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1849 entries found
lacrymatory (n.)
"small, slender glass vessel," of a type found in ancient sepulchers, 1650s, from Medieval Latin lacrimatorium, noun use of neuter of adjective lacrimatorius "pertaining to tears," from Latin lacrima "a tear" (see lachrymose). "It seems established that in some of them, at least, the tears of friends were collected to be buried with the dead" [Century Dictionary]. As an adjective 1849; the older adjective is lacrymary "designed to contain tears" (1705).
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lactate (v.)
"secrete milk from the breasts," 1889, probably a back-formation from lactation. The Latin verb was lactare. Related: Lactated; lactating.
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lactate (n.)
salt of lactic acid, 1790, from French (1789), from stem of lactic + -ate (1).
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lactation (n.)
1660s, "process of suckling an infant," from French lactation, from Late Latin lactationem (nominative lactatio) "a suckling," noun of action from past participle stem of lactare "to suckle," from lac (genitive lactis) "milk" (from PIE root *g(a)lag- "milk"). Meaning "process of secreting milk from the breasts" first recorded 1857. Related: Lactational.
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lacteal (adj.)
1650s, "pertaining to milk," earlier "milk-white" (1630s), from Latin lacteus "milky" (from lac "milk," from PIE root *g(a)lag- "milk") + -al (1). Other 17c. attempts at an adjective in English yielded lactary, lactaceous, lacteant, lacteous, lactescent, and, in a specialized sense ("milk-producing"), lactific.
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lactescence (n.)
"milky appearance," 1680s, from lactescent "becoming milky" (1660s), from Latin lactescentem (nominative lactescens), present participle of lactescere, inchoative of lactere "to be milky," from lac "milk" (from PIE root *g(a)lag- "milk").
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lactic (adj.)
1790, "procured from milk," in the chemical name lactic acid, which is so called because it was obtained from sour milk. From French lactique, from Latin lactis, genitive of lac "milk" (from PIE root *g(a)lag- "milk.") + French -ique (see -ic).
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lactivorous (adj.)
1824; see lacto- "milk" + -vorous "devouring."
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lactose (n.)
sugar from milk, 1843, from French, coined 1843 by French chemist Jean Baptiste André Dumas (1800-1884) from Latin lac (genitive lactis) "milk" (from PIE root *g(a)lag- "milk") + chemical suffix -ose (2).
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lacuna (n.)
"blank or missing portion in a manuscript," 1660s, from Latin lacuna "hole, pit," figuratively "a gap, void, want," diminutive of lacus "pond, lake; hollow, opening" (see lake (n.1)). The Latin plural is lacunae. The word has also been used in English from c. 1700 in the literal Latin sense in anatomy, zoology, botany. The adjectival forms have somewhat sorted themselves: Mathematics tends to use lacunary (1857), natural history lacunose (1816), and lacunar (n.) is used in architecture of paneled ceilings (1690s), so called for their sunken compartments. Leaving lacunal (1846) for the manuscript sense.
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