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lac

 - 9 dictionary results

lac

1  [lak]
Use lac in a Sentence
–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 ≪ Skt lākṣā

lac

2  [lahk]
–noun
1. (in India)
2. the sum of 100,000, esp. 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.
3. an indefinitely large number.
Also, lakh.

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

lac

3  [lak]
–noun
(in prescriptions) milk.
Origin:
< L

LAC

 
leading aircraftsman.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To lac
lac   (lāk)   
n.  A resinous secretion of the lac insect deposited on trees and used in making shellac.

[Dutch lac or French laque, both from Old French lacce, from Medieval Latin lacca, from Arabic lakk, from Prakrit lakkhā, from Sanskrit lākṣā, red dye, resin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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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, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

lac (lāk)
n.

  1. Milk.

  2. A whitish, milky looking liquid.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Abbreviations & Acronyms
LAC

  1. Lacerta (constellation)

  2. LaCrosse encephalitis

  3. large area coverage

  4. local area coverage

The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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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.
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