definitions

lame

1
[ leym ]
/ leɪm /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lame ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, lam·er, lam·est.

crippled or physically disabled, especially in the foot or leg so as to limp or walk with difficulty.
impaired or disabled through defect or injury: a lame arm.
weak; inadequate; unsatisfactory; clumsy: a lame excuse.
Slang. out of touch with modern fads or trends; unsophisticated.

verb (used with object), lamed, lam·ing.

to make lame or defective.

noun

Slang. a person who is out of touch with modern fads or trends, especially one who is unsophisticated.

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RELATED WORDS

hitch, halt, floppy, falter, hobble, gimp, incapacity, languor, inadequacy, enervation, exhaustion, senility, weakness, incompetence, delicacy, decrepitude, insufficiency, malaise, frailty, infirmity

Nearby words

lambrequin, lambrinudi operation, lambrusco, lambskin, lamda, lame, lame duck, lame-duck session, lamebrain, lamech, lamed

Origin of lame

1
before 900; Middle English (adj. and v.); Old English lama (adj.); cognate with Dutch lam, German lahm, Old Norse lami; akin to Lithuanian lúomas

Related forms

lame·ly, adverblame·ness, noun

Can be confused

lame lamé
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lameness

British Dictionary definitions for lameness (1 of 3)

lamé

/ (ˈlɑːmeɪ) /

noun

  1. a fabric of silk, cotton, or wool interwoven with threads of metal
  2. (as modifier)a gold lamé gown

Word Origin for lamé

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

British Dictionary definitions for lameness (2 of 3)

lame

1
/ (leɪm) /

adjective

disabled or crippled in the legs or feet
painful or weaka lame back
weak; unconvincinga lame excuse
not effective or enthusiastica lame try
US slang conventional or uninspiring

verb

(tr) to make lame

Derived Forms

lamely, adverblameness, noun

Word Origin for lame

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

British Dictionary definitions for lameness (3 of 3)

lame

2
/ (leɪm) /

noun

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

Word Origin for lame

C16: via Old French from Latin lāmina a thin plate, lamina
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for lameness

lame

[ lām ]

adj.

Disabled so that movement, especially walking, is difficult or impossible.
Marked by pain or rigidness.

v.

To cause to become lame; cripple.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.