Etymology 1

, akin to German and Dutch , Old Norse , Swedish, Danish and Norwegian , akin to Old Church Slavonic .

Adjective

1. unable to walk properly because of a problem with one's feet or legs
2. moving with pain or difficulty on account of injury, defect or temporary obstruction of a function

   a lame leg, arm or muscle

3. hobbling; limping; inefficient; imperfect.
4. unconvincing or unbelievable

   He had a really lame excuse for missing the birthday party.

5. failing to be cool, funny, interesting or relevant

   He kept telling these lame jokes all night.

Usage notes

Referring to a person with a disability as “lame” is offensive to many and, in current usage, rare.

Synonyms

crippled hobbling, limping, inefficient, imperfect unconvincing, unbelievable uncool, unfunny, uninteresting, irrelevant

Antonyms

efficient, perfect convincing, believable cool, funny, interesting, relevant

Verb

1. To cause a person or animal to become lame
   • 1877: Anna Sewell, Black Beauty: And if you don't want to lame your horse you must look sharp and get them [stones stuck in hooves] out quickly.