latex
[ley-teks]
- a milky liquid in certain plants, as milkweeds, euphorbias, poppies, or the plants yielding India rubber, that coagulates on exposure to air.
- Chemistry. any emulsion in water of finely divided particles of synthetic rubber or plastic.
Origin of latex
1655–65; < New Latin, special use of Latin latex water, juice, liquid
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for latex
Contemporary Examples
Stacks of clean brown boxes surrounding him hold bleach, latex gloves, and masks—weapons against Ebola.
Since waist cinchers are made from latex, they also make you sweat…a lot.
Last year, Browne's mental asylum included pieces of latex, Joker-like make-up, and medical gloves.
From earcuffs to arm parties, hippie-prep to latex, six things you may actually see next Spring.
6 Lessons From The Spring Runways: New York Fashion Week Spring Summer 2013Isabel Wilkinson, Lizzie Crocker
September 14, 2012
One option is the vacuum bed or “vacbed,” a platform topped with a latex sheet.
Historical Examples
From the latex of the opium poppy the opium of commerce is extracted.
Elements of Structural and Systematic BotanyDouglas Houghton Campbell
Rubber of various qualities is now made from the latex of the Jelutong tree.
RubberEdith A. Browne
The latex is poured into the dabree, where it naturally coagulates into sheets.
RubberEdith A. Browne
In the collection of latex some of this dirt may fall into the bucket.
The Preparation of Plantation RubberSidney Morgan
Often a touch is sufficient to upset the balance, and latex is lost.
The Preparation of Plantation RubberSidney Morgan
latex
- a whitish milky fluid containing protein, starch, alkaloids, etc, that is produced by many plants. Latex from the rubber tree is used in the manufacture of rubber
- a suspension of synthetic rubber or plastic in water, used in the manufacture of synthetic rubber products, etc
Word Origin
C19: New Latin, from Latin: liquid, fluid
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for latex
n.
1660s, "body fluid," from Latin latex (genitive laticis) "liquid, fluid," probably from Greek latax "dregs," from PIE root *lat- "wet" (cf. Middle Irish laith "beer," Welsh llaid "mud, mire," Lithuanian latakas "pool, puddle," Old Norse leþja "filth"). Used 1835 to mean "milky liquid from plants." Meaning "water-dispersed polymer particles" (used in rubber goods, paints, etc.) is from 1937. As an adjective by 1954, in place of clasically correct laticiferous.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
latex
(lā′tĕks′)
- The colorless or milky sap of certain plants, such as the poinsettia, that coagulates on exposure to air.
- An emulsion of rubber or plastic globules in water, used in adhesives and synthetic rubber products.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
latex
[lā′tĕks′]
- The colorless or milky sap of certain trees and plants, such as the milkweed and the rubber tree, that hardens when exposed to the air. Latex usually contains gum resins, waxes, and oils, and sometimes toxic substances.
- A manufactured emulsion of synthetic rubber or plastic droplets in water that resembles the latex of plants. It is used in paints, adhesives, and synthetic rubber products.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.