Roots: L
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- labi-
- referring to a lip (labiata)
- lachry-
- referring to a tear (like in drop) (lachrymosa)
- lacin-
- torn, cut, incised (laciniatus)
- lact-
- referring to milk (lactiflorus = milk-colored flowers)
- lacun-
- referring to a hole or pit (lacunosa)
- lacustr-
- referring to a lake (lacustris)
- laet-
- bright (laetum)
- laevi-
- smooth (laevigatus / laevis /laeve)
- lagen-
- referring to a bottle (Lagenaria, a gourd genus)
- lan-
- referring to wool (lanata, lanosus)
- lanc-
- referring to a lance (lanceolatus)
- lanig-
- referring to wool (lanigerus = wool-bearing)
- lanug-
- referring to wool or down (lanuginosus)
- larici-
- referring to the genus Larix, the Larch tree (laricifolia
= leaves like a larch)
- lasi-
- rough, hairy (lasiocarpus = rough fruit)
- later-
- lateral, referring to a side (lateriflora = flowers on the
side)
- laterit-
- referring to a brick (color) (lateritium)
- lati-
- broad, wide - horizontally (latifolia = wide-leaved)
- lauri-
- referring to the Laurel tree (laurifolius = leaves like
the laurel)
- lavand-
- referring to the genus Lavandula, the Lavender plant which
name, itself, comes from the Latin word to wash,
the plant having been used since ancient times in
the bath water (lavandulacea)
- lax-
- loose, open (laxifolia = loosely/sparsely-leaved)
(laxa)
- leia- / leio-
- smooth (leiocarpus = smooth fruit)
- lenti-
- referring to a lens (lentiformis = in the form of a lens)
- leon-
- referring to a lion (Leontopodium, the Edelweiss, = lion's
foot)
- lep-
- referring to scales (Lepidium = little scale)
- -lep(...)
- referring to a scale (Microlepia = small scale - a fern)
- lepr-
- scurfy (leprosepala = scurfy petalled)
- lept-
- thin, slender (Leptocodon = slender bell)
- leuc-
- referring to the color white (Leucadendron = silver tree)
(leuconeura = white-nerved)
- lign-
- referring to wood (lignosa)
- ligul-
- referring to a strap (shape)
- limn- / lim-
- referring to mud or marshes (Limodorum = marsh gift)
- line-
- linear (linearis)
ALSO meaning lined (lineatus)
- ling-
- referring to a tongue (lingua / lingularia)
- liri-
- referring to a lily (Liriodendron = lily + tree)
- -liri(...)
- referring to a lily (Dasylirion, thick lily)
- litho-
- referring to a stone (Lithospermum = stone seed)
- littor-
- referring to a shore (sea) (littoralis)
- lob-
- referring to lobes - as a suffix it usually refers to a fruit
- loma-
- referring to a margin (Lomatophyllum = margined leaf)
- lonch-
- referring to a lance (Lonchocarpus = lance-fruit)
- longi-
- long (longipes = long foot)
- loph-
- referring to a crest (Lophophora (the Peyote) =
crest-bearing)
- lor-
- referring to a strap (Loranthus = strap-flower)
- lori-
- referring to a strap (lorifolius = strap-leaved)
- lucid-
- referring to light; bright, clear, lustrous (lucida)
- ludovic-
- referring to King Louis [x], therefore, by extension, to
the State of Louisiana (ludoviciana)
- luna-
- referring to the moon (usually in crescent shape) (Lunaria,
referring to the moon-shaped seed pods / lunatus
= crescent-shaped)
- lurid-
- pale, sallow (luridus)
- lusitan-
- referring to Portugal (lusitanica)
- lute-
- referring to the color yellow (esp. light yellow)
(lutescens / lutea)
- lyc-
- referring to a wolf (Lycopersicum ((Lycopersicon)) =
wolf-peach - the tomato; the derivation is
probably due to the fact that the fruit was once
considered poisonous)
- lyr-
- referring to a lyre (shape) (lyrata)
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Last updated on 10/14/94