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

But expectations for what the summit can achieve have been lowered by a Trump victory that makes Biden administration negotiators from one of the world's largest carbon emitters a lame duck in this process and unable to really promise much.

From BBC

"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

While they may sound like a lame competitor to the Power Rangers, the Cyber Ninjas were actually a company hired by Arizona Republicans to conduct a “forensic audit” of the state’s ballots after standard recount practices were deemed to be insufficient, likely because those practices didn’t find any evidence of widespread fraud.

From Salon

Anyone who watched her town hall could see why Trump's lame insults aren't landing as he hopes they will.

From Salon

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