-minded

• library noun

  a room or building where books are kept for people to read or borrow

  I borrowed a book about dinosaurs from the school library.

• license noun

  an official paper that gives permission to do or own something

  My father needs a license to drive a car.

  Like permit

• lie verb

  to rest flat on a surface; to say something you know is not true

  The cat likes to lie in the sun on the roof.

  Like rest, recline

• life noun

  the state of being alive; the time from birth to death

  Scientists search for signs of life on other planets.

  Like existence, living

• lifestyle noun

  the way a person or group lives, including habits and activities

  Regular exercise and good food are part of a healthy lifestyle.

  Like way of life

• lifetime noun

  the length of time that a person or thing lives or lasts

  Seeing a total eclipse of the Sun is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many people.

  Like life, lifespan

• lift verb

  to move something up to a higher position

  It took two of us to lift the heavy box onto the table.

  Like raise, pick up, hoist

• light noun

  the brightness that comes from the Sun or a lamp and lets us see

  Plants need light from the Sun to make their own food.

  Like brightness, glow

• like verb

  to find someone or something pleasant or enjoyable

  My little brother likes mangoes more than any other fruit.

  Like enjoy

• likelihood noun

  the chance that something will happen

  There is a strong likelihood of rain this afternoon, so bring an umbrella.

  Like probability, chance

• likely adjective

  probably going to happen or be true

  It is likely to snow in the mountains tonight.

  Like probable, expected

• likewise adverb

  in the same way; also

  The teacher stood up to greet the guest, and the students did likewise.

  Like similarly, also, too

• limb noun

  an arm or a leg; a large branch of a tree

  Before running, stretch all your limbs, both your arms and your legs.

• limit noun

  the greatest amount or point allowed or possible

  The speed limit on this road is forty kilometers an hour.

  Like maximum, boundary

• limitation noun

  a weakness, or something that limits how much you can do

  One limitation of this phone is its small battery.

  Like restriction, weakness, limit

• line noun

  a long, thin mark; a row of people or things

  Draw a straight line across the page with your ruler.

  Like stroke, row, queue

• linear adjective

  arranged in a straight line; changing at a steady rate, so that a graph forms a straight line

  The graph showed a linear rise in the plant’s height each week.

  Like straight

• linguistic adjective

  relating to language or the study of language

  Nepal has great linguistic variety, with more than a hundred languages.

• linguistics noun

  the scientific study of language and how it works

  She studied linguistics to understand how children learn to speak.

• link noun

  a connection between two things; text you click to go to another web page

  Scientists found a link between sleep and good memory.

  Like connection, tie

• lip noun

  one of the two soft edges around the mouth

  My lips get dry in the winter wind.

• liquid noun

  a substance like water that flows and has no fixed shape

  Water, milk and oil are all liquids.

  Like fluid

• list noun

  a set of names or things written one below another

  Make a list of things to pack for the trip.

• listen verb

  to pay attention to sounds or to someone speaking

  Listen carefully to the instructions before you start.

  Like pay attention

• listener noun

  a person who listens, especially to the radio

  Radio listeners called in to answer the quiz.

• liter noun

  a metric unit of volume, equal to 1,000 cubic centimeters

  We bought two liters of milk for the tea.

• literally adverb

  exactly as the words say, not as a figure of speech

  The town’s name literally means “city of devotees.”

  Like word for word, exactly

• literary adjective

  relating to books, poems and other writing as an art

  Our school magazine has a literary section for poems and short stories.

• literature noun

  books, poems and plays thought to have artistic value

  We are reading the best-known works of Nepali literature this term.

• little adjective

  small in size or amount

  The little kitten slept in a box near the stove.

  Like small, tiny

• live verb

  to have your home in a place; to be alive

  My cousins live in a small town near Chitwan.

  Like reside, dwell, exist

• liver noun

  a large organ in the body that cleans the blood and helps digest food

  The liver stores energy and removes harmful substances from the blood.

• load noun

  something heavy that is carried by a person, animal or vehicle

  The porter carried a heavy load of supplies up the mountain trail.

  Like burden, cargo

• loan noun

  money that someone borrows and must pay back

  My parents took a loan from the bank to build a house.

• local adjective

  belonging to the area where you live or that you are talking about

  We buy our bread from the local bakery.

  Like nearby, neighborhood

• locally adverb

  in or near the area where you are

  All the vegetables at the market are grown locally.

  Like nearby, in the area

• locate verb

  to find the exact position of something

  Can you locate Pokhara on this map of Nepal?

  Like find

• location noun

  a place where something is or happens

  The location of the school is close to the river.

  Like place, site, position

• lock noun

  a device that keeps a door, box or lid closed, opened with a key

  Turn the key in the lock to open the door.

• locus noun

  the exact place where something happens; in math, the set of all points that follow a rule

  The locus of points at the same distance from a center is a circle.

  Like location, position

• log noun

  a thick piece of a tree trunk or branch; a written record of events

  We sat on a log by the river and ate our lunch.

• logic noun

  a way of thinking that uses clear reasons to reach a conclusion

  Use logic to work out the answer to the puzzle.

  Like reasoning

• logical adjective

  following clear and sensible reasoning

  It is logical to check the weather before a long trek.

  Like reasonable, sensible, rational

• long adjective

  measuring a great distance from one end to the other; lasting a great amount of time

  The Karnali is the longest river in Nepal.

  Like lengthy

• longitudinal adjective

  running along the length of something; studying the same people over a long time

  Sound travels through air as a longitudinal wave.

  Like lengthwise

• look verb

  to turn your eyes toward something in order to see it

  Look at the map and find where the river meets the sea.

  Like watch, gaze, glance

• loop noun

  a shape like a circle made by a curving line, rope or path

  She tied the string in a loop around the parcel.

  Like ring, circle

• loose adjective

  not firmly fixed in place; not fitting the body tightly

  One of my teeth is loose, and it will soon fall out.

  Like slack, unfastened

• lose verb

  to be unable to find something; to fail to win

  Don’t lose your ticket, or you cannot get on the bus.

  Like misplace

• loss noun

  the fact of no longer having something; failing to win a game

  The team was unhappy after its loss in the final match.

  Like defeat

• loud adjective

  making a lot of noise

  The music was so loud that we couldn’t hear each other.

  Like noisy

• love verb

  to like someone or something very much

  I love the smell of rain on dry soil.

  Like adore, cherish

• lovely adjective

  very beautiful or pleasant

  We had a lovely view of the mountains from our window.

  Like beautiful, pleasant

• lover noun

  a person who enjoys something very much

  My aunt is a great lover of music and gardening.

  Like fan, enthusiast

• low adjective

  not high above the ground; small in amount or level

  The cat jumped over the low wall into the garden.

  Like short, small

• luck noun

  good or bad things that happen by chance

  With a bit of luck, we will see the mountains when the clouds clear.

  Like chance, fortune

• lucky adjective

  having good things happen by chance

  We were lucky to see a rhino on our first day in Chitwan.

  Like fortunate

• lump noun

  a small solid piece with no particular shape; a swelling on the body

  Stir the flour well so that there are no lumps in the batter.

  Like chunk, piece, bump

• lunch noun

  the meal eaten in the middle of the day

  We eat lunch together in the school yard at noon.

  Like midday meal

• lung noun

  one of the two organs in the chest that you use to breathe

  Your lungs take in oxygen from the air you breathe.

• luxury noun

  great comfort that costs a lot of money; something pleasant but not needed

  A hot shower felt like a luxury after a week of trekking.

  Like extravagance, indulgence