Lance

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Lance, n. [OE. lance, F. lance, fr. L. lancea; cf. Gr. lo`gchh. Cf. Launch.].

•  A weapon of war, consisting of a long shaft or handle and a steel blade or head; a spear carried by horsemen, and often decorated with a small flag; also, a spear or harpoon used by whalers and fishermen.  [1913 Webster]

  "A braver soldier never couched lance."  [1913 Webster]
•  A soldier armed with a lance; a lancer.  [1913 Webster]
•  A small iron rod which suspends the core of the mold in casting a shell.  [1913 Webster]
•  An instrument which conveys the charge of a piece of ordnance and forces it home.  [1913 Webster]
•  One of the small paper cases filled with combustible composition, which mark the outlines of a figure.  [1913 Webster]
•  A lancet.  [PJC]

Free lance, in the Middle Ages, and subsequently, a knight or roving soldier, who was free to engage for any state or commander that purchased his services; hence, a person who assails institutions or opinions on his own responsibility without regard to party lines or deference to authority. See also freelance, n. and a., and freelancer. -- Lance bucket (Cavalry), a socket attached to a saddle or stirrup strap, in which to rest the but of a lance. -- Lance corporal, same as Lancepesade. -- Lance knight, a lansquenet. B. Jonson. -- Lance snake (Zoöl.), the fer-de-lance. -- Stink-fire lance (Mil.), a kind of fuse filled with a composition which burns with a suffocating odor; -- used in the counter operations of miners. -- To break a lance, to engage in a tilt or contest.

Lance, v. t. 

•  To pierce with a lance, or with any similar weapon.  [1913 Webster]

  "Seized the due victim, and with fury lanced
  Her back."  [1913 Webster]
•  To open with a lancet; to pierce; as, to lance a vein or an abscess.  [1913 Webster]
•  To throw in the manner of a lance. See Lanch.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Lance, n. & v.
--n.
1 a a long weapon with a wooden shaft and a pointed steel head, used by a horseman in charging. b a similar weapon used for spearing a fish, killing a harpooned whale, etc.
2 a metal pipe supplying oxygen to burn metal.
3 = LANCER.
--v.tr.
1 Surgery prick or cut open with a lancet.
2 pierce with a lance.
3 poet. fling; launch.

Idiom

break a lance (usu. foll. by for, with) argue. lance-bombardier a rank in the Royal Artillery corresponding to lance-corporal in the infantry. lance-corporal the lowest rank of NCO in the Army. lance-jack Brit. sl. a lance-corporal or lance-bombardier. lance-sergeant a corporal acting as sergeant. lance-snake = FER DE LANCE.

Etymology

ME f. OF lancier f. L lancea: lance-corporal on analogy of obs. lancepesade lowest grade of NCO ult. f. It. lancia spezzata broken lance

THESAURUS

Lance

amputate, assegai, auger, ax, bayonet, bisect, bite, bore, bowl, broach, butcher, carve, cast, catapult, chop, chuck, chunk, cleave, countersink, cut, cut away, cut in two, cut off, dagger, dart, dash, dichotomize, dirk, dissever, drill, empierce, excise, fire, fissure, fix, fling, flip, fork, gash, gore, gouge, gouge out, hack, halve, heave, hew, hole, honeycomb, hurl, hurtle, impale, incise, javelin, jerk, jigsaw, knife, lancet, launch, let fly, lob, needle, open, pare, pass, peg, pelt, penetrate, perforate, pierce, pike, pink, pitch, pitchfork, plunge in, poniard, prick, prune, punch, puncture, put, put the shot, ream, ream out, rend, riddle, rive, run through, saber, saw, scissor, serve, sever, shy, skewer, slash, slice, sling, slit, snap, snip, spear, spike, spit, split, stab, stick, stiletto, sunder, sword, tap, tear, throw, tilt, toss, transfix, transpierce, trepan, trephine, whittle

ROGET THESAURUS

Lance

Arms

N arm, arms, weapon, deadly weapon, armament, armaments, armature, panoply, stand of arms, armor, armory, apparatus belli, ammunition, powder, powder and shot, cartridge, ball cartridge, cartouche, fireball, villainous saltpeter, dumdum bullet, explosive, gunpowder, guncotton, mercury fulminate, picrates, pentaerythritol tetranitrate, PETN, high explosive, trinitrotoluene, TNT, dynamite, melinite, cordite, lyddite, plastic explosive, plastique, pyroxyline, sword, saber, broadsword, cutlass, falchion, scimitar, cimeter, brand, whinyard, bilbo, glaive, glave, rapier, skean, Toledo, Ferrara, tuck, claymore, adaga, baselard, Lochaber ax, skean dhu, creese, kris, dagger, dirk, banger, poniard, stiletto, stylet, dudgeon, bayonet, sword-bayonet, sword-stick, side arms, foil, blade, steel, ax, bill, pole-ax, battle-ax, gisarme, halberd, partisan, tomahawk, bowie knife, ataghan, attaghan, yataghan, yatacban, assagai, assegai, good sword, trusty sword, naked sword, cold steel, club, mace, truncheon, staff, bludgeon, cudgel, life preserver, shillelah, sprig, hand staff, quarter staff, bat, cane, stick, knuckle duster, billy, blackjack, sandbag, waddy, gun, piece, firearms, artillery, ordnance, siege train, battering train, park, battery, cannon, gun of position, heavy gun, field piece, mortar, howitzer, carronade, culverin, basilisk, falconet, jingal, swivel, pederero, bouche a feu, petard, torpedo, mitrailleur, mitrailleuse, infernal machine, smooth bore, rifled cannon, Armstrong gun, Lancaster gun, Paixhan gun, Whitworth gun, Parrott gun, Krupp gun, Gatling gun, Maxim gun, machine gun, pompom, ten pounder, small arms, musket, musketry, firelock, fowling piece, rifle, fusil, caliver, carbine, blunderbuss, musketoon, Brown Bess, matchlock, harquebuss, arquebus, haguebut, pistol, postolet, petronel, small bore, breach-loader, muzzle-loader, revolver, repeater, Minis rifle, Enfield rifle, Flobert rifle, Westley Richards rifle, Snider rifle, Martini-Henry rifle, Lee-Metford rifle, Lee-Enfield rifle, Mauser rifle, magazine rifle, needle gun, chassepot, wind gun, air gun, automatic gun, automatic pistol, escopet, escopette, gunflint, gun- lock, hackbut, shooter, shooting iron, six-shooter, shotgun, Uzzi, assault rifle, Kalashnikov, bow, crossbow, balister, catapult, sling, battering ram, gunnery, ballistics, missile, bolt, projectile, shot, ball, grape, grape shot, canister shot, bar shot, cannon shot, langrel shot, langrage shot, round shot, chain shot, balista, ballista, slung shot, trebucbet, trebucket, bullet, slug, stone, brickbat, grenade, shell, bomb, carcass, rocket, congreve, congreve rocket, shrapnel, mitraille, levin bolt, levin brand, thunderbolt, pike, lance, spear, spontoon, javelin, dart, jereed, jerid, arrow, reed, shaft, bolt, boomerang, harpoon, gaff, eelspear, oxgoad, weet-weet, wommerah, cattle prod, chemical mace, en flute, nervos belli pecuniam infinitam.

Opening

VB open, ope, gape, yawn, bilge, fly open, perforate, pierce, empierce, tap, bore, drill, mine, tunnel, transpierce, transfix, enfilade, impale, spike, spear, gore, spit, stab, pink, puncture, lance, stick, prick, riddle, punch, stave in, cut a passage through, make way for, make room for, uncover, unclose, unrip, lay open, cut open, rip open, throw open, pop open, blow open, pry open, tear open, pull open.

Propulsion

VB propel, project, throw, fling, cast, pitch, chuck, toss, jerk, heave, shy, hurl, flirt, fillip, dart, lance, tilt, ejaculate, jaculate, fulminate, bolt, drive, sling, pitchfork, send, send off, let off, fire off, discharge, shoot, launch, release, send forth, let fly, put in orbit, send into orbit, launch into orbit dash, put in motion, set in motion, set agoing, start, give a start, give an impulse to, impel, trundle, expel, carry one off one's legs, put to flight.