|
Glossary of Terms (as used in the lessons) L is for . . . |
 |
| labellum | The lower lip of an insect. |
| labor | Physical or mental exertion; a specific task. |
| labor-intensive | Requiring large numbers of laborers and labor hours. |
| land-grant college | College established through a grant of public land from the government. |
| lanolin | A yellowish-white fatty substance obtained from wool and used in soaps, cosmetics, and ointments. |
| lard | The white solid or semi-solid rendered fat of a hog. |
| lariat | A long rope with a running noose (hondo) used for catching livestock. |
| larvae | The wingless, often worm-like, form of a newly hatched insect before it undergoes metamorphosis. |
| lay | To produce and deposit (eggs). |
| layer | One that lays or produces eggs; a hen. |
| lean | Containing little or no fat. |
| leather | The dressed or tanned hide of an animal, usually with the hair removed. |
| leaves | Usually green, flattened structures of vascular plants, characteristically consisting of bladelike expansions attached to a stem and functioning as principal organs of photosynthesis and transpiration. |
| lecithin | Any of a group of phospholipids found in egg yolks and the plasma membrane of plant and animal cells, used as an emulsifier in a wide range of commercial products, including foods, cosmetics, paints, and plastics. |
| legume | A family of plants which, with the aid of symbiotic bacteria, convert nitrogen from the air to build up nitrogen in the soil. Legumes include many valuable food and forage species, including peas, beans, peanuts, clover, and alfalfa. |
| lentils | The edible seeds of a leguminous plant native to the Old World, suitable for sprouting. |
| lichens | Any of numerous plants characteristically forming a crust-like, scaly, or branching growth on rocks or tree trunks. |
| Light Brahma | A breed of chicken that can be raised for commercial use or for the purpose of showing. |
| lightening rod | Metallic rod attached to the roof or chimney of a building and connected to the earth by a wire, which conducts lightening to the earth to minimize damage. |
| Limousin | A breed of golden red cattle originating in France, the largest exotic breed in the United States. |
| line | A geometric figure formed by a point moving along a fixed direction and the reverse direction. |
| line segment | A continuous mark between two points. |
| linen | A woven fabric made from the inner bark of the flax plant. |
| lint | The mass of soft fibers surrounding the seeds of unginned cotton; fuzz. |
| litter | The young produced at birth by mammals which characteristically give birth to more than one offspring at a time. |
| livelihood | The way a person makes his or her living. |
| livestock | Domestic animals, such as cattle or horses, raised for home use or for profit, especially on a farm. |
| llama | South American animal related to the camel and raised for its soft wool and as a beast of burden. |
| loam | Soil consisting mainly of sand, clay, salt and organic matter. |
| loblolly | Mud hole. |
| loblolly pine | A pine tree of the southeastern United States, having strong wood used as lumber and for paper pulp. |
| longhorn | The descendants of cattle with long curving horns which the Spanish explorer Coronado originally brought to the North American continent. |
| loom | A machine or device in which cloth is produced by interweaving thread or yarn at right angles. |
| loan | A sum of money lent or borrowed at interest. |
| lumber | Timber or logs dressed for use in building or construction. |
| luxury | Something inessential but conducive to pleasure and comfort. |
Printable (pdf) version of entire glossary
