lanc

prop. n. 1. A city in Northwest England on the river Lune. [ wns=1 ] [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. The English royal house that reigned from 1399 to 1461; its symbol was a red rose; called also the House of Lancaster. [ wns=2 ]
Syn. -- Lancastrian line. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

prop. a. Of or pertaining to the monitorial system of instruction followed by Joseph Lancaster, of England, in which advanced pupils in a school teach pupils below them. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. 1. A member (or supporter) of the house of Lancaster. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. A resident of Lancaster{ 1 }. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

prop. a. 1. Of or pertaining to Lancaster{ 2 }; as, Lancastrian royalty. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. Of or pertaining to the city of Lancaster{ 1 }; as, Lancastrian city center. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

3. Of or pertaining to the members of the house of Lancaster; as, Lancastrian members. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

4. Of or pertaining to the inhabitants of Lancaster; as, the Lancastrian population. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ OE. lance, F. lance, fr. L. lancea; cf. Gr. lo`gchh. Cf. Launch. ] 1. A weapon of war, consisting of a long shaft or handle and a steel blade or head; a spear carried by horsemen, and often decorated with a small flag; also, a spear or harpoon used by whalers and fishermen. [ 1913 Webster ]

A braver soldier never couched lance. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A soldier armed with a lance; a lancer. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Founding) A small iron rod which suspends the core of the mold in casting a shell. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Mil.) An instrument which conveys the charge of a piece of ordnance and forces it home. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Pyrotech.) One of the small paper cases filled with combustible composition, which mark the outlines of a figure. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Med.) A lancet. [ PJC ]

Free lance, in the Middle Ages, and subsequently, a knight or roving soldier, who was free to engage for any state or commander that purchased his services; hence, a person who assails institutions or opinions on his own responsibility without regard to party lines or deference to authority. See also freelance, n. and a., and freelancer. --
Lance bucket (Cavalry), a socket attached to a saddle or stirrup strap, in which to rest the but of a lance. --
Lance corporal, same as Lancepesade. --
Lance knight, a lansquenet. B. Jonson. --
Lance snake (Zool.), the fer-de-lance. --
Stink-fire lance (Mil.), a kind of fuse filled with a composition which burns with a suffocating odor; -- used in the counter operations of miners. --
To break a lance, to engage in a tilt or contest. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Lanced p. pr. & vb. n. Lancing ] 1. To pierce with a lance, or with any similar weapon. [ 1913 Webster ]

Seized the due victim, and with fury lanced
Her back. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To open with a lancet; to pierce; as, to lance a vein or an abscess. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To throw in the manner of a lance. See Lanch. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A lancepesade. [ PJC ]

2. An enlisted member of the United States Marine Corps ranking between a private first class and a corporal. [ PJC ]

3. The lowest rank of corporal; -- a term used in the British military. RHUD [ PJC ]

pos>n. (Zool.) A slender marine fish of the genus Ammodytes, especially Ammodytes tobianus of the English coast; -- called also sand lance. [ 1913 Webster ]