different between careless vs lax

English

Etymology

From Middle English careles, from Old English carl?as (“careless, reckless, void of care, free from care, free”), equivalent to care +? -less. Cognate with Icelandic kærulaus (“careless, negligent”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?k??l?s/, /?k??l?s/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?k??l?s/
• Rhymes: -??(?)l?s

Adjective

careless (comparative more careless, superlative most careless)

1. Not concerned or worried (about). [from 11^thc.]

   • "He was here," observed Drina composedly, "and father was angry with him."
     "What?" exclaimed Eileen. "When?"
     "This morning, before father went downtown."
     Both Selwyn and Lansing cut in coolly, dismissing the matter with a careless word or two; and coffee was served—cambric tea in Drina's case.

2. Not giving sufficient attention or thought, especially concerning the avoidance of harm or mistakes. [from 16^thc.]
   • 1991, Stephen Fry, The Liar, p. 49:

     I don't find the pose of careless youth charming and engaging any more than you find the pose of careworn age fascinating and eccentric, I should imagine.

3. (archaic) Free from care; unworried, without anxiety. [from 11^thc.]

   • Good-humored, easy, and careless, he presided over his whale-boat as if the most deadly encounter were but a dinner, and his crew all invited guests.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:careless

Derived terms

• carelessly
• carelessness

Translations

Anagrams

• acreless, raceless, rescales

English

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /læks/
• Rhymes: -æks
• Homophone: lacks

Alternative forms

• lacks (Killian)

Etymology 1

From Middle English lax, from Old English leax (“salmon”), from Proto-West Germanic *lahs (“salmon”), from Proto-Germanic *lahsaz (“salmon”), from Proto-Indo-European *la?s- (“salmon, trout”). Cognate with Middle Dutch lacks, lachs, lasche (“salmon”), Middle Low German las (“salmon”), German Lachs (“salmon”), Norwegian laks (“salmon”), Danish laks (“salmon”), Swedish lax (“salmon”), Icelandic lax (“salmon”), Lithuanian lašišà (“salmon”), Latvian lasis, Russian ??????? (losós?, “salmon”), Albanian leshterik (“eel-grass”). See also lox.

Noun

lax (plural laxes)

1. (now chiefly Britain dialectal, Scotland) A salmon.

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Latin laxus (“wide, roomy, loose”).

Adjective

lax (comparative laxer, superlative laxest)

1. Lenient and allowing for deviation; not strict.
   • 1886, John Addington Symonds, Philip Sidney

     Society at that epoch was lenient, if not lax, in matters of the passions.

2. Loose; not tight or taut.
3. Lacking care; neglectful, negligent.
4. (mathematics) Describing an associative monoidal functor.
5. (archaic) Having a looseness of the bowels; diarrheal.

Synonyms

• (lenient, not strict): permissive, lenient, relaxed
• (loose, not tight): loose, slack
• (lacking care): blameworthy, lash, negligent, remiss, reprehensible

Antonyms

• (lenient, not strict): strict
• (loose, not tight): taut, tight

Related terms

• laxity

Translations

Etymology 3

Noun

lax (uncountable)

1. (slang) Lacrosse.
   • 2010, Kate Kingsley, Pretty on the Outside (page 79)

     “I'm not playing lax this term,” Mimah said.

Anagrams

• Axl

Dacian

Noun

lax

1. The edible wild purslane plant.

German

Etymology

From Latin laxus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /laks/
• Homophone: Lachs

Adjective

lax (comparative laxer, superlative am laxesten)

1. lax
2. (morale or ethics) easy, loose

Declension

Further reading

• “lax” in Duden online

Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse lax, from Proto-Germanic *lahsaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [laxs], [laks]

Noun

lax m (genitive singular lax, nominative plural laxar)

1. salmon

Declension

Derived terms

• laxbleikur:
• laxbleikur litur m

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *laks, from the same source as laci? (“entice”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /laks/, [??äks?]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /laks/, [l?ks]

Noun

lax f (genitive lacis); third declension

1. deception, fraud

Declension

Third-declension noun.

Synonyms

• fraus

Descendants

• Mozarabic:

  Arabic: ???????? (?a?i)

  Hebrew: ????????? (?a?i)

References

• lax in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• lax in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette

Anagrams

• alx

Middle English

Alternative forms

• lex

Etymology

From Old English leax, from Proto-West Germanic *lahs, from Proto-Germanic *lahsaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /laks/, /l?ks/

Noun

lax (plural lax or laxes)

1. salmon

Descendants

• English: lax
• Scots: lax

References

• “lax, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-06-23.

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *lahsaz. Cognate with Old English leax, German Lachs, English lox, Old High German lahs, Yiddish ??????? (laks?).

Noun

lax m (genitive lax, plural laxar)

1. (zoology) salmon

Declension

Derived terms

• Laxárdalr

Descendants

References

• lax in Geir T. Zoëga (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse lax, from Proto-Germanic *lahsaz. The 1000kr meaning comes from the color of the 1000kr bill which was the same color as a salmon.

Pronunciation

Noun

lax c

1. salmon
2. (slang) a bill with nominal value 1000 kronor or the corresponding amount of money

   Synonyms: lakan, långschal, skäring, papp

Declension

Derived terms

• laxrosa