lame

¹

[ leym ]

adjective

, lam·er, lam·est.

1. physically disabled, especially in the foot or leg so as to limp or walk with difficulty:

   a lame racehorse.

2. impaired or disabled through defect or injury:

   a lame arm.

3. weak; inadequate; unsatisfactory; clumsy:

   a lame excuse.

4. Slang: Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive. awkward, dull, stupid, or uninteresting.
5. Slang: Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive. out of touch with modern fads or trends; unsophisticated.

verb (used with object)

, lamed, lam·ing.

1. to make lame or defective.

noun

1. Slang: Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive. a person who is out of touch with modern fads or trends, especially one who is unsophisticated.

lame

²

[ leym; French lam ]

noun

, Armor.

, plural lames [leym, l, a, m].

1. any of a number of thin, overlapping plates composing a piece of plate armor, as a fauld, tasset, or gauntlet.

lamé

³

[ lah-mey, la-; French la-mey ]

noun

1. an ornamental fabric in which metallic threads, as of gold or silver, are woven with silk, wool, rayon, or cotton.

lame

¹

/ leɪm /

noun

1. one of the overlapping metal plates used in armour after about 1330; splint

lame

²

/ leɪm /

adjective

1. disabled or crippled in the legs or feet
2. painful or weak

   a lame back

3. weak; unconvincing

   a lame excuse

4. not effective or enthusiastic

   a lame try

5. slang.
   conventional or uninspiring

verb

1. tr to make lame

lamé

³

/ ˈlɑːmeɪ /

noun

1. 1. a fabric of silk, cotton, or wool interwoven with threads of metal
   2. ( as modifier )

      a gold lamé gown

Sensitive Note

Many speakers do not recognize or consider the connection between the medical and slang senses of lame . Nevertheless, using a term associated with injury or disability as a general insult is sometimes perceived as insensitive to or by people with disabilities.

Derived Forms

• ˈlamely, adverb
• ˈlameness, noun

Other Words From

• lamely adverb
• lameness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of lame¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English (adjective and verb); Old English lama (adjective); cognate with Dutch lam, German lahm, Old Norse lami; akin to Lithuanian lúomas

Origin of lame²

1580–90; < Middle French < Latin lāmina a thin piece or plate

Origin of lame³

1920–25; < French, equivalent to lame lame ² + -é < Latin -ātus -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of lame¹

C16: via Old French from Latin lāmina a thin plate, lamina

Origin of lame²

Old English lama; related to Old Norse lami, German lahm

Origin of lame³

from French, from Old French lame gold or silver thread, thin plate, from Latin lāmina thin plate

Example Sentences

He’s not a free agent, but he’s on the verge of becoming a lame duck.

From Los Angeles Times

“Washington is a lame duck, and Israel is largely free, from now to Jan. 20, of U.S. pressure,” said Firas Maksad, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington.

From Los Angeles Times

That means one more bad season would be his last season, which means he would become a lame duck.

From Los Angeles Times

"The US at this COP is not just a lame duck, it's a dead duck," said Prof Richard Klein of the Stockholm Environment Institute, an expert on climate change policy.

From BBC

But others say those improvements were squandered after Cedillo became a lame duck and later got caught up in the City Hall scandal involving racist comments heard on a secretly captured audio recording.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• feeble
• flimsy
• ineffective
• weak