The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (44 page)

kvass (kavas) RUSSIAN [from kvas]
noun a weak beer distilled from
fermented rye and other cereals in
parts of eastern Europe: "As they were
walking back over the cut grass, the old
man called Levin's attention to the little
girls and boys who were coming from different directions, hardly visible through
the long grass, and along the road toward
the mowers, carrying sacks of bread that
stretched their little arms, and lugging
small pitchers of kvass, stopped up with
rags" (Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina,
1873-77).

kvetch (kavech) YIDDISH [from kvetshn to squeeze, to pinch, from German
quetschen to crush, to press] verb to
gripe or complain at length: "Oh, stop
kvetching and just get on with it."-noun a
person who is always complaining or is
in some other way objectionable.

Kyogen (kiojen) JAPANESE noun a
brief comic interlude performed in the
course of an evening of Noh drama.

Kyrie eleison (kireeay el4zon) GREEK
[from kyrie lord and eleeson to have mercy,
to have pity] noun in the Christian church, a short prayer beginning with
these words, often set to music: "The
notes of the Kyrie eleison soared up into the
vaults of the cathedral roof. "

kyU (kyoo) JAPANESE [class] noun
one of six grades of proficiency in
Japanese martial arts such as karate
and judo.

la (la) FRENCH [the] adjective the
(usually preceding the name of a
woman and variously suggesting
admiration or contempt for the person concerned): "Her voice equalled that
of la Dietrich herself. "

Iaager (1kg2r) AFRIKAANS [from German Lager, itself from Old German
legar couch] nounan encampment of
wagons or armed vehicles drawn up
in a defensive position, or more generally any defensive or entrenched
position or policy: "In front of the
house ... was arranged an arc of wagons, placed as they are in a laager and
protected underneath by earth thrown
up in a mound and by boughs of the
mimosa thorn" (H. Rider Haggard,
Marie, 1912).

labarum (labyrym) LATIN [from Greek
labaron] noun (plural labara, labyry)
the military standard adopted by
Emperor Constantine I after his conversion to Christianity, with Christian
symbols added to the Roman military
symbols.

laborare est orare (laborahree est
orahree) LATIN [to work is to pray]
verb phrase hard work is a form of
prayer.

labyrinth (labyrinth) GREEK [from
labyrinthos maze] noun a maze or
any intricate or complicated situation (recalling the Cretan maze constructed by Daedulus in which lurked
the dreaded Minotaur): `Not because
Paris was not Rome, nor because it was
Paris; but because hidden away somewhere
in that vast unheeding labyrinth was the
half-forgotten part of himself that was
Susy. . ."(Edith Wharton, Glimpses of the
Moon, 1922).

lachrymae rerum See LACRIMAE
RERUM.

laconic (lykonik) GREEK [lakonikos
Laconian, of Laconia, the Greek district of which Sparta was the capital,
referring to the terseness of speech
with which the inhabitants were traditionally associated] adjective using
minimal words, terse, concise: "He explained the situation in a few laconic
phrases."

lacrimae rerum (lakrimi rram),
lachrymae rerum LATIN [tears
of things, quoting the Aeneid by the
Roman poet Virgil (70-19 B.C.)] noun
phrase the sadness of life, the tragedy
that is inherent in ordinary human
existence.

lacuna (lakoona, lak,Lna) LATIN
[pool, pit, gap, from lacus lake] noun
(plural lacunas or lacunae, lakoonl,
loonl) a gap, a blank space, a hiatus, a missing part, a defect.

lager (lahgar) GERMAN [from Lagerbier beer made for keeping, from
Lager storehouse and Bier beer] noun
a light beer that matures in storage
(as originally made in Germany or
Bohemia): "The bar was well stocked with
imported lager."

lagniappe (lany) LOUISIANA FRENCH
[from American Spanish la papa the
gift, from Quechua, something added]
noun something given as a bonus or
gratuity "The morning after the Great Panhandle Mishandle, instead of doing election
postmortems, the news industry received a
spectacular lagniappe: a fractious postelection campaign, made and played for TV"
(Time, November 20, 2000).

lagoon (lagoon) FRENCH [from lagune,
itself from Italian laguna pit, pool,

ultimately from Latin locus lake]
noun a large pool of shallow water,
often alongside a much larger body
of water: "Some ghostly night when hides
the moon, / I slip into the milk-warm
water / And softly swim the stale lagoon"
(Robert Service, Ballads of a Bohemian, 1921).

laisser-faire See LAISSEZ-FAIRE.

laissez-aller (lesay-alay), laisseraller FRENCH [allow to go] noun
carelessness, abandon, absence of
restraint.

laissez-faire (lesay-fair), laisser-faire
FRENCH [let do, allow to act] noun a
practice, philosophy, or doctrine allowing an individual, company, or industry
to behave with complete freedom of
choice and action (often referring to
economic policy): "Where your Priest
has no tongue but for plate-licking: and
your high Guides and Governors cannot
guide; but on all hands hear it passionately proclaimed: Laissez faire; Leave us
alone of your guidance, such light is darker
than darkness; eat you your wages, and
sleep!" (Thomas Carlyle, Sartor Resartus,
1833-34). 'adjective of or relating to
such a practice, philosophy, doctrine,
or policy: "In the 20th century, in western
economies, laissez faire policies have been
largely abandoned for mixed economies"
(Macmillan Encyclopedia).

laissez-passer (lesay-paasay) FRENCH
[let pass] noun (plural laissez-passers) a permit, a pass allowing an individual to go through a checkpoint:
"The Government, which is only a simple
administration, has only hitherto been
called upon to put in practice the old
adage, Laissez faire, laissez passer, in
order to favor that irresistible instinct
which pushes the people ofAmerica to the
west" (William Makepeace Thackeray,
Paris Sketch Book of Mr. M. A. Titmarsh,
1840).

lama (llhma) TIBETAN [from blama]
noun a Buddhist monk or religious
teacher of Tibet or Mongolia: "The
streets of NewYork were crowded that year
with Hindu seers, lamas from Tibet, and all
other manner of eastern sages."

lame (lahmay) FRENCH [laminated,
from Old French lame gold or silver
wire, ultimately from Latin lamina
thin sheet] noun a type of brocaded
fabric in which the yarns are interwoven with metallic thread. -adjective
of or relating to such fabric: "His sister
looked sensational in a gold lame dress."

lamentoso (lamentoso) ITALIAN
[lamenting] adverb (in music) mournfully. adjective (in music) mournful:
"The band played a lamentoso air in response
to the general mood of depression that had
settled on everyone."

lamia (1 mega) LATIN [from lamyros
gluttonous, referring to the Lamia, a
devouring monster of Greek legend
with a woman's body] noun (plural

lamias or lamiae, 1 mice) a female
demon, a witch.

lamina (lamdnd) LATIN [layer] noun
(plural laminas or laminae, lamince,
laminz) a layer, a thin plate or scale:
"The pigment epithelium has traditionally been considered as a layer of the
retina" (T. L. Lentz, Cell Fine Structure,
1971).

landau (landow, Lando) GERMAN
[after Landau, Bavaria] noun a fourwheeled, horse-drawn carriage with
removable front and rear hoods and a
raised seat for the driver (as originally made in Landau, Bavaria):
"A shining landau stopped before the
entrance. The lady rose. I took her hand,
and bowed" (0. Henry, Strictly Business,
1910).

Landsturm (lantshterm) GERMAN [land
storm] noun (plural Landstiirme,
lantshterma) conscription in time
of war; a reserve force called up at
such a time (especially in Germanspeaking countries).

Landwehr (lantvair) GERMAN [land
defense, militia] noun militia, reserve
forces (especially in German-speaking
countries).

langlauf (langlowf) GERMAN [long
run, from lang long and Latf race]
noun a cross-country ski race: "The
langlauf competition was hotly contested
by all the Nordic teams."

langoustine (langasteen) FRENCH
[diminutive of langouste lobster, itself
from Old Provencal lagosta, ultimately
from Latin locusta locust] noun a
Norway lobster (especially when considered as a food item): "Unfortunately
the menu did not include the local speciality of langoustines."

lapis lazuli (lapis laz(h)alee) LATIN
[from lapis stone and lazulum, from
Arabic lazward] noun a semiprecious stone of a rich azure color,
or the color azure itself: "The ring
comprised a small piece of lapis lazuli in
a gold setting."

lapsus (lpsas) LATIN [fall, slip] noun
a lapse, an error, a slip: `Now if the
court; and `camp; and `grove; be not /
Recruited all with constant married men, /
Who never coveted their neighbor's lot, / I
say that line's a lapsus of the pen..." (Lord
Byron, Don Juan, 1819-24).

lapsus calami (lapsas kalamz) LATIN
[slipping of the reed] noun phrase a
slip of the pen, a written error.

lapsus linguae (lapsas lingwee)
LATIN [slipping of the tongue] noun
phrase a slip of the tongue, a verbal
error.

lapsus memoriae (lapsas memoriee)
LATIN [slipping of the memory] noun
phrase a slip of the memory, a lapse
of memory.

lardon (lahrdan), lardoon (lahdoon)
FRENCH [piece of fat pork, from Old
French lard bacon] noun (in French
cuisine) a strip of bacon or salt pork
that is inserted into another piece of
meat, poultry, or game to provide
extra fat and flavoring.

largesse (lahrzhes, later.), largess FRENCH [generosity, ultimately
from Latin largus liberal in giving]
noun generosity, liberality, or an
instance of such generosity or liberality: "The procession was brought to a
close, by some dozen indomitable warriors
of dferent nations, riding two and two,
and haughtily surveying the tame population of Modena: among whom, however,
they occasionally condescended to scatter
largesse in the form of a few handbills"
(Charles Dickens, Pictures from Italy,
1846).

larghetto (lahrgeto) ITALIAN [a little
largo, somewhat slow] adverb (in
music) fairly slowly (to be played
slower than andante). '"adjective
(in music) slow. -noun a passage of
music written to be played at a fairly
slow pace.

largo (lahrgo) ITALIAN [slow, broad,
ultimately from Latin largus large,
abundant] adverb (in music) very
slowly, with dignity. 'adjective (in
music) very slow, dignified. -noun a
passage of music written to be played
at a very slow, dignified pace.

lariat (lareeat) SPANISH [from la reata
the rope, ultimately from reatar to tie
again] noun a lasso used to catch or
tether livestock: "The stranger looped
his lariat over the saddle and dismounted
slowly.,,

larmoyant (lahrmoiyant, lahrmoi'on ) FRENCH [tearful, from
larmoyer to be tearful] adjective lachrymose, tear-jerking, sentimental: "He
told her a somewhat larmoyant tale about
lost love and then demanded supper in
loud tones."

larva (lahrva) LATIN [ghost, mask] noun
(plural larvas or larvae, lahvee, lahvz)
the immature, wingless form of
numerous insects prior to development into the adult form.

larynx (larinks) GREEK [larunx]
noun (plural larynxes or larynges,
larinjeez) the upper part of the
trachea or windpipe in air-breathing
vertebrates that in many species contains the vocal chords: "The soprano
was unable to appear due to an infection
of the larynx."

lasagne (lazanya) ITALIAN [plural of
lasagna, probably ultimately from Latin
lasanum chamber pot] noun a form of
pasta shaped into thin sheets or broad
strips, or a recipe incorporating such
pasta layered with cheese, tomatoes,
meat, and other ingredients.

lascar (laskar) PORTUGUESE [from
Hindi lashkari military, from lashkar
army] noun an Indian sailor: "The
Lascar pretended that six years before,
during a stay at Vanikoro, he had seen two
Europeans that belonged to some vessels
that had run aground on the reefs some
years ago" (Jules Verne, 20,000 Leagues
Under the Sea, 1870).

lasso (laso, lasoo) SPANISH [from
lazo, itself from Latin laqueus snare]
noun (plural lassos or lassoes) a
leather rope with a running noose at
one end used for catching livestock.
-verb to capture an animal using a
lasso: "They managed to lasso the last
two steers and drag them back to the
corral."

latex (lteks) LATIN [fluid] noun
(plural latexes or latices, ltaseez)
a milky fluid obtained from various
trees and plants and used in the manufacture of rubber, gutta-percha, and
other products, or a form of synthetic
rubber or plastic used in clothing,
paint manufacture, etc.: "All the top
swimmers favor latex swim wear."

latria (latria, latreea) LATIN [from
Greek latreia, from latruein to serve]
noun (in Roman Catholicism) the
supreme worship that is due exclusively to God.