This is the 100th most frequent Catalan word.
l
"L" is the contracted form of "el" (the) in Catalan, used before words starting with a vowel or h.
In this sentence, 'l'' is a contraction of 'el', the definite article for masculine singular nouns, used before a vowel: 'home' starts with a vowel.
L'home va comprar pa.
The man bought bread.
Here, 'l'' is again a contraction of 'la', the definite article for feminine singular nouns, used before a vowel: 'olor' is feminine and starts with a vowel.
Vaig sentir l'olor del mar.
I smelled the scent of the sea.
In this case, 'l'' is a contraction of 'la', the feminine singular definite article, preceding 'hora', which starts with a silent 'h' and is feminine.