L

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does L mean? 

• L (noun)
  The noun L has 4 senses:

1. a metric unit of capacity, formerly defined as the volume of one kilogram of pure water under standard conditions; now equal to 1,000 cubic centimeters (or approximately 1.75 pints)

2. the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five

3. a cgs unit of illumination equal to the brightness of a perfectly diffusing surface that emits or reflects one lumen per square centimeter

4. the 12th letter of the Roman alphabet

  Familiarity information: L used as a noun is uncommon.

• L (adjective)
  The adjective L has 1 sense:

1. being ten more than forty

  Familiarity information: L used as an adjective is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• L (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A metric unit of capacity, formerly defined as the volume of one kilogram of pure water under standard conditions; now equal to 1,000 cubic centimeters (or approximately 1.75 pints)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

cubic decimeter; cubic decimetre; l; liter; litre

Hypernyms ("l" is a kind of...):

metric capacity unit (a capacity unit defined in metric terms)

Meronyms (parts of "l"):

deciliter; decilitre; dl (a metric unit of volume equal to one tenth of a liter)

Holonyms ("l" is a part of...):

dal; decaliter; decalitre; dekaliter; dekalitre; dkl (a metric unit of volume or capacity equal to 10 liters)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The cardinal number that is the product of ten and five

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

50; fifty; L

Hypernyms ("L" is a kind of...):

large integer (an integer equal to or greater than ten)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A cgs unit of illumination equal to the brightness of a perfectly diffusing surface that emits or reflects one lumen per square centimeter

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

L; lambert

Hypernyms ("L" is a kind of...):

illumination unit (a measure of illumination)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The 12th letter of the Roman alphabet

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("L" is a kind of...):

alphabetic character; letter; letter of the alphabet (the conventional characters of the alphabet used to represent speech)

Holonyms ("L" is a member of...):

Latin alphabet; Roman alphabet (the alphabet evolved by the ancient Romans which serves for writing most of the languages of western Europe)

• L (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Being ten more than forty

Synonyms:

50; fifty; l

Similar:

cardinal (being or denoting a numerical quantity but not order)

 Context examples 

Hélène Seroussi and Erik Ivins of JPL found that the flux of energy from the mantle plume must be no more than 150 milliwatts per square meter.

(Hot News from the Antarctic Underground, NASA)

Meanwhile, she continued talking, in the same quiet manner: All times and seasons, you know, Dan'l, said Mrs. Gummidge, I shall be allus here, and everythink will look accordin' to your wishes.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

The investigators also found an association of high serum sodium (143-153 mmol/L) with cognitive decline over time.

(Blood Sodium Levels May Affect Cognition in Older Adults, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

A synbiotic supplement containing beta-1,3-glucan, bacteria Lactobacillus casei (L. casei) and Bifidobacterium lactis (B. lactis), with potential immunomodulating activity.

(Beta-glucan/Lactobacillus casei/Bifidobacterium lactis-based Supplement, NCI Thesaurus)

López García cautioned, some silica-rich Dallol mineral precipitates may look like microbial cells under a microscope, so what is seen must be analyzed well.

(Place discovered on earth with no microbial life, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Wasn’t I a-layin’ on the _Emma L._, not three hundred yards away?

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

A Happy New Year to you all, my dearest family, which of course includes Mr. L. and a young man by the name of Teddy.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

A concentration of 1/1,000,000 (one millionth) molecular weight per liter (mol/L).

(Micromolar, NCI Dictionary)

L. brevis was one of only two species of bacteria that restored normal behavior in the germ-free flies.

(Gut bacteria may control movement, National Institutes of Health)

In Specific Aim l, the relationship of each of the candidate genes and the occurrence or age of onset of prostate cancer will be examined.

(Molecular Epidemiology of Prostate Cancer, NCI Thesaurus)