Branch of Laurel ( Laurus nebilii), with 
male flowers. 
a. male flower with base of the inflores- 
cence, showing two involittr.il leaves ; b, fe- 
male flower i c, stamen, showing the dehis- 
c< . ncc o( OK al ; thcr . ,,;,,. 
laurel 
< OF. laurin; F. laurier = Pr. Sp. laurel = Pg. 
lonrtiro, laurel, < ML. 'laurariits, prop, adj., < L. 
liiiiritit, the bay-treo, laurel: see taarc.] I. . 
1. The bay-tree or bay-laurel, Laurus nobili.i. 
This is the true 
laurel of the an- 
cients and the 
poets. 
The In il [of a tree] 
wax of bright 
gold, bret to the 
myddes, 
Larglnr then a law- 
nail & lengur 
with all. 
Destruction of Troy 
UK. E. T. S.X 
[1. 4960. 
The antique Ore- 
clans used to lie 
along at their meuls 
. . . upon beds that 
circled three parts 
of the table, . . . 
in their feast Ings 
crowned with chap- 
lets of flowers and 
garlands of lawrdl. 
Sandys, Travailes, 
[p. 61. 
2. Any species 
of the genus 
Laurus. 3. Any one of many diverse plants 
whose leaves suggest those of the true laurel. 
In English gardens the common laurel, or cherry-laurel, 
more properly laurel-cherry, Is Prunug Lauro-Ceragug (see 
cherryl); the Portugal laurel is P. Luxitanica. The copse-, 
spurge-, or wood-laurel of England is Daphne Laureola. 
American laurel is the genus Kalmia, Including the moun- 
tain-laurel of the eastern United States (A', latifolia), , lit; 
lambklll or sheep-laurel (K. antrtuHfoKa), and the pale 
laurel or swamp-laurel (K. alauca). (See cut under Kal- 
mia.) The great laurel of the same region is the rosebay, 
Rhododendron maximum; and the ground-laurel la the 
trailing arbutus, Epiijaa repens. (See cut under JSpigaa. ) 
The white laurel, another swamp-laurel, of the Atlantic 
coast and the South, is Magnolia ijlauca. also called xicei-t- 
bay. Further south the big laurel, or bull-bay, is Magnolia 
grandiflora. The Carolina cherry-laurel is Prunus Caroli- 
niana. The California laurel or bay-tree, the mountain-lau- 
rel of the West, la Umbellularia Cal{fornica. The West 
Indian laurel is Prunug occidentals; the seaside laurel of 
the same locality comprises Phyllanthui latifolius, P. Jal- 
catux. and P. Knearis. The Japanese laurel, cultivated 
in several varieties, is Aucuba Japonica of the dogwood 
family. The Tasmanlan laurel is Anopterug glatidulosus. 
4. A crown of laurel; hence, honors acquired ; 
claims to or tokens of distinction or glory : often 
in the plural : as, to win laurels in battle. 
Their temples wreath 'd with leaves that still renew ; 
For deathless laurel is the victor's due. 
1 >rii:i, ,!, Flower and Leaf, 1. 541. 
No other fame can be compared with that of Jesus. . . . 
All other laurels wither before his. 
Channiny, Perfect Life, p. 225. 
The laurrli. of Miltlades would not suffer Themistocles 
to sleep. Ha in, i,r. Fame aud Glory. 
5. An English gold coin worth 20 shillings, or 
about 5 dollars, first issued in 1619 by James 
I. : so called because the head of the king was 
wreathed with laurel, and not crowned, as on 
earlier English coins. It was also called broad, 
unite, and jacobus. See cut under broad, n. 
6. A salmon which has remained in fresh wa- 
ter during the summer. 
II. a. Pertaining to or consisting of laurel: 
as, a laurel wreath. 
laurel-bottle (la'rel-bot'l), n. A bottle partly 
filled with crushed leaves of the common laurel, 
used by entomologists for killing insects. The 
fumes of the laurel-leaves are almost instantly 
fatal even to species of large size, 
laurel-cherry (la'rel-cher'i), n. See cherry 1 , 1. 
laureled, laurelled (la'reld or lor'eld), a. [< 
laurel + -ed?."} Crowned or decorated with lau- 
rel, or with a laurel wreath ; laureate. 
Those laitrfl'd chiefs were men of mighty fame. 
Dryden, Flower and Leaf, I 634. 
laurel-oil (U'rel-oil), . Same as bay-oil. 
laurel-shrub (la'rel-shrub), w. The laurel. 
Every spicy flower 
Of the laurel-thrubs that hedge it round. 
Tennyson, The Poet's Mind. 
laurel-tree (la'rel-tre), H. The laurel. 
laurel-water (la'rel-wa'ter), n. A medicinal 
water distilled from the leaves of the cherry- 
laurel. It is employed in Europe as a sedative narcotic, 
identical in its properties with a dilute solution of hydro- 
cyanic acid. if. S. Dispensatory. 
Laurentian (la-reu'shian), a. and n. K Law- 
rence, ML. Laurent/us (see defs.), + -wzn.] I. a. 
1. Of or pertaining to Laurentius or Lorenzo 
dei Medici, or to the Laurentian Library in 
Florence, named from him. 2. Of or pertaining 
to tlio river St. Lawrence: applied in geology, 
in 1854, by Sir W. E. Logan, to a series of rocks 
3373 
occupying an extensive area in the region of 
the Lpper Lakes, and previously called by him 
the iHctumorjihic series, and by Foster and 
Whitney the azoic series. These rocks, which un- 
questionably underlie, unconformably, the oldest known 
fossiliferous strata, are now (following the lead of J. D. 
Dana) more generally denominated archaan; and the 
same is true In regard to rocks of similar llthologlcal char- 
acter and of supposed similar stratigraphical position, 
which occur In other part* of the world, and which have 
been more or less vaguely and indiscriminately called l.mi- 
rentvin. Those who hold that tile absence of traces of or- 
ganic life Is a matter of fundamental importance, and that 
the unavailing search for fossils In these rocks during half 
a century is at least a strong indication that none will 
be found, and that this fact should be recognized in the 
nomenclature, still adhere to the name azoic, in pref- 
erence to archaan. Laurentian Library, a ccleiirat 
ed library at Florence, founded by Pope Clement VII. 
(1623-34) from previous collections of the Medici fam- 
ily, to which he belonged, and named in honor of Lorenzo 
del Medici. It contains many rare books, but Is famous 
chiefly for its large collection of early and valuable manu- 
scripts. Also called the Mriiicean or the Mediceo-Lau- 
rentian Library. 
II. n. In iji nl.. the Laurentian series, 
laureolet (la're-61), n. [Early mod. E. lauriel, 
< ME. lauriol, '< OF. laureole, <F. laureole = Sp. 
laureola = Pg. It. laureola, the laureole, < L. lau- 
reola, a little laurel garland, a laurel-branch, 
dim. of laurea, a laurel garland, fern, of laureus, 
of laurel, < laurus, laurel : see/aurc/.] Spurge- 
laurel, Daphne Laureola. 
Lauriol, centanre, and fumetere. 
Chaucer, Nun's Priest's Tale, L 14:;. 
laurert, n. [ME., also lawrer, lorer, var. of lau- 
rel, q. v.] The laurel. 
laurer-crownedt, a. Crowned with laurel. 
Chaucer, Troilus, v. 1107. 
laurestine (la'res-tin), n. Same as lauruatine. 
laurielt, n. See laureole. 
lauriferous (Ik-rtf'?- 8 )' <* [= Sp. laurifero 
= It. laurifero, < L. laurus, laurel, + ferre = E. 
bear 1 ."] Producing or carrying laurel. Colex, 
1717. 
laurin (la'rin), n. [< L. laurus, laurel, + -in 2 .] 
A fatty crystalline principle (C<mH 30 O 3 ) con- 
tained in the berries of the laurel. 
laurine (Ift'rin), a. [ME. lauryne, < OF. laurin, 
< L. laurinus, of laurel, < laurus, laurel: see 
laure, laurel."] Of laurel. 
As oil lauryne Is lentiscyne of take, 
Whoos vigour hoot water must underslake. 
Palladiui, Husbondrte (E. K. T. s.), p. 69. 
Laurinese (la-rin'e-e), n. pi. [NL. (A. P. de 
Candolle, 1813), < Laurus + -inB.] A natural 
order of apetalous plants, the laurel family, typi- 
fied by the genus Laurus. It embraces 42 genera and 
about 900 species of trees or shrubs, found for the most part 
in the warmer regions of America, Asia, Australia, and the 
islands of the Pacific. It is divided by modern authors 
into four tribes, the Pergeacea, Litseacea, Cauythea, and 
llernanttiftr, the last two abnormal and consisting each of 
a single genus. The plants of this order have strong prop- 
erties, usually aromatic or medicinal. To it belong, be- 
sides the laurel, the genera Cinnamomum (producing cin- 
namon and camphor) and Saiaafras, as well as other plants 
of economic importance. Also Lauracem. 
Laurinium (la-rin'i-um), n. [NL. (linger, 1850), 
< Laurus + -inium.~\ The generic name applied 
to fossil wood having an internal structure re- 
sembling that of Laurus. 
Laurinoxylon (la-rin-ok'si-lon), . [NL. (Fe- 
lix), < Laurus (Laurinium) + Gr. ffc/ov, wood.] 
Same as Laurinium. Also Laurinoxylum. 
lauriol t ; . See laureole. 
lauriomte (la'ri-on-It), n. [Irreg. < Laurion 
(see def.) + -tte 2 .] An oxychlorid of lead oc- 
curring in prismatic crystals at Laurium (Lau- 
rion), Greece, and produced by the action of 
sea-water upon the ancient lead slags. 
laurite (l&'rit), n. [So called by Wohler, a 
German chemist, after a ladv whose Christian 
name was Laura."} A sulphid of osmium and 
ruthenium, a rare mineral, occurring in regular 
octahedrons, of an iron-black color and bright 
metallic luster, found in the platinum-washings 
of Borneo. It occurs also in Oregon. 
laurizet (la'riz), v. t. [< L. laurus, laurel, + 
-.rc.] To crown with laurel ; laureate. 
Our humble notes, though little noted now, 
Laur&d hereafter. 
fjylcenter. Posthumous Sonnets, ill. 
Laurophy Hum ( la-ro-fil'um ), n. [NL. (Goppert, 
1848), < Laurus + Gr. *WJtov, leaf.] The gener- 
ic name given to fossil leaves having the shape 
and nervation of those of Laurus, with which 
genus, however, their identity has not been 
established. Such leaves are found in the Tertiary of 
Italy, Java, and New Zealand, and in the Cretaceous of 
Kansas and the British Northwest Territories. 
Laurus (la'rus). . [NL. use of L. laurus, the 
laurel-tree, applied by Liunseua to the genus : 
lavage 
gee laurel.^ A genus of apetalous trees, type of 
the natural order /./ I/K , falling within the 
tribe Lilxeacea:. It Is characterized by polygamous 
flowers In clusters of four together in an Involucre, a peri- 
anth of 4 segments, and usually 12 to SO stamens. Only 2 
species are known,one,L. nobilii, the true laurel. Inhabiting 
the Mediterranean region, the other, L. Canaruntii, con- 
fined to the Canary Islands. They are small trees hs>ring 
alternate, entire, evergreen leaves, with the flower-clusters 
borne In their axils. The fruit is an ovoid berry. (Secbiu- 
rel.) An immense number of fossil leaves agreeing In all 
essential respects with those of Laurus have been found, 
ranging from the Lower Cretaceous of the British North- 
west Territory and theMiddleCretsceous of Kua>, Green- 
land, and Bohemia to the Pliocene and Quaternary of Eu- 
rope, showing clearly that the plants of this genus and 
closely related types were much more abundant formerly 
than now. L. Canariemu Is also thus proved to have ex- 
isted on the continent of Europe In Pliocene time. 
laurustine (la'rus-tin), n. [Also laurestine; < 
NL.lauruxttnux: see laurustinux.] Same as IHH- 
nutinus. 
laurustinus (la-rus-ti'nus), n. [NL., orig. 
iMurus Tinus : L. laurus, laurel ; tiiiux, a plant, 
Viburnum Timi*.] A plant, Viburnum Tinus, a 
popular evergreen garden shrub or tree, native 
in southern Europe. 
laust, " A Middle English variant of loose. 
Chaucer. 
lauset. '' A Middle English variant of lose 1 . 
lantitloust (la-tish'us), a. [< L. lautitia, ele- 
gance, splendor, magnificence. < lautus, neat, 
elegant, splendid, lit. washed, pp. of lararc, 
wash: see tare 2 .] Sumptuous. 
To sup with thee thou dld'st me home invite. 
And mad'st a promise that mine appetite 
Sho'd meet and tire on such laulitious meat, 
The like not Heliogabalus did eat. 
Uerrick, The Invitation. 
lava (lii'vii), n. [= D. G. Dan. Sw. lava = F. 
late = Spi'Pg. lava, < It. lava, a stream, esp. of 
molten rock, < latare, wash, < L. larare, wash: 
see tare 2 .] Molten rock which issues from a 
volcano during an eruption; the same when 
cooled and hardened. Lavas after hardening differ 
much In structure and texture. Some are entirely made 
up of an Interlaced mass of crystals, others are entirely 
vitreous, as In the case of obsidian or volcanic glass. Oth- 
ers, again, have a partially glassy matrix, hi which crys- 
tals are embedded this last being the most common ar- 
rangement. Lavas also vary much In respect to compact- 
ness ; some have an open cellular structure, while others 
are very compact. The specific gravity of lava varies In 
the different kinds from 2.37 to S.22. The heavier or more 
basic kinds contain much magnetite or titaniferous iron, 
together with augite and olivin. These contain from 4.S 
to 60 per cent, of silica, and to this class belong the ba- 
salts, dolerites, and nephellne and lencite lavas. The 
lighter or more acid varieties of lava contain from 60 to 
80 per cent, or more of silica. In this class are included 
the trachytes and rhyolltes, as well as most of the pitch- 
stones, obsidians, and pumice. 'J litre are also varieties 
Intermediate between the acid and the basic, such as augite 
andesite and hornblende andesite. Many volcanoes at 
least during certain stages of their existence throw out 
fragmentary materials only, and these are sometimes 
ejected during the same period of activity in which molten 
lava Is poured forth. Among these fragmentary materials 
ashes, sand, lapilli, and even large angular masses occur. 
Portions of the molten material within the pipe of the 
crater are sometimes hurled aloft, and full in the form of 
bombs, or In rough irregular masses, like furnace-slag. 
Some volcanoes consist entirely of these fragmentary ma- 
terials ; others are chiefly made up of lava which became 
consolidated after ejection ; in many cases, however, the 
mass of the cone has been built up by alternations of 
fragmentary and fluid material, and the whole is frequently 
bound together by dikes and sheets of lava forced into 
cracks formed during the operation. Lava millstone, 
a hard and coarse basaltic millstone, obtained from quar- 
ries near Andernach on the Rhine. Simmondi. Lava- 
ware, a kind of coarse ware resembling lava, made from 
Iron slag, cast Into urns, tiles, table-tops, etc. 
lavabo (la-va'bo), n. [< L. latabo, 1st pers. sing, 
fnt. ind. of larare, wash : see /are 2 .] 1. Eccles., 
in the Roman Catholic Church, and in many 
Anglican churches, the ritual act of washing the 
celebrant's hands after the offertory and before 
entering upon the more solemn part of the eu- 
charistic service : so called from the priest's re- 
citing at the time the last part of the 26th psalm, 
beginning with the sixth verse, " Ivill wash my 
hands in innocency," in Latin, " ata&0 manus 
ineas in innocentia." In the Greek Church this 
takes place in the prothesis, before vesting. 
2. In many monasteries of the middle ages, a 
large stone basin from which the water issued 
by a number of small orifices around the edge, 
for the convenient performance of ablutions 
before religious exercises or meals. The lavabo 
was usually placed In a room. Itself called lavabo, adjoin- 
ing the cloister, and sometimes, as at the Cistercian Abbey 
of Fontenay, was the occasion of noteworthy architectural 
dispositions. Also known in medieval tunes as latatarium. 
Hence 3. A convenience of similar object and 
arrangement in some modern schools or insti- 
tutions; a lavatory. 
lavageH, An obsolete form of lavish. Cath. 
Angl, p. 210. 
