lavishness
- n the quality possessed by something that is excessively expensive
- n excessive spending
lavoisier
- n French chemist known as the father of modern chemistry; discovered oxygen and disproved the theory of phlogiston (1743-1794)
lavrenti pavlovich beria
- n Soviet chief of secret police under Joseph Stalin; was executed by his associates in the power struggle following Stalin's death (1899-1953)
law
- n the collection of rules imposed by authority
civilization presupposes respect for the law - n legal document setting forth rules governing a particular kind of activity
there is a law against kidnapping - n a rule or body of rules of conduct inherent in human nature and essential to or binding upon human society
- n a generalization that describes recurring facts or events in nature
the laws of thermodynamics - n the branch of philosophy concerned with the law and the principles that lead courts to make the decisions they do
- n the learned profession that is mastered by graduate study in a law school and that is responsible for the judicial system
he studied law at Yale - n the force of policemen and officers
the law came looking for him
law-breaking
- n (criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act
law degree
- n degree conferred on someone who successfully completes law school
law enforcement agency
- n an agency responsible for insuring obedience to the laws
law merchant
- n the body of rules applied to commercial transactions; derived from the practices of traders rather than from jurisprudence
law of action and reaction
- n action and reaction are equal and opposite
law of archimedes
- n (hydrostatics) the apparent loss in weight of a body immersed in a fluid is equal to the weight of the displaced fluid
law of areas
- n a law concerning the speed at which planets travel; a line connecting a planet to the sun will sweep out equal areas in equal times
law of averages
- n a law affirming that in the long run probabilities will determine performance
law of chemical equilibrium
- n (chemistry) the principle that (at chemical equilibrium) in a reversible reaction the ratio of the rate of the forward reaction to the rate of the reverse reaction is a constant for that reaction
law of closure
- n a Gestalt principle of organization holding that there is an innate tendency to perceive incomplete objects as complete and to close or fill gaps and to perceive asymmetric stimuli as symmetric
law of common fate
- n a Gestalt principle of organization holding that aspects of perceptual field that move or function in a similar manner will be perceived as a unit
law of conservation of energy
- n the fundamental principle of physics that the total energy of an isolated system is constant despite internal changes