lances

Noun

lance (plural lances)

1. A weapon of war, consisting of a long shaft or handle and a steel blade or head; a spear carried by horsemen.
   • Thy brother’s blood the thirsty earth hath drunk, Broach’d with the steely point of Clifford’s lance[…]c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard...
2. A wooden spear, sometimes hollow, used in jousting or tilting, designed to shatter on impact with the opposing knight’s armour.
   • What will you do, good greybeard? Break a lance, And run a-tilt at Death within a chair?1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
3. A spear or harpoon used by whalers and fishermen.
4. A soldier armed with a lance; a lancer.
5. An instrument which conveys the charge of a piece of ordnance and forces it home.
6. A small iron rod which suspends the core of the mold in casting a shell.

See all 17 meanings of lance

Noun

lanx (plural lances)

1. (historical) A platter or dish for serving food in Ancient Rome.