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

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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

The 'Al-Riqqa' oil tanker (L) and 'Al-Yarmouk' oil tankers sail in the Arabian Gulf waters, off the coast of Kuwait City on June 27, 2026. — Azhar Sukri, CNBC, 28 June 2026

This gives you a massive 38% discount on an ultra-durable wireless speaker packing Snapdragon Sound optimization, 12 hours of battery life, an IP67 waterproof rating, and one-touch L/R stereo pairing. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 26 June 2026

Alas, the actor did not foresee his countrymen losing to Morocco 1-0 on June 19, but took the L in stride. — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 25 June 2026

Partey’s inability to enter Canada could become an issue again as the runners-up in group L are on course to play a last 32 game in Toronto. — Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 23 June 2026

How Watermelon Juice Affects Blood Pressure Watermelon contains l-citrulline, an amino acid that your body converts into arginine. — Lindsey Desoto, Health, 22 June 2026

Husband and wife Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Hilarie Burton Morgan bring their kids Augustus Morgan (l) and George Virginia Morgan as their dates to the Opening Ceremony during the 65th Monte-Carlo Television Festival in Monaco, on June 12. — Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 16 June 2026

In peripheral l prizes, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die won the youth jury award, the Cariddino d’Oro, while Guido Chiesa’s Piccolo Miracolo was given a Cariddino special mention. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 14 June 2026

The Mini comes climate controlled via a Webasto diesel heater and an air conditioner, carries a large 200-L fresh water tank, and has prewiring for a TV and multimedia equipment. — New Atlas, 14 June 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