adjective
lam·er, lam·est - Disabled so that movement, especially walking, is difficult or impossible: Lame from the accident, he walked with a cane. A lame wing kept the bird from flying.
- Marked by pain or rigidness: a lame back.
- Weak or ineffectual: a lame attempt to apologize.
a. Informal Dull or unsatisfactory: That movie was so lame!
b. Slang Socially inappropriate; foolish.
transitive verb
lamed, lam·ing, lames To cause to become lame; cripple.
Origin of lame
Middle English
from Old English
lama Related Forms:
noun
A thin metal plate, especially one of the overlapping steel plates in medieval armor.
Origin of lame
French
from Old French
from Latin
lāmina thin plate noun
A shiny fabric woven with metallic threads, often of gold or silver.
Origin of lame
French
spangled, laminated, lamé from Old French
lame thin metal plate ; see
lame 2.
Adjective (comparative lamer, superlative lamest)
- Unable to walk properly because of a problem with one's feet or legs.
- Moving with pain or difficulty on account of injury, defect or temporary obstruction of a function.
- a lame leg, arm or muscle
- (by extension) Hobbling; limping; inefficient; imperfect.
- (slang) Unconvincing or unbelievable.
- He had a really lame excuse for missing the birthday party.
- (slang) Failing to be cool, funny, interesting or relevant.
- He kept telling these extremely lame jokes all night.
Usage notes Referring to a person without a disability as “lame” is offensive to many as it suggests a derogatory characterization of the physical condition from which the term was derived.
Verb (third-person singular simple present lames, present participle laming, simple past and past participle lamed)
- to cause a person or animal to become lame
Origin From Old English lama, from the Proto-Germanic *lama-, from Proto-Indo-European *lem- (“to crush; fragile”). Akin to German lahm and Dutch lam, Old Norse lami, Swedish, Danish and Norwegian lam, akin to Old Church Slavonic ломити (lomiti, “to break”).
Noun (plural lames)
- A lamina.
- (in the plural) A set of joined, overlapping metal plates.
Origin From Middle French lame, from Latin lamina.
Verb (third-person singular simple present lames, present participle laming, simple past and past participle lamed)
- (obsolete) To shine.
See also: lamé
