Quantcast
 
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

lance

 - 11 dictionary results

lance

1  [lans, lahns] noun, verb, lanced, lanc⋅ing.
–noun
1. a long wooden shaft with a pointed metal head, used as a weapon by knights and cavalry soldiers in charging.
2. a cavalry soldier armed with such a weapon; lancer.
3. an implement resembling the weapon, as a spear for killing a harpooned whale.
4. (initial capital letter) Military. a U.S. Army surface-to-surface rocket with a range of 47 mi. (75 km) and capable of carrying a tactical nuclear warhead.
5. a lancet.
6. oxygen lance.
7. Machinery.
a. a tube having a nozzle for cleaning furnace walls and other inaccessible surfaces with air, water, or steam.
b. a pipe for directing oxygen onto a heated metal object in order to burn a hole in it, the lance also being consumed so as to add to the heat.
–verb (used with object)
8. to open with or as if with a lancet.
9. to pierce with a lance.
10. to cut through (concrete or the like) with an oxygen lance.
Use lance in a Sentence
Origin:
1250–1300; ME launce < OF lance < L lancea (perh. < Celtic)

Related forms:
lancelike, adjective

lance

2  [lans, lahns]
–noun
sand lance.
Origin:
perh. special use of lance 1 , from its shape

Lance

  [lans]
–noun
a male given name.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To lance
lance   (lāns)   
n.  

    1. A thrusting weapon with a long wooden shaft and a sharp metal head.

    2. A similar implement for spearing fish.

  2. A cavalry lancer.

  3. Medicine See lancet.

tr.v.   lanced, lanc·ing, lanc·es

  1. To pierce with a lance.

  2. Medicine To make a surgical incision in; cut into: lance a boil.


[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin lancea, probably of Celtic origin.]
lan·cet   (lān'sĭt)   
n.  

  1. Medicine A surgical knife with a short, wide, pointed double-edged blade, used especially for making punctures and small incisions. Also called lance.

  2. Architecture

    1. A lancet arch.

    2. A lancet window.


[Middle English, from Old French, diminutive of lance, lance; see lance.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

lance 
c.1290, from O.Fr. lance, from L. lancea "light spear" (It. lancia, Sp. lanza, Ger. Lanze), possibly of Celt-Iberian origin. The verb meaning "to pierce with a lance" is from c.1300; the surgical sense (properly with ref. to a lancet) is from 1474. Lance corporal (1786) is from obsolete lancepesade "officer of lowest rank" (1578), from O.It. lancia spezzata "old soldier," lit. "broken lance."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1lance
Pronunciation: 'lan(t)s
Function: noun
: LANCET

Main Entry: 2lance
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: lanced; lanc·ing
: to open with or as if with a lancet : makean incision in or into <lance a boil> <lance a vein>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source

lance (lāns)
n.
See lancet. v. lanced, lanc·ing, lanc·es
To make an incision in, as with a lancet.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Computing Dictionary

LANCE
Local Area Network Controller for Ethernet.
The alternative name for the Am7990 integrated circuit used in a Filtabyte Ethernet controller card.
(1995-02-15)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia

lance

spear used by cavalry for mounted combat. It usually consisted of a long wooden shaft with a sharp metal point. Its employment can be traced to the ancient Assyrians and Egyptians, and it was widely used by the Greeks and Romans, despite their lack of the stirrup, which did not appear until the 6th century AD

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

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see lance on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
ExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyThe Daily BeastUrbanspoonAsk AnswersBloglinesSendori