lid
pronunciation
How to pronounce lid in British English:
UK [lɪd]
How to pronounce lid in American English:
US [lɪd]
-
- Noun:
- either of two folds of skin that can be moved to cover or open the eye
- a movable top or cover (hinged or separate) for closing the opening of a container
- headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
Word Origin
- lid
- lid: [OE] The prehistoric Germanic ancestor of lid was *khlitham, which also produced Dutch lid and the -lid of German augenlid ‘eyelid’. It comes ultimately from the Indo-European base *kli- ‘cover, shut’.
- lid (n.)
- mid-13c., from Old English hlid "lid, cover, opening, gate," from Proto-Germanic *khlithan (cognates: Old Norse hlið "gate, gap," Swedish lid "gate," Old French hlid, Middle Dutch lit, Dutch lid, Old High German hlit "lid, cover"), from PIE root *klei- "to lean" (see lean (v.)), with here perhaps the sense of "that which bends over." Meaning "eyelid" is from early 13c. Slang sense of "hat, cap" is attested from 1896. Slang phrase put a lid on "clamp down on, silence, end" is from 1906.
Example
- 1. I turned and lifted the lid of a garbage can .
- 2. Put the lid on firmly , and blend until smooth .
- 3. It argues this makes markets work smoothly , but most outsiders think the aim is to put a lid on government-bond yields .
- 4. But when she put the lid on she thought she heard something crying
- 5. Tighten the lid securely so that liquid and vapors will be contained .