Searchable Lemmata: lace (AF), las (ME), lacea (L), laceus (L), lása (Ir), lace (OScots), lace (MdE).
Alternate Forms: lac, lach, lacis, lacz, lais, las, lasce, lascez, lase, lasse, latz, laz, lece, lesse, lose.
1a1(n.)
Accessory;
cord, band, string or similar, used to tie together the two edges of a garment, armour plates, etc., or used to stitch items of clothing or armour together. In later (primarily ME) uses: a lacing, point, tie: a narrow strip of textile, leather or a ribbon, often finished with a tab or aglet; originally used to fasten together parts of costumes; later tied in bows and used for trimming. [Only senses dealing with cloth and clothing are attested here and in the senses following; there is some overlap between the senses.](ante 1150 still in current use)
3. [2948] ... Ele ot un blialt freselé Par les braz e par les costez ... [2951] ... Unc si bels cors ne fu furmez; La char parmi les laz pareit, Qui plus blanche que nef esteit
[AND Proth ANTS (2948-2951) circa 1185]
4. pro laciis (v. attachia); lx s. de j lecto quo dominus communiter utebatur cum lecis, pilleis, cuffis, calligis et sotularibus assignatis camerario
Accounts.
[DMLBS Ac. Exec. Ep. Exon. (6) 1220]
5. [390] ... Ly secund milliers est tout vestiz des draps diaprés de soie vermaille as overaignes d'o ... [401] ... il ouste sa galahoth qe siet sur sa teste en guyse d’un chapeau de feutre, qe est fait d’or et des pierres preciouses et de grosses perles, et est si riche qe homme le priseroit bien une roialme en ceo pays' ... [405] ... [...] et sont lour draps fenduz a cousté et fermé a laces (ed. lacés) de soie
[AND Mandeville (390-405) circa 1360]
7. [88/13] ... Jacobo Fauconere ... pro tieldes per ipsum emptis ... ad cariandum les haukes ... [90/14] ... Et per manus eiusdem a brawederere pro j manche, pro frenges et laces pro vsu domini ... viij marc. ... [90/28] ... Per manus eiusdem pro serico albo et blodeo, vz. xvj node
Accounts.
[MED Acc.Exped.Der.in Camd.n.s.52 (88-90) 1391]
Sex: N/A Use: n/a Status: n/a Rank: n/a Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
1a2(n.)
Accessory;
specifically, a cord, band, string or similar, used to tie round something, such as (below) a headband or fillet.(circa 1400)
Sex: N/A Use: n/a Status: n/a Rank: n/a Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
1a3(n.)
Accessory;
specifically, a cord or tie used to suspend something from the person (such as a hat, purse, baldric, etc.) [Also cf. many of the attestations above, such as AND Proth ANTS 7204, or DMLBS Ac. Exec. Ep. Exon. 6, for example].(ante 1150 still in current use)
1. [3434] ... Al brant d’acer l’en trenchet .v. des laz (of his opponent's helmet) ... [3435] ... Li capelers un dener ne li valt ... [3436] ... De sun osberc les dous pans li desaffret
Heroic, Romance.
[AND Roland (3434-3436) circa 1125/1150]
3. [566] ... A male twyfold [vr. twifolde; Elsm: tweyfoold] on his croper lay; It semed þat he caryed lytel aray ... [571] ... His cloke was sowed to his hood ... [574] ... His hat heeng at his bak doun by a laas ... [633] ... His ouersloppe [vrr. ouerslope, ouersclope, ouer slop; ouer clothe] nys nat worth a myte ... It is al baudy and to tore also
Poetic.
[MED Chaucer CT.CY. ((Manly-Rickert) G.566-633) circa 1395]
5. We enioyne yowe ... that ye use no lases a bowte your nekkes wythe crucyfixes or rynges hangyng by thayme ... that none of yow, the prioresse ne none of the couente, were no vayles of sylke ... herneysed ... ne that none of yow vse no lased kyrtels
Ecclesiastic/Regula.
[MED Visit.Alnwick (8-8b) 1441]
Sex: N/A Use: n/a Status: n/a Rank: n/a Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
1a4(n.)
Accessory;
specifically, a cord, band, strap or similar, used as a girdle, baldric or belt.(circa 1450 ?)
1. [1830] ... `I schal gif yow my girdel, þat gaynes yow lasse.' Ho la3t a lace ly3tly þat leke vmbe hir sydez, Knit vpon hir kyrtel vnder þe clere mantyle ... [1833] ... Gered hit [the girdle] watz with grene sylke ... around brayden ... [1846] ... 'Now forsake 3e þis silke?' sayde þe burde þenne
Arthurian, Heroic, Poetic, Romance.
[MED Gawain ((Nero A.10) 1830-1846) circa 1400]
Sex: N/A Use: n/a Status: n/a Rank: n/a Ceremonial: No
Body Parts:
1b(n.)
Accessory;
brooch, clasp; button -- used to render L fibula.(circa 1384 - ante 1600)
Sex: N/A Use: n/a Status: n/a Rank: n/a Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
Definite, Old French laz, las, etc.; L lacea, laceus from vernacular use; ultimately from popular L laqueus. MED adds, "In ME, sometimes difficult to distinguish from lesse `a leash", etc.' (s.v. 'las, n.').
The modern sense of lace as a delicate, open-work fabric of linen, cotton, silk, etc., woven into decorative patterns, dates from the 16th century (cf. 'lace, n', OED2, sense 6).
WF:
Etym Cog: las (W).
References: