leg In a biped, the lower limb, jointed at the knee, supporting the body and used for walking and running. Its bones are the femur (thighbone), the longest bone in the human body; patella (kneecap); tibia (shin); and fibula. The biceps muscle of the thigh bends the leg; the quadriceps straightens it.
legal medicine See medical jurisprudence
legend Traditional story or group of stories told about a particular per¬ son or place. Formerly the term referred to a tale about a saint. Legends resemble folktales in content; they may include supernatural beings, ele¬ ments of mythology, or explanations of natural phenomena, but they are associated with a particular locality or person. They are handed down from the past and are popularly regarded as historical though they are not entirely verifiable.
Leek (Allium porrum )
G.R. ROBERTS
leek Hardy, vigorous, biennial plant {Allium porrum) of the lily family, native to the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. It has a mild, sweet, onionlike flavour. In Europe it is widely used in soups and stews and is cooked whole as a vegetable.
It became the national emblem of Wales following an ancient victory by an army of Welshmen who wore leeks as a distinguishing sign. The long, narrow leaves and nearly cylin¬ drical bulb of the first season are replaced in the second season by a tall solid stalk bearing leaves and a large umbel with many flowers.
Leeuwenhoek Vla-von-.hukV,
Antonie van (b. Oct. 24, 1632,
Delft, Neth.—d. Aug. 26, 1723,
Delft) Dutch microscopist. In his youth he was apprenticed to a draper; a later civil position allowed him to devote time to his hobby: grinding lenses and using them to study tiny objects. With his simple microscopes—skillfully ground, powerful single lenses capable of high image quality—he observed protozoa in rainwater and pond and well water and bacteria in the human mouth and intestine. He also discov¬ ered blood corpuscles, capillaries, and the structure of muscles and nerves, and in 1677 he first described the spermatozoa of insects, dogs, and humans. His research on lower ani¬ mals argued against the doctrine of spontaneous generation, and his observations helped lay the founda¬ tions for the sciences of bacteriology and protozoology.
Leeward Vlii-ord, 'le-w3rd\
Islands Arc of West Indian islands that constitute the most westerly and northerly of the Lesser Antilles, northeastern Caribbean Sea. The major islands are, from north to south,
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, detail of a portrait by Jan Verkolje; in the Rijksmu- seum, Amsterdam.
COURTESY OF THE RUKSMUSEUM, AMSTERDAM
Leger \la-'zha\, Fernand (b. Feb. 1955, Gif-sur-Yvette) French painter. Born to a peasant family, he worked as an architectural draftsman in Paris before studying art. Influenced by Paul Cezanne and early Cubism, Leger developed a painting style that com¬ bined bold colours with geometric and cylindrical forms arranged in highly disciplined compositions. His best-known works celebrated mod¬ em industrial technology by empha¬ sizing shapes derived from machine parts. Though he was seriously injured in World War I, his art con¬ tinued to affirm his faith in modem life and popular culture. In 1924 he conceived and directed Ballet meca- nique, a nonnarrative film with pho¬ tography by Man Ray.
4, 1881, Argentan, Fr.—d. Aug. 17,
Fernand Leger, photograph by Arnold Newman, 1941.
leghorn \ , leg- 1 hom, 'le-gonA Breed of chicken that originated in Italy; the only Mediterranean breed of importance today. Of the 12 varieties, the single-comb white leghorn is more popular than all the other leghorns combined; the leading egg producer of the world, it lays white eggs and is kept in large numbers in England, Canada, Australia, and the U.S.
Leghorn See Livorno Legio Maria See Maria Legio
legion Military organization, originally the largest permanent unit in the Roman army. It was the basis of the military system by which imperial Rome conquered and ruled its empire. The early Roman Republic found
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Legion of Honour ► Leicester I 1093
the Greek phalanx too unwieldy for fragmented fighting in the hills and valleys of central Italy. To replace it the Romans evolved a new tactical system based on small and flexible infantry units called maniples. These were grouped in larger units called cohorts, which ranged from 360 to 600 men, depending on the era. Ten cohorts made up a legion, which moved into battle with four cohorts in the first line and three each in the second and third lines. See also Foreign Legion.
Legion of Honour officially Order of the Legion of Honour
Highest-ranking order and decoration of the French republic. It was cre¬ ated by Napoleon in 1802 as a general military and civil order of merit. Membership is open to men and women, French citizens and foreigners, irrespective of rank, birth, or religion. Admission into the Legion requires 20 years of civil achievement in peacetime or extraordinary military brav¬ ery and service in times of war.
Legion of Mary Church See Maria Legio
Legionnaire disease Type of pneumonia, first identified in American Legion conventioneers in 1976, 29 of whom died. The cause was iden¬ tified as a previously unknown bacterium, Legionella pneumophila , later revealed as causing earlier mysterious outbreaks at widely separated places. Usually, malaise and headache are followed by high fever and often chills, dry cough, shortness of breath, and pain, occasionally with mental confusion. Contaminated water (e.g., in water-distribution sys¬ tems, humidifiers, and whirlpool spas) is usually suspected as the source. The disease is treated with antibiotics.
legislative apportionment or legislative delimitation Pro¬ cess by which representation is distributed among the constituencies of a representative assembly. In ancient Athens, every citizen represented him¬ self, but throughout most of history representation has been restricted to certain social classes. With the growth of democracy, the extension of suffrage, and the rise of political parties, apportionment had to be methodi¬ cally and mathematically arranged to ensure that the distribution of leg¬ islative seats would most accurately reflect the electorate’s will. Territorial apportionment is currently the most common form. See also gerryman¬ dering, PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION.
legislature Lawmaking branch of a government. Before the advent of legislatures, the law was dictated by monarchs. Early European legisla¬ tures include the English Parliament and the Icelandic Althing (founded c. 930). Legislatures may be unicameral or bicameral (see bicameral system). Their powers may include passing laws, establishing the government’s budget, confirming executive appointments, ratifying treaties, investigat¬ ing the executive branch, impeaching and removing from office members of the executive and judiciary, and redressing constituents’ grievances. Members may be appointed or directly or indirectly elected; they may represent an entire population, particular groups, or territorial subdistricts. In presidential systems, the executive and legislative branches are clearly separated; in parliamentary systems, members of the executive branch are chosen from the legislative membership. See also Bundestag; Congress of the United States; Diet; Duma; European Parliament; Knesset; Canadian Par¬ liament.
legume Vle-.gyumX Any of about 18,000 species in about 650 genera of flowering plants that make up the order Fabales, consisting of the single family Leguminosae, or Fabaceae (the pea family). The term also refers to their characteristic fruit, also called a pod. Legumes are widespread on all habitable continents. Leaves of many members appear feathery, and flowers are almost universally showy. In economic importance, this order is surpassed only by the grass and sedge order (Cyperales). In the pro¬ duction of food, the legume family is the most important of any family. The pods are part of the diet of nearly all humans and supply most dietary protein in regions of high population density. In addition, legumes per¬ form the invaluable act of nitrogen fixation. Because they contain many of the essential amino acids, legume seeds can balance the deficiencies of cereal protein. Legumes also provide edible oils, gums, fibers, and raw material for plastics, and some are ornamentals. Included in this family are acacia, alfalfa, beans, broom, carob, clover, cowpea, lupine, mimosa, peas,