98 



GLOSSARY. 



Laterit'ious (Lat. later, a brick). Like 

 bricks or brick-dust. 



Latex (Lat. a liquor or juice). The 

 elaborated sap of plants. 



Laticif'erous (Lat. latex; fero, I 

 carry). Conveying latex or elabor- 

 ated sap. 



Latitude (Lat. latus, wide). Width. 

 Terrestrial latitude is the position 

 of a place on the surface of the 

 earth north or south of the equator. 

 Celestial latitude is the distance of 

 a heavenly body from the ecliptic, 

 measured in a direction perpen- 

 dicular to the ecliptic. 



Lava. The general name for melted 

 rocky matter discharged from vol- 

 canoes. 



Lax'ative (Lat. laxo, I loosen). 

 Loosening ; mildly purgative. 



Laxa'tor (Lat. laxo, I loosen). That 

 which relaxes or makes loose ; 

 applied to certain muscles. 



Leaf-bud. A bud which produces 

 leaves. 



Leg'ume (Lat. legu'men, pulse). In 

 botany, a pod opening at the front 

 and back, as in the pea. 



Legu'minous (Lat. legu'men, pulse). 

 Belonging to the bean tribe, the 

 fruit of which is a legume or pod. 



Lemma (Gr. XanPavw, lam'bano, I 

 receive). A proposition laid down 

 to demonstrate for the purpose of 

 rendering more plain another that 

 is to follow. 



Lens (Lat. a lentil). A transparent 

 substance, with two curved sur- 

 faces, or with a curved surface arid 

 a plane surface, for the purpose of 

 altering the direction of rays of 

 light passing through it. 



Lentic'ular (Lat. lentic'ulus, a little 

 lentil). Having the form of a 

 double convex lens, or the form or 

 size of a lentil. 



Lentor (Lat. lentus, slow). Slowness; 

 viscidity or thickness of fluids. 



Lepidoden'dron (Gr. terns, lep'is, a 

 scale; Sei/Spov, dendron, a tree). 

 A family of fossil plants in the coal 

 formation, so called from the scale- 

 like arrangement of the scars of 

 their leaves. 



Lepidogan'oid (Gr. A-en-is, lep'is, a 



yavos, ganos, splendour ; 

 elSos, eidos, form). A sub-order 

 of fossil fishes. 



Lep'idoid (Gr. \c-ms, lep'is, a scale ; 

 etSos, eidos, shape). Resembling 

 scales. 



Lep'idote (Gr. AeTns, lep'is, a scale). 

 Covered with scales. 



Lepidop'tera (Gr. \e-ms, lep'is,a scale ; 

 irrepov, pter'on, a wing). An order 

 of insects having four membranous 

 wings covered with fine scales, as 

 butterflies and moths. 



Lepra (Gr. Xeins, lep'is, a scale). 

 The leprosy ; a disease of the skin 

 characterised by the formation of 

 whitish opaque scales. 



Le'sion (Lat. Icedo, I hurt). An in- 

 jury. 



Leth'argy (Gr. AT^T?, lethe, oblivion ; 

 apyos, argos, idle). Preternatural 

 drowsiness. 



Leucae'mia (Gr. \(VKOS, leukos, 

 white ; at/xo, haima, blood). White 

 blood. 



Leucin (Gr. Aeu/fos, leukos, white). 

 A white crystallisable organic sub- 

 stance obtained from muscular fibre, 

 and from the compounds of protein. 



Leucocythae'mia (Gr. \evKos, leukos, 

 white ; /euros, Tcutos, a cell ; al/na, 

 haima, blood). A diseased state 

 characterised by an excess of white 

 corpuscles in the blood. 



Leucophlegma'sia(Gr. \euos, leukos, 

 white; (f>\y/ua, phlegma, phlegm). 

 A condition of body characterised 

 by paleness and flabbiness, with an 

 excess of serum in the blood. 



Leva'tor (Lat. leva, I raise). That 

 which raises : applied to certain 

 muscles. 



Lever (Lat. levo, I raise). A solid 

 bar turning on an axis or fulcrum, 

 employed for the purpose of raising 

 weights. 



Levigate (Lat. Icevis, smooth). To 

 make smooth ; to rub to a fine im- 

 palpable powder. 



Lexicon (Gr. \eyu, lego, I speak). 

 A dictionary : applied generally to 

 dictionaries of the Greek or Hebrew 

 languages. 



Leyden Jar. A glass jar coated on 

 both sides with tinfoil to within 



