luxu|ri|ous /lʌgʒʊə riəs/
1 ADJ If you describe something as luxurious , you mean that it is very comfortable and expensive. □ She had come to enjoy Roberto's luxurious life-style. ● luxu|ri|ous|ly ADV □ The dining-room is luxuriously furnished and carpeted.
2 ADJ Luxurious means feeling or expressing great pleasure and comfort. □ Amy tilted her wine in her glass with a luxurious sigh. ● luxu|ri|ous|ly ADV [ADV after v] □ Liz laughed, stretching luxuriously.
luxu|ry ◆◇◇ /lʌ kʃəri/ (luxuries )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Luxury is very great comfort, especially among beautiful and expensive surroundings. □ By all accounts he leads a life of considerable luxury. □ She was brought up in an atmosphere of luxury and wealth.
2 N‑COUNT A luxury is something expensive which is not necessary but which gives you pleasure. □ A week by the sea is a luxury they can no longer afford. □ Telephones are still a luxury in some parts of Spain, Portugal, and Greece.
3 ADJ [ADJ n] A luxury item is something expensive which is not necessary but which gives you pleasure. □ He could not afford luxury food on his pay. □ He rode on the president's luxury train through his own state.
4 N‑SING A luxury is a pleasure which you do not often have the opportunity to enjoy. □ Hot baths are my favourite luxury. □ [+ of ] We were going to have the luxury of a free weekend, to rest and do whatever we pleased.
lu xu|ry goods N‑PLURAL Luxury goods are things which are not necessary, but which give you pleasure or make your life more comfortable. □ …increased taxes on luxury goods, such as boats, fur coats and expensive cars.
LW LW is an abbreviation for long wave .
SUFFIX -ly
forms adverbs that indicate how something is done. For example, if someone speaks cheerfully , they speak in a cheerful way.
ly|chee /la I tʃiː, [AM ] liː tsiː/ (lychees ) N‑VAR Lychees are Chinese fruit which have white flesh and large stones inside and a pinkish-brown skin.
Ly|cra /la I krə/ N‑UNCOUNT Lycra is a type of stretchy fabric, similar to elastic, which is used to make tight-fitting garments such as tights and swimming costumes. [TRADEMARK ]
ly|ing /la I I ŋ/ Lying is the present participle of lie .
lymph node /l I mf noʊd/ (lymph nodes ) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Lymph nodes or lymph glands are small masses of tissue in your body where white blood cells are formed.
lynch /l I ntʃ/ (lynches , lynching , lynched ) VERB If a group of people lynch someone, they kill that person without letting them have a trial, especially by hanging, because they believe that the person has committed a crime. □ [V n] An enraged crowd went to the local prison determined to lynch the people detained there. ● lynch|ing (lynchings ) N‑VAR □ The state cannot tolerate mob rule and lynching.
ly nch mob (lynch mobs )
1 N‑COUNT A lynch mob is an angry crowd of people who want to kill someone without a trial, because they believe that person has committed a crime.
2 N‑COUNT You can refer to a group of people as a lynch mob if they are very angry with someone because they believe that person has done something bad or wrong. □ Something approaching a lynch mob has been gathering against the Chancellor for even daring to consider higher interest rates.
lynch|pin /l I ntʃp I n/ → see linchpin
lynx /l I ŋks/ (lynxes ) N‑COUNT A lynx is a wild animal similar to a large cat.
lyre /la I ə r / (lyres ) N‑COUNT A lyre is a stringed instrument that looks like a small harp.
lyr|ic /l I r I k/ (lyrics )
1 N‑COUNT [usu pl] The lyrics of a song are its words. □ [+ by ] …Kurt Weill's Broadway opera with lyrics by Langston Hughes.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] Lyric poetry is written in a simple and direct style, and usually expresses personal emotions such as love. □ …Lawrence's splendid short stories and lyric poetry.
lyri|cal /l I r I k ə l/
1 ADJ Something that is lyrical is poetic and romantic. □ His paintings became more lyrical. □ …its remarkable free-flowing and often lyrical style.
2 to wax lyrical → see wax
lyri|cism /l I r I s I zəm/ N‑UNCOUNT Lyricism is gentle and romantic emotion, often expressed in writing, poetry, or music. □ …a natural lyricism which can be expressed through dance and music.
lyri|cist /l I r I s I st/ (lyricists ) N‑COUNT A lyricist is someone who writes the words for modern songs or for musicals.
Mm
M , m /e m/ (M's, m's )
1 N‑VAR M is the thirteenth letter of the English alphabet.
2 m is a written abbreviation for metres or metre . □ The island is only 200m wide at its narrowest point.
3 m is a written abbreviation for the number million . □ Last year exports reached $150m in value. □ …500m tonnes of coal.
-'m /-m/ 'm is the usual spoken form of 'am', used after 'I' in 'I'm'.
ma /mɑː / (mas ) N‑COUNT Some people refer to or address their mother as ma . [INFORMAL ] □ Ma was still at work when I got back.
MA /e m e I / (MAs ) also M.A. N‑COUNT An MA is a master's degree in an arts or social science subject. MA is an abbreviation for 'Master of Arts'. □ She then went on to university where she got a BA and then an MA.