lame

See also: Appendix:Variations of "lame"

English

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /leɪm/

• Audio (Australia):

  (file)

• Audio (UK):

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• Audio (Southern England):

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• Rhymes: -eɪm
• Hyphenation: lame

Etymology 1

From Middle English lame, from Old English lama (“lame”), from Proto-West Germanic *lam, from Proto-Germanic *lamaz (“lame”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃lemH- (“to tire; to break”).

Cognate with German lahm, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish lam.

Adjective

lame (comparative lamer, superlative lamest)

1. (especially of an animal) Unable to walk properly because of a problem with one's feet or legs.

   Synonym: crippled

   With the years, this horse has little by little gone lame.

   • 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXIII”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 39:

     Alone, alone, to where he sits,
     The Shadow cloak’d from head to foot
     Who keeps the keys of all the creeds,
     ⁠I wander, often falling lame,
     And looking back to whence I came,
     Or on to where the pathway leads; […]

   1. (of a limb, especially a foot or leg) That cannot be moved properly.

      Synonym: gammy

   2. (dated, now offensive) Physically disabled.

      a lame man

2. (by extension, dated) Hobbling; limping; inefficient; imperfect.

   Antonyms: efficient, perfect

   • a. 1678 (date written), Isaac Barrow, “(please specify the chapter name or sermon number)”, in The Works of Dr. Isaac Barrow. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: A[braham] J[ohn] Valpy, […], published 1830–1831, →OCLC:

     a lame endeavour

   • c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:

     O, most lame and impotent conclusion! […]

   • 1741, I[saac] Watts, The Improvement of the Mind: Or, A Supplement to the Art of Logick: […], London: […] James Brackstone, […], →OCLC:

     It is the remark of an ingenious writer, should a barbarous Indian, who had never seen a palace or a ship, view their separate and disjointed parts, and observe the pillars, doors, windows, cornices and turrets of the one, or the prow and stern, the ribs and masts, the ropes and shrouds, the sails and tackle of the other, he would be able to form but a very lame and dark idea of either of those excellent and useful inventions.

   • 1856, J. W. Redhouse, An English and Turkish Dictionary‎^[2], page xx:

     The ی consonant is our English y […] It is really a sad mistake for us, who possess this useful consonant, to adopt the lame expedient to which other languages are forced to have recourse, namely, the use of the vowel i, with or without the diaresis over it.

3. (colloquial) Unconvincing or unbelievable.

   Synonym: weak

   Antonyms: convincing, believable

   He had a really lame excuse for missing the birthday party.

4. (colloquial) Uncool, uninteresting, or unfunny.

   He kept telling these extremely lame jokes all night.

Derived terms

• crutches for lame ducks
• help a lame dog over a stile
• lamage
• lame and gay
• lameass
• lamebrain
• lamebrained
• lame duck
• lamehead
• lame-head
• lamely
• lameness
• lameo
• lame-o
• lameoid
• lamer
• lamesauce
• lame sickness
• lamester
• lame-stream
• lamestream
• lametastic
• lamewad
• lamish
• unlame

Translations

unable to walk properly because of a problem with one's feet or legs

• Abkhaz: а́цыркь (ácərkʲʼ), а́цыркьзаара (ácərkʲʼzaara), ацыркьыԥа (acərkʲʼəpa), аҭуԥа́л (atupál), акәылԥаа́ (akʷʼəlpaá)
• Aghwan: 𐕄𐔰𐔾𐔰 (ḳala)
• Albanian: çalë (sq) f

  Gheg Albanian: shkep

• Arabic: أَعْرَج (ʔaʕraj), أَكْسَح (ʔaksaḥ), أَشَلّ (ʔašall)

  Egyptian Arabic: أعرج (aʕrag)

  Hijazi Arabic: أعرج (ʔaʕraj)

• Aragonese: coixo
• Armenian: կաղ (hy) (kaġ)
• Aromanian: shcljop
• Asturian: coxu
• Azerbaijani: topal
• Bashkir: аҡһаҡ (aqhaq), сатан (satan)
• Belarusian: кульга́вы (kulʹhávy)
• Bhojpuri: लंगड़ (laṅgaṛ)
• Bulgarian: куц (bg) (kuc)
• Catalan: coix (ca), ranc (ca)
• Chinese:

  Literary Chinese: 蹇 (jiān)

  Mandarin: 瘸腿 (zh) (quétuǐ), 跛 (zh) (bǒ), 跛足 (zh) (bǒzú), 瘸 (zh) (qué)

• Czech: chromý (cs) m
• Dalmatian: zuap
• Danish: lam (da)
• Dutch: lam (nl), verlamd (nl), kreupel (nl), mank (nl)
• Esperanto: lama (eo), kripla (eo)
• Finnish: rampa (fi)
• French: boiteux (fr) m, boiteuse (fr) f
• Frisian:

  West Frisian: mank

• Friulian: çuet
• Galician: coxo (gl), rengo
• Georgian: კოჭლი (ḳoč̣li)

  Old Georgian: მკელობელი (mḳelobeli)

• German: lahm (de)
• Greek: χωλός (el) m (cholós), κουτσός (el) m (koutsós)

  Ancient Greek: χωλός (khōlós), σκιμβός (skimbós)

  Pontic Greek: κοτσός (kotsós), ξεροπόδαρος (xeropódaros)

• Hebrew: צוֹלֵעַ (he) m (tzoléa')
• Hindi: लंग (hi) (laṅg), अपंग (hi) (apaṅg), पंगु (hi) (paṅgu), लँगड़ा (hi) (laṅgṛā)
• Hungarian: sánta (hu)
• Icelandic: lamaður
• Ingrian: rampa
• Interlingua: claude
• Irish: bacach (ga)
• Italian: zoppo (it)
• Japanese: 足の不自由な (あしのふじゆうな, ashi-no fujiyū-na), 足の悪い (あしのわるい, ashi-no warui)
• Latin: claudus
• Lithuanian: luošas m, šlubas m
• Luxembourgish: schlamm
• Macedonian: куц (kuc)
• Manchu: ᡩᠣᡥᠣᠯᠣᠨ (doholon)
• Māori: tahakopa, hauā, waehauā, tūparaka
• Mongolian: доголон (mn) (dogolon)
• Neapolitan: sciancato
• Occitan: garrèl (oc), ranc (oc)
• Old English: lama
• Ossetian: къуылых (k’°ylyx)
• Persian: لنگ (fa) (lang)
• Plautdietsch: lom
• Polish: kulawy (pl) m, kulejący m, chromy (pl) m (obsolete)
• Portuguese: manco (pt), perneta (pt), coxo (pt) (Brazil), capenga (pt) (Brazil)
• Quechua: hank'a, sucu, magro, wist'u
• Romanian: șchiop (ro) m, olog (ro) m
• Romansh: zop
• Russian: хромо́й (ru) (xromój), хрома́ющий (ru) (xromájuščij)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: хром

  Latin: hrom (sh)

• Sicilian: ciuncu (scn) m, ciancatu m, zoppu (scn) m
• Slovak: chromý (sk)
• Spanish: cojo (es), rengo (es), renco (es), arrengado (Caribbean)
• Swedish: lam (sv)
• Tausug: pilay
• Telugu: కుంటి (te) (kuṇṭi)
• Thai: ง่อย (th) (ngɔ̂i), ง่อยเปลี้ยเสียขา (th), ขากะเผลก (kǎa-gà-plèek), ขาเป๋ (kǎa-bpěe), ขาพิการ (kǎa-pí-gaan)
• Turkish: topal (tr)

  Ottoman Turkish: طوپال (topal)

• Udi: кӏала (ḳala)
• Ukrainian: кульга́вий (kulʹhávyj)
• Venetan: cionpo, soto (vec), zhot, çoto

moving with difficulty

• Arabic: أَعْرَج m (ʔaʕraj)
• Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: kreupel (nl), mankend (nl)
• Finnish: heikko (fi), rampa (fi), ontuva (fi)
• Greek: χωλός (el) m (cholós), κουτσός (el) m (koutsós)
• Hungarian: nyomorék (hu), béna (hu)
• Portuguese: manco (pt)
• Romanian: handicapat (ro) m, schiopatand
• Russian: искале́ченный (ru) (iskaléčennyj), уве́чный (ru) (uvéčnyj)
• Sicilian: ciuncu (scn) m, acciuncatu m
• Thai: กะเผลก (th) (gà-plèek), โผลกเผลก, กะโผลกกะเผลก (th), โขยกเขยก, ง่องแง่ง (th), กระง่องกระแง่ง (th), ย่องแย่ง (th), กระย่องกระแย่ง (th)
• Turkish: topal (tr)

  Ottoman Turkish: طوپال (topal)

by extension, hobbling

• Bulgarian: куц (bg) (kuc)
• Dutch: wankel (nl), mankend (nl)
• Finnish: ontuva (fi), heikko (fi)
• Hungarian: sántikáló
• Macedonian: куц (kuc)
• Māori: totitoti
• Polish: kuśtykający (pl) m
• Portuguese: capenga (pt)
• Russian: хрома́ющий (ru) (xromájuščij)
• Sicilian: ciuncu (scn) m, acciuncatu m, zoppu (scn) m

slang: unconvincing

• Bulgarian: неубедителен (bg) (neubeditelen)
• Czech: chabý m
• Dutch: flauw (nl)
• Finnish: heikko (fi), huono (fi), tyhmä (fi), ontuva (fi)
• French: pitoyable (fr), nul (fr) m, bancal (fr) m, bateau (fr)
• Greek: αστήρικτος (el) m (astíriktos), αστείος (el) m (asteíos)
• Hungarian: átlátszó (hu)
• Macedonian: неу́бедлив (neúbedliv)
• Polish: słaby (pl), kiepski (pl) m
• Portuguese: fraco (pt), capenga (pt)
• Romanian: jalnic (ro) m, slab (ro) m, lipsit de gust m
• Russian: сла́бый (ru) (slábyj), неубеди́тельный (ru) (neubedítelʹnyj)
• Spanish: cojo (es)
• Thai: ฟังไม่ขึ้น

slang: failing to be cool, funny, interesting or relevant — see also dull

• Arabic:

  Hijazi Arabic: سخيف (saḵīf), بايخ (bāyiḵ)

• Bulgarian: скучен (bg) (skučen), безинтересен (bg) (bezinteresen)
• Catalan: sonso (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 遜 / 逊 (zh) (xùn)

• Danish: lamt
• Dutch: flauw (nl)
• Esperanto: malmojosa
• Estonian: nõme
• Finnish: typerä (fi), tyhmä (fi), ontuva (fi), laimea (fi)
• French: nul (fr), (slang, France) naze (fr) m or f, (Quebec, informal) poche (fr), ringard (fr) m
• Georgian: ბანძი (banʒi)
• German: ätzend (de), öde (de)
• Hebrew: צוֹלֵעַ (he) m (tzoléa')
• Hungarian: béna (hu)
• Indonesian: cupu (id)
• Italian: patetico (it), stupido (it)
• Japanese: ださい (ja) (dasai), 寒い (ja) (samui)
• Macedonian: до́саден (dósaden), здо́девен (zdódeven), неинте́ресен (neintéresen)
• Norwegian:

  Nynorsk: teit

• Polish: kiepski (pl) m
• Portuguese: palha (pt) (Brazil), sem graça, chato (pt)
• Romanian: anost (ro) m, plictisitor (ro) m, sters m
• Russian: беспонто́вый (ru) m (bespontóvyj), отсто́йный (ru) m (otstójnyj)
• Spanish: chafa (es), soso (es), monse, monsefú (Peru), fome (es)
• Swedish: lam (sv)
• Thai: กระจอก (th) (grà-jɔ̀ɔk), กาก (th) (gàak), เฉิ่ม (chə̀m), เชย (th) (chəəi), แป้ก (bpɛ̂k), เสร่อ (th) (sà-rə̀ə), เสี่ยว (th) (sìao), ห่วย (th) (hùai), เห่ย (th) (hə̀əi)
• Turkish: geyik (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Albanian: ^{(please verify)} çalë (sq)
• Catalan: ^{(please verify)} coix (ca)
• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} paralizata
• German: (2) ^{(please verify)} lahm (de)
• Hindi: ^{(please verify)} अपंग (hi) (apaṅg)
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} storpio (it)
• Marathi: ^{(please verify)} अपंग (mr) (apaṅga)
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} șchiop (ro), ^{(please verify)} olog (ro)
• Sanskrit: ^{(please verify)} अपङगः (apaṅagaḥ), ^{(please verify)} पङगु (paṅagu)
• Scottish Gaelic: ^{(please verify)} bacach, ^{(please verify)} crùbach, ^{(please verify)} cuagach
• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} hrom (sh)
• Woiwurrung: ^{(please verify)} ngarrboon, ^{(please verify)} galburnin

Verb

lame (third-person singular simple present lames, present participle laming, simple past and past participle lamed)

1. (transitive) To cause (a person or animal) to become lame.

   Synonyms: cripple, disable

   • [1877], Anna Sewell, “A Job Horse and his Drivers”, in Black Beauty: […], London: Jarrold and Sons, […], →OCLC, part II, pages 134–135:

     And if you don't want to lame your horse, you must look sharp and get them [stones stuck in hooves] out quickly.

   • 1913, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, chapter 6, in Sons and Lovers, London: Duckworth & Co. […], →OCLC:

     Now her soul felt lamed in itself. It was her hope that was struck.

Translations

to cause a person or animal to become lame

• Bulgarian: осакатявам (bg) (osakatjavam)
• Czech: осhromit pf
• Finnish: lamauttaa (fi) (temporarily); rampauttaa (fi) (indefinitely)
• Galician: manquexar
• Italian: azzoppare (it)
• Macedonian: оса́кати (osákati)
• Polish: okulawić
• Portuguese: deixar manco
• Russian: калечить (ru) (kalečitʹ), увечить (ru) (uvečitʹ)
• Spanish: tullir (es)
• Thai: ทำให้พิการ (tam-hâi-pí-gaan), ทำให้ทุพพลภาพ (tam-hâi-túp-pon-lá-pâap) (formal, law)

Noun

lame (plural lames)

1. (prison slang) A stupid or undesirable person.
   • 2011, Lil' Kim, “Black Friday”:

     You lames tryna clone my style and run wit it.

Etymology 2

From Middle French lame, from Latin lāmina. Doublet of lamina.

Noun

A bread lame

lame (plural lames)

1. A thin layer or plate of material, as in certain kinds of armor.

   Synonyms: lamella (sometimes diminutive), lamina (sometimes synonymous)

   • 2013, Paul F Walker, History of Armour 1100-1700, Crowood, →ISBN:

     This rim involved a raised rolled edge on the rerebrace that was inserted into a raised lip on the lower lame of the pauldron. This lip allows the arm to rotate without the need for leather straps and can be clearly seen carved on to the effigy […]

   • 2015, Anne Curry, Malcolm Mercer, The Battle of Agincourt, Yale University Press, →ISBN, page 120:

     These pauldrons are generally asymmetrical with the left pauldron wider than the right, which is cut away for the passage of the lance. It would be attached to the shoulder by points through a restored leather tab on the top lame at the apex […]

2. (in the plural) A set of joined overlapping metal plates.
3. A kitchen tool for scoring bread dough before baking.

Related terms

• lamé
• lamellar (adjective)
• lamellate (adjective)
• lamellation
• lamination

Translations

tool for scoring bread

• Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
• French: lame de boulanger f, grignette (fr)
• Spanish: cuchilla de panadero
• Thai: มีดกรีด(ลาย)ขนมปัง (mîit-grìit-(laai)-kà-nǒm-bpang)

Anagrams

• Elma, mela, mela-, amel, -meal, meal, alme, Lema, male-, Male, male, leam, Leam, Elam, Malé, lema

Esperanto

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlame/
• Rhymes: -ame
• Syllabification: la‧me

Adverb

lame

1. lamely

Further reading

• “lame”, in Plena Ilustrita Vortaro de Esperanto [Complete Illustrated Dictionary of Esperanto], 2020, →ISBN

Estonian

Etymology

From lamama +‎ -e.

Adjective

lame (genitive lameda, partitive lamedat, comparative lamedam, superlative kõige lamedam)

1. flat

Declension

Declension of lame (ÕS type 2/õpik, no gradation)
		singular	plural
nominative		lame	lamedad
accusative	nom.
	gen.	lameda
genitive			lamedate
partitive		lamedat	lamedaid
illative		lamedasse	lamedatesse lamedaisse
inessive		lamedas	lamedates lamedais
elative		lamedast	lamedatest lamedaist
allative		lamedale	lamedatele lamedaile
adessive		lamedal	lamedatel lamedail
ablative		lamedalt	lamedatelt lamedailt
translative		lamedaks	lamedateks lamedaiks
terminative		lamedani	lamedateni
essive		lamedana	lamedatena
abessive		lamedata	lamedateta
comitative		lamedaga	lamedatega

French

Etymology

Inherited from Latin lāmina, through the accusative lāminam. Doublet of lamine, a borrowing.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lam/

• Audio (Quebec, Montreal):

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• Audio (France (Toulouse)):

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• Audio (France (Vosges)):

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• Audio (France (Lyon)):

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• Audio (France (Somain)):

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• Rhymes: -am
• Homophone: lames

Noun

lame f (plural lames)

1. lamina
2. blade
3. wave
4. tarot card

Related terms

• lamé m
• lamellaire
• lamelle
• lamer
• laminer
• lamineur m

Descendants

• → Catalan: llama
• → Italian: lama
• → Persian: لام (lâm, “microscope slide”)

Further reading

• “lame”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Anagrams

• mâle, mêla

Friulian

Etymology

Ultimately from Latin lāmina. Compare Romansh loma, lama, French lame, Italian and Venetan lama.

Noun

lame f (plural lamis)

1. blade

German

Etymology

From the English adjective lame.

Adjective

lame (strong nominative masculine singular lamer, not comparable)

1. (slang) boring; unimpressive
2. (slang) unskilled; useless

   Ich wollte nicht sagen, dass das, was die machen, total lame ist.

   I didn’t want to say that what they are doing is totally lame.

Declension

Positive forms of lame (uncomparable)

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist lame	sie ist lame	es ist lame	sie sind lame
strong declension (without article)	nominative	lamer	lame	lames	lame
	genitive	lamen	lamer	lamen	lamer
	dative	lamem	lamer	lamem	lamen
	accusative	lamen	lame	lames	lame
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der lame	die lame	das lame	die lamen
	genitive	des lamen	der lamen	des lamen	der lamen
	dative	dem lamen	der lamen	dem lamen	den lamen
	accusative	den lamen	die lame	das lame	die lamen
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein lamer	eine lame	ein lames	(keine) lamen
	genitive	eines lamen	einer lamen	eines lamen	(keiner) lamen
	dative	einem lamen	einer lamen	einem lamen	(keinen) lamen
	accusative	einen lamen	eine lame	ein lames	(keine) lamen

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈla.me/
• Rhymes: -ame
• Hyphenation: là‧me

Noun

lame f

1. plural of lama

Anagrams

• alme, male, mela

Makasar

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-South Sulawesi *lame (“tuber, yam”). Cognate with Buginese lamé.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlame/, [ˈla.mɛ̃]
• Syllabification: la‧me

Noun

lame (Lontara spelling ᨒᨆᨙ or 𑻮𑻥𑻵, definite lamea, 3rd person possessive lamenna)

1. (botany) root or tuber planted in the ground to sprout

   Lamenna bunga jeʼneʼ mata buntinga

   The tuberous root of the bride's-tears flower (planted to grow new flowers).

2. tuber; root crop (general term for various edible tubers, including yams, sweet potatoes, cassava, and potatoes)

Derived terms

reduplications

• lame-lame

compounds

• baju longko lame
• lame balanda
• lame bayao
• lame butung
• lame cengkaʼ
• lame jawa
• lame kamummuʼ
• lame kandoraʼ
• lame kayu
• lame lambaʼ
• lame opaʼ
• lame tau

Further reading

• Cense, A. A. (1979), Makassaars-Nederlands woordenboek [Makasar-Dutch dictionary], 's-Gravenhage: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page 364

Mauritian Creole

Etymology

From French la main.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [lame]

Noun

lame

1. hand

References

• Baker, Philip; Hookoomsing, Vinesh Y. (1987), Diksiyoner kreol morisyeṅ [Mauritian Creole Dictionary] (in French and English), Paris: L'Harmattan, →ISBN, page 180
• Carpooran, Arnaud (2011), Diksioner Morisien [Mauritian Dictionary] (in Mauritian Creole), second edition, Éditions Le Printemps, →ISBN, page 581

Middle English

Etymology 1

Noun

lame

1. (Early Scots, North Riding, West Riding) alternative form of lom

Etymology 2

Verb

lame

1. To shine.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Piers Plowman to this entry?)

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

Adjective

lame

1. (non-standard since 2012) definite singular of lam
2. (non-standard since 2012) plural of lam

Etymology 2

Noun

lame m (definite singular lameen, indefinite plural lamear, definite plural lameane)

1. alternative spelling of lamé

Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɑː.me/
• Rhymes: -ɑː.me

Noun

lāme

1. dative singular of lām

Old French

Noun

lame oblique singular, f (oblique plural lames, nominative singular lame, nominative plural lames)

1. blade (of a weapon)

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈlame]

Noun

lame f

1. inflection of lamă:
   1. indefinite plural
   2. indefinite genitive/dative singular

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlame/ [ˈla.me]
• Rhymes: -ame
• Syllabification: la‧me

Verb

lame

1. inflection of lamer:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Swedish

Adjective

lame

1. definite natural masculine singular of lam