lac 
1. A resinous incrustation deposited on the 
twigs of various trees in India and southern Asia 
by the lac-insect, Carteria lacca. The substance is 
formed by the mature female, from which it exudes, inclos- 
ing the eggs and keeping them attached to the branch. At 
the proper time the twigs are broken off by the native col- 
lectors, and exposed to the sun to kill the insect and to 
dry the lac. These twigs, with the attached resin, inclosed 
insects, and ova, constitute the Ktick-lac. Lac is a dark-red 
transparent resin, with a crystalline fracture, and bitter in 
taste. It yields only a part of its coloring matter to water, 
but borax solution exercises a special solvent power upon 
it. It is still much used in the East for dyeing woolen 
goods and leather, producing scarlet shades, not so bril- 
liant as cochineal, but somewhat faster. Seed-lac is ob- 
tained from stick-lac by removing the resinous concretions 
from the twigs and triturating with water. The greater 
part of the coloring matter is dissolved, and the granular 
portion which remains after drying is the seed-lac. Shell- 
lac or stellac is obtained by melting the seed-lac in cotton- 
cloth bags, straining, and allowing it to drop on to sticks 
or leaves. In this way the resin spreads into thin plates, 
in which state it is found in commerce. It is used in the 
manufacture of spirit- varnishes and sealing-wax, and as a 
stiffening for hats. Button-lac differs from shellac only 
in form. In its melted state it is dropped into disk forms 
three inches in diameter and one sixth of an inch thick. 
Lac-dye is imported from India, and is probably prepared 
by extracting the coloring matter from stick-lac with a 
weak alkali to which alumina has been added. It is used 
like cochineal for dyeing scarlet on woolens, but has only 
half as much tinctorial strength. Lac-lake is obtained by 
treating stick-lac with caustic soda and alum. It has a 
limited use as an artists' color, producing results similar 
to cochineal carmines, though less brilliant. The extrac- 
tion of the color from the resin leaves the shellac of com- 
merce. The general term lac is extended to the similar 
secretion of any lac-insect 
2f. Lacquer. 
Alum and lacgue, and clouded tortoiseshelL 
Dyer, The Fleece, iv. 
Coral lac, gold lac, etc. See the adjectives. Lac var- 
nlBh. Same as lacquer. Lac water- varnish, avarnish 
made by dissolving pale shellac in hot water, with a little 
borax. Itcombineswellas a menstruum with water-colors 
and inks, and forms an excellent varnish for prints. It 
dries transparent and impervious to moisture. 
lac 3 , lakh (lak), n. [Also written lack; < Hind. 
lak, also lakh, lalch, < Skt. laksha, a hundred 
thousand, a mark, token. ] The sum of 100, 000, 
usually of rupees. The usual pointing for sums of In- 
dian money rising above a lac is with a comma after the 
number of lacs : thus, Us. 80,62,000 (i. e. thirty lacs and 
fifty-two thousand) or Us. 49,98,810, instead of the equiva- 
lent 3,052,000 and 4,998,810 rupees. 
lac argenti (lak ar-gen'ti). [L., milk of silver: 
lac, milk; argenti, gen. of argentum, silver.] In 
alchemy, freshly precipitated silver chlorid. 
laccat, n. [NL.] Same as toe 2 . Hakluyt. 
laccate (lak'at), a. [As if from NL. *laccatus, 
< lacca, lac : see tec 2 .] In hot., appearing as if 
varnished ; covered with a coat resembling seal- 
ing-wax. 
lacchet, v, and re. A Middle English form of 
latchi. 
laccic (lak'sik), a. [< toe 2 (NL. lacca) + -4c.~] 
Pertaining to lac, or produced from it. [Bare. ] 
laccine (lak'sin), re. [< tec 2 (NL. lacca) + -we 2 .] 
A peculiar substance obtainable from lac, in- 
soluble in water, alcohol, or ether. 
laccinic (lak-sin'ik), a. [< laccine + -4c.~\ Ke- 
lated to or derived from lac. Also laccainic. 
Laccinic acid, a crystallizable dibasic acid which is es- 
sentially the coloring matter of lac-dye and closely resem- 
bles carminic acid in its reactions. 
laccolith (lak'o-lith), n. [< Gr. /Idocof, a pit 
(with ref . to crater) (see fate 1 ), + Tddof, stone.] 
A name given by G. K. Gilbert to masses of 
lava which, when rising from below, have not 
found their way to the surface, but have spread 
out laterally, and formed a lenticular aggre- 
gation, thereby lifting the rocks above into 
dome-shaped forms. 
laccolithic (lak-o-lith'ik), a. [< laccolith + -ic.~] 
Pertaining to, or resembling in form, a laccolith. 
Laccopteris (la-kop'te-ris), n. [NL., < Gr. Am- 
KOf, a pit, + nrepi'f, a fern, < irrepdv = TZ. feather."] 
A genus of fossil ferns established by Presl in 
1838, and occurring through the whole range of 
the Jurassic in Europe. It is distinguished by its 
digitately pinnate frond, ovate or linear-lanceolate pin- 
nules, well-marked median nerve, and dichotomous sec- 
ondary nervation. It is closely related to Selenocarpus, 
but in that genus the sori are semilunar in form, while in 
Laccopteris they are circular, with a depressed center. The 
digitate frond of Laccopteris resembles that of the genus 
Mattonia, and its mode of fructification is similar to that 
of Mertensta. 
lac-dye (lak'di), n. See toe 2 , 1. 
lace (las), n. [< ME. las, laas, < OF. las, las, 
lags, P. toes = Pr. toe, las, latz = Sp. lazo = Pg. 
toco = It. laccio, noose, snare, string, < L. la- 
queus, noose, snare; perhaps < lacere, allure: 
see allect, elicit, illect. Prom the L. laqueus are 
also ult. E. latchet and lasso.'] If. A noose; 
snare; net. 
Lo, alle thise folk icaught were in hire [Venus's] las, 
Til they for wo ful often sayde alias ! 
Chaucer, Knight's Tale, 1. 1093. 
3320 
2. A cord or string used in binding or fasten- 
ing ; specifically, a cord or string used for draw- 
ing together opposite edges, as of a corset, a 
bodice, a shoe, or the like, by being passed out 
and in through holes and fastened. 
For, striving more, the more in laces strong 
Himselfe he tide. Spenser, Muiopotmos, 1. 427. 
O cut my lace in sunder, that my pent heart 
May have some scope to beat. 
Shak.,nwh. III., iv. 1,34. 
3. Hence, any ornamental cord or braid used as 
an edging or trimming, especially when made of 
gold or silver thread. See gold lace, below. 4. 
A fabric of fine threads of linen, silk, or cotton, 
whether twisted or plaited together or worked 
like embroidery, or made by a combination of 
these processes, or (as at the present time) by 
machinery. Pillow- or bobbin-lace is made, by a process 
intermediate between weaving and plaiting, from a num- 
ber of threads which are kept in their places by the weight 
of the bobbins attached to them, and are woven and plaited 
together by hand. Needle-point lace is really embroidery, 
but is done upon loose threads which the worker has laid 
upon a drawn pattern, and which have no connection with 
each other and no stability until the needlework holds 
them together. (See bobbin-lace, needle-point lace, below.) 
Lace is known, according to kind, by many different names. 
See phrases below. 
No ! let a charming chintz and Brussels lace 
Wrap my cold limbs, and shade my lifeless face. 
Pope, Moral Essays, i. 248. 
5f. Spirits added to coffee or other beverage. 
He is forced every morning to drink his dish of coffee 
by itself, without the addition of the Spectator, that used 
to be better than lace to it. Spectator, No. 488. 
6f. A stringer; beam. HalMwell. Albisolalace, 
bobbin-lace made at Albisola, near Savona, in Italy, usu- 
ally in free designs of scrollwork. Alencon lace, a 
needle-point lace named from the city of Alencon in 
France. It is the only important French lace, except the 
Argentan, which is not made with bobbins. The fine 
lace of the eigh- 
teenth century was 
made entirely in 
smallpieces, which 
were sewed toge- 
ther afterward by 
a st itch called as- 
semblage, and not 
by that known as 
point de raccroc, 
the seam follow- 
ing the outlines 
of the pattern for 
the sake of con- 
cealment. This 
lace sometimes 
has horse-hairs 
worked in along 
the edge to give 
firmness to the cor- 
donnet : this was 
made necessary by 
the use of it for the 
towering head- 
dresses of the eigh- 
teenth century. 
Alencon lace is usually considered as indistinguishable 
from Argentan ; but it has more commonly a needle-made 
re'seau or net. See Argentan lace. Antwerp lace, a bob- 
bin-lace resembling early Alen9on, having a so-called pot 
introduced into the design that is, a semblance of a vase 
or basket constantly repeated. See pot-lace, below. Ap- 
plication-lace, a lace made by sewing flowers or sprigs, 
which may be needle-made or bobbin-made, upon a bobbin- 
lace ground ; especially, a Brussels lace of this kind, the 
most commonly made and the most important of all the 
Brussels laces. Applique^ lace. Same as application- 
lace. Argeutan lace, a 
needle-point lace usually 
considered as indistin- 
guishable from Alencon 
lace, but often bolder and 
larger in pattern, with 
the solid parts or toile 1 
flatter and more compact. 
It is also distinguished in 
some cases by a ground 
of hexagonally arranged 
brides. Arras lace, a 
white bobbin-lace made 
at Arras in France, very 
strong, and inexpensive 
because of the simplicity 
of the pattern. The ground 
is that known as Lisle 
ground. Auriliac lace, 
a bobbin-lace made at Au- 
riliac, department of Can- 
tal, France. It was origi- 
nally a close-woven solid 
lace, having much toils', 
and resembling the gui- 
ure of Genoa and Flan- 
era ; later it resembled 
point d'Angleterre. Au- 
yergne lace, lace made 
in Auvergne. It is most 
commonly pure bobbin- 
lace, but of many different makes and patterns, as nearly 
all celebrated laces are imitated in this region. Ave 
Maria lace, narrow lace used for edging. See Dieppe 
lace. Baby lace, a narrow lace used for edging, espe- 
cially that made in Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire, 
England, in very simple patterns. Basket-lacet a lace 
mentioned in inventories of 1580, probably a braid or la- 
lace 
cing so woven or plaited as to resemble basketwork. 
Bayeux lace, (a) A modern bobbin-lace made at Ba- 
yeux in Normandy, especially that made in close imita- 
tion of rose-point. (6) A black-silk lace, in demand be- 
cause made in unusually large pieces, as for shawls, fichus, 
etc. Beaded lace. See beaded. Beggar's lacet. 
Same as gueuse lace. Mrs. Bury Palliser. [Eng.] Bili- 
ment lacet. See biliment. Bisette lace, a French 
peasant-lace made in narrow pieces, coarse and simple in 
design. The name has now become identified with nar- 
row bordering-lace of small value. Bobbin-lace, lace 
of which the threads are twisted or plaited together, 
without the use of the needle. (See def. 3.) When the 
whole width of a large piece of lace is carried on together, 
the number of bobbins and of pins is very great and the 
work very expensive ; but it is customary to work each 
branch or scroll separately, these being then tacked toge- 
ther on the ground by crocheting. Bobbin-net lace, a 
kind of application-lace in which the pattern is applied 
upon a ground of bobbin-net or tulle. Bone point-lace, 
lace that has no regular ground of meshes. The name 
is of no definite significance, and has no connection with 
bone-lace. Border lace, lace of any sort made in long 
narrow pieces having a footing on one side, the other edge 
being usually vandyked, purled, or the like. Bourg- 
Argental lace, a blond-lace made in the latter part of 
the eighteenth century in Dauphiny, and considered of 
exceptional beauty, the silk used being especially fitted 
for the purpose. Bride-lace, lace of which the ground 
is wholly composed of brides or bars, without a re'seau or 
net. Broad lace. See broad. Brussels lace, lace 
made at and near Brussels in Belgium; especially, a 
lace of great fineness, of which the pattern has less relief 
Alencon Lace (P 
Brussels Lace. 
than Alencon, and the very flue net ground never has 
picots. At the present time Brussels lace is especially an 
application-lace, having needle-point sprigs and flowers 
sewed to a bobbin-ground, or in some cases bobbin-made 
or plat flowers applied to a needle-made ground or to 
tulle. In trade the name is often given to fine laces, no 
matter where made or of what pattern. Compare point 
degaze. Buckingham lace, a lace made originally in 
England, and of two kinds: (a) Buckingham trolly (which 
see, under trolly), and (b) a lace having a point ground, 
which is peculiar in having the pattern outlined with 
thicker threads, these threads being weighted by bobbins 
larger and heavier than the rest. Cadiz lace, a kind of 
needle-point lace, considered as a variety of Brussels lace. 
Carnival lace. See carnival. Cartisane lace, gui- 
pure or passement made with cartisane, which is parch- 
ment or vellum in thin strips or small rolls, covered with 
silk, gold thread, or the like. See guipure. Caterpillar 
point-lace. See caterpillar. Chain-lace, a braid or 
passement so worked as to suggest links of a chain, used 
in the seventeenth century. It was made of colored silk, 
and also of gold and silver thread. Chantilly lace, a 
kind of blond-lace of which the typical sort has a ground 
of Alenijon re'seau or net and the flowers in openwork 
instead of solid or mat. It is made of one kind of silk 
throughout, which is always grenadine or non-lustrous 
silk, so that black lace of this kind is often taken for 
thread-lace. Much Chantilly lace is made in the depart- 
ment of Calvados in France. Chenille lace. See che- 
nille. Cluny lace, a kind of net-lace in which the stitch 
is darned upon a square-net background. The patterns 
used are generally antique and quaint, conventionalized 
birds, animals, and flowers ; and the modern work of the 
kind is quite similar to that of the seventeenth century. 
A glazed thread is sometimes introduced in the pattern 
as an outline or center line. Cordover lace a kind of 
filling used in the pattern of ancient and modern point- 
lace. Cork lace, Irish lace in general, especially of the 
older sorts, made principally in the city of Cork before the 
recent extension of this industry in Ireland. Cretan 
lace. SeeCretan Crewel lace. See creweli. Crochet 
lace, lace made with the crochet-hook, or of which the 
pattern is made in this way but applied to a bobbin- or 
machine-made net. It resembles needle-point, although 
not equaling its finest kinds. Crown lace, early lace, 
guipure, cut- work, and the like, in which royal crowns are 
introduced as part of the pattern. It appears first in the 
reign of Queen Elizabeth. Dalecarlian lace. See Dale- 
carlian. Damascene lace. See damascene. Darned 
lace, a name given to lace of any kind which has a netted 
ground upon which the pattern is applied in needlework. 
Also called filet guipure. See def. 3. ground^-, n., 10 (/), 
guipure, and spider-work. Devonshire lace, lace made 
in Devonshire, England, especially that made in close imi- 
tation of Honiton. Diamond lacet, passement and gimp 
often mentioned in texts of the seventeenth century, appa- 
rently a silver or gold passement having lozenges for the 
chief element in the design. Dieppe lace, a fine point- 
lace resembling Valenciennes, made at Dieppe in France. 
In the eighteenth century there were several varieties of 
Dieppe lace, bearing the popular names of A ve Maria lace 
and dentelle d la Vierge, the latter of which had a regular 
ground of squares composed of small meshes alternating 
with open squares, upon which ground the pattern, usually 
very simple, was applied in close-stitch or close-work. 
Dresden point-lace. Same as Saxony fera. Duchesse 
lace, a variety of pillow-lace, originally made in Belgium, 
and containing a great deal of the raised work, volants, and 
the like, which are used in the somewhat similar Honiton 
lace. Dunkirk lace, a pillow-lace made in the seven- 
teenth century, of which the more important kind was a 
close imitation of Mechlin,,and was perhaps sold as such. 
Dutchlace. Sec Dutch. Ecru lace. See fcru. English 
point-lace, (at) A bobbin-lace very much admired in the 
