This list includes 49 Big words that start with L, from “labyrinthine” to “lycanthropy”. These terms tend to be polysyllabic and formal, often with Latin or Greek roots. Writers, students, and educators use them to add precision or rhetorical impact.
Big words that start with L are polysyllabic, high-register words beginning with L that often derive from Latin or Greek. For example, “lycanthropy” reflects Greek-rooted folklore about human–wolf transformation.
Below you’ll find the table with Word, Etymology, and Definition.
Word: Shows the headword in alphabetical order so you can quickly find, recognize, and select terms for writing or study.
Etymology: Gives the word’s origin and root elements so you can understand historical meaning and trace related vocabulary.
Definition: Provides a concise, one-sentence definition so you can grasp the term’s meaning and use it correctly in context.
Big words that start with L
| Word | Part of speech | Syllables | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| lacuna | n. | 3 | gap or missing part |
| lachrymose | adj. | 3 | tearful or sorrowful |
| lachrymatory | adj. | 4 | producing tears; tear-inducing |
| lamentation | n. | 4 | passionate expression of grief |
| languorous | adj. | 3 | dreamy, pleasantly tired or languid |
| lascivious | adj. | 4 | shamelessly sexual or lewd |
| legerdemain | n. | 4 | sleight of hand; deceptive skill |
| lethargic | adj. | 3 | sluggish, lacking energy or alertness |
| lethargy | n. | 3 | state of sluggishness or inertia |
| lexicography | n. | 5 | practice of compiling dictionaries |
| lexicon | n. | 3 | vocabulary or wordstock of a language |
| libation | n. | 3 | ritual pouring of drink as an offering |
| libidinous | adj. | 4 | marked by strong sexual desire |
| libertine | n. | 3 | person free from moral or sexual restraint |
| licentious | adj. | 3 | morally unrestrained; sexually promiscuous |
| liminality | n. | 5 | state of being on a threshold; in-between |
| liminal | adj. | 3 | relating to a transitional threshold |
| limnology | n. | 4 | scientific study of inland waters |
| linguistics | n. | 3 | scientific study of language and structure |
| loquacious | adj. | 3 | excessively talkative or chatty |
| lugubrious | adj. | 4 | excessively mournful or gloomy |
| luminous | adj. | 3 | emitting or reflecting light; clear |
| luminescent | adj. | 4 | emitting light without heat |
| luxuriant | adj. | 4 | abundant, rich, or profusely growing |
| luxuriate | v. | 4 | to take great pleasure; indulge oneself |
| labyrinthine | adj. | 4 | extremely complex or maze-like |
| lamentable | adj. | 4 | deserving of regret or pity |
| lepidopteran | n. | 5 | member of butterflies and moths order |
| lethologica | n. | 5 | inability to recall a desired word |
| legerity | n. | 4 | lightness and quickness of movement |
| lexiphanic | adj. | 4 | using pompous or pretentious words |
| libelous | adj. | 3 | defamatory in written form |
| libertarianism | n. | 5 | philosophy emphasizing individual liberty |
| longanimity | n. | 5 | patient endurance of hardship or suffering |
| loquacity | n. | 4 | habitual talkativeness or garrulousness |
| logistical | adj. | 4 | relating to complex organization or planning |
| logorrhea | n. | 4 | excessive, often incoherent wordiness |
| logomachy | n. | 4 | argument or dispute about words |
| locution | n. | 3 | particular phrasing or expression |
| locomotive | adj./n. | 4 | relating to movement or an engine that moves |
| locomotion | n. | 4 | movement or power of moving from place |
| lucubration | n. | 4 | scholarly or pedantic late-night writing |
| luculent | adj. | 3 | clear and easily understood; lucid |
| lucidity | n. | 4 | clarity of thought or expression |
| lubricious | adj. | 4 | sexually provocative or morally slippery |
| lustration | n. | 3 | ritual purification or formal cleansing |
| lothario | n. | 4 | a seducer of women; amorous rake |
| ludicrous | adj. | 3 | so absurd as to provoke laughter |
| lycanthropy | n. | 4 | belief or folklore of turning into a wolf |
Descriptions
lacuna
from Latin lacūna ‘pit, gap’, 17th c.; formal scholarly term for omissions or gaps in texts or knowledge.
lachrymose
from Latin lachryma ‘tear’, 17th c.; literary adjective, often used to describe sentimental or mournful tone.
lachrymatory
from Latin lachryma ‘tear’, 17th c.; rare, used in literary or anatomical contexts (tear-producing).
lamentation
from Latin lamentatio ‘wailing’, 14th c.; formal and literary, often religious or rhetorical.
languorous
from Latin languor ‘faintness’, 17th c.; literary, evokes slow, sensual moods.
lascivious
from Latin lascivia ‘wantonness’, 15th c.; formal/legal and moral-register adjective.
legerdemain
from French léger de main ‘light of hand’, 17th c.; theatrical term, also figurative for trickery.
lethargic
from Greek lēthargikos, 17th c.; clinical or literary register for low energy.
lethargy
from Greek lēthargia ‘forgetfulness’, 16th c.; medical and literary usage.
lexicography
from Greek lexikon ‘vocabulary’, 18th c.; academic field of dictionary-making and study.
lexicon
from Greek lexikon ‘word list’, 16th c.; scholarly or linguistic term for a word set.
libation
from Latin libatio ‘a pouring’, 15th c.; archaic/formal, used in historical or anthropological contexts.
libidinous
from Latin libīdō ‘lust’, 17th c.; literary and moral-register descriptor.
libertine
from Latin libertinus ‘freedman’, 16th c.; historical and literary term for a rake.
licentious
from Latin licentia ‘freedom’, 16th c.; legal and moral contexts.
liminality
from Latin limen ‘threshold’, 20th c.; anthropological and literary concept for transitions.
liminal
from Latin limen ‘threshold’, 20th c.; academic and poetic usage.
limnology
from Latin limnus ‘lake’, 19th c.; technical term in environmental science.
linguistics
from Latin lingua ‘tongue’, 19th c.; academic discipline term.
loquacious
from Latin loquax ‘talkative’, 16th c.; literary or slightly formal characterization.
lugubrious
from Latin lugēre ‘to mourn’, 17th c.; literary, sometimes ironically exaggerated.
luminous
from Latin lumen ‘light’, 15th c.; neutral formal register, both literal and figurative.
luminescent
from Latin lumen ‘light’, 19th c.; scientific and poetic usage.
luxuriant
from Latin luxuriari ‘be luxuriant’, 15th c.; descriptive in literary and botanical contexts.
luxuriate
from Latin luxuriari ‘be luxuriant’, 17th c.; literary verb implying indulgence.
labyrinthine
from Greek labyrinthos ‘maze’, 17th c.; figurative literary use for complexity.
lamentable
from Latin lamentabilis ‘lamentable’, 15th c.; formal criticism or moral judgment.
lepidopteran
from Greek lepis ‘scale’ + pteron ‘wing’, 19th c.; zoological, technical term.
lethologica
from Greek lēthē ‘forgetfulness’ + -logia, 19th c.; psychological/linguistic usage.
legerity
from French légèreté ‘lightness’, 16th c.; literary compliment for nimbleness.
lexiphanic
from Greek lex- ‘word’ + -phanic, 18th c.; pejorative, used in stylistic critique.
libelous
from Latin libellus ‘small book’, 17th c.; legal register term.
libertarianism
from Latin libertas ‘freedom’, 19th c.; political theory vocabulary.
longanimity
from Latin longanimitas ‘long-suffering’, 15th c.; archaic, moral or literary virtue term.
loquacity
from Latin loquax ‘talkative’, 17th c.; literary, often mildly critical.
logistical
from Greek logistike via Latin, 19th c.; administrative and military register.
logorrhea
from Greek logo- ‘word’ + -rrhea ‘flow’, 20th c.; clinical or figurative usage.
logomachy
from Greek logo- ‘word’ + machē ‘battle’, 17th c.; literary/academic term.
locution
from Latin locutio ‘speaking’, 15th c.; rhetorical and stylistic usage.
locomotive
from Latin locus ‘place’ + movēre ‘to move’, 19th c.; technical and historical term.
locomotion
from Latin loco ‘place’ + motio, 17th c.; biological and mechanical contexts.
lucubration
from Latin lucubrationem ‘night work’, 17th c.; humorous or self-deprecating scholarly term.
luculent
from Latin luculentus ‘bright’, 17th c.; rare, literary praise for clarity.
lucidity
from Latin lucidus ‘clear’, 16th c.; neutral formal register.
lubricious
from Latin lubricus ‘slippery’, 17th c.; literary and moral-register adjective.
lustration
from Latin lustratio ‘purification’, 16th c.; historical, religious, and political usages.
lothario
from character Lothario (literary source), 18th c.; literary eponym, pejorative.
ludicrous
from Latin ludicrus ‘sportive’, 17th c.; common but formal enough for rhetorical use.
lycanthropy
from Greek lykos ‘wolf’ + -anthropy, 16th c.; folkloric and psychiatric contexts