/ lɑːns; NAmE læns/ noun , verb
■ noun
a weapon with a long wooden handle and a pointed metal end that was used by people fighting on horses in the past
■ verb
[ vn ] to cut open an infected place on sb's body with a sharp knife in order to let out the pus (= a yellow substance produced by infection) :
to lance an abscess
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French lance (noun), lancier (verb), from Latin lancea (noun).