lancen.1
/lɑːns/, /lans/, U.S. /læns/ 1. † c. figurative. Career as a soldier. Obsolete. rare.† d. As a unit of measurement. Obsolete. rare.
a. A weapon, consisting of a long wooden shaft and an iron or steel head, held by a horseman in charging at full speed, and sustained formerly by a rest, now by a strap, through which the arm is passed. to break a lance (see break v. 3). lance in rest (see rest n.2 2a).
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > sharp weapon > spear or lance > [noun] > lance
lancec1290
gonfanon1481
gianetton1562
c1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 281/118 Þreo launcene he heold in is hond.
1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. iii. 303 Alle that bereth baslarde, brode swerde or launce..Shal be demed to the deth.
c1473 G. Ashby Active Policy Prince 541 Youre Comyns shude nat bere dagger, ne Lance, Ne noon other wepins defensife.
1580 Sir P. Sidney tr. Psalmes David xxxv. i O Lord..take thy launce, and stoppe the way of those That seeke my bane.
1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies iv. 303 The Indians kil them with launces and crossebowes.
1673 J. Ray Observ. Journey Low-countries 234 The combatants being mounted on horseback with Launces in their hands, run one at another a full gallop.
1777 R. Watson Hist. Reign Philip II I. ii. 65 The count's lance broke on Henry's corslet.
1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall III. lviii. 434 The lance was the..peculiar weapon of the knight.
1815 M. Elphinstone Acct. Kingdom Caubul iv. i. 471 Their arms are a long and heavy lance and a shield.
b. transferred and figurative.
ΚΠ
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis III. 351 And in his hond with many a firy launce He [Cupid] woundeth ofte.
1430–40 J. Lydgate tr. Bochas Fall of Princes (1494) i. iv. b ij b/1 Tyme..all consumith with his sherpe launce.
1713 E. Young Poem on Last Day i. 9 And Death might shake his threatning Launce in vain.
1825 H. W. Longfellow Sunrise on Hills 10 Many a pinnacle Through the gray mist thrust up its shattered lance.
1880 C. Darwin & F. Darwin Power of Movement in Plants 79 Their [the leaves] laminæ were..pressed against each other, forming a lance or wedge by which means they had broken through the ground.
1887 F. H. Burnett Little Ld. Fauntleroy v. 86 He liked the big broad-branched trees, with the late afternoon sunlight striking golden lances through them.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military service > [noun]
knightshipa1175
armsc1300
knighthoodc1384
warfarec1485
service1549
soldiership1561
soldierfare1579
military service1586
stipend1604
caska1616
milice1635
lance1641
militia1641
soldiering1643
camp1725
military1757
1641 Naunton's Fragmenta Regalia sig. Cv Hitherto I have onely touched him in his Courtships. I conclude him in his Launce [printed Lanuce].
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement of length > measurement of other dimensions > [noun] > of height or depth > of altitude or height > unit of measurement of height
lance1604
1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies iv. xxxvii. 311 It riseth many elles, yea, many launces in height.
2. A similar weapon, used for various purposes, e.g. for spearing fish; also in the whale-fishery, with modifying prefixes, as bomb-lance, gun-lance, hand-lance, an instrument for killing the whale, after he has been harpooned and wearied out.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > hunting > fishing > fishing-tackle > spear > [noun]
pricka1350
garfanglec1440
wawsper1472
spear1551
waster1580
fizgig1589
visgee1593
fish-spear1611
glaive1640
fish-giga1642
gaff1656
gig1705
lance1728
sticker1772
graina1818
picaroon1837
pickpole1837
fishing-spear1840
lily-iron1852
gambeering iron1883
mackerel gaff1883
society > occupation and work > industry > whaling and seal-hunting > whaling > whaling equipment > [noun] > lance or pole
lancet1753
whale-lance1823
waif-pole1839
whale-pike1851
whale-pole1851
gun-lance1883
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Fishery If the Whale return to breath in the Air, the Harpineer takes occasion to give him a fresh Wound;..thrusting a long steeled Lance under his Gills into his Breast.
1791 Asiatick Researches 2 342 When a man dies, all his live stock, cloth, hatchets, fishing lances, and in short every moveable thing he possessed is buried with him.
1883 Great Internat. Fisheries Exhib. Catal. 199 Earliest types of the hand-lances, formerly..used for killing whales..the old-fashioned, non-explosive gun-lance, and the bomb-lance.
3. = lancet n. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medical appliances or equipment > surgical instruments > [noun] > knife, lancet, or scalpel
blood iron1401
phlebotomec1425
lancentc1440
lancet1474
phlebotomy1477
lancer1537
fleam1552
racer1570
lancelet1574
lance1575
lance-knife1610
catling1617
incision-knife1617
bistort1655
scalpel1742
bistoury1748
dissector1841
scarificator1879
thumb-lancet1903
1575 G. Turberville Bk. Faulconrie 346 If the pin open not of it selfe, slit it and open it with a little sharp launce of steele made whot.
1576 T. Newton tr. L. Lemnie Touchstone of Complexions i. x. 83 The veynes..swel out..offering themselues to the Launce, by incision hansomly to be cut.
a1680 J. Glanvill Saducismus Triumphatus (1681) ii. 180 [He] took a Launce and launc't one of her hands.
1769 R. Griffith Gordian Knot lxxxvii, in R. Griffith & E. Griffith Two Novels IV. 122 By..the surgeon's lance I was dragged back to life and wretchedness again.
1878 L. P. Meredith Teeth (ed. 2) 180 If the lance is sharp, it generally does not hurt at all.
4.
a. A horse-soldier armed with a lance; a lancer.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > warrior > armed man > [noun] > spear or lance
spearc1275
spearman1297
lance-knight1530
demi-lancer1552
demi-lancea1556
spearer1574
lance-man1589
lancer1590
javelineer1600
javelotier1600
lance1602
spearsman1836
javelin-man1846
society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > soldier by branch of army > [noun] > mounted soldier > others
jousterc1330
knight1489
rutter1506
reister1521
reiter1556
ruiter1579
hargulater1581
lancer1590
lance1602
rutar1610
dragon1620
dragoon1622
right-hand man1626
dragooner1639
leaguerer1639
deli1667
Light Dragoon1700
uhlan1753
sabre1836
parachutist1837
sabreur1845
yellow leg1857
spahi1863
horse-marine1878
uhlaner1886
1602 W. Segar Honor Mil. & Civill iv. xiv. 224 Esquires..able at the Musters to present a Launce or light horse, for the Prince's seruice.
1633 T. Stafford Pacata Hibernia ii. xxvi. 260 There is now in readinesse 150 Launces, which shall be presently embarqued.
1720 D. Defoe Mem. Cavalier 240 Those Lances..were brave Fellows.
1831 W. Scott Castle Dangerous ii, in Tales of my Landlord 4th Ser. III. 255 A lance, in other words, a belted knight, commands this party.
b. Historical. A man-at-arms with his attendant archers, foot-soldiers, etc. Cf. French lance fournie.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > warriors collectively > [noun] > men-at-arms or yeomen
fellowshipping1486
ordonnance1752
lance1818
1818 H. Hallam View Europe Middle Ages I. iii. 349 A lance in the technical language of those ages included the lighter cavalry attached to the man at arms, as well as himself.
1864 J. F. Kirk Hist. Charles the Bold (U.S. ed.) II. iv. iii. 413 The ‘lance’ was simply the feudal family—the baron, or knight, with his wonted retinue of kinsmen and dependents.
5. † a. A branch of a tree, a shoot. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > part of plant > part of tree or woody plant > [noun] > bough or branch > twig
stickeOE
twigc950
yardc950
sprintlea1250
ricec1275
twistc1374
sarmenta1398
tinea1400
lancec1400
pirnc1450
shred15..
shrubc1530
shrag1552
taunt1567
ramelet1652
hag wood1804
hag1808
fibre1810
twiglet1849
virgultum1866
thorn-twig1895
twigling1907
c1400 (?c1380) Pearl l. 977 Lurked by launcez so lufly leued.
?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry f. xlv Thou must get thy graffes of the fayrest lances, that thou can finde on the tre.
1669 J. Worlidge Systema Agriculturæ (1681) 132 Those [Graffs] you find to shoot up in one Lance, pinch off their tender tops.
b. A slender tapering pole. U.S.
ΚΠ
1902 Sci. Amer. 27 Dec. 459/1 The second truck is loaded with four or five hundred lances of well-seasoned cypress or spruce, each a trifle over fourteen feet in length.
6. In technical uses:
Categories »
a. Carpentry. ‘A pointed blade, usually employed to sever the grain on each side of the intended path of a chipping-bit or router’ (E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. 1875).
Categories »
b. Military (a) ‘An iron rod which is fixed across the earthen mould of a shell, and which keeps it suspended in the air when it is cast’ (James Milit. Dict. 1802). (b) ‘An instrument which conveys the charge of a piece of ordnance and forces it home into the bore’ (James Milit. Dict. 1802).
c. Fireworks. (See quots.) [French lance à feu.]
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > light > firework > [noun] > parts of
quill1629
report1653
red fire1680
cartouche1719
blue light1761
sun case1765
choke1786
settle1873
touchpaper1873
wheel-case1875
lance1878
starting powder1886
pastille1890
1878 T. Kentish Pyrotechn. Treas. 112 Lances. These are little cases charged with white or coloured star composition.
1879 W. H. Browne Art Pyrotechny vii. 81 Lances are..small, thin cases, containing compositions which burn with a white or coloured flame.
7. = lance-corporal n. at Compounds 2. colloquial.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > leader or commander > officer by rank > [noun] > corporal > lance-corporal
lancepesade1579
lance-corporal1786
lance1888
lance-jack1912
1888 R. Kipling Wee Willie Winkie 74 The reg'ment don't go 'ome for another seven years. I'll be a Lance then or near to.
1961 E. Partridge Dict. Slang (ed. 5) II. 1164/1 Lance, lance-corporal: coll. late C. 19–20.
8. In full, oxygen lance.
a. A thin metal pipe through which oxygen under pressure may be passed in order to burn away metal, concrete, or the like using heat generated by the burning of either the metal to be cut or the pipe itself.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > cutting tool > other types of cutting equipment > [noun] > gas or plasma cutters
oxygen lance1925
plasma arc1958
plasma torch1959
thermic lance1970
1925 Iron Trade Rev. 24 Sept. 749/1 The oxygen lance is a means of burning a hole quickly through steel, slag or brick. Essentially it is nothing but a stream of pure oxygen flowing through a small iron pipe. If the oxygen strikes hot iron or steel, the metal burns rapidly... If the oxygen strikes non-metallic substances, like firebrick or slag, the lance pipe itself burns, produces the necessary heat and flux to melt the way through.
1926 Blast Furnace & Steel Plant XIV. 19/1 If a layer of slag is encountered, the lance pipe itself burns.
1944 Blast Furnace & Steel Plant XXXII. 1077/1 The oxygen lance..has been used..for opening tap holes in blast furnaces and open-hearth furnaces, for tapping slag from soaking pits, for cutting up spills and skulls, and for..piercing or severing..heavy masses of iron and steel.
1945 Machinery (N.Y.) Nov. 156/1 Since the oxygen lance can sever metal of practically any thickness, it is an effective ‘trouble-shooter’ for metal-disposal problems.
b. A metal pipe, often water-cooled, through which oxygen under pressure may be injected into molten metal or directed on to its surface.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > metalworking equipment > [noun] > for injecting oxygen
lance1948
1948 Jrnl. Iron & Steel Inst. 160 221/1 Oxygen can be used in the basic electric-arc furnace for decarburization, either by means of the ‘oxygen lance’ or by direction of a strong blast of the gas through the slag cover.
1950 Jrnl. Iron & Steel Inst. 165 411/1 The use of the oxygen lance for refining a high-chromium steel..enables the heat to be worked at a temperature some 200°C higher than normal.
1959 New Scientist 30 Apr. 965/2 Oxygen for the refining action is injected into the through metal water-cooled jets or ‘lances’.
1971 Engineering Index 1970 3426/2 Effect of blowing practices in the LD converter on oxygen content of steel... Statistical methods were employed to study this influence, with particular reference to the effect of..the height of the lance on the bath.
Compounds
C1.
a. General attributive.
lance-blade n.
ΚΠ
1849 C. Stovel Canne's Necessitie of Separation Introd. p. ix Truths in his hand were like lance-blades in a cupping instrument, they entered the whole length of their steel.
lance-bucket n.
ΚΠ
1876 J. Grant One of Six Hundred i. 5 Captains of troops will report to Lieutenant..on the state of the saddlery, holsters, and lance-buckets.
lance-butt n.
ΚΠ
1865 C. Kingsley Hereward i, in Good Words Jan. 10/1 When he came to the abbey-gate, he smote thereon with his lance-butt.
lance-game n.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > jousting or tilting > [noun]
bourdis1303
tourneyingc1386
joustinga1400
Barriers1532
champery1602
tilting1610
bohourt1801
lance-game1801
1801 J. Strutt Glig-gamena Angel-ðeod iii. i. 108 The Just or lance-game..differed materially from the tournament.
lance-head n.
ΚΠ
1851 D. Wilson Archæol. & Prehistoric Ann. Scotl. i. vi. 124 The flint arrow and lance heads constructed from [flint flakes].
lance-rest n.
ΚΠ
1855 J. Ogilvie Suppl. Imperial Dict. Lance-rest.
1869 C. Boutell tr. J. P. Lacombe Arms & Armour x. 206 At this period [c1450–1500] a lance-rest was fixed to the upper part of the breast-plate on the right side.
lance-shaft n.
ΚΠ
1866 G. Stephens Old-Northern Runic Monuments I. i. 314 It is not..likely that all the long and round and straight poles found in the Danish Mosses..have always been Lance-shafts.
lance-throw n.
lance-thrust n.
ΚΠ
1856 E. K. Kane Arctic Explor. II. xxviii. 282 On two occasions we came upon the walrus sleeping,—once within actual lance-thrust.
b. Objective.
lance-breaking n.
ΚΠ
1829 W. Scott House of Aspen i. i Neither hunting, nor feasting, nor lance-breaking for me!
c. Instrumental.
lance-pierced adj.
ΚΠ
1897 Dublin Rev. Apr. 375 The lance-pierced side of Christ.
lance-worn adj.
ΚΠ
1842 F. W. Faber Styrian Lake 269 Like bruised embossing on a lance-worn shield.
d. Similative.
lance-acuminated adj.
ΚΠ
1801 Asiatic Ann. Reg. 1800 Misc. Tracts 271/1 Ovate, lance-acuminated, entire towards the base.
lance-leaved adj.
ΚΠ
1811 A. T. Thomson London Dispensatory iii. 590 Take of lance-leaved cinchona bark, bruised, half an ounce.
lance-like adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > fact or condition of tapering > condition of tapering to a point > [adjective] > slender and
spear-like1567
styliform1578
styliformed1578
lance-like1579
arrowy1637
needle-like1672
needly1694
spiculated1745
lanceolated1752
subulated1752
subulate1757
lanceolate1760
toothpick1761
spear-shaped1763
lance-shaped1776
hastate1777
needle-formed1784
needled1786
needle-shaped1786
subuliform1804
aciform?a1808
needle-form1807
spicular1813
hastiformc1820
speary1821
splintery1836
aiguillesque1856
fleam-shaped1856
toothpick-shaped1905
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > precipitation or atmospheric moisture > rain > [adjective] > sharp
lance-like1868
1579 J. Jones Arte preseruing Bodie & Soule i. xl. 87 Blasing Starres..as berdelike, launcelike, swordlike [etc.].
1868 T. T. Lynch Rivulet (ed. 3) clxiii. 199 The lance-like rain, the darting hail.
lance-shaped adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > fact or condition of tapering > condition of tapering to a point > [adjective] > slender and
spear-like1567
styliform1578
styliformed1578
lance-like1579
arrowy1637
needle-like1672
needly1694
spiculated1745
lanceolated1752
subulated1752
subulate1757
lanceolate1760
toothpick1761
spear-shaped1763
lance-shaped1776
hastate1777
needle-formed1784
needled1786
needle-shaped1786
subuliform1804
aciform?a1808
needle-form1807
spicular1813
hastiformc1820
speary1821
splintery1836
aiguillesque1856
fleam-shaped1856
toothpick-shaped1905
1776 J. Lee Introd. Bot. (ed. 3) Explan. Terms. 389 Lanceolatæ, lance-shaped.
1864 T. Moore Brit. Ferns 26 The leafy part of the frond is lance-shaped.
C2. Special combinations.† lance-egged adj. Botany Obsolete = lance-ovate adj.
lance-bombardier n. the rank in the Royal Artillery corresponding to lance-corporal in the infantry.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > leader or commander > officer by rank > [noun] > specific rank of artillery officer
Master (General) of the Ordnance1458
master gunner?c1475
Master of the Armoury1485
rotmaster1523
Mr1669
artillery officer1707
bombardier1844
lance-bombardier1935
1935 A. H. Burne Royal Artillery Mess, Woolwich xi. 230 In 1901 Driver Homewood was appointed kennel-huntsman. He has since received well merited, if not exactly rapid, promotion to the rank of Lance-Bombardier.
1943 J. L. Hunt & A. G. Pringle Service Slang 43 Lancejack. Army for Lance-Corporal or Lance-Bombardier.
1960 D. A. Campbell Dress Royal Artillery ix. 47 In 1920 the rank of bombardier was upgraded to replace that of corporal, the latter rank being abolished in the Regiment... In the same year the appointment of acting bombardier was changed to that of lance bombardier, both these appointments wear a single chevron.
1968 Listener 22 Aug. 252/3 Tempting to identify with the lance-bombardier in charge of this guard squad.
lance-corporal n. [after lancepesade n.] (see quot. 1802).
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > leader or commander > officer by rank > [noun] > corporal > lance-corporal
lancepesade1579
lance-corporal1786
lance1888
lance-jack1912
1786 F. Grose Mil. Antiq. I. 311 The lancepesata, anspesade, or as the present term is, lance corporal.
1802 C. James New Mil. Dict. at Corporal Lance-Corporal, one who acts as corporal, receiving pay as a private.
1844 Queen's Regulations & Orders Army 133 Corporals may be appointed to act as Lance-Serjeants, and the most approved Private Soldiers as Lance-Corporals.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > part of plant > part defined by form or function > [adjective] > oval or circular
orbicular1753
suborbicular1753
lance-egged1787
rhomboid?1788
lance-ovala1794
spear-egg-shaped1796
lance-ovate1800
rhombic1805
1787 E. Darwin et al. tr. C. Linnaeus et al. Families of Plants I. 242 Divisions of the Border lance-egg'd.
lance-famed adj. famed for prowess with the lance.
ΚΠ
1718 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad IV. xiii. 278 The Lance-fam'd [δουρικλυτός] Idomen of Crete.
lance-fish n. = launce n.1
lance-head n. = lance-snake n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > reptiles > order Squamata (lizards and snakes) > suborder Ophidia (snakes) > types of snake > [noun] > family Viperidae (vipers) > subfamily Crotalinae > member of genus Trigonocephalus
water moccasin1821
lance-head1859
fer-de-lance1880
lance-snake1880
the world > animals > reptiles > order Squamata (lizards and snakes) > suborder Ophidia (snakes) > types of snake > [noun] > family Viperidae (vipers) > subfamily Crotalinae > genus Trimeresurus > fer-de-lance
labaria1825
javelin-snake1835
rat-tailed snake1854
lance-head1859
fer-de-lance1880
lance-snake1880
1859–62 J. Richardson et al. Museum Nat. Hist. (1868) II. 40/2 Amongst the former, or spine-tailed species [of Crotalidæ], are the Lance-heads (Craspedocephalina) of the New World.
1859–62 J. Richardson et al. Museum Nat. Hist. (1868) II. 41/1 The Lance-head is the most abundant of all serpents in the islands of Martinique and St. Lucia.
lance-jack n. Army slang lance-corporal, lance-bombardier.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > leader or commander > officer by rank > [noun] > corporal > lance-corporal
lancepesade1579
lance-corporal1786
lance1888
lance-jack1912
1912 H. Wyndham Following the Drum vii. 80 A junior corporal is a ‘lance-jack’.
1937 D. M. Jones In Parenthesis iii. 28 Tin soldiers, toy soldiers, militarymen in rows—you somehow suffer the pain of loss—it's an ungracious way of life—buttocked lance-jacks crawling for the second chevron.
1953 A. Baron Human Kind ix. 68 Foller the Salvation Corporal an' 'is Saintly Lance-Jack.
1971 L. Deighton Declarations of War 11 Lance-jack at the time, actually.
1971 L. Deighton Declarations of War 11 You're not looking too good, Colonel, if you don't mind an ex-lance-jack saying so.
lance-knife n. ? = lancet n.
ΚΠ
1610 G. Markham Maister-peece ii. cxi. 396 Others take a sharpe launce-knife, and [etc.].
lance-linear adj. Botany narrowly lanceolate, almost linear.
ΚΠ
1787 E. Darwin et al. tr. C. Linnaeus et al. Families of Plants I. 30 Petals..lance-linear.
lance-man n. †(a) a highwayman; (b) a warrior armed with a lance.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > warrior > armed man > [noun] > spear or lance
spearc1275
spearman1297
lance-knight1530
demi-lancer1552
demi-lancea1556
spearer1574
lance-man1589
lancer1590
javelineer1600
javelotier1600
lance1602
spearsman1836
javelin-man1846
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > thief > robber > [noun] > highwayman
routerc1300
malandryna1438
stradarolle1562
highpad1567
highway robber1577
way-beatera1586
lance-man1589
high lawyer1591
St. Nicholas' clerk1598
outrider1599
bidstand1600
land-pirate1608
highwayman1617
pad1652
knight of the road1665
rum-padder1665
paddist1671
rum pad1688
pad-thief1690
gentleman (also squire) of the pad1700
snaffler1728
gentleman1778
scamp1782
scampsman1799
bandolero1832
ladrone1832
Spring-heeled Jack1838
road agent1840
agent1876
1589 J. Rider Bibliotheca Scholastica 836 A Launce man, hastiger.
1591 R. Greene Second Pt. Conny-catching sig. Av The Priggar is he that steales the horse... The Priggar if he be a Launce man, that is, one that is already horst, then [etc.].
1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes Lanciatore..a lance-man, a pike-man.
1808 Z. M. Pike Acct. Exped. Sources Mississippi (1810) iii. App. 11 The lancemen are always mounted.
lance-oblong adj. Botany narrowly oblong.
ΚΠ
1787 E. Darwin et al. tr. C. Linnaeus et al. Families of Plants I. 285 Germ lance-oblong, compress'd.
lance-oval adj. Botany narrowly oval.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > part of plant > part defined by form or function > [adjective] > oval or circular
orbicular1753
suborbicular1753
lance-egged1787
rhomboid?1788
lance-ovala1794
spear-egg-shaped1796
lance-ovate1800
rhombic1805
a1794 W. Jones in Asiatick Researches (1795) 4 262 Leaves opposite, lance-oval, pointed at both ends.
1889 Lancet 27 Apr. 866/2 The cocci, as found in the blood of an inoculated animal, are, as a rule, oval or lance-oval in form.
lance-ovate adj. = lance-oval adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > part of plant > part defined by form or function > [adjective] > oval or circular
orbicular1753
suborbicular1753
lance-egged1787
rhomboid?1788
lance-ovala1794
spear-egg-shaped1796
lance-ovate1800
rhombic1805
1800 Asiatick Researches 6 349 Leaflets..lance-ovate, entire, smooth.
lance-rod n. a form of fishing-rod.
ΚΠ
1885 Outing Oct. 74/1 He..then untied, and fondly handled the several joints of a lance-rod.
lance-sergeant n. [on analogy of lance-corporal] a corporal acting as sergeant.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > leader or commander > officer by rank > [noun] > sergeant > types of
havildar1698
muster-master1711
staff sergeant1811
lance-sergeant1815
master sergeant1920
staff1925
1815 Duke of Wellington Dispatches (1838) XII. 617 I now beg leave to recommend to you Lance Sergeant Graham of the Coldstream regiment of Guards.
lance-snake n. a venomous snake of the American genus Bothrops (or Craspedocephalus), esp. B. lanceolatus, of the West Indies; = fer-de-lance n. 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > reptiles > order Squamata (lizards and snakes) > suborder Ophidia (snakes) > types of snake > [noun] > family Viperidae (vipers) > subfamily Crotalinae > member of genus Trigonocephalus
water moccasin1821
lance-head1859
fer-de-lance1880
lance-snake1880
the world > animals > reptiles > order Squamata (lizards and snakes) > suborder Ophidia (snakes) > types of snake > [noun] > family Viperidae (vipers) > subfamily Crotalinae > genus Trimeresurus > fer-de-lance
labaria1825
javelin-snake1835
rat-tailed snake1854
lance-head1859
fer-de-lance1880
lance-snake1880
1880 Cassell's Nat. Hist. IV. 319 The last group of the American Pit Vipers is that of the Lance Snakes. One of these is the Yellow Viper, of Martinique, called Fer-de-lance there.
Draft additions 1997
(With capital initial.) A short-range U.S. surface-to-surface ballistic missile system designed to be used chiefly with nuclear warheads; a missile of this system.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > missile > guided or ballistic missile > [noun] > types of
loon1947
seeker1949
Honest John1952
Nike1952
heat-seeker1956
anti-ballistic missile1957
Polaris1957
Pershing1958
SAM1958
cruise missile1959
sea-cat1959
minuteman1961
ABM1963
lance1964
Exocet1970
trident1972
MX missile1973
stinger1975
cruise1976
tomahawk1976
silo buster1977
Euromissile1979
Brilliant Pebbles1988
society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > missile > guided or ballistic missile > [noun] > system
sea-cat1959
lance1964
ULMS1970
Tercom1975
1964 Guide Subject Indexes for Sci. & Techn. Aerospace Rep. Apr. A-122/1 (heading) Lance missile.
1975 R. T. Pretty Jane's Pocket Bk. Missiles 119/1 Development of Lance started in 1962–3... The first production model was delivered for US Army testing in April 1971.
1981 P. Gudgin Brit. Army Equipm. 37 (caption) The US-designed and built Lance nuclear surface-to-surface (SSM) tactical missile..replaced the American-produced Honest John in British service.
1987 Armed Forces Sept. 408/1 The Lance has a range of 100km, a warhead with a variable yield of 1–100 kilotons, and a CEP of 150–400m.
1989 New Yorker 23 Oct. 102/3 The issue was short-range nuclear weapons—whether..to create a new and vastly improved version of a short-range American system called Lance.
Draft additions 1997
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > sharp weapon > spear or lance > [noun] > lance > staff of lance
lance-staff1489
1489 in J. Raine Sanctuarium Dunelmense et Sanctuarium Beverlacense (1837) 154 Cognovit se commisisse homicidium, viz., quemdam ignotum servientem Edwardi Barnaby, gentilman, cum baculo vocato a launce stafe.
1920 J. Masefield Enslaved 22 They struck us with their lance-staves to make them room to ride.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1901; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
† lancen.2
Obsolete.
1. A leap, bound, dash. (Cf. launch n.1)
ΚΠ
1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) x. 414 And he that wes in Iuperdy Till de, a lans [1489 Adv. launce] till him he maid.
2. A cut, incision, slit.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > [noun] > pruning or lopping > cut made in pruning
lance1669
fall1893
notch1916
1669 J. Worlidge Systema Agriculturæ vii. 115 It [sc. pinching] gives not that wound to Trees that incisions or lances usually do... Giving the lance close behind a Bud, a thing to be specially observed in Pruning.
1675 J. Worlidge Systema Agriculturæ (ed. 2) vii. 123 When you cut any Pithy Tree..make your Lance under, or on one side.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1901; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
lancev.
/lɑːns/, /lans/, U.S. /læns/ I. Senses relating to flinging, bounding, or launching.† 3. † 4. To throw out (a tale, words, etc.); to utter.† 5. intransitive. To make a dash or stroke with a pen.
1. † c. reflexive. To hurl oneself, to spring, shoot. Obsolete.
a. transitive. To fling, hurl, launch, throw (a dart, also fire, lightning, smoke); to shoot out (the tongue); to put forth (blossoms). Also with forth, out, up. Now rare (chiefly poetic).
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > impelling or driving > projecting through space or throwing > throw [verb (transitive)]
warpc888
torvec1000
castc1230
slingc1290
forthcasta1300
throwc1300
lancec1330
hit1362
pitchc1380
slentc1380
glenta1400
launcha1400
routc1400
waltc1400
flingc1420
jeta1450
vire1487
ajet1490
hurl1563
toss1570
kest1590
picka1600
peck1611
jaculate1623
conject1625
elance1718
squail1876
tipple1887
bish1940
biff1941
slap1957
welly1986
society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > assail with missiles [verb (transitive)] > discharge (missile)
sendc825
to let flyOE
slenga1300
castc1325
lancec1330
throwa1382
launch?a1400
whirlc1440
fling1487
dischargec1500
to let goc1500
streek1513
deliver1574
level1592
fire1887
the world > plants > part of plant > reproductive part(s) > flower or part containing reproductive organs > flower or flowering plant > be a flowering plant [verb (intransitive)] > flower or blossom
blossomc890
blowc1000
flower13..
blooma1325
breakc1325
lancec1330
flourishc1386
to break up?a1500
knopa1584
effloresce1775
outbreak1870
c1330 (?c1300) Guy of Warwick (Auch.) l. 2394 To him þai launced boþe spere and swerd.
1393 W. Langland Piers Plowman C. xix. 10 The tree hihte trewe-loue..launceþ vp blossemes.
c1394 P. Pl. Crede 551 Þei [friars]..launceþ heiȝe her hemmes wiþ babelyng in stretes.
?1533 G. Du Wes Introductorie for to lerne Frenche sig. Hiv v To lance, lancer.
1598 R. Barret Theorike & Pract. Mod. Warres iii. 32 A lauelin..they did lance or dart at the enemie.
1663 G. Mackenzie Religio Stoici 26 As beames are lanced out from the body of the Sun.
1710 London Gaz. No. 4653/1 A spread Eagle, representing his Majesty's Arms, lanced a Rocket.
1795–7 R. Southey Juvenile & Minor Poems in Poet. Wks. (1837) II. 210 The lightning is lanced at our sires.
1801 R. Southey Thalaba I. v. 283 The Adder in her haunts disturbed Lanced at the intruding staff her arrowy tongue.
1827 I. Taylor Transmission Anc. Bks. xvii. 279 He affirms [Xerxes] to have lanced darts at the sun.
1836 M. Scott Cruise of Midge xxiv. 432 Rolling in smoky wreaths, and lancing out ragged shreds from their lower edges.
1898 M. P. Shiel Yellow Danger 136 The torpedo-boat lances one of her horrid needles of steel.
b. with immaterial object, e.g. a look; †also with forth.
ΚΠ
c1400 (?c1380) Patience l. 350 Lo! my lore is in þe loke, lance hit þerinne.
1635 D. Person Varieties i. 15 The Stars, and these celestiall bodies..doe lance forth their power upon the Earth also.
1752 T. Carte Gen. Hist. Eng. III. 9 The pope was to lance his censures against the common enemy.
1765 H. Walpole Castle of Otranto (1798) iv. 76 Here I lance her anathema at thy head.
1832 Examiner 436/1 He lances one of his droll looks.
1855 M. Arnold Voice 3 As the kindling glances..Which the bright moon lances From her tranquil sphere.
1898 M. P. Shiel Yellow Danger 157 Suddenly he lanced a horrid shriek.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > upward movement > leaping, springing, or jumping > leap, spring, or jump [verb (reflexive)]
lancea1533
a1533 Ld. Berners tr. Arthur of Brytayn (?1560) li. sig. Ki He launced hymselfe [from the ship] & lepte into the myddes of the prease wyth his good swerde in his hande.
1658 R. White tr. K. Digby Late Disc. Cure Wounds (1660) 20 The light..lancing herself by a marvellous celerity on all sides by streight lines.
2. † b. transferred and figurative. Of leaves, fire: To spring, spring forth, shoot up. Of pain: To shoot. Obsolete.
a. intransitive for reflexive. To bound, spring, move quickly, rush. Also with forth, out. Const. on. Obsolete exc. dialect.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > upward movement > leaping, springing, or jumping > leap, spring, or jump [verb (intransitive)]
leapc900
startOE
reseOE
springa1275
throwc1275
upleapc1275
launch13..
aspringc1315
sault1377
lance?a1400
sprenta1400
loupc1480
lope1483
spang1513
bendc1530
jump1530
spend1533
stend1567
vaulta1568
pract1568
exult1570
bound1593
saltate1623
subsalt1623
jet1635
spoutc1650
volt1753
the world > movement > rate of motion > swiftness > swift movement in specific manner > move swiftly in specific manner [verb (intransitive)] > move with impetuous speed
leapOE
swengec1000
swingOE
throwc1275
hurla1300
dashc1300
fling1300
stetec1330
lance?a1400
slinga1400
whirlc1400
wringc1400
dingc1450
whither1487
chop1555
to cast (also lay) one's heels in one's neck1599
clap1603
precipitate1622
teara1627
toss1727
to keep on at a score1807
whing1882
whirlwind1894
to go off full score1900
careen1923
?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) ii. l. 2293 With a herde þei mette, a herte þerof gan lance.
1481 W. Caxton tr. Siege & Conqueste Jerusalem (1893) xliii. 82 The conestables..launced on this partye of thoost whiche was not yet passed.
1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) iii. 122 He..strak with spuris ye stede in hy, And he lansyt furth delyverly.
a1500 R. Henryson tr. Æsop Fables: Trial of Fox l. 842 in Poems (1981) 36 Ane vnicorne come lansand ouer ane law.
1508 Golagros & Gawane (Chepman & Myllar) sig. cii*v He lansit out our ane land and drew noght ane lyte.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid ix. ix. 74 Turnus, lanssand lychtly our the landis.
1559 D. Lindsay Test. Papyngo l. 353 in Wks. (1931) I Ȝe, that now bene lansyng vpe the ledder, Tak tent in tyme.
1840 Evidence Hull Docks Comm. 74 When there is no wind, we lance along with poles.
1883 W. H. Cope Gloss. Hampshire Words Lance, to leap, bound; the deer are said ‘to lance over the turf’.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > by growth or development > grow or vegetate [verb (intransitive)] > sprout forth or spring up
growc725
springOE
upspringc1000
sprouta1200
springa1225
risea1382
burgeon1382
burgea1387
to run upa1393
lance1393
bursta1400
launch1401
reke?1440
alighta1450
shoot1483
to come up?1523
start1587
to grow up1611
to come away1669
to break forth1675
upshoot1841
outgrow1861
sprinta1878
break1882
sprount1890
the world > plants > part of plant > leaf > be a leaf [verb (intransitive)] > grow
lance1393
walk?c1450
the world > health and disease > ill health > pain > types of pain > suffer or cause type of pain [verb (intransitive)] > shoot or stab
shootc1000
lance1758
stang1788
1393 W. Langland Piers Plowman C. xiii. 185 Of greyn ded in erthe Atte laste launceth vp wher-by we lyuen alle.
a1400 Pistill of Susan 109 Þe Lilye, þe louache, launsyng wiþ leue.
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 526 Þe leueȝ lancen fro þe lynde & lyȝten on þe grounde.
c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness l. 966 As lance leuez of þe boke þat lepes in twynne.
1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) vii. l. 429 The lemand low sone lanssyt apon hycht.
1758 J. Mounsey in Philos. Trans. 1757 (Royal Soc.) 50 21 The pain on the stomach returned, which lanced to the left side, with dartings inwardly.
a. transitive. To launch (a boat).
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > launching a vessel > launch or set afloat [verb (transitive)]
launch?a1400
puta1450
shoot1487
lance?1518
to set on the sea, water, afloat1559
to set afloat1785
float1885
?1518 Cocke Lorelles Bote sig. C.j Some ye longe bote dyde launce some mende ye corse.
b. intransitive. To launch forth, push out.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > [verb (intransitive)] > set out on a voyage
to go to seac900
to take the seac1275
to go or fere to (the) saila1375
sail1387
to make saila1500
to set sail1513
lance1526
launch1534
to put off1582
to put out?1587
to put forth1604
to come to sail1633
underweigh1891
to take sail1904
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. CCCiiv Nowe hath the patriarke Noe all his chyldren..in his shyp, and is launced frome the lande.
1581 J. Studley tr. Seneca Agamemnon (new ed.) i, in T. Newton et al. tr. Seneca 10 Trag. f. 143 Nor launcing to the depe where bottom none is found.
c1595 T. Maynarde Sir Francis Drake his Voy. (1849) 7 Had wee lanced under the forte at our first cominge to anchor, we had [etc.].
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > speak, say, or utter [verb (transitive)]
speakc825
queatheOE
forthdoc900
i-seggenc900
sayeOE
speak971
meleOE
quidOE
spella1000
forthbringc1000
givec1175
warpa1225
mootc1225
i-schirea1250
upbringa1250
outsay?c1250
spilec1275
talec1275
wisea1300
crackc1315
nevena1325
cast1330
rehearsec1330
roundc1330
spend1362
carpa1375
sermona1382
to speak outc1384
usea1387
minc1390
pronouncea1393
lancec1400
mellc1400
nurnc1400
slingc1400
tellc1400
wordc1400
yelpc1400
worka1425
utterc1444
outspeakc1449
yielda1450
arecchec1460
roose?a1475
cutc1525
to come forth with1532
bubble1536
prolate1542
report1548
prolocute1570
bespeak1579
wield1581
upbraid1587
up with (also mid) ——1594
name1595
upbrayc1600
discoursea1616
tonguea1616
to bring out1665
voice1665
emit1753
lip1789
to out with1802
pitch1811
go1836
to open one's head1843
vocabulize1861
shoot1915
verbal1920
be1982
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 2124 Þat I schal lelly yow layne & lauce neuer tale.
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 1212 Al laȝande þe lady lanced þo bourdeȝ.
ΚΠ
1588 H. Oldcastle & J. Mellis Briefe Instr. Accompts sig. Eiij When yee haue thus entered it into Journall, then presently after in the memoriall..yee shall launce or make a stroke.
II. Senses relating to piercing.
6. figurative.a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) II. f. lxxxxv Many with great honours I dyd whylom auaunce That nowe with dyshonoure doon me stynge and launce.1828 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. 24 716 The jagged lightning lanced the forest-gulfs with its swift and perilous beauty.
a. To pierce with or as with a lance or a lancet; to cut, gash, slit. Also, to slit open; to open. Obsolete exc. poetic.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > making holes or becoming holed > become or make perforated [verb (intransitive)] > make (a) hole(s) > with something sharp > as a sharp instrument
biteOE
rivec1275
piercea1325
thringc1330
soundc1374
thirlc1374
lancec1400
racea1420
entail1590
empierce1797
stab1897
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > making holes or becoming holed > make (an opening or hole) [verb (transitive)] > make an opening or hole in or into > bore, pierce, or perforate > with something sharp-pointed
shearOE
sting993
stickOE
spita1225
wound?c1225
stitchc1230
pitcha1275
threstc1275
forprick1297
steekc1300
piercec1325
rivec1330
dag?a1400
jag?a1400
lancec1400
pickc1400
tamec1400
forpierce1413
punch1440
launch1460
thringc1485
empiercec1487
to-pierce1488
joba1500
ding1529
stob?1530
probe1542
enthrill1563
inthirlc1580
cloy1590
burt1597
pink1597
lancinate1603
perterebrate1623
puncture1675
spike1687
skiver1832
bepierce1840
gimlet1841
prong1848
javelin1859
c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness l. 1428 [He] comaundes hym cofly coferes to lance.
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 290 Lawncyn [v.r. lawnchyn], or stynge wythe a spere, or blode yryne, lanceo.
1590 C. Marlowe Tamburlaine: 1st Pt. sig. A8v We will lift our swords. And..lanch his greedy thirsting throat.
1615 G. Sandys Relation of Journey 12 In the Summer they lanced the rine with a stone.
1657 T. Aylesbury Treat. Confession of Sinne vii. 155 Baals Priests, lancing themselves to procure audience.
1678 J. Bunyan Pilgrim's Progress 167 Then they Lanced his flesh with Knives. View more context for this quotation
1713 T. Tickell in Guardian 4 Aug. 2/2 Bold Nimrod first..launc'd the bristling Boar.
1728 J. Morgan Compl. Hist. Algiers I. iii. 253 They lanced the Ravisher, and every one of the Turks.
1783 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 73 241 On the brain being lanced, the..whale died immediately.
b. intransitive. To pierce.
ΚΠ
a1400 Leg. Rood (1871) 142 Þe swerd of loue þorw hire gan launce.
c. transitive. To wound or kill with a lance.
ΚΠ
1898 Westm. Gaz. 6 Apr. 6/3 The troopers lancing and sabring, and the officers pistolling the Dervishes.
7. Surgery.figurative.1573 J. Daus tr. H. Bullinger Hundred Serm. vpon Apocalipse (rev. ed.) xi. f. 38 We are many tymes launced and cut with the word of God, to our great profit and discipline.1621 F. Quarles Hadassa xii. I 2 b When Haman then had lanc'd his rip'ned griefe, In bloody tearmes, they thus appli'd reliefe.1665 R. Boyle Occas. Refl. iii. vi. sig. R8 The Orator..is more sollicitous to tickle their Ears, than..to launce their Consciences.?1706 E. Hickeringill Priest-craft: 2nd Pt. viii. 90 Some Inconveniencies in Church-Government, are better palliated, then lanced to the bottom.
a. To make an incision in (the gums, a sore, a tumour) with a lancet; to cut open. Occasionally with a person as object. Also, to fetch out or let out by lancing.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > surgery > incision > make an incision in or cut [verb (transitive)] > lance
launch1426
lance1474
1474 W. Caxton tr. Game & Playe of Chesse (1883) iii. v. 126 The cyrurgyens..ought not be hasty to launse and cutte apostumes and soores.
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. cvii O, blessed lorde, here in this lyfe, cutte me, burne me, launce me, that finally thou maist haue mercy on me.
1575 G. Turberville Bk. Faulconrie 257 The way to cure it, is to giue the humor a vent by launsing it.
1578 T. White Serm. Pawles Crosse 3 Nov. 1577 93 Thrust diligently your sword of iustice in, to launce out all corruption and bagage which is gathered in the bowels.
1614 S. Latham Falconry ii. xxxii. 132 You must haue care to launce it longwaies as the sinnewes doe runne.
1654 J. Trapp Comm. Job v. 18 He is both a Father and a physitian, hee lanceth us not unlesse need be.
1722 D. Defoe Jrnl. Plague Year 243 To lance and dress the..Tumours.
1878 L. P. Meredith Teeth (ed. 2) 36 The dentist..sees the immediate beneficial results of lancing hot, congested gums.
b. absol. or intransitive. To make an incision.
ΚΠ
1646 J. Hall Horæ Vacivæ 48 They doe better Launce into secret humours.
8. transitive. To cut (a hole) or inject (oxygen) by means of an oxygen lance.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with tools or equipment > work with tools or equipment [verb (transitive)] > other tools or equipment
rolla1325
coina1483
wedge1530
maul1664
burnish1793
roller1828
shear1837
miser1847
trough1881
tank1905
trepan1909
lance1945
plough1961
1945 Machinery (N.Y.) Nov. 156/1 After a hole had been lanced completely through, the cut was continued to the bottom of the casting.
1946 Steel 11 Feb. 114/2 It was planned..to drain the salamander..by drilling and lancing a hole below the taphole in the base of the furnace.
1963 Times 22 Apr. p. viii/6 Oxygen is lanced into the furnace as it is being tapped. This causes the slag and lead to run.
Derivatives
lanced adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > surgery > incision > [adjective] > lanced
lanced1607
1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 516 Spread them vpon the aforesaid eaten or launced woundes.
Draft additions August 2007
transitive. figurative. to lance the boil: to relieve or mitigate the tension or hostility in a situation; to put a stop to an escalating problem or conflict.
ΚΠ
1915 Times 23 Aug. 5 The government..has shown the vigour of its desire to lance the boil from which the body politic has suffered for so long.
1964 Winnipeg Free Press 13 June 19/4 The Russians obviously hope to lance the boil and slow the alarming inroads the Chinese have been making.
1984 Soviet Stud. 36 504 It was better, to lance the boil of Solidarity, however messy the operation might be, than to continue with the crisis indefinitely.
2006 Press (Christchurch, N.Z.) (Nexis) 16 Dec. 21 They are helping to lance the boil of discontent about elements of that plan.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1901; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
<
n.1c1290
n.21487
v.c1330- to cry on a person's shoulder
- to cry on shoulder
- to cry on the house-top
- to cry on the house-tops
- to cry on the housetop
- to cry on the housetops
- to cry one's eyes out
- to cry one's heart out
- to cry or shout the kirn
- to cry out
- to cry out of
- to cry over spilt milk
- to cry over spilt water
- to cry peccavi
- to cry peccavimus
- to cry poor-mouth
- to cry poormouth
- to cry quarter
- to cry quit
- to cry quit with a person
- to cry quits
- to cry quittance
- to cry roast
- to cry roast meat
- to cry scaldings