Loosest

Loosest
Loose Loose (l[=oo]s), a. [Compar. {Looser} (l[=oo]s"[~e]r); superl. {Loosest}.] [OE. loos, lous, laus, Icel. lauss; akin to OD. loos, D. los, AS. le['a]s false, deceitful, G. los, loose, Dan. & Sw. l["o]s, Goth. laus, and E. lose. [root]127. See {Lose}, and cf. {Leasing} falsehood.] 1. Unbound; untied; unsewed; not attached, fastened, fixed, or confined; as, the loose sheets of a book. [1913 Webster]

Her hair, nor loose, nor tied in formal plat. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

2. Free from constraint or obligation; not bound by duty, habit, etc.; -- with from or of. [1913 Webster]

Now I stand Loose of my vow; but who knows Cato's thoughts ? --Addison. [1913 Webster]

3. Not tight or close; as, a loose garment. [1913 Webster]

4. Not dense, close, compact, or crowded; as, a cloth of loose texture. [1913 Webster]

With horse and chariots ranked in loose array. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

5. Not precise or exact; vague; indeterminate; as, a loose style, or way of reasoning. [1913 Webster]

The comparison employed . . . must be considered rather as a loose analogy than as an exact scientific explanation. --Whewel. [1913 Webster]

6. Not strict in matters of morality; not rigid according to some standard of right. [1913 Webster]

The loose morality which he had learned. --Sir W. Scott. [1913 Webster]

7. Unconnected; rambling. [1913 Webster]

Vario spends whole mornings in running over loose and unconnected pages. --I. Watts. [1913 Webster]

8. Lax; not costive; having lax bowels. --Locke. [1913 Webster]

9. Dissolute; unchaste; as, a loose man or woman. [1913 Webster]

Loose ladies in delight. --Spenser. [1913 Webster]

10. Containing or consisting of obscene or unchaste language; as, a loose epistle. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

{At loose ends}, not in order; in confusion; carelessly managed.

{Fast and loose}. See under {Fast}.

{To break loose}. See under {Break}.

{Loose pulley}. (Mach.) See {Fast and loose pulleys}, under {Fast}.

{To let loose}, to free from restraint or confinement; to set at liberty. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • loosest — luːs v. free, let go, release; make loose; untie, unfasten; shoot (arrow, gun, etc.) adj. free; released; untied; disconnected; slack; weak; not tight; unrestrained; wanton; careless; imprecise; not defined adv. in a loose manner …   English contemporary dictionary

  • loosest — superlative of loose …   Useful english dictionary

  • loosest packing —    The three dimensional arrangement of particles with the highest possible void volume per unit cell [16] …   Lexicon of Cave and Karst Terminology

  • Shotgun shell — A 12 gauge shotgun shell in a transparent plastic hull, allowing the contents to be seen. From left to right: gunpowder, over powder wad, shot wad, #8 birdshot, and over shot wad A shotgun shell (shotshell) is a self contained cartridge loaded… …   Wikipedia

  • loose — [lo͞os] adj. looser, loosest [ME lous < ON lauss, akin to Ger los, OE leas: see LESS] 1. not confined or restrained; free; unbound 2. not put up in a special package, box, binding, etc. [loose salt] 3. readily available; not put away under… …   English World dictionary

  • At loose ends — Loose Loose (l[=oo]s), a. [Compar. {Looser} (l[=oo]s [ e]r); superl. {Loosest}.] [OE. loos, lous, laus, Icel. lauss; akin to OD. loos, D. los, AS. le[ a]s false, deceitful, G. los, loose, Dan. & Sw. l[ o]s, Goth. laus, and E. lose. [root]127. See …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Fast and loose — Loose Loose (l[=oo]s), a. [Compar. {Looser} (l[=oo]s [ e]r); superl. {Loosest}.] [OE. loos, lous, laus, Icel. lauss; akin to OD. loos, D. los, AS. le[ a]s false, deceitful, G. los, loose, Dan. & Sw. l[ o]s, Goth. laus, and E. lose. [root]127. See …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Loose — (l[=oo]s), a. [Compar. {Looser} (l[=oo]s [ e]r); superl. {Loosest}.] [OE. loos, lous, laus, Icel. lauss; akin to OD. loos, D. los, AS. le[ a]s false, deceitful, G. los, loose, Dan. & Sw. l[ o]s, Goth. laus, and E. lose. [root]127. See {Lose}, and …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Loose pulley — Loose Loose (l[=oo]s), a. [Compar. {Looser} (l[=oo]s [ e]r); superl. {Loosest}.] [OE. loos, lous, laus, Icel. lauss; akin to OD. loos, D. los, AS. le[ a]s false, deceitful, G. los, loose, Dan. & Sw. l[ o]s, Goth. laus, and E. lose. [root]127. See …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Looser — Loose Loose (l[=oo]s), a. [Compar. {Looser} (l[=oo]s [ e]r); superl. {Loosest}.] [OE. loos, lous, laus, Icel. lauss; akin to OD. loos, D. los, AS. le[ a]s false, deceitful, G. los, loose, Dan. & Sw. l[ o]s, Goth. laus, and E. lose. [root]127. See …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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