levy 
port, = It. trnttii, raising, rising, departure, < 
ML. levuti/, something miseil ( .r levied, tax, ex- 
action, quota, embankment, prop. fern, of 1<. l<- 
vatus,vp.atlevar,n&te: >ee immt 1 .] l.The 
act of levying; I lie raisin^or collecting of any- 
thing by authority or force; compulsory satis- 
lariiuii (if a requirement, claim, or demand: 
as, to make a lery of troops or taxes. 
They have but two ways of niishit: money publicly In 
that country [Virginia] : viz., ny duties upon trade, and a 
poll t:i.\, wlnYh they call lena. l!ererlr>i,\ Irglnta, iv. U 18. 
I |n >n inn llr-t, lir sent out I" suppress 
II Is nephew's leviei. S/lulr., llumlet, il. '2. 62. 
These arc the sons of Christians taken in their childhood 
from their miserable parents, by a leavy made every five 
ycare. Sandys, Travolles, p. 87. 
2. Specifically, in line, a sufficient taking of 
possession of chattels, and assertion of author- 
ity, by a sheriff or similar officer, under color 
of legal process, to render the officer liable for 
trespass if he be not protected by process : as, 
a levy upon a debtor's property. 
And the constable that doth not his devour for the leoey 
of the same, to lese to the seld comyn treaour, vj. s. vlij. d. 
Engluh OMt (E. E. T. s. ), p. :;:i.;. 
3. That which is levied, as a body of troops, 
or the amount accruing from a tax or an exe- 
cution. 
And King Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel, and 
the (civ/ was thirty thousand men. I K i. v. 13. 
The Danes were as superior to their opponents In tac- 
tics as in strategy. An encounter between the shire levies 
and the pirates was a struggle of militia with regular sol- 
diers. J. R. Green, Conq. of Eng., p. 85. 
Levy In kind, a tax or toll paid in produce or commodi- 
ties, in lieu of money. Levy In mass (K. lemfeen matte], 
a levy of all the able-bodied men of a country or district for 
military service. 
levy 1 (lev'i), .; pret. and pp. levied, ppr. levy- 
iuij. [Formerly also levey (and leave*, q. v.); < 
late ME. levyen; < levy, n., in part directly (prop. 
only in the obs. form leave*) < F. lever, raise : 
see tery 1 , ., levant^.] I. trans. If. To raise: 
as, to levy a siege. 
Euphranor. having levied the siege from this one city, 
forthwith led his army to Demetrius. Holland. 
2. To raise or excite ; stir up ; bring into ac- 
tion ; set in motion : as, to lery war. 
Never did thought of mine /''/'/ offence. 
Shot., Pericles, U. 5. 62. 
Yet live in hatred, enmity, and strife 
Among themselves, and levy cruel wars. 
MUtan, P. L., II. 501. 
3. To raise by force or authority ; gather or 
collect by compulsion: as, to levy troops; to 
Ifry taxes or tolls; to levy contributions. 
And did he not, in his protectorship, 
great sums of money through the realm? 
SAo*., 2 Hen. VI., ill. 1. 61. 
If his estate had been confiscated, he wandered about 
from hawn to bawn and from cabin to cabin, levying small 
contributions. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., xii. 
4. In law : (a) To commence enforcement of, as 
a legal process, by seizing property thereunder 
for the purpose of raising means for payment. 
(b) To erect or construct : as, to lery a mill; to 
levy a ditch. Imp. Diet To levy a fine, at common 
lair, to commence an action on a suit for assuring the title 
to lands or possessions. 
II. intrans. To make a levy TO levy on, to 
seize, under color of legal process, for the purpose of rais- 
ing means for payment. 
levy'-'t (lev'i), it. An obsolete form of levee 2 . 
levy 3 (lev'i), M. [An abbr. of elereii-penny bit.'] 
If. A coin, the Spanish real, or eighth part of 
a dollar (twelve and a half cents), formerly 
current in the United States. Also called an 
flcrcnpenny bit. See fip%. 2. The sum of twelve 
and a half cents; a'"bit." [Local, U. S. (Penn- 
sylvania, Maryland, and Virginia), in both uses.] 
levyne (lev'in), n. [Also levins: so called from 
l.i rji, a crystallographer.] A mineral found 
in Ireland, the Faroe Islands, and some other 
places. It belongs to the zeolite group, and is a hydrat- 
cd silicate of calcium and aluminium. It is related to 
chahazite. 
lew^, a. [< ME. lew, lewe, < AS. Meoto, shel- 
ter, whence in the contr. form Me6, E. lee: see 
/(!.] Shelter; a place sheltered from the 
wind. [Prov. Eng.] 
lew- (lu), a. [< ME. lew, Iftrc (= MD. Inrnc, D. 
Imniw = OHG. Ida (law-), MHG. Id (law-), G. lau 
= Icel. hlter, hlyr, warm, mild; orig. with initial 
h, OHG. 'hldo, whence OF.fto, soft, F../lo, soft, 
softness), warm, tepid. The asserted derivation 
from te'l, ., a shelter, is not obvious. Cf . equiv. 
/<, now liiki'; and cf. also le w-tcurm.] 1 .Warm; 
lukewarm; tepid. [Prov. Eng.] 
Thou art lew |var. in one Ms. Icwk], nether cold nether 
hoot WycHf, Rev. iii. 16. 
2f. Weak: faint. Ualliwell. 
3420 
Iew 3 t, " An obsolete variant of lea 1 . 
But true It is, to t h 1 end a fruitful! lew 
May every Climat in his time renew. 
Sylmtrr. tr. of 1m Kartas's Weeks, L 4. 
lewd (lud), a. [< ME. letcde, leudt, laude, lewed, 
unlearned, ignorant, < AS. leewed, unlearned, 
ignorant, lay; appar. orig. pp.of Itewait, weaken, 
enfeeble, also betray, = Goth, letcjan, betray, < 
lew, an occasion, opportunity. The develop- 
ment of senses has been somewhat peculiar.] 
If. Ignorant; unlearned; illiterate. 
Til laude men that er unkunnund, 
That can mi Latyn understand. 
HampoU, Prick of Conscience. 
For be he lewed man or ellis lered, 
lie- niHit how some that he shal been afered. 
Chaucer, Doctor's Tale, 1. 283. 
This lewde and learned, by common experience, know 
to be most trewe. Aacham, The Scholemaster, p. 45. 
2f. Lay, as opposed to clerical. 
For U a prcst be foul on whom we trust*, 
No wonder is a lewed man to ruste. 
Chaucer, den. Prol. to C. T., L 6di 
3t. Rude; homely; uncultivated. 
The ryme is lyght and leuxd. 
Chaucer, House of Fame, L 1066. 
4f. Worthless; useless. 
Chastlte with-oute charite worth cheynld In helle ; 
Hit is as lewede as a lampe that no lyght ya ynne. 
Pirn Plowman (C), II. 186. 
6. Bad; vile; vicious; wicked. [Now only prov. 
Eng.] 
I ne'er gave life to lewd and headstrong rebels. 
Fletcher, Loyal Subject, T. 7. 
So since Into hia church lewd hirelings climb. 
MOton, t. L., Ir. 198. 
6. Lustful; wanton; lascivious; libidinous. 
The daughters of the Philistines, which are ashamed of 
thy lewd way. Ezek. xvt 27. 
Where, like a virtuous monument, she lies, 
To be admired of lewd unhallowed eyes. 
SAo*., Lucrece, 1. 392. 
= Syn, 6. See list under lommotu. 
lewdly (lud'li), adv. [< ME. lewedly; < leicd + 
-ty 2 .] If. In a lewd manner ; unlearnedly; ig- 
norantly. 
But Chaucer (thogh he can hut lewedly 
On metres and on riming craftily) 
Hath seyd hem in swiche Englissh as he can 
Of olde time. 
Chaucer, Prol. to Man of Law's Tale, L 47. 
2f. Vilely; viciously; wickedly. 
A sort of naughty persons, lewdly bent, 
Under the countenance and confederacy 
Of Lady Eleanor. SAo*., 2 Hen. VI., II. 1. 167. 
3. Lustfully; wantonly; lasciviously, 
lewdness (lud'nes), n. [< ME. lewedncsse; < lewd 
+ -ness.] If. Ignorance; folly. 
Ye blynde beestls, ful of lewednette. 
Chaucer, Fortune, 1. 68. 
2f. Viciousness; wickedness. 3. Lustfulness; 
lascivious behavior; lechery. =Syn. 3. impurity, 
unchastity, licentiousness, sensuality, debauchery, 
lewdsbyt (ludz'bi), . [< leu-d, with term, as 
in rudesby, etc.] A lewd or lecherous person. 
Imp. Diet. 
lewdstert (lud'ster), n. [< lewd + -ster.~] A 
lewd person ; a lecher. 
Against such lewdfters and their lechery 
Those that betray them do no treachery. 
SAo*., M. W. of W., T. 8. ffl. 
lewedt, a. A Middle English form of lewd. 
lewis (lu'is), n. [Origin uncertain. Cf. clevis.'} 
1. A contrivance for securing a hold on a block 
of stone in order that it may be 
raised from its position by a der- 
rick. It consists of two side-pieces which 
fit into a dovetail recess cut in the stone, 
and between which a ring-tongue is put 
and fastened In such a way that, when 
lifted, the lewis gets a firm hold by wedg* 
ing itself in the dovetail. 
2. A kind of shears used in crop- 
ping woolen cloth. [Eng.] 
The flocks [for paper hangings) are ob- 
tained from the woolen-cloth manufac- 
turers, being cut off by their ahearing ma- 
chines, called leirittt by the English work- 
men. Ure, Wet, IH. 479. 
lewis-bolt (lu'is-bolt), n. A wedge-shaped 
bolt which in use is inserted like the shank of a 
lewis in a hole drilled in a stone, and fastened 
therein by pouring melted lead into the unoc- 
cupied part of the hole ; an eye-bolt similarly in- 
serted, and used, like a lewis, for lifting heavy 
stones. See cut under bolt. 
lewis-hole (lu'is-hol), n. The hole which is 
drilled in a stone for the reception of a lewis. 
The wells are almost entire, and perhaps the work of the 
Romans, except the upper part, which seems repaired with 
the ruins of Roman buildings, for the letrif-hfltex are still 
left in many of the stones. 
Defoe, Tour through Great Britain, li. 287. (Cat**.) 
lexicography 
Lewisia (lu-is'i-ii), . [XL. (F. T. Pursh, 1814). 
named after Capt. M. Lewis, of the Lewis and 
Clarke expedition to tin- Km-ky Mountains.] A 
genus of polypetalous plants belonging to the 
natural order I'ortulucta', the purslane family, 
distinguished by having from 5 to 8 sepals ana 
from 8 to 10 petals. There are but 2 specif*, herbt 
with narrow woolly leaves and handsome roie-colored 
flowers open only in sunshine, found only In northwest- 
ern North America. One species, L. rcdirioa, la used as 
food by the Oregon Indiana. It Is the bitter root (ratine 
amere) of the early French settlers, and Is said to be very 
nutritious. It Is also called tobacco-rout, because when 
cooked It has a tobacco-like odor. These plants are hardy 
and ornamental in cultivation. 
lewkt, a. A Middle English form of luke*. 
lewtet, A Middle English form of lealty. 
lewth (luth), . [Also spelled irreg. looth; < 
ME. lewth, < AS. hleticth, hleolli, shelter, < hledw, 
shelter: see letc 1 , .] Shelter; warmth. Halli- 
well. [Prov. Eng.] 
lew-warm (In' warm), a. [Also spelled irreg. 
loo-warm, lu-warm; < leic^ + warm. Cf. luke- 
warm.'] Lukewarm; tepid. [Archaic.] 
We found pieces of loo-warm pork among the salad, and 
pieces of unknown yielding substance In the ragout 
It. L. Stevenson, Inland Voyage, p. 1239. 
lewzernet, A variant of lucerifl. 
lex(leks),.; pi. leges (le'jez). [L. lex (leg-), law, 
lit. that which lies or is laid down : see law 1 and 
/ifl, v. '.] Law: used in various phrases Lex 
domlcllll, the law of the place of domicile. Lex forl, the 
law of the jurisdiction where the action is pending. Lex 
Gondobada. See Vapvm code, under code. Lex Julia, 
a Roman law of the time of Augustus, regulating mar- 
riage, encouraging marriage portions, and discouraging 
celibacy. Lex loci, the law of the place; local law. L6X 
loci contractUB, tin- law of the place where the con- 
tract is made. Lex loci rel site, the law of the place 
where thesubjectof action is situated. Lex mercatorla, 
the law of merchants : the system of usages of commerce 
In force in commercial nations generally, and recognlxed 
by the courts as part of the law of the land. Lex non 
scripta, the unwritten or common law. Lex scrlpta, 
the written or statute law. Lex tallonis, the law of re- 
taliation, providing that the punishment should be the 
same In kind as the crime, as an eye for an eye, a tooth 
for a tooth, etc. 
lex. An abbreviation of lexicon. 
lexical (lek'si-kal), a. [< lexic(on) + -al.] 1. 
Relating to or connected with the vocabulary 
of a language : as, lexical fullness ; lexical know- 
ledge. 
The advance of Wycliffe upon Langland is chiefly gram- 
matical, not lexical. G. P. Marth, Lects. on Eng. Lang.,vli. 
2. Of or pertaining to a lexicon, 
lexically (lek'si-kal-i), adv. In a lexical man- 
ner; according to lexical principles; as regards 
vocabulary. 
The Anglo-Saxon is not grammatically or lezvalbi Iden- 
tifiable with the extant remains of any Continental dia- 
lect O. P. MarOt, Hist. Eng. Lang., p. 48. 
lexicographer (lek-si-kog'ra-fer), n. [Cf. F. 
Ifxicograptie = Sp. lexicografo = Pg. lericographo 
= It. lessicograjo; < NL. lericographue, < MGr. 
fofoyp<tyof, one who writes a lexicon, < Gr. 
fafuttv, a lexicon.+ jpafriv, write : see graphic.] 
A compiler of a lexicon or dictionary ; one em- 
ployed in the making of a vocabulary or word- 
book of a language, and giving definitions, with 
or without other explanatory matter, in the 
same or another language. 
Whether it be decreed by the authority of reason, or the 
tyranny of Ignorance, that of all the candidates for lit- 
erary praise the unhappy lexicographer holds the lowest 
place, neither vanity nor interest Incited me to inquire. 
Johnton, Plan of Eng. Diet 
lexicographic (lek'si-ko-graf'ik), a. [= F. 
lexicographique = Sp. lexicogrdfico = Pg. lexi- 
cograpliico = It. lessicografico, < NL. lexico- 
qrapnicux, < lexicographia, lexicography: see 
lextcography and -tc.] Of or pertaining to lexi- 
cography. 
lexicographical (lek'si - ko - graf ' i - kal), a. [< 
lericoaraiitiic + -/.] Same as lexicographic. 
lexicographically (lek'si-ko-graf'i-kal-i), adv. 
In a lexicographic manner ; as regards lexicog- 
raphy. 
lexicographist (lek-ei-kog'ra-fist), n. [< Irri- 
cograph-y + -fa/.] A lexicographer. [Rare.] 
The good old lexuographitt, Adam Littelton. 
Southey, The Doctor, clxxxlr. 
lexicography (lek-si-kog'ra-fl), . [= F. Ifjri- 
cagraphic = Sp. lexicografia = Pg. lexicogra- 
phia = It. lessicografia, < NL. lezicographia. < 
MGr. as if */ffoypo^'o, < Aefiiarypae/of, one who 
writes a lexicon: see lexicographer.] 1. The 
art or science of compiling lexicons or word- 
books; the scientific exposition of the forms, 
pronunciation, signification, and history of 
words. 2. The act or process of making a 
dictionary. 
