lame - dictionary definitions

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Lame \Lame\ (l[=a]m), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Lamed (l[=a]md); p.
     pr. & vb. n. Laming.]
     To make lame.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           If you happen to let child fall and lame it. --Swift.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Lame \Lame\ (l[=a]m), a. [Compar. Lamer (l[=a]m"[~e]r);
     superl. Lamest.] [OE. lame, AS. lama; akin to D. lam, G.
     lahm, OHG., Dan., & Sw. lam, Icel. lami, Russ. lomate to
     break, lomota rheumatism.]
     1.
        (a) Moving with pain or difficulty on account of injury,
            defect, or temporary obstruction of a function; as, a
            lame leg, arm, or muscle.
        (b) To some degree disabled by reason of the imperfect
            action of a limb; crippled; as, a lame man. "Lame of
            one leg." --Arbuthnot. "Lame in both his feet." --2
            Sam. ix. 13. "He fell, and became lame." --2 Sam. iv.
            4.
            [1913 Webster]
  
     2. Hence, hobbling; limping; inefficient; imperfect; as, a
        lame answer. "A lame endeavor." --Barrow.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              O, most lame and impotent conclusion! --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Lame duck
        (a) (Stock Exchange), a person who can not fulfill his
            contracts. [Cant]
        (b) An elected politician who is completing a term after
            having been defeated at an election; also, an office
            holder who cannot or chooses not to run again for the
            same office; -- So called from the presumed lack of
            political power of one who is soon to be out of
            office.
        (b) Any office holder who is serving out a term after a
            replacement has been selected.
            [1913 Webster +PJC]

From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:

  lame
      adj 1: pathetically lacking in force or effectiveness; "a feeble
             excuse"; "a lame argument" [syn: feeble, lame]
      2: disabled in the feet or legs; "a crippled soldier"; "a game
         leg" [syn: crippled, halt, halting, lame, gimpy,
         game]
      n 1: someone who doesn't understand what is going on [syn:
           square, lame]
      2: a fabric interwoven with threads of metal; "she wore a gold
         lame dress"
      v 1: deprive of the use of a limb, especially a leg; "The
           accident has crippled her for life" [syn: cripple,
           lame]

dictionary definitions for "lame"