Lacerate Lac"er·ate transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Lacerated ; present participle & verbal noun Lacerating (...> ).] [ Latin laceratus , past participle of lacerare to lacerate, from lacer mangled, lacerated; confer Greek ... a rent, rending, ... to tear; perhaps akin to English slay .] To tear; to rend; to separate by tearing; to mangle; as, to lacerate the flesh. Hence: To afflict; to torture; as, to lacerate the heart.

Lacerate, Lacerated Lac"er·ate, Lac"er·a`ted p. adjective [ Latin laceratus , past participle ] 1. Rent; torn; mangled; as, a lacerated wound.

By each other's fury lacerate

Southey.

2. (Bot. & Zoology) Jagged, or slashed irregularly, at the end, or along the edge.

Laceration Lac`er·a"tion noun [ Latin laceratio : confer French lacération .] 1. The act of lacerating.

2. A breach or wound made by lacerating. Arbuthnot.

Lacerative Lac"er·a·tive adjective Lacerating, or having the power to lacerate; as, lacerative humors. Harvey.

Lacert La"cert noun [ Middle English lacerte . See Lacertus .] A muscle of the human body. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Lacerta La·cer"ta noun [ Latin lacertus the arm.] A fathom. [ Obsolete] Domesday Book.

Lacerta La·cer"ta noun [ Latin a lizard. See Lizard .] 1. (Zoology) A genus of lizards. See Lizard .

» Formerly it included nearly all the known lizards. It is now restricted to certain diurnal Old World species, like the green lizard ( Lacerta viridis ) and the sand lizard ( Latin agilis ), of Europe.

2. (Astron.) The Lizard, a northern constellation.

Lacertian La·cer"tian adjective [ Confer French lacertien .] (Zoology) Like a lizard; of or pertaining to the Lacertilia. -- noun One of the Lacertilia.

Lacertilia Lac`er·til"i·a noun plural [ New Latin , from Latin lacertus a lizard.] (Zoology) An order of Reptilia, which includes the lizards.

» They are closely related to the snakes, and like the latter, usually have the body covered with scales or granules. They usually have eyelids, and most of then have well-formed legs; but in some groups (amphisbæna, glass-snake, etc.) the legs are wanting and the body is serpentlike. None are venomous, unless Heloderma be an exception. The order includes the chameleons, the Cionocrania , or typical lizards, and the amphisbænas. See Amphisbæna , Gecko , Gila monster , and Lizard .

Lacertilian Lac`er·til"i·an (-an) adjective & noun Same as Lacertian .

Lacertiloid La·cer"ti·loid adjective [ Lacertilia + -oid .] (Zoology) Like or belonging to the Lacertilia.

Lacertine La·cer"tine adjective (Zoology) Lacertian.

Lacertus La·cer"tus (lȧ*sẽr"tŭs) noun ; plural Lacerti (- tī). [ Latin , the upper arm.] (Anat.) A bundle or fascicle of muscular fibers.

Lacewing Lace"wing` (lās"wĭng`) noun (Zoology) Any one of several species of neuropterous insects of the genus Chrysopa and allied genera. They have delicate, lacelike wings and brilliant eyes. Their larvæ are useful in destroying aphids. Called also lace-winged fly , and goldeneyed fly .

Laches, Lache Lach"es, Lache noun [ Old French lachesse , from lache lax, indolent, French lâche , ultimately from Latin laxus loose, lax. See Lax .] (Law) Neglect; negligence; remissness; neglect to do a thing at the proper time; delay to assert a claim.

It ill became him to take advantage of such a laches with the eagerness of a shrewd attorney.

Macaulay.

Lachrymable Lach"ry·ma·ble adjective [ Latin lacrimabilis , from lacrima a tear.] Lamentable. Martin Parker.

Lachrymal Lach"ry·mal adjective [ Confer French lacrymal . See Lachrymose .] 1. Of or pertaining to tears; as, lachrymal effusions.

2. (Anat.) (a) Pertaining to, or secreting, tears; as, the lachrymal gland. (b) Pertaining to the lachrymal organs; as, lachrymal bone; lachrymal duct.

Lachrymal, Lacrymal Lach"ry·mal, Lac"ry·mal noun See Lachrymatory .

Lachrymals Lach"ry·mals noun plural [ See Lachrymal .] Tears; also, lachrymal feelings or organs. [ Colloq.]

People go to the theaters to have . . . their risibles and lachrymals set agoing.

The Lutheran.

Lachrymary Lach"ry·ma·ry adjective Containing, or intended to contain, tears; lachrymal. Addison.

Lachrymate Lach"ry·mate (-māt) intransitive verb To weep. [ R.] Blount.

Lachrymation Lach`ry·ma"tion noun [ Latin lacrimatio , from lacrimare to shed tears, from lacrima tear.] The act of shedding tears; weeping.

Lachrymatory Lach"ry·ma·to·ry noun ; plural - ries . [ Confer French lacrymatoire .] (Antiq.) A "tear-bottle;" a narrow-necked vessel found in sepulchers of the ancient Romans; -- so called from a former notion that the tears of the deceased person's friends were collected in it. Called also lachrymal or lacrymal .

Lachrymiform Lach"ry·mi·form adjective , [ Latin lacrima tear + -form ; confer French lacrymiforme .] Having the form of a tear; tear-shaped.

Lachrymose Lach"ry·mose` adjective [ Latin lacrymosus , better lacrimosus , from lacrima , lacruma (also badly spelt lachryma ) a tear, for older dacrima , akin to English tear . See Tear the secretion.] Generating or shedding tears; given to shedding tears; suffused with tears; tearful.

You should have seen his lachrymose visnomy.

Lamb.

-- Lach"ry*mose`ly , adverb

Lachrymæ Christi Lach"ry·mæ Chris"ti [ Latin , lit., Christ's tears.] A rich, sweet, red Neapolitan wine.

Lacing La"cing noun 1. The act of securing, fastening, or tightening, with a lace or laces.

2. A lace; specifically (Machinery) , a thong of thin leather for uniting the ends of belts.

3. A rope or line passing through eyelet holes in the edge of a sail or an awning to attach it to a yard, gaff, etc.

4. (Bridge Building) A system of bracing bars, not crossing each other in the middle, connecting the channel bars of a compound strut. Waddell.

Lacinia La·cin"i·a noun ; plural Latin Laciniæ . [ Latin , the lappet or flap of a garment.] 1. (Botany) (a) One of the narrow, jagged, irregular pieces or divisions which form a sort of fringe on the borders of the petals of some flowers. (b) A narrow, slender portion of the edge of a monophyllous calyx, or of any irregularly incised leaf.

2. (Zoology) The posterior, inner process of the stipes on the maxillæ of insects.

Laciniate, Laciniated La·cin"i·ate, La·cin"i·a"ted adjective [ See Lacinia .] 1. Fringed; having a fringed border.

2. (Bot. & Zoology) Cut into deep, narrow, irregular lobes; slashed.

Laciniolate La·cin"i·o·late adjective [ See Lacinia .] (Botany) Consisting of, or abounding in, very minute laciniæ.

Lacinula La·cin"u·la noun ; plural Lacinulæ , English Lacinulas . [ New Latin ] (Botany) A diminutive lacinia.

Lack Lack noun [ Middle English lak ; confer Dutch lak slander, laken to blame, Old High German lahan , Anglo-Saxon leán .] 1. Blame; cause of blame; fault; crime; offense. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

2. Deficiency; want; need; destitution; failure; as, a lack of sufficient food.

She swooneth now and now for lakke of blood.

Chaucer.

Let his lack of years be no impediment.

Shak.

Lack Lack transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Lacked ; present participle & verbal noun Lacking .] 1. To blame; to find fault with. [ Obsolete]

Love them and lakke them not.

Piers Plowman.

2. To be without or destitute of; to want; to need.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God.

James i. 5.

Lack Lack intransitive verb 1. To be wanting; often, impersonally, with of , meaning, to be less than, short, not quite, etc.

What hour now ?
I think it lacks of twelve.

Shak.

Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty.

Gen. xvii. 28.

2. To be in want.

The young lions do lack , and suffer hunger.

Ps. xxxiv. 10.

Lack Lack interj. [ Confer Alack .] Exclamation of regret or surprise. [ Prov. Eng.] Cowper.

Lackadaisical Lack`a·dai"si·cal (lăk`ȧ*dā"zĭ*k a l) adjective [ From Lackadaisy , interj .] Affectedly pensive; languidly sentimental. -- Lack`a*dai"si*cal*ly , adverb

Lackadaisy Lack"a·dai`sy interj. [ From Lackaday , interj .] An expression of languor.

Lackadaisy Lack"a·dai`sy adjective Lackadaisical.

Lackaday Lack"a·day` interj. [ Abbreviated from alackaday .] Alack the day; alas; -- an expression of sorrow, regret, dissatisfaction, or surprise.

Lackbrain Lack"brain` noun One who is deficient in understanding; a witless person. Shak.

Lacker Lack"er noun One who lacks or is in want.

Lacker Lack"er noun & v. See Lacquer .

Lackey Lack"ey noun ; plural Lackeys . [ French laquais ; confer Spanish & Portuguese lacayo ; of uncertain origin; perhaps of German origin, and akin to English lick , v. ] An attending male servant; a footman; a servile follower.

Like a Christian footboy or a gentleman's lackey .

Shak.

Lackey caterpillar (Zoology) , the caterpillar, or larva, of any bombycid moth of the genus Clisiocampa ; -- so called from its party-colored markings. The common European species ( C. neustria ) is striped with blue, yellow, and red, with a white line on the back. The American species ( C. Americana and C. sylvatica ) are commonly called tent caterpillars . See Tent caterpillar , under Tent . -- Lackey moth (Zoology) , the moth which produces the lackey caterpillar.

Lackey Lack"ey transitive verb To attend as a lackey; to wait upon.

A thousand liveried angels lackey her.

Milton.

Lackey Lack"ey intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Lackeyed ; present participle & verbal noun Lackeying .] To act or serve as lackey; to pay servile attendance.

Lackluster, Lacklustre Lack"lus`ter, Lack"lus`tre noun A want of luster. -- adjective Wanting luster or brightness. " Lackluster eye." Shak.

Lacmus Lac"mus noun See Litmus .

Laconian La·co"ni·an adjective Of or pertaining to Laconia, a division of ancient Greece; Spartan. - - noun An inhabitant of Laconia; esp., a Spartan.

Laconic La·con"ic noun Laconism. [ Obsolete] Addison.

Laconic, Laconical La·con"ic, La·con"ic·al adjective [ Latin Laconicus Laconian, Greek ......, from ...... a Laconian, Lacedæmonian, or Spartan: confer French laconique .] 1. Expressing much in few words, after the manner of the Laconians or Spartans; brief and pithy; brusque; epigrammatic. In this sense laconic is the usual form.

I grow laconic even beyond laconicism; for sometimes I return only yes, or no, to questionary or petitionary epistles of half a yard long.

Pope.

His sense was strong and his style laconic .

Welwood.

2. Laconian; characteristic of, or like, the Spartans; hence, stern or severe; cruel; unflinching.

His head had now felt the razor, his back the rod; all that laconical discipline pleased him well.

Bp. Hall.

Syn. -- Short; brief; concise; succinct; sententious; pointed; pithy. -- Laconic , Concise . Concise means without irrelevant or superfluous matter; it is the opposite of diffuse . Laconic means concise with the additional quality of pithiness, sometimes of brusqueness.

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