laceration 
laceration (las-e-ra'shon), x. [= F. laceration 
= Sp. laceration = Pg. lacerafao = It. lacera- 
zione, < L. laceratio(n-), a tearing, mangling, < 
lacerare, tear, mangle: see lacerate.'] 1. The 
act of lacerating or tearing or rending. 2. A 
rough or jagged breach made by rending. 3. 
A wounding or harrowing, as of the feelings or 
sensibility. 
lacerative (las'e-ra-tiv), a. [< It. lacerativo; 
as lacerate + -ive.~] 'Tearing; having the power 
to lacerate or tear. 
Some depend upon the intemperament of the part ul- 
cerated, others upon the continual afflux of lacerative hu- 
mours. Harvey, Consumptions. 
lacertt, n. [< ME. lacerte, < L. lacertus, the 
muscular part of the arm from the shoulder to 
the elbow (likened to a lizard, from its tapering 
to the tendon), the arm, muscle, < lacerta, lacer- 
tus, a lizard: see lizard. Cf. muscle, as ult. con- 
nected with mouse."] A muscle. 
Every lacerte in his brest adoun 
Is schent with venym and corrupcioun. 
Chaucer, Knight's Tale, 1. 1895. 
Lacerta (la-ser'ta), n. [L.; also lacertus, a liz- 
ard: cf. lizard and alligator, ult. < L. lacerta, 
lacertus, lizard.] 1. In zool., a genus of liz- 
ards, typical of the family Lacertida!. The name 
3322 
dont or pleurodont, not fixed in distinct, sockets. The eyes 
are normally furnished with two or three movable lids. 
The animals are oviparous or ovoviviparous, mostly diurnal 
in habits, and agile in movement ; they average but a few 
*,, ......' are known to be poisonous. The LacertUia, 
have been variously subdivided. An old division is into 
3 suborders, Ftesilinguia, Brevilinyuia, and Vennum- 
guia, according to the characters of the tongue. An- 
other obsolete classification was into 8 suborders, Cyclo- 
saura, Fiusilinguia, Strobilosaura, Nyctisaura, Dendro- 
eaura, Jthynchocephala, Amphisbimoidea,&nd Geissotaura. 
In the latest classification, after throwing out Sphenodon 
or Hatteria, as the type of a separate order Rhynchoce- 
phalia, the Lacertilia are divided into two groups -(1) the 
Lacertilia vera or Eriglossa containing all the Lactrtuta 
except (2) the Rhiptoglossa, a division comprising the 
chameleons alone, also called Dendrosaura or Vermtlm- 
guia. The Lacertilia vera consist of 20 families, represent- 
ing 10 superfamilies, Gecconoidea, Eublepharoidea, Uropla- 
toidea, Pygopodoidea, Agamoidea, Anielloidea, Heloder- 
matatdea, Varanoidea, Lacertoidea, Anelytropoidea. 
lacertilian (las-er-til'i-an ), a. and re. [< Lacerti- 
lia + -an.] I. a. Pertaining to the Lacertilia, or 
having their characters; lacertiform; saurian. 
II. re. One of the Lacertilia; a saurian. 
lacertilioid (las-er-til'i-oid), a. [< Lacertilia 
+ -oid.] Lizard-like; lacertiform; resembling 
a lacertilian. 
Lacertina (las-er-ti'na), TO. pi. [NL., < Lacerta 
+ -ina?.] A small group of the order Lacertilia, 
including the most ordinary lizards, closely re- 
lated to the Scincoidea and Chalcidea. 
lacertine (la-ser'tin), a. [< L. lacerta, lizard, 
+ -ine^.] Same as lacertian or lacertilioid. La- 
certine work, ornament consisting in part of intertwined 
Green Lizard of Europe (Lacerta viridis}. 
number of common harmless lizards of the Old World, 
and chiefly of its warmer parts, of active diurnal habits 
living on the ground chiefly, with four well-developed 
limbs and movable eyelids. They are of slender form, 
with long slim tail and non-imbricated scales. L. agilis 
is the common gray lizard or sand-lizard of England. L. 
viridis is the green lizard of southern Europe. 
2. A small constellation which first appears 
in the "Prodromus Astronomies" of Hevelius, 
published in 1690. It is bounded by Cepheus, 
Cygnus, Pegasus, and Andromeda. Its bright- 
est star is of the fourth magnitude. 3f. \l. c.~\ 
A fathom. Doomsday Book. 
Lacertse (la-ser'te), n.pl. [NL., pi. of Lacerta.] 
An order of reptiles, the Lacertilia. It cor- 
responds to the order Sauria exclusive of the 
crocodiles. Wagler, 1830 ; R. Owen. 
lacertian (la-ser'shi-an), a. and TO. [< L. lacerta, 
a lizard, + -ian.] I. a. Lizard-like; lacertil- 
ian ; of or pertaining to the Lacerta; or Lacer- 
tilia; saurian, in a narrow sense. 
II. re. A lacertilian ; a lizard. 
1 of the restrict- 
Lacertine Work, from a French manuscript of the i3th century. 
lizards or serpents. It is used in ancient Celtic manu- 
script decoration, and occurs in Romanesque illumination 
and later, as well as in metal-work and carving. 
Lacertinidse (las-er-tin'i-de), . pi. [NL., < 
Lacerta + -4nus + -idee.'] Same as Lacertida!. 
J. E. Gray, 1825. 
lacertoid (la-ser'toid), a. Lizard-like; spe- 
cifically, pertaining to the Lacertoidea, or hav- 
ing their characters. 
Lacertoidea (las-er-toi'de-a), n. pi. [NL., < 
Lacerta + -oidea.] A superfamily of eriglos- 
sate lacertilians, haying concavo-convex ver- 
tebree, clavicles undilated proximally, and de- 
veloped postorbital and postfronto-squamosal 
arches. The group embraces five families of ordinary 
lizards, the Xantusiida!, Ameividce(or Teiidce), Lacertida, 
Gerrhomuridce, and Scinddce. T. Gill, Smithsonian Re- 
port, 1885, p. 800. 
lace-runner (las 'runner), m. A person who 
ed family 
lacing-cutter 
The law also determines that in the king can be no 
negligence, or laches, and therefore no delay will bar his 
right. lllackstone, Com., I. vii. 
Laches of entry, a neglect of the heir to enter. 
Laches' 2 (la'kez), . [NL. (Thorell, 1869).] A 
genus of spiders: same as Lachesis, a name pre- 
occupied in herpetology. 
Lachesis (lak'e-sis), n. [L., < Gr. A&xeais, lit. 
lot, destiny, < ~f.ayxa.veiv, /.axeiv, obtain, obtain 
by lot or destiny, fall by lot.] 1. In classical 
my tit., that one of the three Fates whose duty 
it was to assign to each individual his destiny ; 
the disposer of lots. She spun the thread or 
course of life from the distaff held by Clotho. 
2. In zool. : (a) A genus of very venomous 
American serpents of the pit-viper or rattle- 
snake family ( CrotaUdai), having a rudimentary 
rattle in the form of a spine. L. mutus is the 
deadly bushmaster of South America. Daudin, 
1802. (6) A genus of spiders now called Laches. 
Savigny and Audouin, 1825-27. (c) A genus 
of gastropods of the family Pleuroto- 
mida, of buccinoid figure with mam- 
millated spire, as L. minima. Risso, 
1826. (d) A genus of pseudoneurop- 
terous insects of the family Psocida;. 
Hagen, 1861. (e) A genus of bupres- 
tid beetles, erected by Saunders in 
1871 upon the African L. abyla, which ** 
had been placed in (Edisternon. 
Lachninee (lak-ni'ue), n.pl. [NL.,< Lachnus 
+ -ina;.] A subfamily of Aphidida-, typified by 
the genus Lachnus, having six-jointed anten- 
nse, and a winged form with twice-forked cubi- 
tal veins of the fore wings. There are about 6 gen- 
era. The subfamily was framed by Passerini in 1857. By 
some it is considered a tribe of the subfamily Aphidince, 
under the name Lachnini. 
Lachnosterna (lak-no-ster'nji), TO. [NL., < 
Gr. haxvoc., /id%vi/, soft woolly hair, down, + 
arepvov, the breast, chest.] A genus of scara- 
bseoid beetles of the subfamily Melolonthince, 
characterized by the transverse, not prominent 
anterior cox, narrow side-pieces of the me- 
tasternum, and claws not serrate but with a 
single tooth. The species are especially numerous in 
North America, where they are popularly known as June- 
bugs, dor-bugs, and May-beetles; they are crepuscular or 
nocturnal in habits, feeding upon the foliage of deciduous 
trees. The larva;, known as white grubs, feed underground 
on the roots of grasses and allied plants. The species are 
difficult to distinguish ; the most abundant are L. fusca 
and several near relatives, all of a brown color, with pale 
legs and antennas, the upper side not hairy and rather 
finely punctured. See cuts under June-bug and dor-bug. 
Lachnus (lak'nus), n. [NL. (Burmeister, 1835, 
after Illiger), < Gr. /idxvof, haxvr/, soft woolly 
hair, down.] A large and wide-spread genus 
of aphids or plant-lice, typical of the subfam- 
ily Lachnince. They are characterized by the linear 
stigma and nearly straight fourth vein of the fore wing. 
Nearlyallthemany species haveawoolly-looking waxy exu- 
dation, whencethename; they mostly live on trees, feeding 
in summer on the leaves and twigs. L. strobi, a common 
form, affects the white pine in the United States. Many 
fossil species are described, from the Florissant shales in 
eriglossate lacertilians, exemplified by the ge- 
nus Lacerta, belonging to the superfamily La- 
certoidea and order Lacertilia. They have clavicles 
not dilated proximally, parietal bones confluent, supra- 
temporal fossa roofed over, premaxillary single, and no 
osteodermal plates. The Lacertidie are confined to the 
Old World, and are found chiefly in the wanner parts of 
Europe and Asia. They have a slender scaly body, with a 
long, fragile, tapering tail, well-developed limbs with 4 or 
5 toes bearing claws, bright eyes with movable lids, slen- 
der forked protrusile tongue, and often brilliant or varied 
colors. The family includes, within the limits thus given, 
about 100 species belonging to 17 genera, most abundantly 
represented in Africa and by a few forms in India. None 
occur in America. Lacerta agilis and L. (Zootoca) vivipara 
are the British representatives of the family. 
lacertiform (Ia-ser'ti-f6rm), a. [< L. lacerta, 
lacertus, a lizard, + forma, form.] Having the 
form of a lizard ; lacertilian in structure. 
Lacertilia (las-6r-til'i-a), TO. pi. [NL., < L. lacer- 
ta, lacertus, a lizard : see Lacerta.] An order of 
reptiles, includingthesauriansproperor lizards, 
as the monitors, iguanas, geckos, chameleons, 
etc., and excludingthe crocodiles. The orderthus 
agrees with the old order Sauria divested of its non-con- 
formable types. The Lacertffia have a scaly body mostly 
elongate, and usually 4 well-developed limbs, which, how- 
ever, may be reduced to 2, or apparently to none, in which 
case there may be rudiments of a shoulder-girdle or hip- 
girdle. The vertebra are biconcave in the Gecconoidea 
and Uroplatoidea, but generally procoelous, and have but 
one facet on each side for the articulation of the ribs, which 
are usually few in number, some of them being always at- 
tached to the sternum. The heart is tripartite, with two 
auricles and one ventricle. The anal cleft is transverse. 
The mouth is not dilatable, as it usually is in Ophidia or 
serpents, and the usually simple teeth are generally aero- 
wings veined or netted like lace 
fly, a neuropterous insect of the family Hemerobiidtr, and 
especially of the genus Chrysopa, whose larvte are called 
aphis-lions from their habit of preying upon plant-lice. 
The eggs are laid in groups, each at the end of a long 
footstalk. The larva) are entirely carnivorous, sucking 
the juices of plant-lice through their long Jaws. They 
transform to pupse within dense whitish globular cocoons, 
from which the imago escapes through a circular hole cut 
by the pupa. See cut under Chrysopa. 
lace-woman (las^um''^), . A woman who 
deals in " 
No lace-woman . . . that brings French masks, 
And cut-works. B. Jonson, Devil is an Ass, ii. 1. 
lacheH, v. A Middle English form of latch 1 . 
Iache 2 t (lach), . A Middle English form of 
latch?. 
lache s t, a. An obsolete form of lash 2 . 
laches 1 (lach'ez), TO. [< ME. lachesse, lacchesse, 
< OF. lachesse, laxness, remissness, < lache, lax, 
remiss: see lache 2 , lash 2 .] 1. Negligence; re- 
missness; inexcusable delay; neglect to do a 
thing at the proper time. 
Than Cometh Lachesse, that is he that whan he begin- 
neth any good work, anon he wol forlete it and stinte. 
Chaucer, Parson's Tale. 
In his heart he [Mr. Farebrother] felt rather ashamed 
that his conduct had shown laches which others who did 
not get benefices were free from. 
George Eliot, Middleman*, Hi. 
2. In law, remissness in asserting or enfor- 
cing a right, or neglect prejudicing some right 
of the person chargeable with it. 
valley, and at Radoboj in Croatia. They often occur in 
amber. 
lachrymable, lachrymal, etc. See lacrymable, 
lacing (la'sing), n. [Verbal n. of lace, v.] 1. 
The act of binding or fastening with a cord or 
thong passed backward and forward through 
holes or around buttons or hooks. 2. A method 
of fastening the adjoining ends of a belt by the 
use of a thong or lace. 3. In bookbinding, the 
fastening of the boards of a book to its back by 
cords which pass around the sewed threads of 
the signatures and through holes pierced in the 
boards. 4. A cord used in drawing tight or 
fastening; laces in general. 5. Naut.,ihe cord 
or rope used to lace a sail to a gaff, yard, or 
boom, or to fasten two parts of a sail or an awn- 
ing together. 6. In ship-building, a piece of 
compass- or knee-timber fitted and bolted to 
the back of the figurehead and to its supporting 
piece, called the knee of the head. Also called 
lace-piece. 7. In mining, same as lagging, 3. 
8. In the plumage of birds, especially in de- 
scriptions of standard or pure-bred poultry: (a) 
A border or edging of a different color from the 
center, completely surrounding the web of a 
feather. (6) The coloration of plumage result- 
ing from feathers marked as above, considered 
collectively. 9. In math., a complex of three 
or more closed bands, so that no two are inter- 
linked, yet so that they cannot be separated 
without breaking. 
lacing-cutter (la'sing-kut"er), M. In letithi-r- 
nxnnif., a gajjed knife by which strips of any 
required width may be cut. 
