l

1 of 4

noun

ˈel 

plural l's or ls ˈelz 

often capitalized, often attributive

1

a

: the 12th letter of the English alphabet

b

: a graphic representation of this letter

c

: a speech counterpart of orthographic l

2

: fifty see Table of Numbers

3

: a graphic device for reproducing the letter l

4

: one designated l especially as the 12th in order or class

5

: something shaped like the letter L

specifically : ell entry 2 sense 1

6

: el entry 2

l

2 of 4

abbreviation (1)

1

lady

2

lake

3

lambert

4

land

5

large

6

late

7

left

8

length

9

[Latin libra] pound

10

line

11

liquid

12

lira

13

liter

14

little

15

low

L

3 of 4

abbreviation (2)

1

Lagrangian

2

long

3

loss; losses

l-

4 of 4

prefix

1

ˌlē-(ˌ)vō,

ˌel,

ˈel

: levorotatory

l-tartaric acid

2

ˌel,

ˈel

: having a similar configuration at a selected carbon atom to the configuration of levorotatory glyceraldehyde

—usually printed as a small capital

l-fructose

Examples of l in a Sentence

Noun

a word that starts with an l

a word that starts with l

Abbreviation (1)

The area of a rectangle is L x W.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The organization offers community and l healing services survivors and community re-entry services. —Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 29 Sep. 2025

Cancelled, which is listed as the 10th song on The Life of a Showgirl, is spelled with two 'l's rather than one, which is the British version of the word. —Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025

The thing l couldn’t get used to at first was always feeling someone’s breath on you. —Nicholas Pileggi, Curbed, 15 Aug. 2025

Commercially produced l-cysteine is primarily derived from duck feathers and the hair of humans and hogs. —Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Aug. 2025

Often considered the gold standard vitamin C serum, this utilizes a blend of l-ascorbic acid, ferulic acid, and vitamin E to address concerns like sagging, dullness, and pigmentation. —Kiana Murden, Vogue, 12 Feb. 2025

That includes a steel crash cage, two 20 liter side-cases, and 6.3 gal (24 l) of fuel in the tank. —New Atlas, 11 Jan. 2025

The Wicked l 20/20 l PART 1 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? —Samira Asma-Sadeque, People.com, 10 Jan. 2025

The Grateful Dead: (l-r) Jerry Garcia, Bill Kreutzmann, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Brent Mydland perform on April 5, 1980. —Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 25 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Prefix

International Scientific Vocabulary, from lev-

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

l

noun

ˈel

often capitalized

1

: the 12th letter of the English alphabet

2

: fifty in Roman numerals

Medical Definition

L

1 of 3 abbreviation

1

left

2

levorotatory

3

light

4

liquid

5

liter

6

lumbar

—used especially with a number from 1 to 5 to indicate a vertebra or segment of the spinal cord in the lumbar region

L

2 of 3 symbol

lithium

l-

3 of 3 prefix

1

ˌlē-(ˌ)vō, ˌel, ˈel

: levorotatory

—usually printed in italic

l-tartaric acid

2

ˌel, ˈel

: having a similar configuration at a selected carbon atom to the configuration of levorotatory glyceraldehyde

—usually printed as a small capital

L-fructose

L-tryptophan