/ læks; NAmE / adjective
1.
( disapproving ) not strict, severe or careful enough about work, rules or standards of behaviour
SYN slack , careless :
lax security / discipline
a lax attitude to health and safety regulations
2.
( phonetics ) ( of a speech sound ) produced with the muscles of the speech organs relaxed
OPP tense
► lax·ity / ˈlæksəti; NAmE / noun [ U ]
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (in the sense loose , said of the bowels): from Latin laxus .