English Words Starting With L

• law

  nounverb-transitiveB1
  /lɔː/A rule established by a government or authority to govern behaviour within a society, enforced through penalties.
• law agent

  nounLow
  /ˈlɔː ˌeɪ.dʒənt/A solicitor or legal practitioner who is authorized to represent clients in legal matters, particularly in certain regional jurisdictions like Scotland, or to handle specific legal procedures.
• law and order

  nounHigh
  /ˌlɔː ən ˈɔːdə/A situation in which the laws of a country are obeyed, especially through the enforcement of those laws by the police and judicial system; a state of social stability and peace maintained by respect for legal authority.
• law centre

  nounC1
  /ˈlɔː ˌsen.tə/A community-based organisation that provides free or low-cost legal advice, assistance, and representation to people who cannot afford private legal services.
• law clerk

  nounMedium
  /ˈlɔː ˌklɑːk/A person, often a trainee lawyer or recent law graduate, who assists a judge or a practicing attorney by conducting legal research, drafting documents, and performing other supportive legal tasks.
• law court

  nounB2
  /ˈlɔː ˌkɔːt/A building or room where legal cases are heard and judged by a judge or magistrate.
• law enforcement officer

  nounB2
  /ˌlɔː ɪnˈfɔːsmənt ˌɒfɪsə/A person employed by a government agency whose primary duty is to maintain public order, enforce laws, and protect people and property.
• law french

  nounRare
  /lɔː frɛn(t)ʃ/The specialized form of the Anglo-Norman dialect used historically in England and Scotland for legal, administrative, and parliamentary purposes.
• law lords

  plural-nounLow
  /ˈlɔː ˌlɔːdz/A historical collective term for the senior judges who were members of the House of Lords and constituted the highest court of appeal in the United Kingdom until 2009.
• law merchant

  nounLow
  /ˈlɔː ˈmɜːtʃənt/A historical body of legal rules and principles developed by merchants for international trade and commerce, based on custom and practice.
• law of attraction

  nounC2
  /ˌlɔː əv əˈtræk.ʃən/A New Thought philosophical concept that positive or negative thoughts bring corresponding positive or negative experiences into a person's life.
• law of averages

  nounC1-C2
  /ˌlɔː əv ˈævərɪdʒɪz/The principle stating that over a large number of trials or events, the actual outcomes will tend to approach the expected probability.
• law of contradiction

  nounC2
  /lɔː əv ˌkɒntrəˈdɪkʃən/The logical principle stating that a statement and its negation cannot both be true at the same time and in the same sense.
• law of cosines

  nounTechnical/Very Low
  /ˌlɔː əv ˈkəʊ.saɪnz/A mathematical theorem relating the lengths of the sides of a triangle to the cosine of one of its angles.
• law of definite composition

  nounC2
  /lɔː əv ˈdefɪnət ˌkɒmpəˈzɪʃən/A fundamental principle of chemistry stating that a given chemical compound always contains its component elements in a fixed proportion by mass.
• law of diminishing marginal utility

  nounC2
  /ˌlɔː əv dɪˌmɪnɪʃɪŋ ˈmɑːdʒɪnəl juːˈtɪləti/An economic principle stating that as a person consumes more units of a good or service, the additional satisfaction (utility) gained from each extra unit decreases.
• law of effect

  nounC1
  /ˌlɔː əv ɪˈfɛkt/A principle in psychology stating that behaviours followed by satisfying consequences are more likely to be repeated, while those followed by unpleasant consequences are less likely to be repeated.
• law of excluded middle

  nounC1/C2
  /ˌlɔː əv ɪkˈskluːdɪd ˈmɪd(ə)l/A fundamental principle in classical logic stating that for any proposition, it is either true or its negation is true; there is no third, middle, or intermediate possibility.
• law of exponents

  nounLow
  /lɔː əv ɪkˈspəʊ.nənts/A mathematical rule describing how to combine numbers expressed as powers (exponents).
• law of gravitation

  nounC1
  /ˈlɔː əv ˌɡræv.ɪˈteɪ.ʃən/The scientific principle that every particle of matter in the universe attracts every other particle with a force directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centres.

Showing 1401–1420 of 5456 words.