laurence

[ lawr-uh ns, lor- ]

/ ˈlɔr əns, ˈlɒr- /

noun

Physics. a shimmering effect seen over a hot surface, such as a pavement or roadway, on a clear and calm day, caused by the irregular refraction of light.Compare scintillation(def 4).

Nearby words

laurel and hardy, laurel cherry, laurel family, laurel oak, lauren, laurence, laurence-moon syndrome, laurence-moon-bardet-biedl syndrome, laurencin, laurens, laurent series

Origin of laurence

First recorded in 1790–1800; of unexplained orig.

Definition for laurence (2 of 2)

Laurence

[ lawr-uh ns, lor- ]

/ ˈlɔr əns, ˈlɒr- /

noun

a male given name, form of Lawrence.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for laurence

Laurence Fishburne is the titular character in the 1995 film of Othello.
Shakespeare’s Movie Magic|Marina Watts, Malcolm Jones|April 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Somewhere in the Afterlife, Laurence Sterne must have been tickled to see his fiendish book infused with new life.
Crazy Cartography: Artists and Writers Conjure a Slew of Imaginative Maps|Lauren Elkin|April 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
My editor, the renowned Laurence Gandar, called me to his office to be questioned.
Mandela, My Source: One Journalist’s Memory of Clandestine Meetings|Benjamin Pogrund|December 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Laurence and I are very lucky in that we get on well and the chemistry seems to work.
Meet ‘Inspector Lewis’: Kevin Whately on ‘Morse,’ John Thaw, and the End of the Series|Jace Lacob|June 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST

He's a live wire, Laurence: very, very intelligent and he can keep a whole unit bubbling along.
Meet ‘Inspector Lewis’: Kevin Whately on ‘Morse,’ John Thaw, and the End of the Series|Jace Lacob|June 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
His brother Laurence—wasted—all through women—atrophy of willpower!
Five Tales|John Galsworthy
He held Laurence's gaze with a passionate expression of understanding which to Laurence was peculiarly offensive and disturbing.
Narcissus|Evelyn Scott
Laurence at first thought to affect ignorance of the language, of which, indeed, he possessed considerable knowledge.
The Sign of the Spider|Bertram Mitford
Laurence Sterne, sa personne et ses ouvrages tude prcde dun fragment indit de Sterne.
Laurence Sterne in Germany|Harvey Waterman Thayer
"Not in the least," Margaret answered, while Laurence waved his riding-cap gayly in the air.
Sybil Chase|Ann S. Stephens

British Dictionary definitions for laurence

Laurence

/ (ˈlɒrəns) /

noun

Margaret, full name Jean Margaret Laurence, 1926–87, Canadian novelist and short story writer; her novels include The Stone Angel (1964)

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