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list of wwftds

Herein is a complete list of "wwftd"s™ dating from ca. 1987 to present. This started as a "word for the day up on the blackboard" sort of thing and has degenerated into its current form; irregular distribution to a mail list via e-mail... and now this.

 Copyright © 1995-2020 -- Michael A. Fischer 
    wwftd email

J

jacinthe

a moderate orange

jackanory

[fr. a children's TV show of that name, wherein stories were often read by celebrities]

UK  rhyming slang for story, often used in the sense of a tall story  (also verbed, as in to include a real person in a story being told)

jackleg

an amateur; characterized by unscrupulousness, dishonesty or lack or standards; makeshift

jackpudding

a clown; a buffoon; a merry-andrew

jacquerie

[F. fr. jacques, peasant]  /zha KREE/

1) capitalized  the uprising of the French peasants against the nobility in 1358

2) a peasant revolt, esp. a very bloody one

jactancy

[fr. L. jactare, to throw]  boastfulness; boasting

jactation

[see previous]

1) boasting, bragging

2) restless tossing in bed, characteristic of severe fevers and certain mental disorders

jactitation

1) Law  the act of bragging; false boasting or assertion made to the prejudice of another person

2) Pathology  jactation (def. 2)

jaculation

[fr. L. jaculari, to hurl]   obs.  the act of throwing or hurling

jakes

[origin uncertain, perhaps from F. Jacques]  chiefly British  a privy

jalouse

1) Scot.  to suspect or surmise

2) to be jealous or begrudge jealously

jamais

[F.] never

jamais vu

[F., never seen]  the denial of something actually seen

jamfle

[Sc. jamphle <  jamph, travel with difficulty]

to shuffle in walking, as if in consequence of wearing too wide shoes  {Jamieson}

janissary

a member of a group of loyal supporters

jargogle

[origin unknown, but perhaps related to jargon]  obs.  to confuse or jumble

jargonaut

[fr. jargon + -naut < Gk nautes, sailor; after argonuat; cf. juggernaut]  humorous, colloq.   someone who uses an excessive amount of jargon

jarkman

archaic  a vagabond who fabricates counterfeit passes, licenses and certificates for others

jauk

[obscure origin]   /jahk/  Scot.  to trifle, to dally, in walking or work {Jamieson}

jawbation

a rebuke, reproof, esp. one of a lengthy and tedious character; a talking to, a lecture; also a long discussion  (cf. jobates)

jawhole

[fr. jaw, an outpour of liquid + hole]  Scot.  an uncovered sewer, house-drain, or cesspool

jeevesian

[after Jeeves, of the P.G. Wodehouse novels]

usu. capitalized  characteristic of the perfect valet: Jeeves-like

jehu

a coachman, especially one who drives at a rattling pace

"The driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously." - 2 Kings ix. 20

jejeunosity

jejuneness: lacking content; naiveté [coined by Maureen Dowd, NYTimes: Even officials with a combined century of international experience can behave with jejeunosity - if they start believing their own spin. (probably the same word as jejunosity, ostensibly coined by Woody Allen in Love and Death)]

jentacular

[fr. L. jentare, to breakfast]  obs.  pertaining to breakfast

jeofail

an omission or oversight in a law proceeding

jeopard

[back-formation < jeopardy (but see next)]  to put in jeopardy; to hazard, risk, imperil

jeopardous

[Middle English jupartous, fr.jupartie + -ous]  fraught with risk or danger; hazardous, perilous

jeremiad

a prolonged lamentation or complaint

jeroboam

an oversize wine bottle holding about four 26-ounce quarts

jerque

to search a vessel for smuggled goods

jesticulous

nonce-word  ridiculous(?)

jetsam

stuff thrown overboard to lighten the load in time of distress which sinks or is washed ashore

jicama

/HEE ka ma/  an edible starchy tuberous root of a leguminous tropical American vine

jiffy

1) 1/100 of a second  2) one millisecond  3) approximately one nanosecond   4) indeterminate time from a few seconds to forever

jim-jams

slang  1) the jitters  2) delirium tremens

jo

Scot.  sweetheart

jobates

scolds

jobation

[after the biblical Job]  chiefly Brit.  a long, tedious criticism: scolding, lecture

jobbernowl

Brit.  blockhead, nincompoop

jobbery

[fr. job or jobber]  the practice of turning a public office or position of trust to personal gain or political advantage; corruption in public office

jobsworth

[fr. It's more than my job's worth (not) to..]

Brit. colloq.  an official who mindlessly upholds petty rules

jocoserious

combining jocular and serious matters

"Was the guest conscious of and did he acknowledge these marks of hospitality? His attention was directed to them by his host jocosely, and he accepted them seriously as they drank in jocoserious silence Epps's massproduct, the creature cocoa." - James Joyce, Ulysses

joggle

to move shakily or jerkily

johnny

fellow, guy; a short-sleeved collarless gown with an opening in the back

jokul

a mountain covered with ice and snow (in Iceland)

jolterhead (or jolthead)

[origin obscure]  obs.  a blockhead

jubilate

[fr. L. jubilare, to rejoice]  to rejoice, exult; hence, jubilating

judder

[imitative, probably from shudder]  chiefly Brit.

[v] to shake and vibrate with intensity  the engine stalled and kept juddering

[n] an instance of juddering

jugulate

to slit the throat

jumentous

smelling of a stable, or horse urine

juste milieu

[F., lit. 'the right mean']  the happy medium, the golden mean; judicious moderation, esp. in politics

juvament

[fr. L. juvare, to help]  obs. rare  help, aid, assistance

juvenescence

the state of growing young

K

kakidrosis

see bromidrosis

kakistocracy

government by the worst men of the state

kalon

the ideal of physical/moral beauty esp as conceived by the Greek philosophers, the kind of beauty that is more than skin deep

kalopsia

[fr. Gk kalos, beautiful < kallos, beauty + opsis, sight] /kuh LAHP see uh/

the delusion that things are more beautiful than they really are

kankedort

[?] obs. rare  a state of suspense; a critical position; an awkward affair

Was Troylus nought in a kankedort...? - Chaucer, Troylus

karoshi

/ka RO shi/  Japan  death brought on by overwork or job-related exhaustion

katabatic

[Gk katabatikos, pertaining to descent < katabatos, descending]  /KAT uh BAT ik/

of or relating to a cold flow of air traveling downward: a katabatic wind

katzenjammer

[G.] 1) hangover

2) distress, depression or confusion resembling that caused by a hangover

3) a discordant clamor

kayfabe

[borrowed from carny slang : protecting the secrets of the business]  /KAY fabe/

the illusion that professional wrestling is not staged or 'worked'

keck

to heave or retch, as in an effort to vomit

keckish

rare  (or kecklish) inclined to vomit; squeamish

kedogenous

[from Gk kedos; care, anxiety, grief + -genous, produced by]  inkhorn term  brought about by worry, or anxiety

keech

[origin obscure]  obs. exc. dial  a lump of congealed fat

keek

to glance; to peep

kef

a state of dreamy tranquility; a smoking material that produces such a state

kegler

a bowler

kelemenopy

[fr. the alpha sequence klmnop]  /kay el em EN oh pee/

a sequential straight line through the middle of everything, leading nowhere

a strictly sequential irrelevance - John Ciardi

keming

[fr. misreading kerning]  /KEM ing/  the result of improper kerning

kenosis

the relinquishment of the form of God by Jesus in becoming man

kenspeckle

Scot.  obvious, conspicuous

kentledge

[of obscure origin, perh. related to quintal, a unit of wt]

Naut.  pig iron or scrap metal used as permanent ballast; also attrib.

kepi

/kep EE/  a cap with a circular top, and a nearly horizontal visor (that French military cap that men in the Foreign Legion wear)

kerfuffle

Brit.  disturbance

kerning

[fr. F. carne, corner of type + -ing]  the addition or removal of space between individual characters in a piece of typeset text to improve its appearance or alter its fit

kerygma

[see next]  the apostolic proclamation of salvation through Jesus Christ

kerygmatic

[fr. Gk kerygma, proclamation]  /kerig MAD ik/

belonging to or of the nature of preaching; also transf.

ketchcraft

 [after Jack Ketch, an infamous London executioner]  the hangman's craft

khazeray

(Yiddish, from Heb. khazir, pig)  /khoz zair EYE/  or chazeray, also chozzerai  

1) food that is awful  2) junk, trash  3) anything disgusting, even loathsome

kheda

[Hindi] an enclosure used for the capture of wild elephants

kibosh

[origin obscure, possibly Yiddish or Anglo-Hebraic]  slang

1) in the phrase to put the kibosh on, to dispose of finally, finish off, check or stop

2) nonsense, rot, stuff, humbug  3) the proper style or fashion  (senses 2 and 3 are mainly archaic)

kidon

[Hebrew, bayonet or ‘tip of the spear’]  an assassin (of the Mossad)

kilderkin

a cask measuring 18 gallons (1/2 barrel)

kingling

a little king, a kinglet (a weak or petty king)

kip

1) a unit of Laotian currency

2) the hide of a small animal

3) a place to sleep; a bed

4) a unit of weight (1,000 pounds)

kipple

[coined by Philip K. Dick in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?]

the collection of useless bits of trash we wallow in; all the paper and junk that is not recycled; decaying entropic trash

kippleization

the tendency of the universe towards decaying entropic trash

kiskeedee

slang  a French-speaking person who is unable to understand English and keeps asking, "Qu'est-ce qu'il dit?" (What is he saying?)

klazomania

compulsive shouting; thus klazomaniac, one who shouts compulsively

kloof

[Afrik] a deep ravine

knackatory

[fr. knick-knack, itself a redup. of knack, a toy or trifle] also knick-knackatory

a shop for finnimbruns (knick-knacks)

knacker

Brit. 1) a buyer of worn-out domestic animals/carcasses for use esp. as animal food or fertilizer

2) a buyer of old structures for constituent materials

knackered

Brit. slang  tired; exhausted

knees-up

Brit. informal  a lively party, usu. including dancing

knobkerrie

[Afrikaans knopkierie]  a short wooden club with a knob at one end used as a missile or in close attack, especially in southern Africa

knobstick

Brit.  one who refuses to join, or withdraws from, a trade union; a blackleg

knout

[F. < Russ. knut]  /nout/

[n] a leather scourge used for flogging  [v] to flog with a knout

knouted

past tense of knout, flogged with a knout

koan

[fr. Jap. ko, public + an, proposition]  /KO an/

a paradox used in meditation in the training of Zen Buddhist monks to abandon dependence on reason and rather gain sudden intuitive enlightenment

krotoscope

[fr. Gk krotos, clapping of hands + -scope]  an applause-measuring instrument: applause meter

Kulturkampf

[G. fr. Kultur + Kampf, conflict]   /kul TUR kam(p)f/

broadly  a conflict between cultures or value systems

kumatage

a bright appearance in the horizon, under the sun or moon, arising from the reflected light of those bodies from the small rippling waves on the surface of the water - Bowditch's Navigator, 24th Edition (1854)

kursaal

[G.] a public building at a German health resort, provided for the use and entertainment of visitors; hence, a similar building at an English watering-place

kvetch

[Yiddish] to complain habitually: gripe

kwyjibo

a nonsense word from the television series The Simpsons, made up by Bart Simpson during a game of Scrabble; when Homer asks Bart what a kwyjibo is, Bart replies, "A big, dumb, balding North American ape. With no chin." Marge chimes in, "..and a short temper". - Wikipedia

kyacting

[unknown origin]  /KYE ac ting/  UK slang, rare  clowning at work

L

labefaction

a weakening or impairment esp. of moral principles or civil order: downfall, overthrow

lability

[fr. L. labilis, prone to slip]  /lah BIL ity/

1) susceptibility to change; instability  2) Chem.  unstableness

lachschlaganfall

[G.]  /lok shlok en fol/

Med.  a condition in which a person falls unconscious due to excessive laughter

lackwit

[lack + wit]  /LACK wit/

a dull or witless person: blockhead, fool, yahoo, thickwit, dope, nitwit, dimwit, half-wit

lacuna

a gap

lagerphone

Austral.  a percussion instrument consisting of a long pole with a cross-piece at one end, to which numerous beer-caps are loosely nailed, producing a jingling noise when shaken or struck

lagniappe

a small gift given a customer by a merchant at the time of purchase; broadly, something given or obtained gratuitously

lalochezia

[fr. Gk lalia, speech, + chezo, to relieve oneself]  an emotional discharge gained by uttering foul language

la maladie sans maladie

[F.] the sickness without sickness; hypochondria

lambent

flickering; softly radiant; marked by brilliance of expression

lamia

a female demon: vampire

lampadedromy

[Gk lampadedromia]  (erroneously in Webster: lampadrome)

Gk Antiquity  a torch-race; a race (on foot or horseback) in which a lighted torch was passed from hand to hand; also lampadephore, a torchbearer

lamping

flashing, beaming, resplendent

lamster

fugitive

lanceolate

[fr. L. lancea, lance]  /LAN see uh late/

tapering from a rounded base toward an apex; lance-shaped  lanceolate leaves

langlaufer

a cross-country skier

lant

to mingle ale with stale urine to make it strong

lanterloo

[orig. the unmeaning refrain of a song popular in the 17th c.]  used as a meaningless refrain

The sun is bright, the grass is green: Lanterloo, lanterloo.

The King is courting his young Queen. Lanterloo, my lady.

 - Auden & Kallman, The Rake's Progress  [libretto] (1951)

laocoon

[after Laocoon, ancient Greek priest of Apollo who is portrayed in a 1st century B.C. sculpture in a heroic struggle against two giant serpents]  /lay AWK oh wan/

one that struggles heroically with crushing or baffling difficulties

Laodicean

[fr. the ancient city of Laodicea]

1) of or relating to Laodicea

2) indifferent or lukewarm, esp. in matters of religion or politics (in reference to Revelation 3:14-16)

lapidable

[fr. L. lapidare, to stone < lapis, stone]  /la PID uh bul/?

obs. rare  worthy of being stoned  (compare widdiful)

lapidary

sculptured in or inscribed upon stone

lapidate

to stone to death

largiloquent

/lar GIL oquent/  obs. rare  full of words; grandiloquent

larmoyant

[F.] tearful, weepy: lachrymose

larrikin

chiefly Austral.  hoodlum, rowdy

latibulize

[fr. L. latibul-um, a hiding-place]  rare  to hibernate; to retreat and lie hidden

latifundium

a great landed estate with primitive agriculture

latitudinarian

broad and liberal in standards of religious belief and conduct

latrate

[fr. L. latrare, to bark] /LAY trayt/

obs.  to bark like a dog  {Cockerham, 1623}

latration

[fr. L. latrare, to bark]  a barking

latrinalia

/LA tri NAY lee uh/  bathroom graffiti

latrinology

[fr. latrine, ad. L. lavatrina + -logy]  the study of bathroom graffiti (latrinalia); hence, latrinologist

coined by Professor Alan Dundes at Berkely, who made this an academic specialty

lebensfreude

[G.]  keen enjoyment: zest; joie de vivre

lectisternium

an ancient Greek/Roman religious rite in which the images of gods were placed on couches and food spread before them

lees

the sediment that settles at the bottom of a liquid, esp. a fermented liquid such as wine; dregs

legerity

[fr. F. legereté, lightness  (fr. L. leviarius?]  /le JER uh tee/  agility of mind or of limb: nimbleness

leguleian

an attorney whose methods are underhanded, petty and disreputable

lemures

spirits of unburied dead exorcised from homes in early Roman religious rites

lenitive

[adj] capable of easing pain or discomfort

[n] anything that softens or soothes; a palliative

lentiginous

[L. lentiginosus, freckled]  /len TIJ uh nuhs/  covered with freckles: freckled

leptology

a minute and tedious discourse on trivial matters

lethe

oblivion, forgetfulness

lethiferous

[fr. L. lethum, death + -ferous]  that causes or results in death, deadly

lethologica

the inability to remember the right word

lethonomia

the tendency to forget names

levant

chiefly Brit.  to run away from a debt

levin

/LEV in/ (also leven)  lightning; a flash of lightning; also, any bright light or flame

lexicographicolatry

[fr. lexicographic + Gk latriea, worship]  neologism

reverence for "the dictionary" (perhaps the UAD: Unidentifed Authorizing Dictionary)

lexiconophilist

a collector of dictionaries and word books

lexiphanic

bombastic, turgid, inflated

lexiphanicism

[fr. Gk lexiphanes, phrase-monger (title of dialogue by Lucian)]  /lex i FAN i sizm/

archaic  the use of pretentious phraseology

liberticidal

destructive of liberty

liberticide

the destruction of liberty

libricide

[fr. L. liber, book + -cide]  the slaughter (destruction) of books

librocubicularist

one who reads in bed (coined by Christopher Morley?)

licitation

the act of selling or bidding at auction

lickerish

greedy, desirous; lecherous

lickpenny

an absorber or devourer of money

Law is a lickpenny. -- Sir Walter Scott

lick-spigot

obs  one who licks the spigot; a contemptuous name for a tapster or drawer (tavern keeper); also, a revolting parasite

lickspittle

a fawning subordinate: toady

limacine

of, relating to, or resembling a slug

limacology

[fr. L. limax, slug, snail + -ology]

the branch of zoology which deals with slugs; hence, limacologist

limberham

in etymological sense: one who has 'limber hams', a supple-jointed person; fig. an obsequious person: lackey

liminal

[fr. L. limen, threshold]  /LI mi nal/

1) of or relating to a sensory threshold  2) barely perceptible

limivorous

swallowing mud for the organic matter it contains

limmer

Scot.  scoundrel; prostitute

limnology

[fr. Gk limne, lake + -logy]

the scientific study of bodies of freshwater, esp. lakes and ponds

so limnologist, one who studies lakes

limpid

pellucid

linguacious

[L. linguax, -acis, loquacious, fr. lingua tongue]  (also linguaceous)

rare  talkative, loquacious

linguaphile

[fr. L. lingua : tongue, language + Gk philos, loving]

a lover of language and words

lipogram

a bit of writing which contains words lacking a particular letter

lippitude

sore or bleary eyes

liripipe

[fr. Med. L. liripipium]  (also liripoop)

1) the long tail of a hood in medieval or academic costume

2) obs.  a lesson or role to be learned or spoken  3) obs.  a silly person

lirk

Scot. and Brit. dial.  a fold in the skin; a wrinkle

lirp

obs. rare  a snap of the fingers; also v., to snap with one's fingers

lirt

obs.  deception, trick

listful

archaic  inclined to listen, attentive

literatus

[L.]  a member of the literati

litherness

[fr. lither < G. liederlich, lewd + -ness]

obs. 1) wickedness  2) laziness, sloth

litotes

expressing an affirmative by the negative of the contrary

lixiviate

[fr. L. lixivus, made into lye; < lix, ashes, lye]

1) to impregnate with lixivium or lye

2) to subject to a washing process for the purpose of separating soluble material from that which is insoluble; to leach, as ashes, for the purpose of extracting the alkaline substances

lobcock

a stupid, blundering person: lout

loblolly

1) a thick gruel; mire

2) a lout

lobscouse

a sailor's dish prepared by stewing or baking bits of meat with vegetables

lobstick

[var. of lop-stick]  Canada  a tree with branches trimmed so that it may serve as a landmark or memorial

lockrum

[origin uncertain]  (also lockram)

dialect  a pack of gibberish; nonsense

locofoco

a match or cigar which can be lit by friction on any rough surface (also called a lucifer match)

locum

[fr. L. locum tenens]  a professional (typically a physician or clergyman) who substitutes temporarily for a peer

locupletative

[fr. L. locupletare, to enrich]  /lock you PLEA ta tive/?  inkhorn term  tending to enrich

lodestar

1) the pole-star

2) one that serves as an inspiration, model or guide

loganamnosis

/LAHG an um NOH sis/  an obsession with trying to recall a forgotten word

logastellus

"a person whose enthusiasm for words outstrips his knowledge of them" - John McClellan

logocentrism

[fr. Gk logos, word + -centrism]  /lo go CEN triz em/

1) literary analysis that focuses on words and language to the exclusion of non-linguistic matters such as the author's individuality or historical context

2) excessive attention paid to the meanings of words or distinctions in their usage   hence, logocentric

logodaedalus

[fr. Gk logos, word + Daedalus, famed artificer]

obs.  an artificer of words and phrases: wordsmith

logodaedaly

arbitrary or capricious coinage of words

logofascinated

[hybrid fr. Gk logos, word]  nonce-word  fascinated by words

logogogue

a person who lays down rules about words; a language dictator

logolepsy

an obsession with words

logolept

/LO go lept/  a word maniac; verbivore, logophile

logomachist

[Gk logomachia + -ist]  /lo GAM eh kest/

one given to disputes over or about words (also logomach)

logomachy

a dispute over or about words; controversy marked by verbiage

logomisia

disgust for certain words

logopandocie

nonce-word  a readiness to admit words of all kinds

logophile

[fr. Gk logos, speech + philos, loving]

a word lover or word buff

logorrhea

excessive and often incoherent talkativeness or wordiness

logorrheic

[ad. NL logorrhea + -ic]  /LO geh RE ik/  characterized by excessive use of words

loid

slang  to open (a locked door) by sliding a thin piece of celluloid or plastic between the door edge and doorframe to force open a spring lock

longanimity

a disposition to bear injuries patiently: forbearance

longevous

(also longaevous) long-lived; living or having lived to a great age

longiloquence

long-windedness

longinquity

[L. longinquitas, fr. longinquus, distant]  /lan JIN kwed ee/

archaic  remoteness in space or time

longueur

[F., length]  /lo~ goer/  usu. used as pl. longueurs  a dull and tedious passage of writing (or music, etc.)

looby

an awkward clumsy fellow: lout, lubber

loofah

a bath or shower sponge; the dried fibrous part of the gourd-like fruit of a plant of the genus Luffa

lorem ipsum

[fr. L. dolorem ipsum, pain itself]  dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry

losel

a worthless person

louche

not reputable or decent

loup-garou

a werewolf

loxodrome

[back-formation from loxodromic, from Gk. loxos, oblique + dromos, course]  /LAK suh drome/

a rhumb line, a curve that appears to be a straight line on a Mercator map

loxotic

[fr. Gk loxos, oblique]   /lok SOT ik/  rare  distorted; oblique; lopsided

lubberland

[fr. Swed. lubber, a worthless idler]

an imaginary land of extreme luxury and ease : Cockaigne

lubberwort

[fr. lubber, a stupid person + wort, a plant]

obs. provincial Eng.  food or drink that makes one idle and stupid; food without nutritive value; junk food

lubricious

1) slippery

2) lecherous; salacious

lubricity

[fr. L. lubricus, slippery]  /loo BRIS ity/

the quality or state of being lubricious: slipperiness; lasciviousness

luciferous

[fr. L. lucifer, light-bearing]  /lu SI f(uh)rus/  archaic  bringing light or insight: illuminating

lucifugous

[L. from lux, light + fugere, to fly]  Nat. Hist.  shunning or avoiding light

lucriferous

[fr. L. lucr-um  gain, profit, advantage + -iferous]  obs.  lucrative, profitable

lucriferousness

the quality of being lucriferous

lucripetous

[fr. L. lucripeta]  /loo KRIP eh tous/  obs.  eager for gain  (money-hungry?)

lucubration

[fr. L. lucubratio, study or composition at night]  laborious study: meditation; studied or pretentious expression in speech or writing

luculent

[fr. L. luculentus < lux, light]  clear in thought or expression: lucid

Luddite

someone opposed to technological change

ludibrious

[fr. L. ludibrium, sport, jest]  /lu DIB ri ous/

1) now rare  inclined to scoff; scornful, mocking

2) obs.  ridiculous

ludibrium

[L., mockery, derision]  a divine comedy(?)

ludic

playful, sporting

ludification

an act of mockery

luftmensch

[Yiddish] an impractical dreamer having no definite business or income

lugubrious

mournful or doleful to a ludicrous degree

lumberly

[fr. lumber + -ly]  rare clumsy, cumbrous

luminaria

a traditional Mexican Christmas lantern orig. consisting of a candle set in sand inside a paper bag; or a small bonfire used to light the way [see farolitos]

luniversary

[L. luni-, moon + versus, turned; after anniversary]

the day of the month on which something recurs  (also lunaversary and mensiversary)

lunt

[fr. Dutch lont, a match]  chiefly Scot., now rare(?)

1) to smoke tobacco in (a pipe)  2) to set fire to : light up, kindle

hence, lunting (not to be confused with lant)

lunule

the whitish mark at the base of the fingernail

lupercalian

[fr. L. Lupercus, god of flocks]

related to or characteristic of an ancient Roman festival (Lupercalia) celebrated February 15 to ensure fertility for the people, fields, and flocks

lusk

[origin uncertain]  obs.  idle, lazy, worthless {Johnson, 1822}

lusory

[fr. L. lusus, from ludere - to play]

archaic  1) used in play  2) composed in a playful style

lustration

[fr. L. lustrare, to purify]  /luh STRAY shun/

a purifying ceremony; an act or instance of cleansing, esp. by moral or spiritual purification

lustrum

[fr. the Roman census]  a period of five years

luxated

[fr. L. luxare < luxus, dislocated]  put out of joint; dislocated

lycanthropy

the assumption of the form and characteristics of a wolf held to be possible through witchcraft or magic

lychnobite

[fr. Gk lychnos, lamp + bios, life]   /LIK no bite/

obs. rare  one who labors at night and sleeps by day; one who turns night into day; a fast-liver

lycophosed

[fr. Gk lykophos, twilight (app. misunderstood to mean keen sight)]  obs.  keen-sighted

lygophilic

[fr. G. lyge, twilight + -philic]  (soft or hard g?)

one who loves darkness (as opposed to lygophobic)

lygophobic

one who fears or hates darkness

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