lance

See also: Lance and lancé

English

Lance shape of an Egyptian bronze spear from Banha, 2nd millennium BC
Jousters with broken lances.

Etymology

Etymology tree
Latin lancea
Old French lancebor.
Middle English launce
English lance

    From Middle English launce, from Old French lance, from Latin lancea.

    Pronunciation

    • (Received Pronunciation) enPR: läns, IPA(key): /lɑːns/
    • (US) enPR: lăns, IPA(key): /læns/
    • Audio (US):(file)
    • Rhymes: -ɑːns, -æns

    Noun

    lance (plural lances)

    1. A weapon of war, consisting of a long shaft or handle and a steel blade or head; a spear carried by horsemen.
    2. A wooden spear, sometimes hollow, used in jousting or tilting, designed to shatter on impact with the opposing knight’s armour.
    3. A whaling implement consisting of a long wooden shaft with a projecting iron shank tipped with a broad, leaf-shaped cutting blade, used to kill harpooned whales by repeated thrusts.
      • 1899 August 28, The Grafton Argus and Clarence River General Advertiser, NSW, page 4, column 2:
        ‘Stern all!’ and the harpooner tumbles aft and grips the steer oar, and the steersman takes his place in the head of the boat with his keen-edged lance.
      • 1961, Tom Mead, Killers of Eden, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 36:
        Again they changed positions and George was clutching the sweep while his father got the lance ready for’ard.
    4. (military) A soldier armed with a lance; a lancer.
    5. (military) An instrument which conveys the charge of a piece of ordnance and forces it home.
    6. (metallurgy) A small iron rod which suspends the core of the mold in casting a shell.
    7. (pyrotechnics) One of the small paper cases filled with combustible composition, which mark the outlines of a figure.
    8. (medicine) A lancet.
    9. A piece in the game of shogi that can move directly forward any number of squares.

    Derived terms

    Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
    Translations to be checked

    Verb

    lance (third-person singular simple present lances, present participle lancing, simple past and past participle lanced)

    1. To pierce with a lance, or with any similar weapon.
    2. (medicine) To open with a lancet; to prick or cut open with a sharp instrument; to pierce.
      to lance a vein or an abscess
    3. To throw in the manner of a lance; to lanch.
    4. (informal) To steal or swipe.
      He lanced my drink and spiked it!
    5. To move suddenly and quickly.

    Quotations

    • For quotations using this term, see Citations:lance.

    Derived terms

    Translations

    See also

    Anagrams

    French

    Pronunciation

    Etymology 1

    Inherited from Old French lance, from Latin lancea.

    Noun

    lance f (plural lances)

    1. a spear, lance
    2. (military) a lancer (a soldier armed with a lance)
    3. a hose
    Derived terms

    Etymology 2

    See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

    Verb

    lance

    1. inflection of lancer:
      1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
      2. second-person singular imperative
    Derived terms

    Further reading

    Friulian

    Etymology

    From Latin lancea.

    Noun

    lance f (plural lancis)

    1. lance, spear

    Galician

    Verb

    lance

    1. (reintegrationist norm) inflection of lançar:
      1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
      2. third-person singular imperative

    Italian

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ˈlan.t͡ʃe/
    • Rhymes: -antʃe
    • Hyphenation: làn‧ce

    Noun

    lance f pl

    1. plural of lancia

    Latin

    Pronunciation

    Noun

    lance

    1. ablative singular of lanx

    Middle English

    Etymology 1

    Noun

    lance

    1. alternative form of launce

    Etymology 2

    Verb

    lance

    1. alternative form of launcen

    Middle French

    Etymology

    From Old French lance.

    Noun

    lance f (plural lances)

    1. lance (weapon)
    2. lancer; lance

    Descendants

    • French: lance

    Old French

    Etymology

      From Latin lancea.

      Noun

      lance oblique singular, f (oblique plural lances, nominative singular lance, nominative plural lances)

      1. lance (weapon)

      Descendants

      Polish

      Etymology

        See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

        Pronunciation

        • IPA(key): /ˈlan.t͡sɛ/
        • Rhymes: -ant͡sɛ
        • Syllabification: lan‧ce

        Noun

        lance f

        1. nominative/accusative/vocative plural of lanca

        Portuguese

        Pronunciation

        • (Brazil) IPA(key): /ˈlɐ̃.si/

        Etymology 1

        Etymology tree
        Latin lancea
        Proto-Indo-European *-h₂
        Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂
        Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
        Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti
        Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu.
        Proto-Italic *-ājō
        Proto-Italic *-āō
        Latin -ō
        Late Latin lanceāre
        Old Galician-Portuguese lançar
        Portuguese lançardeverb.
        Portuguese lance

          Deverbal from lançar.

          Noun

          lance m (plural lances)

          1. throw (act of throwing something)
            Synonyms: arremesso, jogada, lançamento
          2. bid (offer at an auction)
            Synonym: lanço
          3. (sports) a series of actions carried out during a game
            Synonym: jogada
          4. (informal) matter, thing (crux, subject; only used for non-physical things)
            Synonyms: parada, (Portugal) cena
            E aí, qual é o lance?
            So, what's up?
            Esse é o lance, mano. As coisas não podem ficar assim.
            That's the thing, dude. Things can't stay this way.
          5. (informal) thing, fling (romantic relationship)
            • 2012, “Lancinho”, in Leiz (music), O Som das Multidões, performed by Turma do Pagode:
              Namora, mas adora um proibido
              E eu que sou culpado, eu que sou bandido
              Prefere um romance escondido
              Sai na madrugada pra dar lancinho comigo
              You're dating, but you sure love the forbidden
              And then it's my fault, [and then] I'm the criminal
              You'd rather keep our hookups hidden
              You go out past midnight to go on a fling night
          6. flight (series of stairs between landings)
            Uma vez eu já caí dez lances de escadas. Não recomendo.
            I once fell ten flights of stairs. I don't advise it.
          Derived terms
          • lancinho

          Etymology 2

            See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

            Verb

            lance

            1. inflection of lançar:
              1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
              2. third-person singular imperative

            Further reading

            Romanian

            Etymology

            Borrowed from Italian lancia (18th century).

            Noun

            lance f (plural lănci)

            1. spear, lance
              Synonym: suliță

            Declension

            singular plural
            indefinite definite indefinite definite
            nominative-accusative lance lancea lănci lăncile
            genitive-dative lănci lăncii lănci lăncilor
            vocative lance, lanceo lăncilor

            Spanish

            Pronunciation

            Etymology 1

              Deverbal from lanzar.

              Noun

              lance m (plural lances)

              1. launch (act of launching)
                Synonym: lanzamiento
              2. throw
              3. cast (fishing)
              4. situation
              5. telling-off; scolding
              Derived terms

              Etymology 2

                See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

                Verb

                lance

                1. inflection of lanzar:
                  1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
                  2. third-person singular imperative

                Further reading

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