- Lamest
- Lame Lame (l[=a]m), a. [Compar. {Lamer} (l[=a]m"[~e]r);
superl. {Lamest}.] [OE. lame, AS. lama; akin to D. lam, G.
lahm, OHG., Dan., & Sw. lam, Icel. lami, Russ. lomate to
break, lomota rheumatism.]
1.
(a) Moving with pain or difficulty on account of injury,
defect, or temporary obstruction of a function; as, a
lame leg, arm, or muscle.
(b) To some degree disabled by reason of the imperfect
action of a limb; crippled; as, a lame man. ``Lame of
one leg.'' --Arbuthnot. ``Lame in both his feet.'' --2
Sam. ix. 13. ``He fell, and became lame.'' --2 Sam.
iv. 4.
[1913 Webster]
2. Hence, hobbling; limping; inefficient; imperfect; as, a lame answer. ``A lame endeavor.'' --Barrow. [1913 Webster]
O, most lame and impotent conclusion! --Shak. [1913 Webster]
{Lame duck} (a) (Stock Exchange), a person who can not fulfill his contracts. [Cant] (b) An elected politician who is completing a term after having been defeated at an election; also, an office holder who cannot or chooses not to run again for the same office; -- So called from the presumed lack of political power of one who is soon to be out of office. (b) Any office holder who is serving out a term after a replacement has been selected. [1913 Webster +PJC]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
