I. ˈlās noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English las, lace, from Old French laz, from Latin laqueus snare — more at delight
1. obsolete : snare , net
2. : a cord or string used for drawing together two edges (as of a garment, a shoe, a machine belt)
3. : an ornamental braid for trimming men's hats, coats, or uniforms
gold lace
silver lace
4.
a. : a fine openwork fabric with a ground of mesh or net on which patterns may be worked at the same time as the ground or applied later and which is made of thread by looping, twisting, or knotting either by hand with a needle or bobbin or by machinery — see bobbin lace , needlepoint
b. : a similar fabric made by crocheting, tatting, darning, embroidering, weaving, or knitting — see hairpin lace , limerick lace
5. obsolete : a dash of spirits added (as to coffee)
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English lacen, from Old French lacier, from Latin laqueare to ensnare, from laqueus
transitive verb
1. : to draw together the edges of by or as if by means of a lace passed through eyelet holes : tie — often used with up
laced up their shoes
2. : to twine, draw, or pass as a lace : thread , intertwine , embroider
3. : to confine or compress by tightening laces especially of a corset
the old custom of lacing children in whalebone bodices
laced her waist out of vanity
4. : to adorn or trim with or as if with lace or decorative braid
cloth laced with silver
the landscape … was laced with countless creeks — D.C.Peattie
5.
a. : beat , lash , thrash
lace my quivering palm — Charlotte Brontë
laced the bushes with bullets — Springfield (Massachusetts) Daily News
b. : best , defeat
laced his opponent in a hard-fought game
was laced in the primaries
6.
a. : to add a dash of an alcoholic liquor to (a food or beverage)
laced his coffee with rum — Hugh Cave
lobster Newburg laced with sherry — Publishers' Weekly
b. : to add savor, zest, or spice to : liven
the book laced with irreverent and therefore readable notes on the involvements of English history — Saturday Review
7. : to throw or drive (a ball) hard and usually in a straight line
laced his ball straight down the middle of the fairway
laced his second homer of the game into the stands
8. in bookbinding : to draw the tapes or sewing cords through (the boards of the cover) — usually used with in
intransitive verb
1. : to compress or confine the waist (as with a corset)
2. : to admit of lacing or tying
covered with a tarpaulin that laced up the middle
3. : to make a physical or verbal attack — usually used with into
I had a riding whip with me and … I rushed at the fellow and fairly laced into him — Robert Graves
reviewers laced into the play — Time