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lame - 11 dictionary results

lame

1  [leym] adjective, lam⋅er, lam⋅est, verb, lamed, lam⋅ing, noun
Use lame in a Sentence
–adjective
1. crippled or physically disabled, esp. in the foot or leg so as to limp or walk with difficulty.
2. impaired or disabled through defect or injury: a lame arm.
3. weak; inadequate; unsatisfactory; clumsy: a lame excuse.
4. Slang. out of touch with modern fads or trends; unsophisticated.
–verb (used with object)
5. to make lame or defective.
–noun
6. Slang. a person who is out of touch with modern fads or trends, esp. one who is unsophisticated.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME (adj. and v.); OE lama (adj.); c. D lam, G lahm, ON lami; akin to Lith lúomas

Related forms:
lamely, adverb
lameness, noun

lame

2  [leym; Fr. lam]
–noun, plural lames  [leym; Fr. lam] . Armor.
any of a number of thin, overlapping plates composing a piece of plate armor, as a fauld, tasset, or gauntlet.
Origin:
1580–90; < MF < L lāmina a thin piece or plate

la⋅mé

  [la-mey; Fr. la-mey]
–noun
an ornamental fabric in which metallic threads, as of gold or silver, are woven with silk, wool, rayon, or cotton.
Origin:
1920–25; < F, equiv. to lame lame 2 + -é < L -ātus -ate 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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lame 1   (lām)   
adj.   lam·er, lam·est
  1. Disabled so that movement, especially walking, is difficult or impossible: Lame from the accident, he walked with a cane. A lame wing kept the bird from flying.
  2. Marked by pain or rigidness: a lame back.
  3. Weak and ineffectual; unsatisfactory: a lame attempt to apologize; lame excuses for not arriving on time.
tr.v.   lamed, lam·ing, lames
To cause to become lame; cripple.

[Middle English, from Old English lama.]
lame'ly adv., lame'ness n.
lame 2   (lām)   
n.  A thin metal plate, especially one of the overlapping steel plates in medieval armor.

[French, from Old French, from Latin lāmina, thin plate.]
la·mé   (lā-mā')   
n.  A brocaded fabric woven with metallic threads, often of gold or silver.

[French, spangled, laminated, lamé, from Old French lame, thin metal plate; see lame2.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Lame

Lame\, a. [Compar. Lamer; superl. Lamest.] [OE. lame, AS. lama; akin to D. lam, G. lahm,OHG., Dan., & Sw. lam, Icel. lami, Russ. lomate to break, lomota rheumatism.]

1. (a) Moving with pain or difficulty on account of injury, defect, or temporary obstruction of a function; as, a lame leg, arm, or muscle. (b) To some degree disabled by reason of the imperfect action of a limb; crippled; as, a lame man. "Lame of one leg." --Arbuthnot. "Lame in both his feet." --2 Sam. ix. 13. "He fell, and became lame." --2 Sam. iv. 4.

2. Hence, hobbling; limping; inefficient; imperfect. "A lame endeavor." --Barrow.

O, most lame and impotent conclusion! --Shak.

Lame duck (stock Exchange), a person who can not fulfill his contracts. [Cant]

Lame

Lame\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Lamed; p. pr. & vb. n. Laming.] To make lame.

If you happen to let child fall and lame it. --Swift.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : lame
Spanish: cojo,
German: lahm,
Japanese: びっこの
More Translations »

lame  (adj.)
O.E. lama, from P.Gmc. *lamon (cf. O.N. lami, Du., O.Fris. lam, Ger. lahm "lame"), "weak-limbed," lit. "broken," from PIE base *lem- "to break" (cf. O.C.S. lomiti "to break," Lith. luomas "lame"). Sense of "socially awkward" is attested from 1942. Verb meaning "to make lame" is attested from c.1300. Lame-duck was originally (18c.) "any disabled person or thing;" modern sense of "public official serving out term after an election" first recorded 1863 in Amer.Eng., attributed to Vice President Andrew Johnson, in reference to Col. Forney. Lame-brain (n.) is first recorded 1929.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: lame
Pronunciation: 'lAm
Function: adjective
Inflected Forms: lam·er; lam·est
: having a body part and especiallya limb so disabled as to impair freedom of movement : physically disabled —lame·ly adverb —lame·ness noun
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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lame (lām)
adj. lam·er, lam·est

  1. Disabled so that movement, especially walking, is difficult or impossible.
  2. Marked by pain or rigidness.
v. lamed, lam·ing, lames
To cause to become lame; cripple.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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