Chapter 80

Less"en (ls"'n), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Lessened (-'nd); p. pr. & vb. n. Lessening.] [From Less, a.] To make less; to reduce; to make smaller, or fewer; to diminish; to lower; to degrade; as, to lessen a kingdom, or a population; to lessen speed, rank, fortune.

Charity . . . shall lessen his punishment.

Calamy.

St. Paul chose to magnify his office when ill men conspired to lessen it.

Atterbury.

Syn. -- To diminish; reduce; abate; decrease; lower; impair; weaken; degrade.

Less"en, v. i. To become less; to shrink; to contract; to decrease; to be diminished; as, the apparent magnitude of objects lessens as we recede from them; his care, or his wealth, lessened.

The objection lessens much, and comes to no more than this: there was one witness of no good reputation.

Atterbury.

Less"en*er (-r), n. One who, or that which, lessens.

His wife . . . is the lessener of his pain, and the augmenter of his pleasure.

J. Rogers (1839).

Less"er (-r), a. [This word is formed by adding anew the compar. suffix -er (in which r is from an original s) to less. See Less, a.] Less; smaller; inferior.

God made . . . the lesser light to rule the night.

Gen. i. 15.

Lesser is used for less, now the compar. of little, in certain special instances in which its employment has become established by custom; as, Lesser Asia (i. e., Asia Minor), the lesser light, and some others; also in poetry, for the sake of the meter, and in prose where its use renders the passage more euphonious.

The more my prayer, the lesser is my grace.

Shak.

The larger here, and there the lesser lambs.

Pope.

By the same reason may a man, in the state of nature, punish the lesser breaches of the law.

Locke.

Less"er, adv. Less. [Obs.] Shak.

Les"ses (ls"sz), n. pl. [F. laissées, from laisser to leave. See Lease, v. t.] The leavings or dung of beasts.

Les"son (ls"s'n), n. [OE. lessoun, F. leçon lesson, reading, fr. L. lectio a reading, fr. legere to read, collect. See Legend, and cf. Lection.] 1. Anything read or recited to a teacher by a pupil or learner; something, as a portion of a book, assigned to a pupil to be studied or learned at one time.

2. That which is learned or taught by an express effort; instruction derived from precept, experience, observation, or deduction; a precept; a doctrine; as, to take or give a lesson in drawing." A smooth and pleasing lesson." Milton.

Emprinteth well this lesson in your mind.

Chaucer.

3. A portion of Scripture read in divine service for instruction; as, here endeth the first lesson.

4. A severe lecture; reproof; rebuke; warning.

She would give her a lesson for walking so late.

Sir. P. Sidney.

5. (Mus.) An exercise; a composition serving an educational purpose; a study.

Les"son, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Lessoned (-s'nd); p. pr. & vb. n. Lessoning.] To teach; to instruct. Shak.

To rest the weary, and to soothe the sad, Doth lesson happier men, and shame at least the bad.

Byron.

Les"sor (ls"sr or ls*sôr"), n. [See Lessee, Lease, v. t.] (Law) One who leases; the person who lets to farm, or gives a lease. Blackstone.

Lest (lst), v. i. To listen. [Obs.] Chaucer. Spenser.

Lest, n. [See List to choose.] Lust; desire; pleasure. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Lest, a. Last; least. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Lest, conj. [OE. leste, fr. AS. ð ls ð the less that, where ð is the instrumental case of the definite article, and ð is an indeclinable relative particle, that, who, which. See The, Less, a.] 1. For fear that; that . . . not; in order that . . . not.

Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty.

Prov. xx. 13.

Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

1 Cor. x. 12.

2. That (without the negative particle); -- after certain expressions denoting fear or apprehension.

I feared Lest I might anger thee.

Shak.

-let (-lt). [From two French dim. endings - el (L. -ellus) and -et, as in bracelet.] A noun suffix having a diminutive force; as in streamlet, wavelet, armlet.

Let (lt), v. t. [OE. letten, AS. lettan to delay, to hinder, fr. læt slow; akin to D. letten to hinder, G. verletzen to hurt, Icel. letja to hold back, Goth. latjan. See Late.] To retard; to hinder; to impede; to oppose. [Archaic]

He was so strong that no man might him let.

Chaucer.

He who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

2. Thess. ii. 7.

Mine ancient wound is hardly whole, And lets me from the saddle.

Tennyson.

Let, n. 1. A retarding; hindrance; obstacle; impediment; delay; -- common in the phrase without let or hindrance, but elsewhere archaic. Keats.

Consider whether your doings be to the let of your salvation or not.

Latimer.

2. (Lawn Tennis) A stroke in which a ball touches the top of the net in passing over.

Let, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Let (Letted (lt"td), [Obs].); p. pr. & vb. n. Letting.] [OE. leten, læten (past tense lat, let, p. p. laten, leten, lete), AS. ltan (past tense lt, p. p. lten); akin to OFries. lta, OS. ltan, D. laten, G. lassen, OHG. lzzan, Icel. lta, Sw. låta, Dan. lade, Goth. ltan, and L. lassus weary. The original meaning seems to have been, to let loose, let go, let drop. Cf. Alas, Late, Lassitude, Let to hinder.] 1. To leave; to relinquish; to abandon. [Obs. or Archaic, except when followed by alone or be.]

He . . . prayed him his voyage for to let.

Chaucer.

Yet neither spins nor cards, ne cares nor frets, But to her mother Nature all her care she lets.

Spenser.

Let me alone in choosing of my wife.

Chaucer.

2. To consider; to think; to esteem. [Obs.] Chaucer.

3. To cause; to make; -- used with the infinitive in the active form but in the passive sense; as, let make, i. e., cause to be made; let bring, i. e., cause to be brought. [Obs.]

This irous, cursed wretch Let this knight's son anon before him fetch.

Chaucer.

He . . . thus let do slay hem all three.

Chaucer.

Anon he let two coffers make.

Gower.

4. To permit; to allow; to suffer; -- either affirmatively, by positive act, or negatively, by neglecting to restrain or prevent.

In this sense, when followed by an infinitive, the latter is commonly without the sign to; as to let us walk, i. e., to permit or suffer us to walk. Sometimes there is entire omission of the verb; as, to let [to be or to go] loose.

Pharaoh said, I will let you go.

Ex. viii. 28.

If your name be Horatio, as I am let to know it is.

Shak.

5. To allow to be used or occupied for a compensation; to lease; to rent; to hire out; -- often with out; as, to let a farm; to let a house; to let out horses.

6. To give, grant, or assign, as a work, privilege, or contract; -- often with out; as, to let the building of a bridge; to let out the lathing and the plastering.

The active form of the infinitive of let, as of many other English verbs, is often used in a passive sense; as, a house to let (i. e., for letting, or to be let). This form of expression conforms to the use of the Anglo-Saxon gerund with to (dative infinitive) which was commonly so employed. See Gerund, 2. " Your elegant house in Harley Street is to let." Thackeray. In the imperative mood, before the first person plural, let has a hortative force. " Rise up, let us go." Mark xiv. 42. " Let us seek out some desolate shade." Shak.

To let alone, to leave; to withdraw from; to refrain from interfering with. -- To let blood, to cause blood to flow; to bleed. -- To let down. (a) To lower. (b) To soften in tempering; as, to let down tools, cutlery, and the like. -- To let drive or fly, to discharge with violence, as a blow, an arrow, or stone. See under Drive, and Fly. -- To let in or into. (a) To permit or suffer to enter; to admit. (b) To insert, or imbed, as a piece of wood, in a recess formed in a surface for the purpose. To let loose, to remove restraint from; to permit to wander at large. -- To let off. (a) To discharge; to let fly, as an arrow; to fire the charge of, as a gun. (b) To release, as from an engagement or obligation. [Colloq.] -- To let out. (a) To allow to go forth; as, to let out a prisoner. (b) To extend or loosen, as the folds of a garment; to enlarge; to suffer to run out, as a cord. (c) To lease; to give out for performance by contract, as a job. (d) To divulge. -- To let slide, to let go; to cease to care for. [Colloq.] " Let the world slide." Shak.

Let, v. i. 1. To forbear. [Obs.] Bacon.

2. To be let or leased; as, the farm lets for $500 a year. See note under Let, v. t.

To let on, to tell; to tattle; to divulge something. [Low] -- To let up, to become less severe; to diminish; to cease; as, when the storm lets up. [Colloq.]

Let"-a*lone" (lt"*ln"), a. Letting alone.

The let-alone principle, doctrine, or policy. (Polit. Econ.) See Laissez faire.

Letch (lch), v. & n. See Leach.

Letch, n. [See Lech, Lecher.] Strong desire; passion. (Archaic).

Some people have a letch for unmasking impostors, or for avenging the wrongs of others.

De Quincey.

Letch"y (-), a. See Leachy.

Lete (lt), v. t. To let; to leave. [Obs.]

Let"en (lt"en), obs. p. p. of Lete. Chaucer.

Leth"al (lth"l), n. [Lauric + ether + alcohol.] (Chem.) One of the higher alcohols of the paraffine series obtained from spermaceti as a white crystalline solid. It is so called because it occurs in the ethereal salt of lauric acid.

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Le"thal (l"thal), a. [L. lethalis, letalis, fr. lethum, letum, death: cf. F. léthal.] Deadly; mortal; fatal. "The lethal blow." W. Richardson. -- Le"thal*ly, adv.

Le*thal"i*ty (l*thl"*t), n. [Cf. F. léthalité.] The quality of being lethal; mortality.

{ Le*thar"gic (l*thär"jk), Le*thar"gic*al (-j*kal), } a. [L. lethargicus, Gr. lhqargiko`s: cf. F. léthargique. See Lethargy.] Pertaining to, affected with, or resembling, lethargy; morbidly drowsy; dull; heavy. -- Le*thar"gic*al*ly, adv. -- Le*thar"gic*al*ness, n. -- Le*thar"gic*ness, n.

Leth"ar*gize (lth"r*jz), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Lethargized (- jzd); p. pr. & vb. n. Lethargizing (- j`zng).] To make lethargic.

All bitters are poison, and act by stilling, and depressing, and lethargizing the irritability.

Coleridge.

Leth"ar*gy (-j), n.; pl. -gies (-jz). [F. léthargie, L. lethargia, Gr. lhqargi`a, fr. lh`qargos forgetful, fr. lh`qh forgetfulness. See Lethe.] 1. Morbid drowsiness; continued or profound sleep, from which a person can scarcely be awaked.

2. A state of inaction or indifference.

Europe lay then under a deep lethargy.

Atterbury.

Leth"ar*gy, v. t. To lethargize. [Obs.] Shak.

Le"the (l"th or lth), n. [See Lethal.] Death.[Obs.] Shak.

Le"the (l"th), n. [L., fr. Gr. lh`qh, prop., forgetfulness; akin to lanqa`nesqai to forget, lanqa`nein to escape notice.] 1. (Class. Myth.) A river of Hades whose waters when drunk caused forgetfulness of the past.

2. Oblivion; a draught of oblivion; forgetfulness.

Le*the"an (l*th"an), a. [L. Lethaeus, Gr. lh`qaios or lhqai^os.] Of or pertaining to Lethe; resembling in effect the water of Lethe. Milton. Barrow.

Le"theed (l"thd), a. Caused by Lethe. " Letheed dullness." [Obs.] Shak.

Le"the*on (l"th*n), n. [NL., fr. Gr. lh`qh.] (Med.) Sulphuric ether used as an anæsthetic agent. [R.]

Le"the*on*ize (-z), v. t. To subject to the influence of letheon. [R. or Obs.]

Le*thif"er*ous (l*thf"r*s), a. [L. lethifer, letifer, fr. lethum, letum, death + ferre to bear, to bring: cf. F. léthifère.] Deadly; bringing death or destruction.

Le"thy (l"th), a. Lethean. [Obs.] Marston.

Let"-off` (lt"f`; 115), n. (Mach.) A device for letting off, releasing, or giving forth, as the warp from the cylinder of a loom.

Let"te (lt"te), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Letted.] To let; to hinder. See Let, to hinder. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Let"ter (lt"tr), n. [From Let to permit.] One who lets or permits; one who lets anything for hire.

Let"ter, n. [From Let to hinder.] One who retards or hinders. [Archaic.]

Let"ter, n. [OE. lettre, F. lettre, OF. letre, fr. L. littera, litera, a letter; pl., an epistle, a writing, literature, fr. linere, litum, to besmear, to spread or rub over; because one of the earliest modes of writing was by graving the characters upon tablets smeared over or covered with wax. Pliny, xiii. 11. See Liniment, and cf. Literal.] 1. A mark or character used as the representative of a sound, or of an articulation of the human organs of speech; a first element of written language.

And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew.

Luke xxiii. 38.

2. A written or printed communication; a message expressed in intelligible characters on something adapted to conveyance, as paper, parchment, etc.; an epistle.

The style of letters ought to be free, easy, and natural.

Walsh.

3. A writing; an inscription. [Obs.]

None could expound what this letter meant.

Chaucer.

4. Verbal expression; literal statement or meaning; exact signification or requirement.

We must observe the letter of the law, without doing violence to the reason of the law and the intention of the lawgiver.

Jer. Taylor.

I broke the letter of it to keep the sense.

Tennyson.

5. (Print.) A single type; type, collectively; a style of type.

Under these buildings . . . was the king's printing house, and that famous letter so much esteemed.

Evelyn.

6. pl. Learning; erudition; as, a man of letters.

7. pl. A letter; an epistle. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Dead letter, Drop letter, etc. See under Dead, Drop, etc. -- Letter book, a book in which copies of letters are kept. -- Letter box, a box for the reception of letters to be mailed or delivered. -- Letter carrier, a person who carries letters; a postman; specif., an officer of the post office who carries letters to the persons to whom they are addressed, and collects letters to be mailed. -- Letter cutter, one who engraves letters or letter punches. -- Letter lock, a lock that can not be opened when fastened, unless certain movable lettered rings or disks forming a part of it are in such a position (indicated by a particular combination of the letters) as to permit the bolt to be withdrawn.

A strange lock that opens with AMEN.

Beau. & Fl.

-- Letter paper, paper for writing letters on; especially, a size of paper intermediate between note paper and foolscap. See Paper. -- Letter punch, a steel punch with a letter engraved on the end, used in making the matrices for type. -- Letters of administration (Law), the instrument by which an administrator or administratrix is authorized to administer the goods and estate of a deceased person. -- Letter of attorney, Letter of credit, etc. See under Attorney, Credit, etc. -- Letter of license, a paper by which creditors extend a debtor's time for paying his debts. -- Letters close or clause (Eng. Law.), letters or writs directed to particular persons for particular purposes, and hence closed or sealed on the outside; -- distinguished from letters patent. Burrill. -- Letters of orders (Eccl.), a document duly signed and sealed, by which a bishop makes it known that he has regularly ordained a certain person as priest, deacon, etc. -- Letters patent, overt, or open (Eng. Law), a writing executed and sealed, by which power and authority are granted to a person to do some act, or enjoy some right; as, letters patent under the seal of England. -- Letter-sheet envelope, a stamped sheet of letter paper issued by the government, prepared to be folded and sealed for transmission by mail without an envelope. -- Letters testamentary (Law), an instrument granted by the proper officer to an executor after probate of a will, authorizing him to act as executor. -- Letter writer. (a) One who writes letters. (b) A machine for copying letters. (c) A book giving directions and forms for the writing of letters.

Let"ter (lt"tr), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Lettered (-trd); p. pr. & vb. n. Lettering.] To impress with letters; to mark with letters or words; as, a book gilt and lettered.

Let"tered (lt"trd), a. 1. Literate; educated; versed in literature. " Are you not lettered?" Shak.

The unlettered barbarians willingly accepted the aid of the lettered clergy, still chiefly of Roman birth, to reduce to writing the institutes of their forefathers.

Milman.

2. Of or pertaining to learning or literature; learned. " A lettered education." Collier.

3. Inscribed or stamped with letters. Addison.

Let"ter*er (lt"tr*r), n. One who makes, inscribes, or engraves, alphabetical letters.

Let"ter*ing, n. 1. The act or business of making, or marking with, letters, as by cutting or painting.

2. The letters made; as, the lettering of a sign.

Let"ter*less (lt"tr*ls), a. 1. Not having a letter.

2. Illiterate. [Obs.] E. Waterhouse.

Let"tern (lt"trn), n. See Lecturn.

Let"ter*press` (-tr*prs`), n. Print; letters and words impressed on paper or other material by types; -- often used of the reading matter in distinction from the illustrations.

Letterpress printing, printing directly from type, in distinction from printing from plates.

Let"ter*ure (-r), n. Letters; literature. [Obs.] "To teach him letterure and courtesy." Chaucer.

Let"ter*wood` (-wd`), n. (Bot.) The beautiful and highly elastic wood of a tree of the genus Brosimum (B. Aubletii), found in Guiana; -- so called from black spots in it which bear some resemblance to hieroglyphics; also called snakewood, and leopardwood. It is much used for bows and for walking sticks.

Let"tic (lt"tk), a. (a) Of or pertaining to the Letts; Lettish. (b) Of or pertaining to a branch of the Slavic family, subdivided into Lettish, Lithuanian, and Old Prussian. -- n. (a) The language of the Letts; Lettish. (b) The language of the Lettic race, including Lettish, Lithuanian, and Old Prussian.

Let"tish (lt"tsh), a. Of or pertaining to the Letts. -- n. The language spoken by the Letts. See Lettic.

Let"trure (-trr), n. See Letterure. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Letts (lts), n. pl.; sing. Lett (lt). (Ethnol.) An Indo-European people, allied to the Lithuanians and Old Prussians, and inhabiting a part of the Baltic provinces of Russia.

Let"tuce (lt"ts), n. [OE. letuce, prob. through Old French from some Late Latin derivative of L. lactuca lettuce, which, according to Varro, is fr. lac, lactis, milk, on account of the milky white juice which flows from it when it is cut: cf. F. laitue. Cf. Lacteal, Lactucic.] (Bot.) A composite plant of the genus Lactuca (L. sativa), the leaves of which are used as salad. Plants of this genus yield a milky juice, from which lactucarium is obtained. The commonest wild lettuce of the United States is L. Canadensis.

Hare's lettuce, Lamb's lettuce. See under Hare, and Lamb. - - Lettuce opium. See Lactucarium. - - Sea lettuce, certain papery green seaweeds of the genus Ulva.

Let"u*a*ry (lt"**r), n. Electuary. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Let"-up` (lt"p`), n. [See Let to forbear.] Abatement; also, cessation; as, it blew a gale for three days without any let-up. [Colloq.]

Leuc- (lk-). Same as Leuco-.

||Leu`ca*den"dron (l`k*dn"drn), n. [NL., fr. Gr. leyko`s white + ||de`ndron tree.] (Bot.) A genus of evergreen shrubs from the Cape of ||Good Hope, having handsome foliage. Leucadendron argenteum is the ||silverboom of the colonists. || Leu*can"i*line (l*kn"*ln or -ln), n. [Leuc- + aniline.] (Chem.) A colorless, crystalline, organic base, obtained from rosaniline by reduction, and also from other sources. It forms colorless salts.

||Leu*chæ"mi*a (l*k"m*), n. [NL., fr. Gr. leyko`s white + a"i^ma ||blood.] (Med.) See Leucocythæmia. -- Leu*chæm"ic (l*km"k), a. ||[Written also leukæmia, leukæmic.] || { Leu"cic (l"sk), Leu*cin"ic (l*sn"k), } a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, or designating, an acid obtained from leucin, and called also oxycaproic acid.

Leu"cin (l"sn), n. [Gr. leyko`s white.] (Physiol. Chem.) A white, crystalline, nitrogenous substance formed in the decomposition of albuminous matter by pancreatic digestion, by the action of boiling dilute sulphuric acid, and by putrefaction. It is also found as a constituent of various tissues and organs, as the spleen, pancreas, etc., and likewise in the vegetable kingdom. Chemically it is to be considered as amido-caproic acid.

Leu"cite (l"st), n. [Gr. leyko`s white: cf. F. leucite.]

1. (Min.) A mineral having a glassy fracture, occurring in translucent trapezohedral crystals. It is a silicate of alumina and potash. It is found in the volcanic rocks of Italy, especially at Vesuvius.

2. (Bot.) A leucoplast.

Leu*cit"ic (l*st"k), a. (Min.) Containing leucite; as, leucitic rocks.

Leu"ci*toid (l"s*toid), n. [Leucite + -oid.] (Crystallog.) The trapezohedron or tetragonal trisoctahedron; -- so called as being the form of the mineral leucite.

{ Leu"co- (l"k-), Leuc- (lk- ). } [Gr. leyko`s white.] A combining form signifying white, colorless; specif. (Chem.), denoting an extensive series of colorless organic compounds, obtained by reduction from certain other colored compounds; as, leucaniline, leucaurin, etc.

Leu"co*cyte (l"k*st), n. [Leuco- + Gr. ky`tos a hollow vessel.] (Physiol.) A colorless corpuscle, as one of the white blood corpuscles, or those found in lymph, marrow of bone, connective tissue, etc.

They all consist of more or less spherical masses of protoplasm, without any surrounding membrane or wall, and are capable of motion.

{ ||Leu`co*cy*thæ"mi*a ||Leu`co*cy*the"mi*a } (l`k*s*th"m*), n. [NL., fr. Gr. leyko`s white + ky`tos a hollow vessel + a"i^ma blood.] (Med.) A disease in which the white corpuscles of the blood are largely increased in number, and there is enlargement of the spleen, or the lymphatic glands; leuchæmia.

Leu`co*cy`to*gen"e*sis (- s`t*jn"*ss), n. [Leucocyte + genesis.] (Physiol.) The formation of leucocytes.

Leu`co*e`thi*op"ic (- `th*p"k), a. [Leuco- + Ethiopic.] White and black; -- said of a white animal of a black species, or the albino of the negro race.

Leu`co*e"thi*ops (-"th*ps), n. [Leuco- + Aethiops.] An albino. [Also written leucœthiops.]

Leu"co*line (l"k*ln or -ln), n. [Leuc- + L. oleum oil.] (Chem.) A nitrogenous organic base from coal tar, and identical with quinoline. Cf. Quinoline.

||Leu*co"ma (l*k"m), n. [NL., fr. Gr. ley`kwma, fr. leyko`s white.] ||(Med.) A white opacity in the cornea of the eye; -- called also ||albugo. || Leu*co"ma*ine (l*k"m*n or - n), n. [Leuco- + -maine, as in ptomaine.] (Physiol. Chem.) An animal base or alkaloid, appearing in the tissue during life; hence, a vital alkaloid, as distinguished from a ptomaine or cadaveric poison.

Leu*con"ic (-kn"k), a. [Leuc- + croconic.] (Chem.) Pertaining to, or designating, a complex organic acid, obtained as a yellowish white gum by the oxidation of croconic acid.

Leu*cop"a*thy (l*kp"*th), n. [Leuco- + Gr. pa`schein, paqei^n to suffer.] The state of an albino, or of a white child of black parents.

Leu"co*phane (l"k*fn), n. [Gr. leykofanh`s appearing bright or white; leyko`s white + fai`nein to show: cf. G. leukophan.] (Min.) A mineral of a greenish yellow color; it is a silicate of glucina, lime, and soda with fluorine. Called also leucophanite.

Leu`co*phleg"ma*cy (l`k*flg"m*s), n. [Gr. leykoflegmati`a; leyko`s white + fle`gma phlegm: cf. F. leucophlegmasie.] (Med.) A dropsical habit of body, or the commencement of anasarca; paleness, with viscid juices and cold sweats.

Leu`co*phleg*mat"ic (-flg*mt"k), a. [Cf. F. leucophlegmatique, Gr. leykofle`gmatos.] Having a dropsical habit of body, with a white bloated skin.

Leu"co*phyll (l"k*fl), n. [Leuco- + Gr. fy`llon a leaf.] (Chem.) A colorless substance isomeric with chlorophyll, contained in parts of plants capable of becoming green. Watts.

Leu*coph"yl*lous (l*kf"l*ls or l`k*fl"ls), a. [Gr. leyko`fyllos; leyko`s white + fy`llon a leaf.] (Bot.) Having white or silvery foliage.

{ Leu"co*plast (l"k*plst), Leu`co*plas"tid (-pls"td), } n. [Leuco- + Gr. pla`ssein to mold.] (Bot.) One of certain very minute whitish or colorless granules occurring in the protoplasm of plants and supposed to be the nuclei around which starch granules will form.