A- (3) prefix meaning "not," from Gk a-, an- "not," from pie base *ne "not" (see un-)

lath --- O.E. *laððe, variant of lætt "lath," apparently from P.Gmc. *laþþo (cf. O.N. latta, M.Du., Ger. latte "lath," M.H.G. lade "plank," which is source of Ger. Laden "counter," hence, "shop").

lathe --- machine for turning, 1310, probably from a Scandinavian source (cf. Dan. drejelad "turning-lathe," O.N. hlaða "pile of shavings under a lathe," related to hlaða "to load, lade.")

lather --- O.E. lauþr "foam, washing soda," from P.Gmc. *lauþran (cf. O.N. lauðr "washing soap, foam"), from PIE *loutrom (cf. Gaul. lautron, O.Ir. loathar "bathing tub," Gk. louein "to bathe," L. lavere "to wash"), which is from base *lou- "to wash" + instrumentative suffix *-tro-. Meaning "state of agitation" (such as induces sweating) is from 1839. The verb is from O.E. laþran, from P.Gmc. *lauþrjan.

Latin --- O.E. latin, from L. Latinus "belonging to Latium," the region of Italy around Rome, possibly from PIE base *stela- "to spread, extend," with a sense of "flat country" (as opposed to the mountainous district of the Sabines), or from a prehistoric non-IE language.

Latino --- Latin inhabitant of the United States, 1946, Amer.Eng., from Amer.Sp., shortening of Latinoamericano "Latin-American." As an adj., attested from 1974.

latitude --- c.1391, from L. latitudo "breadth, width, extent, size," from latus "wide," from PIE base *stela- "to spread" (cf. O.C.S. steljo "to spread out," Arm. lain "broad"). Geographical sense also is from c.1391, lit. "breadth" of a map of the known world. Meaning "freedom from narrow restrictions" (1605) led to latitudinarian (1662) "characterized by broad-mindedness," esp. in ref. to Episcopal clergymen indifferent to doctrinal details.

latke --- pancake made with grated potatoes, 1927, from Yiddish, from Rus. latka "pastry," lit. "a patch."

latrine --- 1297, from L. latrina, contraction of lavatrina "washbasin, washroom," from lavatus, pp. of lavare "to wash" (see lave) + -trina, suffix denoting "workplace." Its reappearance in 1642 is probably a re-borrowing from Fr.; esp. of a privy of a camp, barracks, college, hospital, etc. Latrine rumor "baseless gossip" (of the kind that spreads in conversations in latrines) is military slang, first recorded 1918.

-latry --- suffix meaning "worship of," in use in native formations from 19c. (e.g. bardolatry), from Gk. -latreia "worship, service paid to the gods, hired labor," related to latron "pay, hire," latris "servant, worshipper."

latte --- by 1990, espresso coffee with milk, short for caffè latte, from It., lit. "milk coffee" (see cafe au lait).

latter --- O.E. lætra "slower," comp. of læt "late" (see late (adj.)). Sense of "second of two" first recorded 1555. The modern later is a formation from c.1450.

lattice --- 1304, from O.Fr. latta "lath," from Frank. (cf. O.H.G. latta "lath"). See lath.

laud (v.) --- 1377, from O.Fr. lauder, from L. laudere "to praise," from laus (gen. laudis) "praise, fame glory." Cognate with O.E. leoð "song, poem, hymn," from P.Gmc. *leuthan (cf. O.N. ljoð "strophe," Ger. Lied "song," Goth. liuþon "to praise"). Lauds (c.1340, from O.Fr.) is the morning Church service in which psalms of praise to God (Psalms 148-150) are sung. Laudable first recorded c.1420.

laudanum --- 1543, Mod.L., coined by Paracelsus for a medicine he mixed, supposed to contain gold and crushed pearls and many expensive ingredients, but probably most effective because it contained opium. Perhaps from L. laudere "to praise," or from L. ladanum "a gum resin," from Gk. ladanon, perhaps of Sem. origin. The word soon came to be used for "any alcoholic tincture of opium."

laugh (v.) --- O.E. (Anglian) hlæhhan, earlier hlihhan, from P.Gmc. *klakhjanan (cf. O.N. hlæja, Ger. lachen, Goth. hlahjan), from PIE *klak-, of imitative origin (cf. L. cachinare "to laugh aloud," Skt. kakhati "laughs," O.C.S. chochotati "laugh," Gk. kakhazein).

laughing-stock --- 1519, formed by analogy with whipping-stock "whipping post," later also "object of frequent whipping" (but not attested in writing in this sense until 1678).

Laughlin --- Gael. Lachlann, earlier Lochlann "lake-" or "fjord-land," i.e. "Scandinavia," as a name, denoting "one from Norway."

launch (n.) --- large boat carried on a warship, 1697, from Port. lancha "barge, launch," apparently from Malay lancharan, from lanchar "quick, agile;" Eng. spelling infl. by launch (v.).

launch (v.) --- c.1300, from O.N.Fr. lancher (O.Fr. lancier) "to fling, hurl, throw, cast," from L.L. lanceare "wield a lance," from L. lancea "light spear" (see lance). Sense of "set (a boat) afloat" first recorded c.1400, from notion of throwing it out on the water; generalized by 1600 to "any sort of beginning."

laundry --- c.1530, from O.Fr. lavanderie, from L. lavendaria, pl. of lavandarium "things to be washed," from lavare "to wash" (see lave). The verb launder "to wash linen" is from 1664; criminal banking sense first recorded 1961, from notion of making dirty money seem clean; brought to widespread use during Watergate scandal, 1973. Laundry list in figurative sense is from 1958. Laundromat is from 1943, originally a proprietary name by Westinghouse.

Laura --- fem. proper name, from It., probably originally a pet form of Laurentia, fem. of Laurentius (see Laurence).

laureate --- c.1386, from L. laureatus "crowned with laurels," from laurea "laurel crown" (emblematic of victory or distinction in poetry), from fem. of laureus "of laurel," from laurus "laurel." Laureat poete first found in "Canterbury Tales;" the first official one was probably Ben Jonson (1638), though the first recorded one was Dryden (1668). Extended to Nobel prize winners, 1947.

laurel --- c.1300, lorrer, from O.Fr. laurier, from L. laurus "laurel tree," probably related to Gk. daphne "laurel" (for change of d- to l- see lachrymose), probably from a pre-IE Mediterranean language. The change of second -r- to -l- after c.1350 is by dissimilation. An emblem of victory or of distinction, hence the phrase to rest (originally repose) on one's laurels, first attested 1859.

Laurence --- masc. proper name, from O.Fr. Lorenz (Fr. Laurent), from L. Laurentius, lit. "of Laurentum," a maritime town in Latium, lit. "town of bay trees," from laurus (see laurel). The It. form is Lorenzo. A popular given name in the Middle Ages, as a surname it is attested from 1141. Larkin is a pet-form. For some reason, the name since at least 18c. has been the personification of indolence (cf. also Ger. der faule Lenz "Lazy Lawrence"). But in Scotland, the pet form Lowrie has been used for "a fox" (1500), also for "a crafty person" (1567).

Laurentian --- granite strata in eastern Canada, 1863, named for the Laurentian Mountains, where it is found, which are named for the nearby St. Lawrence River. Hence, Laurasia, Paleozoic supercontinent comprising N.America and Eurasia, 1931, from Ger. (1928), from Laurentia, geologists' name for the ancient core of N.America + (Eur)asia.

lava --- 1750, from It. (Neapolitan or Calabrian dialect) lava "torrent, stream," traditionally from L. lavare "to wash" (see lave). Originally applied in It. to flash flood rivulets after downpours, then to streams of molten rock from Vesuvius. Alternate etymology is from L. labes "a fall," from labi "to fall." Lava lamp is attested from 1970, earlier lava light (reg. U.S., 1968, as Lava Lite).

lavatory --- 1375, "washbasin," from L. lavatorium "place for washing," noun use of neut. of adj. lavatorius "pertaining to washing," from lavatus, pp. of lavare "to wash" (see lave). Sense of "washroom" is first attested 1656; as a euphemism for "toilet, W.C.," it is attested from 1924.

lave --- O.E. gelafian "wash by pouring, pour (water)," possibly an early Eng. or W.Gmc. borrowing of L. lavare "to wash," or its O.Fr. descendant, laver. L. lavare is from PIE *lou- "to wash" (cf. L. luere "to wash," Gk. louein "to wash, bathe," O.Ir. loathar "basin," Bret. laouer "trough," O.E. leaþor "lather").

lavender --- c.1265, "fragrant plant of the mint family," from Anglo-Fr. lavendre, from M.L. lavendula "lavender" (10c.), perhaps from L. lividus "bluish, livid." Associated with Fr. lavande, It. lavanda "a washing" (from L. lavare "to wash;" see lave) because it was used to scent washed fabrics and as a bath perfume. The meaning "pale purple color" is from 1840.

lavish (adj.) --- 1469, from M.Fr. lavasse (n.), from O.Fr. lavache "torrent (of rain), deluge," from laver "to wash," from L. lavare "to wash" (see lave). The verb is first recorded 1542.

law --- O.E. lagu (pl. laga, comb. form lah-), from O.N. *lagu "law," collective pl. of lag "layer, measure, stroke," lit. "something laid down or fixed," from P.Gmc. *lagan "put, lay" (see lay (v.)). Replaced O.E. æ and gesetnes, which had the same sense development as law. Cf. also statute, from L. statuere, Ger. Gesetz "law," from O.H.G. gisatzida, Lith. istatymas, from istatyti "set up, establish." Lawsuit is from 1624. Law and order have been coupled since 1796. Law-abiding is from 1859.

lawn (1) --- turf, stretch of grass, 1548, laune "glade, open space between woods," from M.E. launde, from O.Fr. lande "heath, moor," from Gaul. (cf. Breton lann "heath"), or from its Gmc. cognate, source of Eng. land (q.v.). The -d perhaps mistaken for an affix and dropped. Sense of "mowed grassy ground" first recorded 1733; lawn mower dates from 1869.

lawn (2) --- thin linen or cotton cloth, 1416, from Laon, city in northern France, center of linen manufacture. The town name is O.Fr. Lan, from L. Laudunum, of Celtic origin.

lawyer --- 1377, from M.E. lawe "law" (see law) + -iere. Spelling with -y- first attested 1611.

lax (adj.) --- c.1400, "loose" (in ref. to bowels), from L. laxus "wide, loose, open," from PIE base *sleg- "to be slack, be languid" (cf. Gk. legein "to leave off, stop," lagos "hare," lit. "with drooping ears," lagnos "lustful, lascivious," lagaros "slack, hollow, shrunken;" L. languere "to be faint, weary," languidis "faint, weak, dull, sluggish, languid"). Of rules, discipline, etc., attested from c.1450.

laxative (adj.) --- 1398, from O.Fr. laxatif, from M.L. laxativus, from L. laxatus, pp. of laxare "loosen," from laxus "loose, lax" (see lax). The noun meaning "a laxative medicine" is from c.1386.

lay (adj.) --- c.1330, from O.Fr. lai "secular, not of the clergy" (Fr. laïque), from L.L. laicus, from Gk. laikos "of the people," from laos "people," of unknown origin. In M.E., contrasted with learned, a sense revived 1810 for "non-expert." Layman "non-cleric" is from 1432; "outsider, non-expert" (especially in regards to law or medicine) is from 1477. The gender-neutral layperson is attested from 1972.

lay (n.) --- short song, c.1240, from O.Fr. lai "song, lyric," of unknown origin, perhaps from Celt. (cf. Ir. laid "song, poem," Gael. laoidh "poem, verse, play") since the earliest verses so called were Arthurian ballads, but another theory traces it to a Gmc. source, cf. O.H.G. leich "play, melody, song."

lay (v.) --- O.E. lecgan "to place on the ground (or other surface)," also "put down (often by striking)," from P.Gmc. *lagjanan (cf. O.S. leggian, O.N. leggja, O.Fris. ledza, M.Du. legghan, Du. leggen, O.H.G. lecken, Ger. legen, Goth. lagjan "to lay, put, place"), causative of lie (v.2). Meaning "way in which something is laid" (lay of the land) first recorded 1819. Meaning "have sex with" first recorded 1934, in U.S. slang, from sense of "deposit" (which was in O.E., as in lay an egg, lay a bet, etc.), perhaps reinforced by to lie with, a frequent phrase in the Bible. The noun meaning "woman available for sexual intercourse" is attested from 1930, but there are suggestions of it in stage puns from as far back as 1767. Lay off "dismiss" (an employee) is from 1868; meaning "stop disturbing" is from 1908. To lay for (someone) "await a chance at revenge" is from 1494; lay low "stay inconspicuous" is from 1839. To lay (someone) low preserves the secondary O.E. sense. Layabout "habitual loafer" is attested from 1932. Layup, the basketball shot, is attested from 1948.

layer --- 1382, "one who or that lays" (especially stones, "a mason"), from lay (v.). Passive sense of "that which is laid" first recorded 1615, but since earliest Eng. use was in cookery, this is perhaps from Fr. liue "binding," used of a thickened sauce.

lazaretto --- 1549, "house for reception of lepers and diseased poor persons," from It. lazareto "place set aside for performance of quarantine" (especially that of Venice, which received many ships from plague-infested districts in the East), from the Biblical proper name Lazarus (Luke xvi.20), which was extended in medieval usage to "any poor and visibly diseased person" (cf. Eng. lazar, 1340, "one deformed and nauseous with filthy and pestilential diseases" [Johnson]). Meaning "building set apart for quarantine" is 1605 in Eng. The name Lazarus is from a Gk. rendition of Heb. El'azar, lit. "God has helped."

lazy --- 1549, laysy, of unknown origin. Replaced native slack, slothful, and idle as the main word expressing the notion of "averse to work." In 19c. thought to be from lay (v.) as tipsy from tip. Skeat is responsible for the prevailing modern view that it probably comes from Low Ger., cf. M.L.G. laisch "weak, feeble, tired," modern Low Ger. läösig, early modern Du. leuzig, all of which may go back to the PIE root *(s)leg- "slack." According to Weekley, the -z- sound disqualifies a connection with Fr. lassé "tired" or Ger. lassig "lazy, weary, tired." A supposed dialectal meaning "naught, bad," if it is the original sense, may tie the word to O.N. lasenn "dilapidated," lasmøyrr "decrepit, fragile," root of Icelandic las-furða "ailing," las-leiki "ailment." Laze is a back-formation first attested 1592; lazybones is first attested 1592. Lazy Susan is from 1917.

LCD --- 1973, acronym from liquid crystal display, which is attested from 1968.

lea --- O.E. leah "open field, meadow," earlier læch, recorded in place names, from P.Gmc. *laukhaz (cf. O.H.G. loh, and probably also Flem. -loo, which forms the second element in Waterloo), from PIE *louquo- (cf. Skt. lokah "open space," L. lucus "grove," Lith. laukas "open field"), perhaps related to *leuq- "to shine, be bright."

leach (v.) --- O.E. leccan "to moisten" (see leak). The word disappears, then re-emerges late 18c. in a technological sense in ref. to percolating liquids.

lead (n.) --- heavy metal, O.E. lead, from W.Gmc. *loudhom (cf. O.Fris. lad, M.Du. loot "lead," Ger. Lot "weight, plummet"). The name and the skill in using the metal seem to have been borrowed from the Celts (cf. O.Ir. luaide, probably from PIE base *plou(d)- "to flow"). Black lead was an old name for "graphite," hence lead pencil (1688) and the colloquial fig. phrase to have lead in one's pencil "be possessed of (esp. male sexual) vigor," first attested 1941 in Australian slang. Adjective form leaden is a relic of O.E. The fig. sense of "heavy, oppressive, dull" is first attested 1577. Lead balloon "a failure" is from 1960, Amer.Eng. slang. Lead-footed "slow" is from 1896; opposite sense of "fast" emerged 1940s in trucker's jargon, from notion of a foot heavy on the gas pedal.

lead (v.) --- to guide, O.E. lædan "cause to go with one, lead," causative of liðan "to travel," from W.Gmc. *laithjan (cf. O.S. lithan, O.N. liða "to go," O.H.G. ga-lidan "to travel," Goth. ga-leiþan "to go"). Meaning "to be in first place" is from c.1380. The noun is first recorded c.1300, "action of leading." Meaning "the front or leading place" is from 1570. Johnson stigmatized it as "a low, despicable word." Sense in card-playing is from 1742; in theater, from 1831; in journalism, from 1927; in jazz bands, from 1934. Leader "one who leads" is from c.1300; as shortened form of leading article (1807) "prominent newspaper piece giving editorial opinion" it dates from 1837. Leadership first attested 1821.

leaf --- O.E. leaf "leaf of a plant, page of a book," from P.Gmc. *laubaz (cf. O.S. lof, O.N. lauf, O.Fris. laf, Du. loof, O.H.G. loub, Ger. Laub, Goth. lauf), perhaps from PIE *leup- "to peel off, break off" (cf. Lith. luobas, O.C.S. lubu "bark, rind"). Extended 15c. to very thin sheets of metal (esp. gold). Meaning "hinged flap on the side of a table" is from 1558. The verb meaning "to turn over (the pages of a book)" is from 1663; the sense of a book page is that in the phrase to turn over a (new) leaf (1577). Leaflet is 1787 as a term in botany; 1867 as a term in printing and publication.

league (n.1) --- alliance, 1452, ligg, from M.Fr. ligue "confederacy, league," from It. lega, from legare "to tie, to bind," from L. ligare "to bind" (see ligament). Originally among nations, subsequently extended to political associations (1846) and sports associations (1879). League of Nations first attested 1917 (created 1919).

league (n.2) --- distance of about three miles, 1387, from L.L. leuga (cf. Fr. lieue, Sp. legua, It. lega), said by L. writers to be from Gaulish. A vague measure (perhaps originally an hour's hike) never in official use in England, where the record of it is more often poetic than practical.

leak (v.) --- to let water in or out [Johnson], 1420, from M.Du. leken "to drip, to leak," or from O.N. leka, cognate of O.E. leccan "to moisten" (which did not survive into M.E.), all from P.Gmc. *lek- "deficiency" (cf. O.H.G. lecchen "to become dry," Ger. lechzen "to be parched with thirst"). The noun is from 1487. The figurative meaning "come to be known in spite of efforts at concealment" dates from at least 1832; transitive sense first recorded 1859; the noun in this sense dates from 1950. Noun sense of "act of urination" is from 1934 (first attested in "Tropic of Cancer"); but the verb meaning "to piss" is from 1596.

leal --- loyal, faithful, honest, true, c.1300, lele, surviving from M.E. as Northern Eng. and Scot. form of loyal.

lean (adj.) --- thin, spare, with little flesh or fat, O.E. hlæne, possibly from hlænan "cause to lean or bend," from P.Gmc. *khlainijan, which would make it related to O.E. hleonian (see lean (v.)). But perhaps rather from a PIE *qloinio- (cf. Lith. klynas "scrap, fragment," Lettish kleins "feeble").

lean (v.) --- O.E. hleonian "to bend, recline, lie down, rest," from P.Gmc. *khlinen (cf. O.S. hlinon, O.Fris. lena, M.Du. lenen, Ger. lehnen "to lean"), from PIE base *kli- "to lean, to incline" (cf. Skt. srayati "leans," sritah "leaning;" O.Pers. cay "to lean;" Lith. slyti "to slope," slieti "to lean;" L. clinare "to lean, bend," clivus "declivity," inclinare "cause to bend," declinare "bend down, turn aside;" Gk. klinein "to cause to slope, slant, incline;" O.Ir. cloin "crooked, wrong;" M.Ir. cle, Welsh cledd "left," lit. "slanting;" Welsh go-gledd "north," lit. "left" -- for similar sense evolution, see Yemen, Benjamin, southpaw). Meaning "to incline the body against something for support" is c.1250. Fig. sense of "to trust for support" is from 1225. Sense of "to lean toward mentally, to favor" is from 1398. Colloquial to lean on "put pressure on" (someone) is first recorded 1960. Lean-to "a building whose rafters pitch against another building or wall" is from 1461.

Leander --- youth of Abydos, lover of Hero, who swam nightly across the Hellespont to visit her, from Gk. Leiandros, lit. "lion-man," from leon "lion" + aner (gen. andros) "man."

leap (v.) --- O.E. hleapan "to jump, run, leap" (class VII strong verb; past tense hleop, pp. hleapen), from P.Gmc. *khlaupan (cf. O.S. hlopan, O.N. hlaupa, O.Fris. hlapa, Du. lopen, Ger. laufen "to run," Goth. us-hlaupan "to jump up"), of uncertain origin, with no known cognates beyond Germanic. The noun is O.E. hlyp (Anglian *hlep). Leap year (M.E.) so called from its causing fixed festival days to "leap" ahead one day in the week. Leap-frog, the children's game, is attested from 1599.

learn --- O.E. leornian "to get knowledge, be cultivated," from P.Gmc. *liznojan (cf. O.Fris. lernia, O.H.G. lernen, Ger. lernen "to learn," Goth. lais "I know), with a base sense of "to follow or find the track," from PIE *leis- "track." Related to Ger. Gleis "track," and to O.E. læst "sole of the foot" (see last (n.)). The transitive sense (He learned me how to read), now vulgar, was acceptable from c.1200 until early 19c., from O.E. læran "to teach" (cf. M.E. lere, Ger. lehren "to teach;" see lore), and is preserved in the adj. learned "having knowledge gained by study" (c.1340).

lease (n.) --- 1483, from Anglo-Fr. les (1292), from lesser "to let, let go," from O.Fr. laissier "to let, leave," from L. laxare "loosen, open, make wide," from laxus "loose" (see lax). The verb is attested from 1570. Lessor, lessee in contract language preserves the Anglo-Fr. form.

leash --- thong for holding a dog or hound, c.1300, from O.Fr. laisse, from laissier "loosen," from L. laxare, from laxus "loose" (see lax). Fig. senses are attested from c.1430. The verb is from 1599. The noun meaning "a set of three" is from c.1320, originally in sporting language.

least --- O.E. læst, earlier læsest "smallest" (superlative of læs "smaller, less"), from P.Gmc. *laisistaz. Qualifying phrase at least is M.E. æt læstan. Colloquial leastways (1825), regarded as vulgar is simply a one-word form of Chaucer's leest weye (c.1386).

leather --- O.E. leðer (in compounds only) "hide, skin, leather," from P.Gmc. *lethran (cf. O.N. leðr, O.Fris. lether, M.Du. leder, O.H.G. ledar, Ger. leder), from PIE *letrom (cf. O.Ir. lethar, Welsh lledr, Breton lezr). The word became synonymous with "sado-masochism" 1980s, having achieved that status in homosexual jargon in the 1970s. Leatherneck "U.S. Marine" is Navy slang first recorded 1914, from the leather collars of their early uniforms; earlier in British use (1890) as a sailor's term for a soldier.

leave (n.) --- permission, O.E. leafe, dat./acc. of leaf "permission," from W.Gmc. *lauba, cognate with O.E. lief "dear," the original idea being "approval resulting from pleasure." See also love, believe. In military sense, it is attested from 1771.

leave (v.) --- O.E. læfan "to let remain, remain, bequeath," from P.Gmc. *laibijan (cf. O.Fris. leva "to leave," O.S. farlebid "left over"), causative of *liban "remain," (cf. O.E. belifan, Ger. bleiben, Goth. bileiban "to remain"), from root *laf- "remnant, what remains" (see life, live), from PIE *lip-/*leip-. The Gmc. root has only the sense "remain, continue," which also is in Gk. lipares "persevering, importunate." But this usually is regarded as a development from the primary PIE sense of "adhere, be sticky" (cf. Lith. lipti, O.C.S. lipet "to adhere," Gk. lipos "grease," Skt. rip-/lip- "to smear, adhere to." Seemingly contradictory meaning of "depart" (1225) comes from notion of "to leave behind" (as in to leave the earth "to die;" to leave the field "retreat").

leaven (n.) --- 1340, from O.Fr. levain (12c.), from L. levamen "alleviation, mitigation," but used in V.L. in its literal sense of "a means of lifting, something that raises," from levare "to raise" (see lever). The verb is attested from 1422.

Lebanon --- nation in w. Asia, from Sem. root l-b-n "white," probably in ref. to snow-capped peaks. The Gk. name of the island Lemnos is of Phoenician origin and from the same root.

lebensraum --- territory needed for a nation's or people's natural development, 1905, from Ger. gen. of leben "life" + raum "space."

lecher --- c.1175, from O.Fr. lecheor "one living a life of debauchery," esp. "one given to sexual indulgence," lit. "licker," agent noun from lechier "to lick, to live in debauchery or gluttony," from Frank. *likkon, from P.Gmc. *likkojan "to lick" (see lick). Noun lech "strong desire" is a 1796 back-formation.

lecithin --- 1861, from Fr. lécithine (coined 1850 by N.T. Gobley), from Gk. lekithos "egg yolk," one of the places where it is found, + chemical suffix -ine. Gk. lekithos is of unknown origin.

lectern --- c.1325, lettorne, lettron, from O.Fr. leitrun, from M.L. lectrinum, L.L. lectrum "lectern," from root of L. legere "to read" (see lecture). Half-re-Latinized in 15c.