different between lace vs louse

English

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /le?s/
• Rhymes: -e?s

Etymology 1

From Middle English lace, laace, las, from Old French las, from Vulgar Latin *laceum, based on Latin laqueus. Doublet of lasso.

Noun

lace (countable and uncountable, plural laces)

1. (uncountable) A light fabric containing patterns of holes, usually built up from a single thread. ^Wp
   • c. 1620, Francis Bacon, letter of advice to Sir George Villiers

     Our English dames are much given to the wearing of very fine and costly laces.

   • Mind you, clothes were clothes in those days. […]  Frills, ruffles, flounces, lace, complicated seams and gores: not only did they sweep the ground and have to be held up in one hand elegantly as you walked along, but they had little capes or coats or feather boas.

2. (countable) A cord or ribbon passed through eyelets in a shoe or garment, pulled tight and tied to fasten the shoe or garment firmly. ^Wp

3. A snare or gin, especially one made of interwoven cords; a net.

   • Vulcanus had caught thee [Venus] in his las.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Fairfax to this entry?)

4. (slang, obsolete) Spirits added to coffee or another beverage.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Addison to this entry?)

Synonyms

• (cord):
  • (for a shoe): shoelace
  • (for a garment): tie

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English lacen, lasen, from Old French lacer, lacier, lasser, lachier, from the noun (see above).

Verb

lace (third-person singular simple present laces, present participle lacing, simple past and past participle laced)

1. (ergative) To fasten (something) with laces.

   • When Jenny's stays are newly laced.

2. (transitive) To add alcohol, poison, a drug or anything else potentially harmful to (food or drink).
3. (transitive) To interweave items.
   • The Gond […] picked up a trail of the Karela, the vine that bears the bitter wild gourd, and laced it to and fro across the temple door.

4. (transitive) To interweave the spokes of a bicycle wheel.
5. (transitive) To beat; to lash; to make stripes on.
6. (transitive) To adorn with narrow strips or braids of some decorative material.

Translations

Derived terms

Anagrams

• ALEC, Acle, Alec, acle, alec, cale

Esperanto

Adverb

lace

1. wearily

Related terms

• laca

French

Verb

lace

1. first-person singular present indicative of lacer
2. third-person singular present indicative of lacer
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of lacer
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of lacer
5. second-person singular imperative of lacer

Anagrams

• cale, calé
• cela

Latin

Verb

lace

1. second-person singular present active imperative of laci?

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?la.t?s?/

Noun

lace f

1. dative/locative singular of laka

Portuguese

Verb

lace

1. first-person singular present subjunctive of laçar
2. third-person singular present subjunctive of laçar
3. first-person singular imperative of laçar
4. third-person singular imperative of laçar

Spanish

Verb

lace

1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of lazar.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of lazar.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of lazar.

English

Etymology

From Middle English lous, lows, lowse, from Old English l?s, from Proto-Germanic *l?s (compare West Frisian lûs, Dutch luis, German Low German Luus, German Laus), from Proto-Indo-European *lewH- (compare Welsh llau (“lice”), Tocharian B luwo, maybe Sanskrit ???? (y?k?)).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /la?s/
• Rhymes: -a?s

Noun

louse (plural lice or louses)

1. A small parasitic wingless insect of the order Psocodea.
2. (colloquial, dated, not usually used in plural form) A contemptible person; one who is deceitful or causes harm.
   • 1946, Joseph Thompson Shaw, The hard-boiled omnibus: early stories from Black Mask (page 388)

     He said: "Thanks, friend; but you're wasting your time. You better warn Crocker. If that louse makes a play for me, he'll get hit with Chicago lightning!"

   • 1949, Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend (song)

     It's then that those louses go back to their spouses. Diamonds are a girl's best friend.

Usage notes

• When used as a term of abuse, the plural is typically louses, though lice is also possible.

Synonyms

• (insect): (North America) cootie
• (contemptible person): maggot, worm

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

louse (third-person singular simple present louses, present participle lousing, simple past and past participle loused)

1. To remove lice from.

Synonyms

• delouse

Translations

Anagrams

• Eolus, Seoul, Soule, eusol, loues, oules, ousel, soule

Middle English

Noun

louse

1. Alternative form of lous