Leonine, lē′o-nīn, adj. a kind of Latin verse, generally alternate hexameter and pentameter, rhyming at the middle and end. [From Leoninus, a 12th-cent. canon in Paris; or from Pope Leo II.]

Leopard, lep′ard, n. an animal of the cat kind, with a spotted skin, now generally supposed to be identical with the panther:—fem. Leop′ardess: (her.) a lion passant gardant. [O. Fr.,—L.,—Gr. leopardosleōn, lion, pardos, pard.]

Leper, lep′ėr, n. one affected with leprosy.—adjs. Lep′erous (Shak.), Lep′rous. [Fr.,—L.,—Gr. lepralepros, scaly—lepos, a scale—lepein, to peel off.]

Lepid, lep′id, adj. pleasant, jocose. [L. lepidus.]

Lepidodendron, lep-i-do-den′dron, n. a common fossil plant of the Carboniferous strata, the stem covered with ovate leaf-scars arranged spirally. [Gr. lepis, -idos, a scale, dendron, a tree.]

Lepidoptera, lep-i-dop′tėr-a, n.pl. an order of insects, with four wings covered with fine scales—butterfly, moth, &c.—adjs. Lepidop′teral, Lepidop′terous. [Gr. lepis, -idos, a scale, pteron, a wing.]

Lepidosauria, lep-i-do-sawr′i-a, n. a sub-class or sub-order of Reptilia, with scales and plates—the ophidians and lacertilians, not crocodilians and chelonians. [Gr. lepis, a scale, sauros, a lizard.]

Lepidosiren, lep-i-do-sī′ren, n. one of the Amazon mud-fishes or Dipnoi. [Gr. lepis, a scale, Eng. siren.]

Lepidosteus, lep-i-dos′te-us, n. a genus of fishes with rhomboid scales hard like bone. [Gr. lepis, -idos, a scale, osteon, a bone.]

Leporine, lep′o-rīn, adj. pertaining to or resembling the hare. [L. leporinuslepus, lepŏris, the hare.]