Dictionary.com
definitions

lace

[leys]
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR lace ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

verb (used with object), laced, lac·ing.

verb (used without object), laced, lac·ing.

to be fastened with a lace: These shoes lace up the side.
to attack physically or verbally (often followed by into): The teacher laced into his students.

RELATED CONTENT

Remember These Fashion Fads (Or Were They Faux Pas)?
Some terms come and go just as quickly as “in” colors and hemlines. One year something’s “trendy” and the next year it’s “on trend.” Here are some essential fashion buzzwords that never go out of style. In just a few clicks, we’ll have you sounding like Heidi Klum.
READ MORE
Watson 853
Read more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

mesh, ornament, thread, shoelace, mix, strap, fortify, interweave, spike, trim, edging, border, filigree, netting, net, trimming, tissue, openwork, crochet

Origin of lace

1175–1225; (noun) Middle English las < Old French laz, las ≪ Latin laqueus noose; (v.) Middle English lasen < Middle French lacier, lasser, lachier (French lacer) ≪ Latin laqueāre to enclose in a noose, trap
Related formslace·like, adjectivelac·er, nounre·lace, verb, re·laced, re·lac·ing.well-laced, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lace

Contemporary Examples of lace

Historical Examples of lace

  • She pretended to be a cleaner and mender of lace, but she sold a good many other things.

    The Dream

    Emile Zola

  • She was paying minute attention to the lace insertion of her skirt.

    The Fortune Hunter

    Louis Joseph Vance

  • On closing the door after her the lace bed-curtains had probably caught fire.

    My Double Life

    Sarah Bernhardt

  • Jennie shook out the lace fringes of her parasol; and smoothed them with some precision.

  • I could see nothing but the pattern of the Brussels lace as she drew back.

British Dictionary definitions for lace

lace

noun

a delicate decorative fabric made from cotton, silk, etc, woven in an open web of different symmetrical patterns and figures
a cord or string drawn through holes or eyelets or around hooks to fasten a shoe or garment
ornamental braid often used on military uniforms, etc
a dash of spirits added to a beverage

verb

to fasten (shoes, etc) with a lace
(tr) to draw (a cord or thread) through holes, eyes, etc, as when tying shoes
(tr) to compress the waist of (someone), as with a corset
(tr) to add a small amount of alcohol or drugs to (food or drink)
(tr; usually passive and foll by with) to streak or mark with lines or coloursthe sky was laced with red
(tr) to intertwine; interlace
(tr) informal to give a sound beating to
See also lace into, lace up
Derived Formslacelike, adjectivelacer, noun

Word Origin for lace

C13 las, from Old French laz, from Latin laqueus noose
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for lace
n.

early 13c., laz, "cord made of braided or interwoven strands of silk, etc.," from Old French laz "a net, noose, string, cord, snare" (Modern French lacs), from Vulgar Latin *lacium, from Latin laqueum (nominative laqueus) "noose, snare" (Italian laccio, Spanish lazo), a trapping and hunting term, probably from Italic base *laq- "to ensnare" (cf. Latin lacere "to entice"). Later also "net, noose, snare" (c.1300); "piece of cord used to draw together the edges of slits or openings in an article of clothing" (late 14c.). The "ornamental net pattern" meaning is first recorded 1550s. Sense of "cord for tying" remains in shoelace. As an adjective, lace-curtain "middle class" (or lower-class with middle-class pretensions) usually is used in reference to Irish-Americans, by 1928.

v.

c.1200, "fasten (clothing, etc.) with laces and ties;" see lace (n.). Also "tighten (a garment) by pulling its laces" (early 14c.). To lace coffee, etc., with a dash of liquor (1670s) originally was used of sugar, and comes via the notion of "to ornament or trim." Related: Laced; lacing. Laced mutton was "an old word for a whore" [Johnson].

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper