n.
- A cord or ribbon used to draw and tie together two opposite edges, as of a shoe.
- A delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern. Also called lacework.
- Gold or silver braid ornamenting an officer's uniform.
v., laced, lac·ing, lac·es. v.tr.
- To thread a cord through the eyelets or around the hooks of.
- To draw together and tie the laces of.
- To restrain or constrict by tightening laces, especially of a corset.
- To pull or pass through; intertwine: lace garlands through a trellis.
- To trim or decorate with or as if with lace.
- To add a touch of flavor to: "today's chefs love to lace their goods with lively, pronounced flavors" (David Rosengarten).
- To add a substance, especially an intoxicant or narcotic, to: laced the eggnog with rum and brandy.
- To add or intersperse with something in order to produce a certain effect: "Quacks now lace their pitch with scientific terms that may sound authentic to the uninformed" (Jane E. Brody).
- To streak with color.
- To give a beating to; thrash: laced his opponent in the second round.
To be fastened or tied with laces or a lace.
phrasal verb:
lace into Informal.
- To attack; assail: laced into me for arriving so late.
[Middle English, from Old French las, noose, string, from Vulgar Latin *laceum, from Latin laqueus, noose, probably akin to lacere, to entice, ensnare.]
laceless lace'less adj.lacer lac'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
