L, a.
1. Having the general shape of the (capital) letter L; as, an L beam, or L-beam.
2. Elevated; -- a symbol for el. as an abbreviation of elevated in elevated road or railroad. -- n. An elevated road; as, to ride on the L. [Colloq., U. S.]
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L n.
1. L is the twelfth letter of the English alphabet, and a vocal consonant. It is usually called a semivowel or liquid. Its form and value are from the Greek, through the Latin, the form of the Greek letter being from the Phœnician, and the ultimate origin prob. Egyptian. Etymologically, it is most closely related to r and u; as in pilgrim, peregrine, couch (fr. collocare), aubura (fr. LL. alburnus).
Note: At the end of monosyllables containing a single vowel, it is often doubled, as in fall, full, bell; but not after digraphs, as in foul, fool, prowl, growl, foal. In English words, the terminating syllable le is unaccented, the e is silent, and l is preceded by a voice glide, as in able, eagle, pronounced
See Guide to Pronunciation, §241.
2. As a numeral, L stands for fifty in the English, as in the Latin language.
For 50 the Romans used the Chalcidian =\chi, ░, which assumed the less difficult lapidary type, ░, and was then easily assimilated to L.\= --I. Taylor (The Alphabet).
L n.
1. An extension at right angles to the length of a main building, giving to the ground plan a form resembling the letter
2. Mech. A short right-angled pipe fitting, used in connecting two pipes at right angles. [Written also ell.]
l
adj : being ten more than forty [syn: fifty, 50]
n 1: a metric unit of capacity equal to the volume of 1 kilogram
of pure water at 4 degrees centigrade and 760 mm of
mercury (or approximately 1.76 pints) [syn: liter, litre,
cubic decimeter, cubic decimetre]
2: the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
[syn: fifty, 50]
3: a cgs unit of illumination equal to the brightness of a
perfectly diffusing surface that emits or reflects one
lumen per square centimeter [syn: lambert]
4: the 12th letter of the Roman alphabet