lambn.1
/lam/, U.S. /læm/ 1. figurative and in extended use.1530 Myroure Oure Ladye (Fawkes) (1873) ii. 87 Yf we be hys trew sheepe, fruytefulle in wolle of verteues..and in lambren of good dedes.a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) iv. iv. 90 Alas poore Protheus, thou hast entertain'd A Foxe, to be the Shepheard of thy Lambs . View more context for this quotation
a. The young of the sheep.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > genus Ovus > [noun] > Ovus Aries (domestic sheep) > lamb
lambc725
yean1408
lambkin1579
baa-lamb1599
eanling1600
lambling1605
yeanlinga1644
sheepling1654
wool-bird1825
baa-ling1853
c725 Corpus Gloss. (Hessels) E 216 Enixa est genuit agnam idest ceolbor lomb.
c825 Vesp. Psalter cxiii. 6 Muntas for hwon uphofun ge swe swe rommas & hyllas swe swe lomberu scepa.
858 Charter of Æthelberht in Old Eng. Texts 438 xx lamba & xx fehta.
a900 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 61/29 Et quasi agnus lasciuiens, and swa plegende lamp.
c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Luke x. 3 Ic sendo iuih sua lombro bi-tuih ulfum.
c1000 Ælfric Exodus xii. 5 Witodlice þæt lamb sceal beon anwintre pur lamb clæne and unwemme.
c1175 Lamb. Hom. 87 Þet i-offrede lomb þet þe engel het offrian bitacneð cristes deðþe.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 55 Monie cumeð to ow in lombr schrud & beoð madde wulues.
1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 7609 Wolues dede hii nimeþ vorþ, þat er dude as lombe.
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 229 Iabel..departide kydes from lambren.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 11302 Wit hir child suld offer þare, A lamb if sco sua riche ware.
c1425 J. Lydgate Assembly of Gods 801 Humylyte was the furst: a lambe he bestrode.
c1450 Jacob's Well (1900) 38 Þe tythe owyth to be payed of lambryn.
1486 Bk. St. Albans C vij b Take pressure made of a lombe that was borne in vntyme.
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 69 He for our saik that sufferit to be slane And lyk a lamb in sacrifice wes dicht, Is lyk a lyone rissin vp agane.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Isa. lxv. D The wolff and the lambe shal fede together.
1568 Christis Kirk on Grene in W. T. Ritchie Bannatyne MS (1928) II. 267 Bludy berkit wes thair beird As thay had wirreit lammis.
1586 in J. Barmby Churchwardens' Accts. Pittington (1888) 21 Item receaved of Nicolas Newbye for twoe lames..ijs. vjd.
1621 T. Middleton Sunne in Aries sig. B3v Illustrated by proper Emblems..as..Sincerity, by a Lambe.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost xi. 649 Ewes and thir bleating Lambs . View more context for this quotation
1735 W. Somervile Chace iii. 26 The poor defenceless Lamb,..Supplies a rich Repast.
1785 W. Cowper Task vi. 111 Sheepwalks populous with bleating lambs.
1813 P. B. Shelley Queen Mab viii. 105 His teeth are harmless, custom's force has made His nature as the nature of a lamb.
1884 J. Ruskin Pleasures Eng. (1885) 133 A Lamb means an Apostle, a Lion an Evangelist.
b. Proverbs.
ΚΠ
1620 T. Shelton tr. M. de Cervantes Don Quixote ii. vii. 40 As soone goes the yong lambe to the roste, as the olde sheepe.
1747 S. Richardson Clarissa I. x. 60 In for the lamb, as the saying is, in for the sheep.
1768 L. Sterne Sentimental Journey II. 175 God tempers the wind, said Maria, to the shorn lamb.
1901 N.E.D. at Lamb Mod. As well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb.
2. figurative. Applied to persons.
a. A young member of a flock, esp. of the church.
ΚΠ
c1000 West Saxon Gospels: John (Corpus Cambr.) xxi. 15 He cwæð to him heald mine lamb [c950 Lindisf., c1160 Hatton lombor].
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 13329 To stanndenn ȝæn þe laþe gast. To werenn hise lammbre.
a1225 St. Marher. 12 Icham mi lauerdes lomb, ant he is min hirde.
c1386 G. Chaucer Parson's Tale ⁋718 Therfore shul they neuere han part of the pasture of lambes, that is the blisse of heuene.
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection Pref. sig. Aiii To shewe the way of vertue to his yong pilgremes & tender lambes.
1761 J. Wesley Jrnl. 21 Jan. (1827) III. 38 I spent a hour with one who was as hot as any of the lambs at the tabernacle; but she is now a calm, reasonable woman.
1864 Ld. Tennyson Aylmer's Field in Enoch Arden, etc. 70 Leolin, I almost sin in envying you: The very whitest lamb in all my fold Loves you.
b. One who is as meek, gentle, innocent, or weak as a lamb.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > calmness > meekness or mildness > [noun] > person or creature
mildeOE
lambc1000
society > morality > virtue > purity > innocence > [noun] > person
lambc1000
innocent13..
innocencec1400
innocency1827
c1000 Ælfric Homilies I. 390 He gefullode ðone wulf and geworhte to lambe.
a1425 (c1300) Assumption of Virgin (BL Add.) (1901) l. 671 Ihesu crist..Of a wilde hounde haþ made a lomb.
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xxiii. 299 Alas, my lam so mylde, Whi will thou fare me fro, Emang thise wulfes wylde.
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 237 He is na dog, he is a lam.
1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie iii. xxiv. 245 It is comely for a man to be a lambe in the house, and a Lyon in the field.
1819 P. B. Shelley Cenci ii. i. 26 Innocent lambs! They thought not any ill.
1859 E. Bulwer-Lytton What will he do with It? (1st Edinb. ed.) I. i. xiv. 95 The Baron was a lamb compared to a fine lady.
c. used as a term of endearment.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > terms of endearment > [noun]
darlingc888
belamy?c1225
culver?c1225
dearc1230
sweetheartc1290
heartc1300
sweetc1330
honeya1375
dovec1386
jewelc1400
birdc1405
cinnamonc1405
honeycombc1405
lovec1405
wantonc1450
mulling?a1475
daisyc1485
crowdy-mowdy?a1513
honeysop?a1513
powsowdie?a1513
suckler?a1513
foolc1525
buttinga1529
whitinga1529
beautiful1534
turtle-dove1535
soula1538
heartikin1540
bully?1548
turtle1548
lamba1556
nyletc1557
sweet-lovea1560
coz1563
ding-ding1564
pugs1566
golpol1568
sparling1570
lover1573
pug1580
bulkin1582
mopsy1582
chuck1589
bonny1594
chick1594
sweetikin1596
ladybird1597
angel1598
muss1598
pinkany1599
sweetkin1599
duck1600
joy1600
sparrowc1600
sucket1605
nutting1606
chuckaby1607
tickling1607
bagpudding1608
heartling1608
chucking1609
dainty1611
flittermouse1612
honeysuckle1613
fubs1614
bawcocka1616
pretty1616
old thinga1625
bun1627
duckling1630
bulchin1633
bulch?c1640
sweetling1648
friscoa1652
ding-dongs1662
buntinga1668
cocky1680
dearie1681
chucky1683
lovey1684
machree1689
nykin1693
pinkaninny1696
nug1699
hinny1724
puss1753
pet1767
dovey1769
sweetie1778
lovey-dovey1781
lovely1791
ducky1819
toy1822
acushla1825
alanna1825
treat1825
amigo1830
honey child1832
macushla1834
cabbage1840
honey-bunch1874
angel pie1878
m'dear1887
bach1889
honey baby1895
prawn1895
hon1896
so-and-so1897
cariad1899
pumpkin1900
honey-bun1902
pussums1912
snookums1919
treasure1920
wogger1922
amico1929
sugar1930
baby cake1949
angel cake1951
lamb-chop1962
petal1974
bae2006
a1556 N. Udall Ralph Roister Doister (?1566) i. iv. sig. E.j Ah sir, be good to hir, she is but as gristle, Ah sweete lambe and coney.
1673 F. Kirkman Unlucky Citizen 165 But Lamb [sc. his wife], you mistake the matter quite.
1715 D. Defoe Family Instructor I. i. iii. 69 To hear the dear Lamb ask me, Father, will not God be angry with me..?
1820 P. B. Shelley Fiordispina 76 And say, sweet lamb, would you not learn [etc.]?
d. A simpleton; one who is cheated; esp. one who speculates and loses his money.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > cheating, fraud > duping, making a fool of > [noun] > gullible person, dupe
foola1382
woodcockc1430
geckc1530
cousinc1555
cokes1567
milch cow1582
gudgeon1584
coney1591
martin1591
gull1594
plover1599
rook1600
gull-finch1604
cheatee1615
goata1616
whirligig1624
chouse1649
coll1657
cully1664
bubble1668
lamb1668
Simple Simon?1673
mouth1680
dupe1681
cull1698
bub1699
game1699
muggins1705
colour1707
milk cow1727
flat1762
gulpin1802
slob1810
gaggee1819
sucker1838
hoaxee1840
softie1850
foozle1860
lemon1863
juggins1882
yob1886
patsy1889
yapc1894
fall guy1895
fruit1895
meemaw1895
easy mark1896
lobster1896
mark1896
wise guy1896
come-on1897
pushover1907
John1908
schnookle1908
Gretchen1913
jug1914
schnook1920
soft touch1924
prospect1931
steamer1932
punter1934
dill1941
Joe Soap1943
possum1945
Moreton Bay1953
easy touch1959
society > trade and finance > financial dealings > types of money-dealing > [noun] > speculation > speculator > type of
co-adventurer1647
mine-adventurer1705
long1855
lamb1884
technopreneur1987
1668 Leathermore's Adv. conc. Gaming (ed. 2) 5 When a young Gentleman or Prentice comes into this School of Vertue unskil'd in the quibbles and devices there practiced, they call him a Lamb.
1680 C. Cotton Compl. Gamester (ed. 2) 5 And then the Rooks..laugh and grin, saying the Lamb is bitten.
1881 J. Mills Too fast to Last III. x. 127 ‘In order—That we may not be among the skinned lambs’, interrupted William Bottles.
1884 Chicago Tribune Feb. ‘Lamb’ is an outsider who goes into the market and leaves his money.
1886 W. Gladden Applied Christianity 204 A recent estimate..puts the amount of which the ‘lambs’ are shorn in this New York stock market alone at eight hundred million dollars a year.
3.
a. the Lamb, †God's Lamb, the Lamb of God. (After John i. 29, Revelation xvii. 14, etc.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > deity > Christian God > the Trinity > the Son or Christ > [noun] > as lamb
the LambOE
immaculate lamb?a1475
Passover1539
OE Guthlac B 1042 Ic siþþan mot fore meotudes cneowum meorda hleotan, gingra geafena, ond godes lomber in sindreamum siþþan awo forð folgian.
c1000 West Saxon Gospels: John (Corpus Cambr.) i. 29 Her is godes lamb, her is se þe deð aweg middaneardes synnæ.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 12649 Crist. Wass godess lamb ȝehatten.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 232 Volȝeþ þet lamb of mildenesse þet is Iesu crist.
a1400 Prymer (St. John's Cambr.) (1891) 68 Loomb of god..haue mercy on us.
c1400 (?c1380) Pearl l. 413 My lorde þe lombe, þurȝ hys god-hede, He toke my self to hys maryage.
c1430 Hymns Virg. 53 Þis lomb, y spak of him Þat al þe worldis synne a-batys.
1567 Compend. Bk. Godly Songs (1897) 43 That Lamb for sober summe was sauld.
1611 Bible (King James) Rev. xxii. 1 A pure riuer of water of life..proceeding out of the throne of God, and of the Lambe . View more context for this quotation
1785 W. Cowper Task vi. 792 One song employs all nations, and all cry, ‘Worthy the Lamb, for He was slain for us!’
1842 Ld. Tennyson St. Agnes' Eve in Poems (new ed.) II. 17 So shows my soul before the Lamb, My spirit before Thee.
b. Holy Lamb n. Heraldry = Agnus Dei n. 2a.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > artefacts > symbol (general) > Christian symbols or images > [noun] > paschal lamb
Agnus Deic1450
Agnus1612
Holy Lamb1823
1823 G. Crabb Universal Technol. Dict.
1825 T. D. Fosbroke Encycl. Antiq. II. xv. 690 Holy-Lamb. This was anciently a lamb with St. John pointing to him, and was ordered to be changed into the human form by the Trullan Canons, made in 653.
1866 J. E. Cussans Gram. Heraldry 29 The Holy or Paschal Lamb is a lamb passant, supporting with its front sinister leg a banner bend sinisterwise, charged with a cross.
4. plural.
a. The name given to the proverbially cruel and rapacious soldiers of Col. Kirke's regiment in 1684–6, in ironical allusion to the device of the Paschal Lamb on their flag.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > soldier of specific force or unit > [noun]
spahi1562
legionnaire1595
strelitz1603
Croat1623
deli1667
Croatian1700
lancer1712
highlander1725
lambs1744
royals1762
light-bob1778
fly-slicer1785
Life Guardsman1785
royals?1795
Hottentot1796
yeoman1798
pandour1800
Faugh-a-Ballaghsc1811
forty-two man1816
kilty1842
Zouave1848
bumblerc1850
Inniskilliner1853
blue cap1857
turco1860
Zou-Zou1860
mudlark1878
king's man1883
Johnny1888
Piffer1892
evzone1897
horse gunner1897
dink1906
army ranger1910
grognard1912
Jock1914
chocolate soldier1915
Cook's tourist1915
dinkum1916
Anzaca1918
choc1917
ranger1942
Chindit1943
Desert Rat1944
Green Beret1949
1744 J. Ralph Hist. Eng. I. 888 So infamous was the Behaviour of his own particular Corps, that he [sc. Kirke] himself, by way of Irony, call'd them his Lambs; an appellation which was adopted by the whole West of England.
1757 D. Hume Hist. Great Brit. II. 387 By way of pleasantry, he used to denominate them his lambs.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. iii. 334 As they had been levied for the purpose of waging war on an infidel nation, they bore on their flag a Christian emblem, the Paschal Lamb... These men, the rudest and most ferocious in the English army, were called Kirke's Lambs.
b. The name given to bodies of ‘roughs’ hired to commit acts of violence at elections. (The ‘Nottingham Lambs’ were notorious about 1860–1870.)
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > office > appointment to office > choosing or fact of being chosen for office > election of representative body by vote > proceedings at election > [noun] > band of roughs hired to intimidate electors
lambs1844
1844 Times 4 Nov. 5/2 Upwards of 200 ‘lambs’ were employed by the same political party to carry off voters. Note. ‘Lambs’..means ruffians employed at elections to impress upon the persons and property of the peaceable inhabitants the ‘physical force’ doctrine.
1869 Latest News 17 Oct. Samuel Dawson was examined at some length in reference to the employment of a number of ‘lambs’, or roughs, in Stracey's interest at the last election.
5. In various applications.figurative.1809 B. H. Malkin tr. A. R. Le Sage Adventures Gil Blas IV. x. xii. 213 The happy man..seemed to be very little less happy than his partner; and one would have sworn..that he liked mutton better than lamb. [Said of a bridegroom and his elderly bride.]
a. The flesh of the lamb used as food.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > mutton > [noun] > lamb
lamb1620
house lamb1727
Canterbury lamb1898
1620 T. Venner Via Recta iii. 50 Lambe of two or three moneths old is the best.
1683 T. Tryon Way to Health 92 There is no flesh either more healthy or grateful than Lamb.
1841 E. W. Lane tr. Thousand & One Nights I. 123 Lamb or Mutton cut into small pieces.
b. short for lambskin n.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > skin or hide > skin with hair attached or fur > [noun] > of lamb
footfell1347
lambskin?a1366
budge1395
lentrinware1435
buggishank1463
budge-skin1466
lamba1474
budge-fura1529
astrakhan1766
krimmer1834
Persian lamb1853
broadtail1892
karakul1894
breitschwanz1923
beaver lamb1939
shorn lamb1945
Lucca lamb1956
Tuscan lamb1956
kalgan1960
Swakara1966
a1474 Inventory in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 362 A gown furret with blake lom.
1527 in G. J. Piccope Lancs. & Cheshire Wills (1857) I. 6 My gowne furrett wt whyte lambe.
1567 R. Mulcaster tr. J. Fortescue Learned Commendation Lawes Eng. f. 123v The seriaunts cape is euer furred with white lambe.
1889 Daily News 24 Dec. 2/7 Allow me to state what means are employed to procure the Persian lamb or Astrakhan.
c. vegetable lamb: = barometz n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > hybrid creature or monster > [noun] > animal and plant
vegetable lamb1698
barometz1791
1698 tr. A. Brand Jrnl. Embassy from Muscovy 125 I am not very apt to give credit to the Relations of the vulgar sort in Muscovy, among which, that of the Vegetable Lamm is a general received Fable.
Compounds
C1.
a. General attributive.† lamb-fell n. Obsolete
lamb-chop n. [chop n.1 2b] figurative
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > mutton > [noun] > lamb > cuts or parts
lamb-stones1615
target1756
lamb's fry1822
lamb-chopc1838
Rocky Mountain oyster1889
lap1922
the mind > emotion > love > terms of endearment > [noun]
darlingc888
belamy?c1225
culver?c1225
dearc1230
sweetheartc1290
heartc1300
sweetc1330
honeya1375
dovec1386
jewelc1400
birdc1405
cinnamonc1405
honeycombc1405
lovec1405
wantonc1450
mulling?a1475
daisyc1485
crowdy-mowdy?a1513
honeysop?a1513
powsowdie?a1513
suckler?a1513
foolc1525
buttinga1529
whitinga1529
beautiful1534
turtle-dove1535
soula1538
heartikin1540
bully?1548
turtle1548
lamba1556
nyletc1557
sweet-lovea1560
coz1563
ding-ding1564
pugs1566
golpol1568
sparling1570
lover1573
pug1580
bulkin1582
mopsy1582
chuck1589
bonny1594
chick1594
sweetikin1596
ladybird1597
angel1598
muss1598
pinkany1599
sweetkin1599
duck1600
joy1600
sparrowc1600
sucket1605
nutting1606
chuckaby1607
tickling1607
bagpudding1608
heartling1608
chucking1609
dainty1611
flittermouse1612
honeysuckle1613
fubs1614
bawcocka1616
pretty1616
old thinga1625
bun1627
duckling1630
bulchin1633
bulch?c1640
sweetling1648
friscoa1652
ding-dongs1662
buntinga1668
cocky1680
dearie1681
chucky1683
lovey1684
machree1689
nykin1693
pinkaninny1696
nug1699
hinny1724
puss1753
pet1767
dovey1769
sweetie1778
lovey-dovey1781
lovely1791
ducky1819
toy1822
acushla1825
alanna1825
treat1825
amigo1830
honey child1832
macushla1834
cabbage1840
honey-bunch1874
angel pie1878
m'dear1887
bach1889
honey baby1895
prawn1895
hon1896
so-and-so1897
cariad1899
pumpkin1900
honey-bun1902
pussums1912
snookums1919
treasure1920
wogger1922
amico1929
sugar1930
baby cake1949
angel cake1951
lamb-chop1962
petal1974
bae2006
c1838 C. Mathews in M. R. Booth Eng. Plays of 19th Cent. (1973) IV. 136 He ate three pounds and a half of lamb chops.
1865 H. B. Stowe House & Home Papers 248 All the edible matters..would form those delicate dishes of lamb-chop.
1962 E. Lucia Klondike Kate ii. 40 Mrs Bettis was persistent and her daughter was quite a lamb chop, so he finally agreed.
1963 R. Carrier Great Dishes of World 145 Place lamb chops in a flat dish just large enough to hold them and pour marinade mixture over them.
1974 ‘E. Lathen’ Sweet & Low xvii. 165 Deep in a choice between lamb chops and pork chops.
lamb-cote n.
ΚΠ
1459–60 in J. T. Fowler Extracts Acct. Rolls Abbey of Durham (1899) II. 320 Pro tectura apud de lambecote.
ΚΠ
c1503 R. Arnold Chron. f. xxvi/2 Lambefelle for the C…i. d.
lamb-flesh n.
ΚΠ
c1400 tr. Secreta Secret., Gov. Lordsh. 78 Meene metys engendrys noght bolnynges ne superfluytes, as lombe fflessh, motoun and Capouns.
lamb-fold n.
ΚΠ
1883 J. Gilmour Among Mongols vi. 83 Most of the west side [of the tent] was taken up by a lamb-fold.
lamb-glove n.
ΚΠ
1811 J. Parkins Young Man's Best Compan. 121 3 pair of fine lamb gloves.
lamb-hurdle n.
ΚΠ
1807 R. W. Dickson Pract. Agric. (new ed.) I. 160 Fig. 7 represents a lamb-hurdle.
lamb-meadow n.
lamb-shepherd n.
ΚΠ
a1711 T. Ken Sion i, in Wks. (1721) IV. 331 May I, like you, sing the Lamb-Shepherd's Love.
lamb-trade adj.
ΚΠ
1895 Daily News 31 May 8/7 Lamb trade firm.
b. Objective.
lamb-hymning adj.
ΚΠ
a1711 T. Ken Edmund in Wks. (1721) II. xiii. 366 As we wander o're the blissful Plains, You daily shall compose Lamb-hymning strains.
lamb-shearing n.
ΚΠ
1459–60 in J. T. Fowler Extracts Acct. Rolls Abbey of Durham (1899) II. 320 Pro falcacione de le Lammedowe.
1781 [see lamb-ale n. at Compounds 2a]. 1886 C. Scott Pract. Sheep-farming 139 Lamb-shearing has long been an established practice in East Cornwall and other parts.
c. Instrumental.
lamb-lined adj. (see sense 5b.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > shoe or boot > [adjective] > made of specific material > lined with specific material
lamb-lined1605
1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. i. iv. 138 A payre of Lamb-lyn'd buskins on her feet.
C2.
a. Special combinations.† lamb's-lease n. Obsolete a meadow in which lambs are reared.† lamb's leather n. Obsolete lambskin.
lamb-ale n. (see quot.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > ale or beer > ale > [noun] > ale for specific occasions
wassailc1300
hock-ale1484
hocking-ale1484
Christian ale1640
bummocka1688
bing-ale1735
lamb-ale1781
clerk-ale1791
audit ale1823
bride ale1868
bed-ale1880
1781 T. Warton Hist. Eng. Poetry III. xxv. 129 Lamb-ale is still used at the village of Kirtlington in Oxfordshire, for an annual feast or celebrity at lamb-shearing.
1857 J. Toulmin Smith Parish (new ed.) 503 The ‘Ales’ were numerous. Brand mentions..Lamb-Ales, Leet-Ales, [etc.].
lamb-creep n. a hole in a hedge or hurdle just large enough for lambs to get in and out of the fold (see creep n. 4).
ΚΠ
1886 C. Scott Pract. Sheep-farming 167 If the ewes and lambs are folded, lamb creeps can be brought into use.
lamb-emptied adj. emptied of lambs.
ΚΠ
1898 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Romance of Canvas Town 96 The ewes of the lamb-emptied small yard are then carefully counted out.
lamb-fashion n. after the fashion of a lamb; used in proverbial phrase mutton dressed lamb-fashion, applied to an old woman dressed in youthful style.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > dissimulation, pretence > semblance, outward show > [adverb] > in appearance
colourably1433
in show1556
for show1563
affectedly1637
speciously1647
ostensibly1762
ostensively1763
lamb-fashion1810
pretencedly1885
1810 Splendid Follies I. 131 Ewe mutton without garnish is a tough bite, to be sure; but methinks she's dished herself off to day, lamb-fashion.
lamb-florin n. Historical a florin stamped with the ‘Agnus Dei’.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > English coins > [noun] > florin or two shillings
florin1849
godless florin1849
graceless florin1862
Scotchman1879
lamb-florin1885
swy1924
peg1950
1885 R. R. Sharpe Cal. Let.-bks. London 107 The 170 lamb-Florins..in their keeping.
lamb-hog n. a lamb of the second year.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > genus Ovus > [noun] > Ovus Aries (domestic sheep) > defined by age > one year old or sheared once
shearling1378
hoggaster1388
hogget1421
shear-sheep1503
shear-hog?1523
hoggerel1530
shear wether hog1537
teg1537
hog sheep1552
lamb-hog1607
shearinga1642
two-teeth1776
hogling1856
1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 640 As the first year we call it in English a Lamb, so the second year a hog Lam-hog, or Teg if it be a female.
1891 Times 28 Sept. 4/1 Lamb-hogs, 18s. to 28s. per head.
lamb-house n. (see quot.).
ΚΠ
1819 A. Rees Cycl. XX Lamb-house,..the place where lambs are fattened.
lamb-ram n. a ram under two years old.
ΚΠ
1886 C. Scott Pract. Sheep-farming 74 A good strong lamb ram will serve as many as twenty-five ewes without hurt.
lambs'-cage n. (see quot.).
ΚΠ
1811 T. Davis Gen. View Agric. Wilts. (new ed.) 264 Lambs'-Cages, cribs for foddering sheep in fold; they are usually made semi-cylindrical, with cleft ash-rods about six to seven feet long, and about one foot diameter.
lamb's fry n. (in U.S.lamb fries) [compare fry n.2 2b] in the U.K. and U.S., lamb's offal, esp. testicles; in Australia and New Zealand, lamb's liver.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > mutton > [noun] > lamb > cuts or parts
lamb-stones1615
target1756
lamb's fry1822
lamb-chopc1838
Rocky Mountain oyster1889
lap1922
1822 W. Kitchiner Cook's Oracle (ed. 4) 492 Lamb's fry. Fry it plain..garnish with crisp parsley.
1861 I. M. Beeton Bk. Househ. Managem. xv. 353 1 lb. of lamb's fry.
1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. at Fry The product of lambs' castration are called lamb's-fries.
1891 T. Hardy Tess of the D'Urbervilles I. i. 11 I should like for supper,—well, lamb's fry.
1894 R. D. Blackmore Perlycross I. xiv. 205 A dish of lamb's fry reposing among its parsley.
1936 S. E. Nash Cooking Craft (ed. 3) xii. 106 Lamb's fry consists of the liver, sweet~bread, heart, and some of the inside fat.
1944 H. Wentworth Amer. Dial. Dict. 345 Lamb fries, lamb's testicles.
1951 Good Housek. Home Encycl. 530 Lamb's fry, sliced lamb's offal, cooked as a rich stew.
1963 I. S. Rombauer & M. R. Becker Joy of Cooking (ed. 4) 449/1 Skin, cut into quarters: 4 medium lamb fries.
1966 S. J. Baker Austral. Lang. (ed. 2) iv. 83 We could pause to consider lambs' fry, as a euphemism for testicles from marked or castrated lambs... Our later use of lamb's fry for lamb liver is one of our most ‘refined’ additions.
1969 R. De Sola & D. De Sola Dict. Cooking 138 Lamb fries, lamb testicles.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > farm > farmland > grassland > [noun] > pasture > sheep pasture > types of
lamb's-lease1609
hog-fence1790
twinter1846
tussock land1881
1609 Bp. W. Barlow Answer Catholike English-man 58 Wherein, if the Reader obserue (as if he had beene brought vp in Lambs-lease) he seemes for the most part very tenderly affected.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > leather > [noun] > leather from sheep or goat skin
cheverela1400
sheep's leather1474
maroquin1533
saffian1591
lamb's leather1607
kid-skin1645
basil1674
kid1682
kid-leather1693
morocco leather1695
basan1714
Morocco hide1716
lambskin1725
Morocco1735
skiver1800
chevrette1884
glove-calf1885
Vici1888
Dongola1889
nappa leather1895
castor1897
mocha1909
capeskin1934
glove-sheep-
1607 T. Cocks Acc. 27 Apr. (Canterb. Cath. Libr. MS. E. 31) Lambes lether gloves 6d.
lamb-stones n. the testicles of a lamb.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > animals for food > mutton > [noun] > lamb > cuts or parts
lamb-stones1615
target1756
lamb's fry1822
lamb-chopc1838
Rocky Mountain oyster1889
lap1922
1615 T. Overbury et al. New & Choise Characters with Wife (6th impr.) sig. Kv For an inward bruse, Lambe-stones and sweetbreads are his onely Sperma Ceti, which he eats at night.
1677 Compl. Servant-maid 87 Put in Lamb-stones and sweetbreads.
lamb-suckler n. (see quot.).
ΚΠ
1819 A. Rees Cycl. XX Lamb-suckler,..a person who..carries on the business of fattening house-lamb.
lamb-suckling n. (see quot.).
ΚΠ
1819 A. Rees Cycl. XX Lamb-suckling,..the art of fattening house-lamb.
b. In various plant names. Also lamb's tongue n.
lamb's cress n. Cardamine hirsuta.
ΚΠ
c1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 24 Cersan sædes, sume men hatað lambes cersan.
a1100 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 300/14 Thiaspis, lambescerse.
1882 in H. Friend Gloss. Devonshire Plant Names
lamb's lettuce n. = corn-salad n. ( Valerianella olitoria).
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > fruit and vegetables > vegetables > leaf vegetables > [noun] > lamb's lettuce
lamb's lettuce1597
mâche1693
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > particular vegetables > [noun] > leaf vegetables > lamb's lettuce
lamb's lettuce1597
mâche1693
1597 J. Gerard Herball ii. 242 Lambes Lettuce.
1830 J. Lindley Introd. Nat. Syst. Bot. 197 The young leaves of the species of Valerianella are eaten as salad, under the French name of Mâche, or the English one of Lamb's Lettuce.
1872 D. Oliver Lessons Elem. Bot. (new ed.) ii. 192 Corn-salad, or Lamb's-lettuce..is eaten as a salad.
lamb's quarter n. (also lamb's quarters) (a) Atriplex hastata or patula; (b) Chenopodium album.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Chenopodiaccae (goose-foot and allies) > [noun] > salt bush or orach
milesOE
orachea1300
golden herb1562
notchweed1659
sea pot-herb1706
lamb's quarter1773
butter leaves1789
fat-hen1795
mountain spinach1822
sea-orach1845
salt bush1863
the world > food and drink > food > fruit and vegetables > vegetables > leaf vegetables > [noun] > other leaves
nettle top?1585
lettuce1597
green food1658
peppergrass1696
Welsh onion1731
lamb's quarter1773
Shawnee salad1780
puha1843
poke greens1848
rauriki1848
swede greens1887
swede tops1887
lettuce green1900
leafy greena1918
rapini1959
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > particular vegetables > [noun] > leaf vegetables > other leaf vegetables
corn-salad1597
palmetto1598
frost-blite1711
corn rocket1731
Welsh onion1731
milk grass1746
square-podded rocket1753
lamb's quarter1773
Shawnee salad1780
palmiste1835
1773 J. Hawkesworth Acct. Voy. Southern Hemisphere III. 442 We also once or twice met with a plant like what the country people in England call Lamb's quarters, or Fat-hen.
1869 E. A. Parkes Man. Pract. Hygiene (ed. 3) 233 A salad made of the ‘lamb's quarter’ (Chenopodium album), was found very useful.
lamb's tails n. the catkins of the hazel, Corylus Avellana.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > part of plant > reproductive part(s) > flower or part containing reproductive organs > inflorescence or collective flower > [noun] > of particular type, shape, or arrangement > catkin(s) or unisexual in florescence
chatc1400
tappette1561
catkin1578
chaton1578
kitekin1578
taglet1578
tag1597
cat's tail1611
nucament1633
tassel1646
catling1665
iulus1668
amentum1720
jul1725
ament1783
pussycat1850
lamb's tails1882
1882 Garden 4 Feb. 77/1 That modest kind of beauty which these catkins, ‘pussies’, and ‘lambs'-tails’, as the country people call them, suggest.
1896 G. F. Northall Warwickshire Word-bk. Lambs'-tails, the male catkins of hazel and filbert trees.
lamb toe n. (also lamb's toes) a name for Lotus corniculatus, Anthyllis Vulneraria, and Medicago lupulina.
ΚΠ
1821 J. Clare Village Minstrel II. 94 Handfuls..of rose and lambtoe sweet.
lamb-tongue n. U.S. = lamb's tongue n. 1.
ΚΠ
1876 J. Miller Unwritten Hist. x. 152 He [sc. winter] cut down the banners of the spring that night, lamb-tongue, Indian turnip and catella.
Draft additions 1997
lamb's ears n. (also lamb's ear) any of several plants whose leaves are covered with soft white hairs; esp. the labiate Stachys byzantina, often grown in gardens.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > names applied to various plants > [noun]
heatha700
beeworteOE
leversc725
springworteOE
clotec1000
halswortc1000
sengreenc1000
bottle?a1200
bird's-tonguea1300
bloodworta1300
faverolea1300
vetchc1300
pimpernel1378
oniona1398
bird's nest?a1425
adder's grassc1450
cockheada1500
ambrosia1525
fleawort1548
son before the father1552
crow-toe1562
basil1578
bird's-foot1578
bloodroot1578
throatwort1578
phalangium1608
yew1653
chalcedon1664
dittany1676
bleeding heart1691
felon-wort1706
hedgehog1712
land caltrops1727
old man's beard1731
loosestrife1760
Solomon's seal1760
fireweed1764
desert rose1792
star of Bethlehem1793
hen and chickens1794
Aaron's beard1820
felon-grass1824
arrowroot1835
snake-root1856
firebush1858
tick-seed1860
bird's eye1863
burning bush1866
rat-tail1871
lamb's earsa1876
lamb's tongue plant1882
tar-weed1884
Tom Thumb1886
parrotbeak1890
stinkweed1932
a1876 E. Leigh Gloss. Words Dial. Cheshire (1877) 119 Lamb's Ears, the Rose Campion.
1884 W. Miller Dict. Eng. Names Plants 252 Stachys..germanica, Common Wound-wort, Lamb's-ear.
1900 W. Dickinson & E. W. Prevost Gloss. Dial. Cumberland (rev. ed.) 192/1 Lamb's ear,..Hoary Plantain—Plantago media.
1902 Eng. Dial. Dict. III. 510/2 Lamb's-ears,..the premorse scabious.
1944 T. C. Mansfield Border in Colour 221 S[tachys] lanata..has white woolly leaves and is commonly called Lamb's Ears.
1988 Los Angeles Times 19 Mar. v. 4/1 (table) Stachys, or lamb's ears, is the darling of the perennial bed.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1901; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
Lambn.2
/lam/, U.S. /læm/ Physics.
Used attributively to designate phenomena described, predicted, or demonstrated by Lamb.
a. Lamb shift n. [demonstrated by Lamb and R. C. Retherford in 1947] a displacement of energy levels in hydrogen and hydrogen-like atoms such that those with the same values of the quantum numbers n and j but different values of l are not coincident, as predicted by Dirac's theory, but separated by a very small amount (the level with the lower value of l being the higher).
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > quantum theory > quantum mechanics > quantum electrodynamics > [noun] > displacement of energy levels
Lamb shift1948
1948 Physical Rev. 74 1157 The effects treated are the Lamb shift, the correction of the g-factor..and the correction of the Compton scattering cross section.
1950 Physical Rev. 77 745 (heading) Departure of the Lamb shift from the n−3 law in He+.
1958 E. U. Condon & H. Odishaw Handbk. Physics vii. iv. 63/1 The Lamb shift has been interpreted..as resulting from changes in the electron self-energy which results from its interactions with the electromagnetic and electron-positron fields.
1964 E. A. Power Introd. Quantum Electrodynamics i. 7 The modern versions of quantum electrodynamics have enabled a very accurate comparison to be made between theory and experiment. Well-known examples are the Lamb shift energy splitting of the 2S½ and 2P½ levels in hydrogen and the radiative corrections to the magnetic moment of the electron.
1973 McGraw-Hill Yearbk. Sci. & Technol. 111/1 Experimental programs to measure heavy-ion Lamb shifts are now in progress.
1989 H. M. Georgi in P. Davies New Physics xvi. 449/2 Theorists used renormalisation to do finite calculations of quantum corrections to the first order results (such as..the Lamb shift).
b. Lamb dip n. a drop in the output from a laser spectrometer at a particular frequency, as a result of atoms simultaneously absorbing two photons travelling in opposite directions.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > physics > atomic physics > decomposition of light, spectrum > study of spectra > [noun] > instrument used in > drop in output from
Lamb dip1965
1965 IEEE Jrnl. Quantum Electronics 1 351/1 When the amplitude of the second harmonic is zero, the Lamb dip just vanishes, and the second derivative of the turning curve at line center is zero.
1967 Appl. Physics Lett. 10 304/1 A drop in saturated absorption, analogous to the Lamb dip, occurs when light is absorbed by atoms of the zero velocity class in the Doppler distribution of the low pressure neon.
1974 Physics Bull. Mar. 91/1 Lasers with frequencies locked to features such as the Lamb dip are routinely used in interferometry.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1997; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
lambv.
/lam/, U.S. /læm/ 1. transitive (passive only.) To bear or bring forth; to ‘drop’ (a lamb).
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > genus Ovus > [verb (transitive)] > give birth
eanOE
yeana1387
ewe1579
lamba1642
tup1721
sling1750
a1642 H. Best Farming & Memorandum Bks. (1984) 7 It..inableth the lambe to seeke after a livinge soe soone as it is lambed.
1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique at Lamb If he be like to dye when first Lambed, it is usual to open his Mouth and blow therein.
1793 Hollym Inclos. Act 13 A modus of one shilling a score of all lambs lambed and living at Midsummer.
c1817 J. Hogg Tales & Sketches IV. 199 The..shepherd.. found her with a new-yeaned lamb on the very gair of the Crawmel Craig, where she was lambed herself.
1829 S. Glover Hist. County of Derby I. 214 Not one of these [rams] was lambed before Feb. 6, 1828.
2. intransitive. To bring forth a lamb; to yean.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > genus Ovus > [verb (intransitive)] > to conceive or give birth
lamb1611
foal1883
stint1884
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Agneler, to lambe.
a1642 H. Best Farming & Memorandum Bks. (1984) 7 An ewe putt into a goode pasture 3 weekes afore shee lambe is as goode as to lett her goe in a good pasture 3 weeks after.
1701 J. Brand Brief Descr. Orkney, Zetland 75 As for the Sheep..they Lamb not so soon as with us.
1846 J. Baxter Libr. Pract. Agric. (ed. 4) II. p. xxii Each ewe..lambing at two, three, and four years old.
3. Of a shepherd: To tend (ewes) at lambing-time. Also, to lamb down.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > sheep-farming > rear sheep [verb (intransitive)] > tend sheep at lambing time
to lamb down1850
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > sheep-farming > rear sheep or wool [verb (transitive)] > tend sheep at lambing time
lamb1850
1850 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 11 i. 76 The flocks are usually lambed down about the latter end of March.
1851 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 12 ii. 574 Every shepherd considers himself an adept at lambing his ewes.
1901 N.E.D. at Lamb Mod. Advt., Wanted, a Cowman, one used to lamb-down a few Ewes preferred.
4. lamb down Australian. [? a transferred use of sense 3] transitive.
a. To part with, pay down (money), esp. recklessly. Also absol.
ΚΠ
1890 Argus (Melbourne) 7 June 4/2 The paying off of drovers, the selling off of horses, the ‘lambing down’ of cheques.
1890 Argus (Melbourne) 9 Aug. 4/5 The old woman, of course, thought that we were on gold, and would lamb down at the finish in her shanty.
b. To induce (a person) to get rid of his money; to ‘clean out’. Also absol.
ΚΠ
1873 M. Clarke Holiday Peak, etc. 21 Trowbridge's did not ‘lamb down’ so well as the Three Posts.
1890 Argus (Melbourne) 16 Aug. 4/7 One used to serve drinks in the bar, the other kept the billiard-table. Between them they lambed down more shearers and drovers than all the rest on the river.
Derivatives
lambed adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > genus Ovus > [adjective] > of a ewe > giving birth > having produced lamb(s)
lambed1844
three-crop1946
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Agnelé, lambed.
1844 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm II. 601 Think also what sort of care is bestowed on a newly lambed flock.
1867 Gainsborough News 23 Mar. 200 lambed and in-lamb ewes and gimmers.
ˈlambing n. (also lambing down)
ΚΠ
1844 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm II. 599 Of the lambing of ewes.
1850 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 11 i. 76 I have kept 500 ewes in lamb this way..and had them in very high condition..on their lambing down.
1873 J. B. Stephens Black Gin 51 It is the Bushman come to town..Come to do his ‘lambing down’.
1880 G. Walch Victoria in 1880 130 The operation—combining equal parts of hocussing, over-charging, and direct robbery..and facetiously christened by bush landlords ‘lambing down’.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1901; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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