First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English lacca, from Dutch lak or French lac, laque, from Old French lacce, lache, from Medieval Latin lac, lacca, from Arabic lakk, from Persian lak, from Hindi lākh, from Prakrit lākkhā, from Sanskrit lākṣā
From Latin
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In a recent study published in Nature Geoscience, the researchers turned their attention to two blackwater lakes stained dark by plant material: Africa's largest blackwater lake, Lac Mai Ndombe, and the smaller Lac Tumba.
From Science Daily • Feb. 24, 2026
Daniel Du Lac De Fugères, Mr. Tesson’s longtime friend, came along as a guide, and they were joined by one of the author’s devoted readers, Philippe Rémoville.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 11, 2025
By then, the mine was owned by Lac Minerals Ltd., which took over responsibility for groundwater inspection and monitoring required by the local water quality control board.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2025
It’s about Louis de Pointe du Lac, who sits down for a second interview with a veteran journalist named Daniel, played by Eric Bogosian.
From Seattle Times • May 5, 2024
Haldon Lac realized dazedly that she must have been keeping track of all the ships coming in and out of Epidram.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
