literature 
f.itrratvrr is the greatest of all sonrc-es of refined plea- 
sure, /htxlvn, L;ty Sermons, p. 5'2. 
We become so wonted to . . . I Browning's diction] that 
It seems like a new dialect that we have mastered for the 
sake of its literature. st.-.hnun, Viet. Poets, p. 296. 
4. In a restricted sense, the class of writings in 
which expression and form, in connection with 
ideas of permanent and universal interest, are 
characteristic or essential features, as poetry, 
romance, history, biography, and essays, in con- 
tradistinction to scientific works, or those writ- 
ten expressly to impart knowledge. 
Literature consists of a whole body of classics in the 
true sense of the word. . . . Literature consists of all the 
hooks and they are not so many where moral truth 
and human passion are touched with a certain largeness, 
sanity, and attraction of form. 
J. Hurley, Address, Feb. M, 1887. 
-mil as can be under- 
3480 lithic 
II n A medicine formerly supposed to ex- lithemic (li-the'mik), n. Pertaining to or af- 
pel small calculi from the kidneys or bladder, fected with lithemia. 
lithanode (lith'a-nod), v. [< Gr. MBof, stone, + llthent, r. t. [Mh. litlimen; with formative -n, 
K aiHHle (!)] A hard, compact form of peroxid < litlte, sott, mild: see lithe*, <i. and p.] To 
of lead, used in storage-batteries. [A trade- ease. 
llame i litheness UMFH'- or hth'nes), it. The condition 
lithanthrax (li-than'thraks), n. [< Gr. /it>of, or quality of being lithe; flexibility; limber- 
u stone, + av6i>a$, coal: see anthrax.] Stone- ness. 
coal; mineral coal: in distinction from jrylaii- litherlf (liTH'er), n. [< ME. lither, lyther. In- 
thrnjc., or wood-coal. See eon I, '2. ther, litherc, Udder bad, wicked, false, treach- 
litharge (lith'arj), n. [Formerly also lithiirgie, erous, < AS. lytltre, bad, wicked; cf. D. ladder,^ 
i/i/io, < L. Utliargyi-Ms, < Gr. '/Mpyvpof, spume of 
silver, < /.iflof, stone, + up} -lyjor, silver: see urgent.] 
The yellow or reddish protoxid of lead (PbO) 
Light literature, books or writings such as can be under- . ,j ir ti a lly fused. On cooling it passes into n mass con- 
stood and enjoyed without much mental exertion ; writ- gjj,,- o( ' small gjx.side,) p i a tes of a reddish-yellow color, 
ings intended primarily for entertainment, relaxation, or d J^b^^nt It is much used in assaying as a 
amusement: applied most frequently to fiction. Polite 
literature, belles-lettres. | This phrase has almost passed 
out of use.)=8yn. Literature, Learning, Scholantttip, Eru- 
dition. Lore. Literature, the more polished or artistic class 
of written compositions, or the critical knowledge or ap- 
preciation of them ; learning, large knowledge acquired 
liy study, especially in the literature, history, or the like, 
of the past ; nchrfarship. learning viewed as the possession 
of a professional or amateur scholar or student; erudi- 
tiiin, scholastic or the more recondite sort of knowledge 
obtained by profound research ; lure, a rather poetic word 
for erudition, often in a special department : as, versed in 
the (": of magic. 
literatured (lit'e-ra-turd), a. [< literature + 
-f<P.] Learned';' having literary knowledge. 
cower is ... literatured in the wars. 
Shale., Hen. V., iv. 7. Ifl". 
literatus(lit-e-ra'tus), .; pi. /iternW(-ti). [L. 
litteratitu, lite'ratits, lettered, learned: see liter- 
ate.] A man of letters or erudition; in the 
plural, literary men in general; the literary 
class; learned people. [Rare in the singular.] 
Among foreigners in China the term literati is applied to 
the scholars and learned men of the country generally, 
especially to those who have taken one or more degrees, 
hut are not in office and not engaged in trade. 
Manifold are the tastes and dispositions of the enlight- 
ened literati, who turn over the pages of history. 
Irviny, Knickerbocker, p. 184. 
Now we are to consider that our blight ideal of a litera- 
tun may chance to be maimed. De Qmiicey. 
literose (lit'e-ros), <i. [< L. litteroxtix, Kteromm. 
learned, lettered, < littera, litera, letter: see let- 
tei-9, n.] Distinctively literary; exercising or 
manifesting special care for literary form or 
style. [Rare.] 
Amongst the French masters Dundet is always internet. 
Harper's Mag. (Editor's Study), LXXVI. 479. 
literosity (lit-e-ros'i-ti), . [< literose + -ity.] 
Literary character. [Rare.] 
The sentiment is German, while the literoaty in the 
poorer passages of the work is second-rate English. 
Harper'* May. (Editor's Study), LXXVIII. 322. 
lites, . Plural of Us*. 
litestert. . See Ulster. 
lith 1 (lith), . [< ME. litli, lytli, < AS. litli (pi. 
lithu, leotlitt) = OS. OFries. lith = D. // = OHG. 
lid, MHG. lit = Icel. IMIir = Dan. Sw. led = 
Goth, titling (also with generalizing prefix ge-, 
D. gelid = OHG. gilid, MHG. gelit, Gr. glied), 
limb, joint, member ; not connected, as usually 
supposed, with AS. lltlititi, go (see lead*, litlie&), 
for the word does not mean 'that on which 
one goes,' but prob. formed, with formative -th 
(Goth, -thu), from the-/ /( of AS. Urn, limb: see 
limb*.] A limb ; any member of the body ; also, 
n joint ; a segment or symmetrical part or di- 
vision : as, sound in litli and limb; a lith of an 
orange. [Obsolete or provincial.] 
Trewely she hath the herte in hold 
Of Chauntecleer loken in every lith. 
Chaucer, Nun's Priest's Tale, 1. 65. 
O Willie's large o' limb and lith, 
And come o' high degree. 
Birth of Robin Hood (Child's Ballads, V. 170). 
Iith 2 t, n- [ME., also lytli, property; cf. Icel. 
lydhr, the common people, AS. lead, people : see 
lede s , 11.] Property. 
Iith 3 t, a. A Middle English variant of light. 
Chaucer. 
lith*t t " An obsolete variant of lirtli. third per- 
son singular indicative present of lie*. Chaucer. 
-lith. [= F. -lithe (> E. -lite) = Sp. -lito = Pg. 
-litlto = It. -liti>, < L. -litliits, Gr. >/ft>f, a stone.] 
An element in some compounds of Greek forma- 
tion, meaning 'stone,' as in aerolitli, monolith. 
etc. In many names of minerals it occurs in 
the form -lite (which see). 
lithagogue (lith'a-gog), a. and n. [< Gr. /(%, 
:i stone, + j <>;"< drawing forth, < d;m>, lead, 
carry away.] I. it. In med., having the power 
of expelling stone from the bladder or kidneys. 
For he [Level may do al that he can devyse. 
And in lithere folke dystroye vise. 
The Cuckoo and the. Nightingale, 1. 14. 
Her-of, good god graunte me forjeuenesse, 
Of al my lather lyuyng in al my lyf-tyme. 
Piers Plmnnan (('), vii. 437. 
(liTH'er), a. [Appar. an extension of 
, in simulation of lither*, which in the 
sense of 'idle' (in deriv. litlierly) approaches 
the sense of 'pliant, supple": seelithfr*.] Soft; 
supple; limber; pliant. [Obsolete or prov. 
Eng.] 
Two Talbots, winged through the lither sky, 
In thy despite shall 'scape mortality. 
Shak., 1 Hen. VI., iv. 7. 21. 
litherlurdent (liTH'er-ler' / den), 11. [< lithrr* + 
lunlan.] Laziness. [Old slang.] 
I am alwayes troubled with the litlierlurden, 
I love so to linger ; 
I am so lasy, the mosse groweth an 
Inch thick on the top of my finger ! 
Marriage of Witt and Wisdome (1579). (HaUiweU.) 
tenacious, tough, viscous, slow,"easy, etc. : see litherly (liTH'er-li), a. [< ME. litlierly (?) = 
in G. D. liederlljk = MLG. liderlik = MHG. liederlich, 
mix, and In the composition of flint-glass, enters largely 
into the composition of the glaze of common earthen- 
ware, and is used in the manufacture of varnishes and 
drying-oils. 
I'le onely now emboss my book with brass, 
Ilye 't with vermilion, deck 't with coperass, 
With gold and silver, lead and mercury, 
Tin, iron, orpine, stibium, lethargy. 
Sylvester, tr. of Du Bartas'a Weeks, i. 3. 
Litharge plaster, in ined. , lead-plaster or diachylon, 
lithate (llth'at), . [< litlt(ie) + -ate*.] A salt 
of lithic acid. See mate. Also lithiate. 
lithe 1 (liTH or lith), a. [< ME. litlie, lythe (also 
liutl, hind: see Una*). < AS. lithe, gentle, soft, 
= OS. lithi = MLG. Hnde = OHG. liudi, MHG. 
liiide, G. linil (and gelinde) = Dan. lind, gentle, 
soft, mild, tender (cf. L. leiitus, pliant, flexible, 
dial. (Bav.) ten, soft, = Icel. linr, soft, = L. Zen Js. light, trifling, frivolous, G. liederlirli = Dan. 
..^ ._:u / i^:t.. 7_,,,-,,,,* * i a ,,A ; ti,o g w _ jffj er j/g t lewd, careless, slovenly, wanton, 
vicious, dial, also light, quick; as lither* + 
-lif*.] 1. Mischievous; wicked. [Obsolete or 
prov. Eng.] 
He [the goblin] was waspish, arch, and litherlir 
But well Lord Cranstoun served he. 
Seatt, I-. of L. M., ii. 32. 
2f. Idle; la/.y. 
litherlyt (liTH'er-li), <idr. [< ME. Utterly, luth- 
erliche; < lither* + -/.y 2 .] Badly; wickedly; 
mischievously. 
Thei hadde luthrrli here lond brcnd and destrued. 
William of Palerne (E. E. T. S.), 1. 2646. 
A clerk hadde litherly biset his whyle 
Hut If he koude a carpenter bigyle. 
soft, mild (see lenity, lenient, etc.), and in the 
verb, AS. liniiiin, etc., cease: seelin*.] If. Soft; 
tender; mild; calm; agreeable. 
To make lythe that erst was hard. 
Chaucer, House of Fame, 1. 119. 
Atte places warme, in dales lithe and drie, 
Ys nowe the hilly landes uppe to eree. 
Palladim, Husbondrie (E. E. T. S.\ p. 61. 
2. Easily bent; pliant; flexible; limber. 
Thou givest moisture to the thirsty roots 
Of the lithe willow. Bryant. The Kiver by Mght. 
Young maiden, with a lithe figure, and a pleasant voice, 
acting in those love-dramas. O. H'. I/tAinex, Autocrat, ii. 
Chaucer, Miller's Tale, 1. 113. 
Saise to syr Lucius, to unlordly he wyrkez, 
Thus Iftheriff agaynes law to lede my pople. 
Morte Arthure (E. E. T. S.), 1. 1268. 
3t. Pleasant; flue. 
We are comene fro the kyng of this lathe ryche [kingdoml, 
That knawene es for conquerour corownde in erthe. 
Morte Arthure (E. E. T. 8.), 1. 1B53. 
=Syn. 2. Pliable, supple, willowy. 
litheH (liTH). r. [< ME. lithen, lethen, < AS. 
ntliimi, become or make soft or mild, < lithe. llthemessH (liTH'er-nes), . [ME. litherneSKe ; 
soft: see liihri, .] I. intrans. To become < Htherl + -ness.] 1. Wickedness. 
Thei als wrecchis, wittirly, 
Has ledde ther lilfe in lithirnesse. 
Ynrlt Plays, p. 498. 
Idleness. [Prov. Eng.] 
Idlenesse, moste delectable to the fleshe, which deliteth 
above measure in sloth, Kthernesse, ceasing from occupa- 
tion. Xorthbrook's Treatise (1B77). (HalKweU.) 
calm 
2. 
litherness' 2 t (liTH'^r-nes), n. [< litlier^ + -ness.] 
The condition or quality of being lither or lim- 
ber. 
II. trims. 1. To make soft or mild; soften; 
alleviate; mitigate; lessen. 
After the deth she cried a thousand sythe, 
Hyn he that wont hire wo was for to lithe 
She moot forgon. Chaucer, Troilus, iv. 754. 
2. To relax ; make less stiff. 
Lome inclines limes weore lythet that tyme, 
And bi-come knaues to kepe Pers beestes. 
Pier Plmnnan (A), vii. 183. .... 
The Grecians were noted for light, the Parthians for MhWOUBt (JlM'to-ns), a. [Also .hdderous, hd- 
fearful, the Sodomites for gluttons, like as England (God drotis; <. Ittheri I- -ows.J Wicked; base. 
But my learning is of an other degree, 
To taunt theim like liddrous lewde as thei bee. 
Skelton, Against Venomous Tongues, 1. 29. 
'lilyiiha (= Dan. lytfe), listen, < h'ljotlh, hearing, lithesome (liTH'- or lith'sum), a. [< lithe* + 
what is heard, a sound; cf. AS. hleothor, hear- -some. Also contr. lissome.] Pliant; limber; 
ing, a sound, akin to hlfid, loud, nlyst, hearing: nimble; lissome, 
see list 1 , lond.] I. intr/ins. To give ear; at- lithesomeness(HTH'- or lith'sum-nes), ti. The 
save the sample !) hath now suppled, lithed, and stretched 
their throats. Rev. T. Adams, Works, I. 368. (Davits.) 
lithe' 2 t (lifH), r. [< ME. lithen, lytha, < Icel. 
tend; listen. 
Litlte and listen, gentlemen, 
All that now be here. Old ballad. 
II. tranx. To listen to. 
And vnder a lynde vppon a lauude lened I a stounde, 
To Iftthe the layes the louely follies made. 
Piers Plmnnan (B), viii. 66. 
lithet, r. i. [ME., < AS. litlian, go : see lead * .] 
Togo. 
He ne dnrste noht . . . lithen. 
Ormulum, 1. &(74. 
state of being lithe or lithesome. 
lithia (lith'i-a), n. [NL., < lithium, q. v.] An 
oxid (LigO) of the metal lithium, it is of a 
white color, and is slowly soluble in water, forming a 
hydrate, acrid and caustic, which acts on colors like other 
alkalis. Lithia emerald. See emerald. Lithia mica. 
See lepidolite. 
lithiasis (li-thi'a-sis). n. [NL., < Gr. fidiaaif. 
the stone (a disease), < //floe, a stone.] Inpathol.: 
(a) A condition of the body in which uric acid 
is deposited in the form of stone or gravel in 
Ormalum, l. 84. (Encyc. Diet.) the urinary passages, or in gouty concretions in 
lithectasy (li-thek'ta-si), H. [< Gr. /i/0of, stone, the tissues. (l>) In a general sense, the forma- 
f, extension: see cysteetasy.] 
same as cysteetaxy, 2. 
Insurg.. 
lithely (liTH'- or lith'li), adv. 
ner; flexibly; pliantly. 
tion of stony deposits of any kind in any part of 
the body. 
In a lithe man- lithiate (lith'i-at), n. Same as Uihatr. 
f , r ( - lithiate (lith'i-at), c.<. [< lithium + -atr*.] To 
lithemia. lithsemia (li-the'mi-a). n. [NL., < impregnate with a salt of lithium. 
Gr. //Her, a stone, + al/ia, blood'.] In /mtliol., lithic 1 (Hth'ik),n. [< Gr.?.<ft/if, of or for stones, 
an excess of uric acid in the Wood. Also called < //flof, a stone (a substance), stone (a disease), 
etc.; no cognate forms appear in other Ian- 
