lance

See also: Lance and lancé

English

Lance shape of an Egyptian bronze spear from Banha, 2nd millennium BC

Jousters with broken lances.

Etymology

From Middle English launce, from Old French lance, from Latin lancea.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: läns, IPA^(key): /lɑːns/
• (US) enPR: lăns, IPA^(key): /læns/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑːns, -æns

Noun

lance (plural lances)

1. A weapon of war, consisting of a long shaft or handle and a steel blade or head; a spear carried by horsemen.
   • 1590, William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part III, Act II, Scene III, line 15.

     Thy brother’s blood the thirsty earth hath drunk, Broach’d with the steely point of Clifford’s lance...

   • 1909, Charles Henry Ashdown, European Arms & Armor, page 65.

     The head of the lance was commonly of the leaf form, and sometimes approached that of the lozenge; it was very seldom barbed, although this variety, together with the others, appears upon the Bayeux Tapestry.

2. A wooden spear, sometimes hollow, used in jousting or tilting, designed to shatter on impact with the opposing knight’s armour.
   • 1591, William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part I, Act III, Scene II, line 49.

     What will you do, good greybeard? Break a lance, And run a-tilt at Death within a chair?

3. (fishing) A spear or harpoon used by whalers and fishermen.
4. (military) A soldier armed with a lance; a lancer.
5. (military) An instrument which conveys the charge of a piece of ordnance and forces it home.
6. (founding) A small iron rod which suspends the core of the mold in casting a shell.
7. (pyrotechnics) One of the small paper cases filled with combustible composition, which mark the outlines of a figure.
8. (medicine) A lancet.

Derived terms

• break a lance
• freelance
• lance bucket (cavalry)
• lance corporal
• lance fish (zoology)
• lance knight
• lancer
• lance sergeant
• lance snake (zoology)
• stink-fire lance (military)

 

Related terms

• lancet

Translations

weapon of war

• Armenian: նիզակ (hy) (nizak), գեղարդ (hy) (gełard), տեգ (hy) (teg)
• Asturian: llanza f
• Catalan: llança (ca) f
• Classical Nahuatl: tepoztōpīlli
• Danish: lanse c
• Dutch: lans (nl) f
• Esperanto: lanco
• Estonian: oda (et)
• Faroese: lansi m, langspjót n
• Finnish: peitsi (fi), keihäs (fi)
• French: lance (fr) f
• Friulian: lance f
• Galician: lanza f
• Georgian: შუბი (šubi), ჰოროლი (horoli), ლახვარი (laxvari)
• German: Lanze (de) f
• Greek: λόγχη (el) f (lónchi)

  Ancient: λόγχη f (lónkhē)

• Hungarian: lándzsa (hu)
• Ido: lanco (io)
• Indonesian: ganjur (id)
• Italian: lancia (it)
• Japanese: 槍 (ja) (やり, yari), 矛 (ja) (ほこ, hoko)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: نێزە‎ (nêze)

  Northern Kurdish: nize (ku), nîze (ku)

• Latin: lancea f
• Macedonian: ко́пје f (kópje)
• Malay: tombak
• Maori: rāti, tao
• Middle English: launce
• Mongolian: жад (mn) (jad)
• Persian: نیزه‎ (fa) (neyze)
• Portuguese: lança (pt) f
• Romanian: lance (ro), suliță (ro), fuște (ro)
• Russian: пи́ка (ru) f (píka)
• Sanskrit: शल्य (sa) m or n (śalya)
• Sardinian: lantza f, lancia f
• Scottish Gaelic: sleagh f, gath m
• Sicilian: lanza (scn)
• Spanish: lanza (es) f
• Tagalog: tulag
• Thai: ทวน (th) (tuuan)
• Turkish: mızrak (tr), kargı (tr)
• Ugaritic: 𐎎𐎗𐎈 (mrḥ)
• Venetian: lansa f, lancia f
• Welsh: gwaywffon f

wooden weapon used in jousting or tilting

• Bulgarian: копие (bg) n (kopie)
• Catalan: llança (ca) f
• Czech: dlouhé kopí n
• Dutch: lans (nl) f
• Esperanto: lanco
• Finnish: peitsi (fi)
• French: lance (fr) f
• German: Lanze (de) f

• Hungarian: lándzsa (hu), kopja (hu)
• Ido: lanco (io)
• Macedonian: ко́пје f (kópje)
• Middle English: launce
• Portuguese: lança (pt) f
• Turkish: cirit (tr)
• Welsh: gwaywffon f

spear or harpoon used by whalers

• Bulgarian: харпун m (harpun)
• Dutch: lans (nl) f
• Finnish: harppuuna (fi)
• French: lance (fr) f
• German: Harpune (de) f
• Hungarian: szigony (hu)

• Japanese: やす (ja) (yasu)
• Macedonian: ко́пје n (kópje)
• Maori: rāti
• Turkish: zıpkın (tr)
• Welsh: tryfer f

(military) soldier armed with a lance

• Bulgarian: улан m (ulan)
• Catalan: llança (ca) f
• Finnish: peitsimies, keihäsmies
• French: lance (fr) f
• Georgian: შუბოსანი (šubosani)
• German: Lanzer m
• Hungarian: lándzsás

• Macedonian: ко́пјаник m (kópjanik)
• Persian: نیزه‌ور‎ (neyzevar)
• Portuguese: lanceiro (pt) m
• Romanian: lăncier (ro) m
• Spanish: lancero (es) m
• Turkish: mızraklı (tr), kargılı, mızrakçı

(military) instrument which conveys the charge of a piece of ordinance

• German: Harpune mit Sprenggeschoss f

(founding) a small iron rod which suspends the core of the mold in casting a shell

(pyrotechnics) one of the small paper cases filled with combustible composition, which mark the outlines of a figure

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Italian: ^{(please verify)} lancia (it) f
• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 창 (ko) (chang)
• Latin: ^{(please verify)} lancea f

• Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 長矛 (zh), ^{(please verify)} 长矛 (zh) (changmao)
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} lanza (es) f

Verb

lance (third-person singular simple present lances, present participle lancing, simple past and past participle lanced)

1. To pierce with a lance, or with any similar weapon.

   Seized the due victim, and with fury lanced Her back. Dryden.

2. To open with a lancet; to pierce

   to lance a vein or an abscess

3. To throw in the manner of a lance; to lanch.

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:lance.

Translations

to pierce with a lance

• Bulgarian: пронизвам (bg) (pronizvam)
• Georgian: განგმირვა (gangmirva)
• Italian: infilzare
• Maori: , rāti

• Turkish: mızraklamak, kargılamak

to pierce or open an abscess

• Italian: incidere (it)
• Maori: oka

See also

• javelin
• pike
• spear

Anagrams

• Calne, Lenca, ancle, clane, clean

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɑ̃s/
• Homophones: lancent, lances

Etymology 1

From Old French lance, from Latin lancea.

Noun

lance f (plural lances)

1. a spear, lance
2. (military) a soldier armed with a lance; a lancer
3. a hose

Derived terms

• fer de lance
• lancette
• lancier

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

lance

1. first/third-person singular present indicative of lancer
2. first/third-person singular present subjunctive of lancer
3. second-person singular imperative of lancer

Derived terms

• lance-roquette
• relance (form of verb relancer)

Related terms

• lancement
• lancer
• lanceur, lanceuse

 

Further reading

• “lance” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

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Friulian

Etymology

From Latin lancea.

Noun

lance f (plural lancis)

1. lance, spear

Related terms

• slançâ

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Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlan.t͡ʃe/

Noun

lance f pl

1. plural of lancia

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Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈlan.ke/, [ˈɫ̪äŋkɛ]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈlan.t͡ʃe/, [ˈlän̠ʲt͡ʃɛ]

Noun

lance

1. ablative singular of lanx

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Middle English

Etymology 1

Noun

lance

1. Alternative form of launce

Etymology 2

Verb

lance

1. Alternative form of launcen

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Middle French

Etymology

From Old French lance.

Noun

lance f (plural lances)

1. lance (weapon)
2. lancer; lance

Descendants

• French: lance

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Old French

Etymology

From Latin lancea.

Noun

lance f (oblique plural lances, nominative singular lance, nominative plural lances)

1. lance (weapon)

Descendants

• Middle French: lance
  • French: lance
• → Middle English: launce
  • English: lance
• → Middle High German: lanze
  • German: Lanze

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Portuguese

Etymology 1

Back-formation from lançar.

Noun

lance m (plural lances)

1. throw (act of throwing something)

   Synonyms: arremesso, jogada, lançamento

2. bid (offer at an auction)

   Synonym: lanço

3. (sports) a series of actions carried out during a game

   Synonym: jogada

4. (informal) thing (only used for non-physical things)
5. flight (series of stairs between landings)

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

lance

1. first-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of lançar

   É importante que eu lance isso.

   It’s important that I throw this.

2. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present subjunctive of lançar

   É importante que ele lance isso.

   It’s important that he throws this.

3. third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of lançar

   Você aí, lance isso sozinho.

   You there, throw this by yourself.

4. third-person singular (você) negative imperative of lançar

   Você aí, não lance isso sozinho.

   You there, don’t throw this by yourself.

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Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian lancia (18th century).

Noun

lance f (plural lănci)

1. spear, lance

   Synonym: suliță

Declension

Declension of lance

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(o) lance	lancea	(niște) lănci	lăncile
genitive/dative	(unei) lănci	lăncii	(unor) lănci	lăncilor
vocative	lance, lanceo		lăncilor

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Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Spain) /ˈlanθe/, [ˈlãn̟.θe]
• IPA^(key): (Latin America) /ˈlanse/, [ˈlãn.se]

Etymology 1

From the verb lanzar.

Noun

lance m (plural lances)

1. launch (act of launching)

   Synonym: lanzamiento

2. throw
3. cast (fishing)
4. situation
5. telling-off; scolding

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

lance

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

Further reading

• “lance” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.