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La"bor*ous (l"br*s), a. Laborious. [Obs.] Wyatt. -- La"bor*ous*ly, adv. [Obs.] Sir T. Elyot.
La"bor-sav`ing (?), a. Saving labor; adapted to supersede or diminish the labor of men; as, labor-saving machinery.
La"bor*some (?), a. 1. Made with, or requiring, great labor, pains, or diligence. [Obs.] Shak.
2. (Naut.) Likely or inclined to roll or pitch, as a ship in a heavy sea; having a tendency to labor.
Lab`ra*dor" (?), n. A region of British America on the Atlantic coast, north of Newfoundland.
Labrador duck (Zoöl.), a sea duck (Camtolaimus Labradorius) allied to the eider ducks. It was formerly common on the coast of New England, but is now supposed to be extinct, no specimens having been reported since 1878. -- Labrador feldspar. See Labradorite. -- Labrador tea (Bot.), a name of two low, evergreen shrubs of the genus Ledum (L. palustre and L. latifolium), found in Northern Europe and America. They are used as tea in British America, and in Scandinavia as a substitute for hops.
Lab"ra*dor`ite (&?;), n. (Min.) A kind of feldspar commonly showing a beautiful play of colors, and hence much used for ornamental purposes. The finest specimens come from Labrador. See Feldspar.
La"bras (?), n. pl. [L. labrum; cf. It. labbro, pl. labbra.] Lips. [Obs. & R.] Shak.
La"broid (?), a. [Labrus + - oid.] (Zoöl.) Like the genus Labrus; belonging to the family Labridæ, an extensive family of marine fishes, often brilliantly colored, which are very abundant in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The tautog and cunner are American examples.
La"brose` (l"brs`), a. [L. labrosus, fr. labrum lip.] Having thick lips.
||La"brum (?), n.; pl. L. Labra (#), E. Labrums (#). [L.] 1. A lip or ||edge, as of a basin. || 2. (Zoöl.) (a) An organ in insects and crustaceans covering the upper part of the mouth, and serving as an upper lip. See Illust. of Hymenoptera. (b) The external margin of the aperture of a shell. See Univalve.
||La"brus (?), n.; pl. Labri (-br). [L., a sort of fish.] (Zoöl.) A ||genus of marine fishes, including the wrasses of Europe. See Wrasse. || La*bur`nic (l*bûr"nk), a. Of, pertaining to, or derived from, the laburnum.
La*bur`nine (?), n. (Chem.) A poisonous alkaloid found in the unripe seeds of the laburnum.
La*bur"num (?), n. [L.] (Bot.) A small leguminous tree (Cytisus Laburnum), native of the Alps. The plant is reputed to be poisonous, esp. the bark and seeds. It has handsome racemes of yellow blossoms.
Scotch laburnum (Cytisus alpinus) is similar, but has smooth leaves; purple laburnum is C. purpureus.
Lab"y*rinth (?), n. [L. labyrinthus, Gr. laby`rinthos: cf. F. labyrinthe.] 1. An edifice or place full of intricate passageways which render it difficult to find the way from the interior to the entrance; as, the Egyptian and Cretan labyrinths.
2. Any intricate or involved inclosure; especially, an ornamental maze or inclosure in a park or garden.
3. Any object or arrangement of an intricate or involved form, or having a very complicated nature.
The serpent . . . fast sleeping soon he found, In labyrinth of many a round self-rolled.
Milton.
The labyrinth of the mind.
Tennyson.
4. An inextricable or bewildering difficulty.
I' the maze and winding labyrinths o' the world.
Denham.
5. (Anat.) The internal ear. See Note under Ear.
6. (Metal.) A series of canals through which a stream of water is directed for suspending, carrying off, and depositing at different distances, the ground ore of a metal. Ure.
The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary: Section I, J, K, and L · The Wunder Library — complete classics, free to read, with narration.