Link Centre Dictionary

lax

UK/læks/ US/ˈlæks/ uncommon archaic informal slang uk

adjective

1.

lacking in rigor or strictness

  • “such lax and slipshod ways are no longer acceptable”
  • “lax in attending classes”
  • “slack in maintaining discipline”
Synonyms
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2.

pronounced with muscles relatively relaxed (e.g., the vowel sound in `bet'')

Antonyms
3.

not taut or rigid; not stretched or held tight

  • “a lax rope”
Antonyms
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4.

lacking in strength or firmness or resilience

  • “flaccid muscles”
  • “took his lax hand in hers”
  • “gave a limp handshake”
  • “a limp gesture as if waving away all desire to know”
  • “a slack grip”
Synonyms
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5.

tolerant or lenient

  • “indulgent parents risk spoiling their children”
  • “procedures are lax and discipline is weak”
  • “too soft on the children”
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6.

emptying easily or excessively

  • “loose bowels”
Synonyms
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Origin

From Middle English lax, from Old English leax (“salmon”), from Proto-West Germanic *lahs (“salmon”), from Proto-Germanic *lahsaz (“salmon”), from Proto-Indo-European *laḱs- (“salmon, trout”). Cognate with Middle Dutch lacks, lachs, lasche (“salmon”), Middle Low German las (“salmon”), German Lachs (“salmon”), Norwegian laks (“salmon”), Danish laks (“salmon”), Swedish lax (“salmon”), Icelandic lax (“salmon”), Lithuanian lašišà (“salmon”), Latvian lasis, Russian лосо́сь (losósʹ, “salmon”), Albanian leshterik (“eel-grass”). Doublet of lox.

Phrases

  • lax up
  • lax vowel

Related words

See also

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.