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lance

1
[ lans, lahns ]
/ læns, lɑns /
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noun
verb (used with object), lanced, lanc·ing.
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Origin of lance

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English launce, lance, from Old French lance, from Latin lancea (perhaps from Celtic)

OTHER WORDS FROM lance

lancelike, adjectiveun·lanced, adjective

Other definitions for lance (2 of 3)

lance2
[ lans, lahns ]
/ læns, lɑns /

noun

Origin of lance

2
First recorded in 1620–30; perhaps special use of lance1, from its shape

Other definitions for lance (3 of 3)

Lance
[ lans ]
/ læns /

noun
a male given name.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use lance in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lance

lance
/ (lɑːns) /

noun
a long weapon with a pointed head used by horsemen to unhorse or injure an opponent
a similar weapon used for hunting, whaling, etc
surgery another name for lancet
the sand lanceSee sand eel
verb (tr)
to pierce (an abscess or boil) with a lancet to drain off pus
to pierce with or as if with a lance

Word Origin for lance

C13 launce, from Old French lance, from Latin lancea
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
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