*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of lac

From Portuguese laca, from Hindi लाख (lākh)/Urdu لاکھ (lākh) or cognates in other Indo-Aryan languages, from Sanskrit लाक्षा (lākṣā). Doublet of lacquer.

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A resinous substance or lacquer produced mainly on the banyan tree by the female of Kerria lacca, a scale insect.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Portuguese laca, from Hindi लाख (lākh)/Urdu لاکھ (lākh) or cognates in other Indo-Aryan languages, from Sanskrit लाक्षा (lākṣā). Doublet of lacquer.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pt",
        "3": "laca"
      },
      "expansion": "Portuguese laca"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hi",
        "3": "लाख"
      },
      "expansion": "Hindi लाख (lākh)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ur",
        "3": "لاکھ",
        "tr": "lākh"
      },
      "expansion": "Urdu لاکھ (lākh)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sa",
        "3": "लाक्षा"
      },
      "expansion": "Sanskrit लाक्षा (lākṣā)"
    },
    {
      "name": "dbt",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "lacquer"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of lacquer"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "laca",
      "laca#Portuguese"
    ],
    [
      "लाख",
      "लाख#Hindi"
    ],
    [
      "لاکھ",
      "لاکھ#Urdu"
    ],
    [
      "लाक्षा",
      "लाक्षा#Sanskrit"
    ],
    [
      "lacquer",
      "lacquer#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A resinous substance or lacquer produced mainly on the banyan tree by the female of Kerria lacca, a scale insect."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
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    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

Clipping of Cadillac

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Cadillac.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "Cadillac",
      "Cadillac#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Clipping of Cadillac"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "clipping",
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "0b20d10c1b048de8ca11921d99d2df0da3dc041f879aa875249566ee29b49283",
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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
noun

Laceration.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From laceration.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "laceration",
      "laceration#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
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  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Laceration."
      ],
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        "colloquial",
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for lac →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-bGFj