lac

noun

a resinous substance deposited on the twigs of various trees in southern Asia by the female of the lac insect: used in the manufacture of varnishes, sealing wax, etc., and in the production of a red coloring matter. Compare shellac ( defs 1, 2 ).

Origin:
1545–55; < Hindi lākh ≪ Sanskrit lākṣā

Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun

(in India)

the sum of 100,000, especially of rupees. The usual punctuation for sums of Indian money above a lac is with a comma after the number of lacs: Rs. 30,52,000 (i.e., 30 lacs and 52,000) instead of 3,052,000.

an indefinitely large number.

Also, lakh.

Origin:
1605–15; < Hindi lākh ≪ Sanskrit lakṣa

Relevant Questions

What Are Lacs?

What Provider Is An Lac?

What Are Lacs?

What Provider Is An Lac?

00:10

Lac is always a great word to know.

So is gobo. Does it mean:

a fool or simpleton; ninny.

a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

noun

(in prescriptions) milk.

Origin:
< Latin

leading aircraftsman.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source

Link To lac

Collins

World English Dictionary

lac¹ (læk)

—n
	a resinous substance secreted by certain lac insects, used in the manufacture of shellac

[C16: from Dutch lak or French laque, from Hindi lākh resin, ultimately from Sanskrit lākshā]

lac² (lɑːk)

—n
	a variant spelling of lakh

LAC

—*abbreviation for*
	leading aircraftman

lakh or lac (lɑːk)

—n
	(in India and Pakistan) the number 100 000, esp when referring to this sum of rupees

[C17: from Hindi lākh, ultimately from Sanskrit lakshā a sign]

lac or lac

—n

[C17: from Hindi lākh, ultimately from Sanskrit lakshā a sign]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

lac

"red resinous substance," 1553, from Pers. lak, from Hindi lakh (Prakrit lakkha), from Skt. laksha, which according to Klein is lit. "one hundred thousand," in ref. to the insects that gather in great numbers on the trees and make the resin run out. But others say lakh is an alteration of Skt. rakh,

from an IE root word for "color" [Webster]. Still another guess is that Skt. laksha is related to Eng. lax, lox "salmon," and the substance was perhaps originally so called from being somewhat the color of salmon.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

lac (lāk)
n.

Milk.
A whitish, milky looking liquid.

American Heritage

Abbreviations & Acronyms

LAC

Lacerta (constellation)
LaCrosse encephalitis
large area coverage
local area coverage

Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia

lac

sticky, resinous secretion of the tiny lac insect, Laccifer lacca, which is a species of scale insect. This insect deposits lac on the twigs and young branches of several varieties of soapberry and acacia trees and particularly on the sacred fig, Ficus religiosa, in India, Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. The lac is harvested predominantly for the production of shellac (q.v.) and lac dye, a red dye widely used in India and other Asian countries. Forms of lac, including shellac, are the only commercial resins of animal origin

Learn more about lac with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source

Matching Quote

"She was a handsome woman of forty-five and would remain so for many years."

-Anita Brookner

Want lac ad-free? Click here!

Partners:Word Bloglines Citysearch The Daily Beast Ask Answers Ask Kids Life123 Sendori Home Advisor

About PRIVACY POLICY Terms API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Suggest a Word Help