lame

¹

[leym]

adjective

lamer, lamest 

1. physically disabled, especially in the foot or leg so as to limp or walk with difficulty.

   a lame racehorse.

2. impaired or disabled through defect or injury.

   a lame arm.

3. weak; inadequate; unsatisfactory; clumsy.

   a lame excuse.

4. Slang: Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive.,  awkward, dull, stupid, or uninteresting.

5. Slang: Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive.,  out of touch with modern fads or trends; unsophisticated.

verb (used with object)

lamed, laming 

1. to make lame or defective.

noun

1. Slang: Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive.,  a person who is out of touch with modern fads or trends, especially one who is unsophisticated.

lame

²

[leym, lam]

noun

Armor.

plural

lames 

1. any of a number of thin, overlapping plates composing a piece of plate armor, as a fauld, tasset, or gauntlet.

lamé

³

[lah-mey, la-, la-mey]

noun

1. an ornamental fabric in which metallic threads, as of gold or silver, are woven with silk, wool, rayon, or cotton.

lame

¹

/ leɪm /

adjective

1. disabled or crippled in the legs or feet

2. painful or weak

   a lame back

3. weak; unconvincing

   a lame excuse

4. not effective or enthusiastic

   a lame try

5. slang,  conventional or uninspiring

verb

1. (tr) to make lame

lamé

²

/ ˈlɑːmeɪ /

noun

1. 1. a fabric of silk, cotton, or wool interwoven with threads of metal

   2. ( as modifier )

      a gold lamé gown

lame

³

/ leɪm /

noun

1. one of the overlapping metal plates used in armour after about 1330; splint

Sensitive Note

Many speakers do not recognize or consider the connection between the medical and slang senses of lame . Nevertheless, using a term associated with injury or disability as a general insult is sometimes perceived as insensitive to or by people with disabilities.

Other Word Forms

• lamely adverb
• lameness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of lame¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English (adjective and verb); Old English lama (adjective); cognate with Dutch lam, German lahm, Old Norse lami; akin to Lithuanian lúomas

Origin of lame²

1580–90; < Middle French < Latin lāmina a thin piece or plate

Origin of lame³

1920–25; < French, equivalent to lame lame ² + -é < Latin -ātus -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of lame¹

Old English lama; related to Old Norse lami, German lahm

Origin of lame²

from French, from Old French lame gold or silver thread, thin plate, from Latin lāmina thin plate

Origin of lame³

C16: via Old French from Latin lāmina a thin plate, _lamina

Related Words

• feeble 
• flimsy 
• ineffective 
• weak