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Lõuna (Lõuna)
South, southern, southerly (also: noon, midday, meridian, for the direction of the sun at its highest position, and lunch. Oddly, while German Mittag means midday or lunchtime, Swedish middag means midday or, strangely, dinner). Also süüd among sailors. Known briefly as Auna from 1940-1941. See also Ida. With typical Tallinn aplomb, street pointing due south-east (except for one 36.44 m stretch which does, admittedly, point south). But see Loode, which may explain everything. Or not.
Lükati (Lükati) 
Two refererences to this name in the Tallinn area: 1) this one, to a mill on the Pirita river (see Vesiveski); and 2) a villlage in Anija county some 25-30 km ESE where the name Lükati there seems to indicate a place for the portage of boats either across the river or around the rapids. Since the verb lükkama means ‘to move or keep moving by pushing’, this makes sense (see Väo and Härjapea). In the case of Väo, the transport referred to carrying Russians (probably traders) across the river, but both are anecdotal and probably interchangeable. And this is where it gets interesting! 1) The Lükati mill was recorded under a Jonas van Luckede in 1431; and 2) Väo manor was owned at the turn of the 15th/16th C by a Hinrich Fet (name also written Vethen and Fehte), while the name seems to derive more from *vädu or *vedu, from vedama (to carry). And given the clearly greater age of lükkama through its numerous FU cognates (with even Khanty’s ḷŭkemə meaning, among other things, ‘to push a boat into the water’), this again shows how common it was for personal names to come from activities or occupations. Even the Swedish name/‘translation’(?) of Lükati on Holmberg’s map of 1689 as Lyckat Qvarn (successful or happy mill?) suggests the serendipitous good fortune of having chosen such a financially auspicious place to settle. Lükata (from lükkama) means ‘sliding’, hence lükati also means slide-rule. Lükati also gives its name to the erratic boulder Lükati rähn close to Pirita river at ///village.guitar.cherry. For other erratic-themed locations, see Merekalju.
Lume (Lumi)
Snow. Once known simply as Tänav 2 (No.2 Street, aka 2-я ул) perhaps reflecting an ad hoc administrative naming within a port zone). Also Soviet occupation renaming (1958-1991) of Hundipea.
Lumikellukese (Lumikelluke[ne])
Snowdrop (lit. little snow bell; as in many languages, the diminutive can play itself out to varying degrees. kell=bell, kelluke=little bell, kellukene=tiny little bell), Galanthus spp., To plagiarize a well-known ditty:
Normal words have smaller words tacked on their ends to write 'em,
And smaller words have smallerer words, and so ad infinitum.
One of the first flowers to pop out in spring. One of the Mähe flower-name group, see Maikellukese.







