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lackadaisical (adj.)[lackadaisical 词源字典]: 1768 (Sterne), from interjection lackadaisy "alas, alack" (1748), an alteration of lack-a-day (1690s), from alack the day (1590s). Hence, "given to crying 'lack-a-day,' vapidly sentimental." Sense probably altered by influence of lax. Related: Lackadaisically.[lackadaisical etymology, lackadaisical origin, 英语词源]
lackey (n.): 1520s, "footman, running footman, valet," from Middle French laquais "foot soldier, footman, servant" (15c.), of unknown origin; perhaps from Old Provençal lacai, from lecai "glutton, covetous," from lecar "to lick." Alternative etymology is via French from Catalan alacay, from Arabic al-qadi "the judge." Yet another guess traces it through Spanish lacayo, from Italian lacchè, from Modern Greek oulakes, from Turkish ulak "runner, courier." This suits the original sense better, but OED says Italian lacchè is from French. Sense of "servile follower" appeared 1580s. As a political term of abuse it dates from 1939 in communist jargon.
lackluster (adj.): also lack-luster, c. 1600, first attested in "As You Like It," from lack + luster. Combinations with lack- were frequent in 16c., such as lackland (1590s), of a landless man; lack-Latin (1530s), of an ignorant priest.
lacklustre (adj.): chiefly British English spelling of lackluster (q.v.); for spelling, see -re.
laconic (adj.): "concise, abrupt," 1580s, probably via Latin Laconicus, from Greek Lakonikos, from Lakon "person from Lakonia," the district around Sparta in southern Greece in ancient times, whose inhabitants were famously proud of their brevity of speech. When Philip of Macedon threatened them with, "If I enter Laconia, I will raze Sparta to the ground," the Spartans' reply was, "If." An earlier form was laconical (1570s). Related: Laconically.
Lacoste: Paris-based high-end apparel company, founded 1933, named for René Lacoste (1904-1996), company co-founder.
lacquer (n.): 1570s as "dye obtained from lac;" 1670s as "lacquer," from obsolete French lacre, name for a kind of sealing wax, from Portuguese lacre, unexplained variant of lacca "resinous substance," from Arabic lakk, from Persian lak (see lac).
lacquer (v.): "cover or coat with laqueur," 1680s, from lacquer (n.). Related: Lacquered; lacquering.
lacrosse (n.): 1718, American English, from Canadian French jeu de la crosse "game of the hooked sticks," from crosse "hooked stick," which is used to throw the ball, from Proto-Germanic *kruk- (see crook). Originally a North American Indian game. The native name is represented by Ojibwa (Algonquian) baaga'adowe "to play lacrosse."
lactate (v.): "secrete milk from the breasts," 1889, probably a back-formation from lactation. Related: Lactated; lactating.
lactate (n.): 1794, from stem of lactic + -ate (1).
lactation (n.): 1660s, "process of suckling an infant," from French lactation, from Late Latin lactationem (nominative lactatio) "a suckling," noun of action from past participle stem of lactare "suckle," from lac (genitive lactis) "milk," from PIE root *glakt- (cognates: Greek gala, genitive galaktos, "milk"), which, along with *melg- (see milk (n.)), accounts for words for "milk" in most Indo-European languages (the absence of a common word for it is considered a mystery). Meaning "process of secreting milk from the breasts" first recorded 1857. Middle Irish lacht, Welsh llaeth "milk" are loan words from Latin.
lacteal (adj.): 1650s, formed in English from Latin lacteus, from lac (genitive lactis) "milk," from PIE root *glakt- (see lactation) + -al (1).
lactic (adj.): "pertaining to milk," 1790 (in lactic acid; so called because it was obtained from sour milk), from French lactique, from Latin lactis, genitive of lac "milk" (see lactation) + French -ique.
lacto-: before vowels, lac-, word-forming element meaning "milk," from Latin lac (genitive lactis) "milk," from PIE root *glakt- (see lactation).
lactose (n.): sugar from milk, 1843, from French, coined 1843 by French chemist Jean Baptiste André Dumas (1800-1884) from Latin lac (genitive lactis) "milk" (see lactation) + chemical suffix -ose (2).
lacuna (n.): "blank or missing portion in a manuscript," 1660s, from Latin lacuna "hole, pit," diminutive of lacus "pond, lake" (see lake (n.1)). The Latin plural is lacunae. Related: Lacunal; lacunar; lacunose.
lacunae: plural of lacuna (q.v.).
lacy (adj.): 1804, from lace (n.) in the decorative sense + -y (2).
lad (n.): c. 1300, ladde "foot soldier," also "young male servant" (attested as a surname from late 12c.), possibly from a Scandinavian language (compare Norwegian -ladd, in compounds for "young man"), but of obscure origin in any case. OED hazards a guess on Middle English ladde, plural of the past participle of lead (v.), thus "one who is led" (by a lord). Liberman derives it from Old Norse ladd "hose; woolen stocking." "The development must have been from 'stocking,' 'foolish youth' to 'youngster of inferior status' and (with an ameliorated meaning) to 'young fellow.'" He adds, "Words for socks, stockings, and shoes seem to have been current as terms of abuse for and nicknames of fools." Meaning "boy, youth, young man" is from mid-15c. Scottish form laddie, a term of endearment, attested from 1540s.