[lame] adj lam.er ; lam.est [ME, fr. OE lama; akin to OHG lam lame, Lith limti to break down] (bef. 12c) 1 a: having a body part and esp. a limb so disabled as to impair freedom of movement b: marked by stiffness and soreness "a ~ shoulder"
2: lacking needful or desirable substance: weak, ineffectual "a ~ excuse" 3 slang: not being in the know: square -- lame.ly adv -- lame.ness n
[2]lame vt lamed ; lam.ing (14c) 1: to make lame: cripple
2: to make weak or ineffective: disable [3]lame n (1959) slang: a person who is not in the know: square [4]lame n [MF, fr. L lamina] (1586) 1: a thin plate esp. of metal: lamina
2. pl: small overlapping steel plates joined to slide on one another (as in medieval armor) la.me n [F] (1922): a brocaded clothing fabric made from any of various fibers combined with tinsel filling threads