Lack, lak, v.t. and v.i. to want: to be in want: to be destitute of: to miss.—n. want: destitution.—ns. Lack′-all, one who is destitute; Lack′-brain (Shak.), a fool.—adjs. Lack′-lin′en (Shak.), wanting linen; Lack′-lus′tre, wanting brightness.—n. a want of brightness. [From an old Low Ger. root found in Dut. lak, blemish; cf. Ice. lakr, defective.]
Lackadaisical, lak-a-dā′zi-kal, adj. affectedly pensive, sentimental.—interj. Lack′adaisy=Lack-a-day. [Alack-a-day. See Alack.]
Lack-a-day, lak-a-dā′, interj. See Alack-a-day.
Lacker. See Lacquer.
Lackey, lak′i, n. a menial attendant: a footman or footboy.—v.t. and v.i. to pay servile attendance: to act as a footman. [O. Fr. laquay (Fr. laquais)—Sp. lacayo, a lackey; perh. Ar. luka‛, servile.]
Lacmus, lak′mus, n. the same as Litmus (q.v.).
Laconic, -al, la-kon′ik, -al, adj. expressing in few words after the manner of the Laconians, Lacedæmonians, or Spartans: concise: pithy.—adv. Lacon′ically.—ns. Lac′onism, Lacon′icism, a concise style: a short, pithy phrase. [L.,—Gr.]
Lacquer, Lacker, lak′ėr, n. a varnish made of lac and alcohol.—v.t. to cover with lacquer: to varnish.—ns. Lac′querer, one who varnishes or covers with lacquer; Lac′quering, the act of varnishing with lacquer: a coat of lacquer varnish. [Fr. lacre—Port. lacre, laca—Pers. lac, lac.]
Lacrosse, la-kros′, n. a Canadian game of ball, played by two sets of eleven, the ball driven through the opponents' goal by means of the Crosse, a bent stick, 5-6 ft. long, with a shallow net at one end. [Fr.]
Lacteal, lak′te-al, adj. pertaining to or resembling milk: conveying chyle.—n. one of the absorbent vessels of the intestines which convey the chyle to the thoracic ducts.—ns. Lac′tarene, Lac′tarine, a preparation of the caseine of milk, used by calico-printers; Lac′tāte, a salt of lactic acid, and a base; Lactā′tion, the act of giving milk: the period of suckling.—adj. Lac′teous, milky, milk-like.—n. Lactesc′ence.—adjs. Lactesc′ent, turning to milk: producing milk or white juice: milky; Lac′tic, pertaining to milk; Lactif′erous, Lactif′ic, producing milk or white juice.—ns. Lac′tifuge, a medicine which checks the flow of milk; Lac′tocrite, an apparatus for testing the quantity of fatty substance in a sample of milk; Lactom′eter, an instrument for measuring the quality of milk; Lac′toscope, an instrument for testing the purity or richness of milk by its degree of translucency; Lac′tose, a kind of sugar, only moderately sweet, obtained from milk by evaporating whey—also Lac′tine; Lactuca (lak-tū′ka), a genus of herbs of the aster family, with milky juice.—adj. Lactucic (lak-tū′sik).—Lactic acid, an acid obtained from milk. [L. lacteus, milky—lac, lactis, milk; Gr. gala, galaktos, milk.]