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

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

In all cases the patients have been given l-DOPA and other medications to cover their needs while out of the hospital. —Oliver Sacks, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 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