51Թ

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View synonyms for

lax

1

[ laks ]

adjective

laxer, laxest.
  1. not strict or severe; careless or negligent: a lax attitude toward discipline.

    lax morals;

    a lax attitude toward discipline.

  2. loose or slack; not tense, rigid, or firm: a lax handshake.

    a lax rope;

    a lax handshake.

  3. not rigidly exact or precise; vague:

    lax ideas.

  4. open, loose, or not retentive, as diarrheal bowels.
  5. (of a person) having the bowels unusually loose or open.
  6. open or not compact; having a loosely cohering structure; porous:

    lax tissue;

    lax texture.

  7. Phonetics. (of a vowel) articulated with relatively relaxed tongue muscles. Compare tense 1( def 4 ).


lax

2

[ laks ]

noun

Informal.
  1. To handle my course load, I know I have to cut back on extracurricular activities, but no way am I giving up lax.

lax

/ æ /

adjective

  1. lacking firmness; not strict
  2. lacking precision or definition
  3. not taut
  4. phonetics (of a speech sound) pronounced with little muscular effort and consequently having relatively imprecise accuracy of articulation and little temporal duration. In English the vowel i in bit is lax
  5. (of flower clusters) having loosely arranged parts
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈ, adverb
  • ˈ澱ٲ, noun
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • · adverb
  • ·Ա noun
  • ·· adjective
  • o·ver·· adverb
  • o·ver··Ա noun
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of lax1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin laxus “loose, spacious, wide”; akin to Բŧ “to be sluggish, faint, unwell”; cognate with Old English æ slack 1

Origin of lax2

First recorded in 1970–75; la(crosse) ( def ) + x 3( def ) “a cross,” (in the sense cross ( def ), a pun on crosse, the stick used in lacrosse)
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of lax1

C14 (originally used with reference to the bowels): from Latin laxus loose
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

That can add a layer of complexity to planning and coordination, however, which may have led to lax security system standards.

From

It seems the officials involved in the scandal want to deny it ever happened in the hopes that the news cycle will move on before they face any consequences for their lax security.

From

The Santa Cruz County resolution echoes a growing body of complaints of lax oversight by the Department of Cannabis Control, but which have yet to draw legislative intervention.

From

He had managed to swoop from his cage when the keeper who cleaned out the enclosure was a little lax in ensuring he'd closed the door properly.

From

But enforcement was lax anyway, not least because the police themselves liked a tipple.

From

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