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Lydia
Ancient land, western Anatolia.
lye
Alkaline (see alkali) liquid extracted by soaking wood ashes in water, commonly used for washing and in making soap.
Lyell, Sir Charles
Scottish geologist.
Lyly, John
English writer.
Lyme disease
Tick-borne bacterial disease.
lymph
Pale fluid that bathes tissues, maintaining fluid balance and removing bacteria.
lymph node
Small, rounded mass of lymphoid tissue contained in connective tissue.
lymphatic system
System of lymph nodes, vessels, and nodules and lymphoid tissue, including the thymus, spleen, tonsils, and bone marrow, through which lymph circulates and is filtered.
lymphocyte
Type of leukocyte fundamental to the immune system, regulating and participating in acquired immunity.
lymphoid tissue
Cells, tissues, and organs composing the immune system, including the bone marrow, thymus, spleen, and lymph nodes.
lymphoma
Any of a group of malignant diseases (see cancer) that usually start in the lymph nodes or lymphoid tissues.
Lynch, David
U.S. director.
lynching
Execution of a presumed offender by a mob without trial, under the pretense of administering justice.
Lynd, Robert (Staughton); and Lynd, Helen
U.S. sociologists.
Lynn Canal
Deep fjord, southeastern Alaska, U.S.
Lynn, Loretta
U.S. country music singer.
lynx
Any of three species of short-tailed forest cat (genus Lynx) found in Europe, Asia, and northern North America.
Lyon
City (pop., 1999: city, 445,452; metro. area, 1,348,932), east-central France.
Lyon, Councils of
13th and 14th ecumenical councils of the Roman Catholic Church.
Lyon, Mary (Mason)
U.S. pioneer in higher education for women.
lyre
Stringed musical instrument consisting of a resonating body with two arms and a crossbar to which the strings extending from the resonator are attached.
lyrebird
Either of two species of insectivorous suboscine passerines (family Menuridae) named for the shape of their extremely long tail when spread in courtship display.
lyric
Verse or poem that can, or supposedly can, be sung to musical accompaniment (in ancient times, usually a lyre) or that expresses intense personal emotion in a manner suggestive of a song.
Lysander
Spartan leader in the Peloponnesian War.
Lysenko, Trofim (Denisovich)
Soviet biologist and agronomist.
Lysias
Greek orator.
lysine
One of the essential amino acids, present in many common proteins.
Lysippus
Greek sculptor.
lysogeny
Type of life cycle that takes place in a bacteriophage after it infects certain types of bacteria.
lysosome
Membrane-enclosed organelle found in all eukaryotic cells (see eukaryote) that is responsible for the cell's digestion of macromolecules, old cell parts, and microorganisms.
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