l

1 of 4

noun

ˈel 

variants often L

plural l's or ls ˈelz 

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

Did you know?

Words Starting With L

Browse 11,988 words and phrases that start with the letter L, from la to lytic.

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

With Saturday’s additions, Georgia has now hit a Division l-best 163 homers. —Sarah Spencer, AJC.com, 31 May 2026

Fresh and gray water will store in individual 121-L tanks, with black water emptying into a 57-L tank. —C.c. Weiss may 30, New Atlas, 30 May 2026

The frigate carries advanced radar systems, including the Thales SMART-L long-range surveillance radar, and is equipped with a 40-cell vertical launch system for surface-to-air missiles. —Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 28 May 2026

Hartford now sits at 1-2-0 (W-D-L) on the season. —Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 28 May 2026

The federal safety standard of 10 mg/L was set in 1962 and officially adopted by the EPA in 1991. —Ryan Brennan may 27, Kansas City Star, 27 May 2026

Researchers found health effects may occur at levels between 2 and 5 mg/L — below the EPA’s legal limit of 10 mg/L. —Ryan Brennan may 27, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 May 2026

Common nootropics in mocktails include l-theanine, lion’s mane mushroom, lemon balm and ginkgo biloba. —Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 27 May 2026

The rally was driven by technology stocks, including memory- and storage-related names such as Micron , Western Digita l, and Seagate . —Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 26 May 2026

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