[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

lance \lance\ la^ns, n. oe. lance, f. lance, fr. l. lancea;
   cf. gr. lo`gchh. cf. launch.
   1. a weapon of war, consisting of a long shaft or handle and
      a steel blade or head; a spear carried by horsemen, and
      often decorated with a small flag; also, a spear or
      harpoon used by whalers and fishermen.
      1913 webster

            a braver soldier never couched lance. --shak.
      1913 webster

   2. a soldier armed with a lance; a lancer.
      1913 webster

   3. founding a small iron rod which suspends the core of the
      mold in casting a shell.
      1913 webster

   4. mil. an instrument which conveys the charge of a piece
      of ordnance and forces it home.
      1913 webster

   5. pyrotech. one of the small paper cases filled with
      combustible composition, which mark the outlines of a
      figure.
      1913 webster

   6. med. a lancet.
      pjc

   free lance, in the middle ages, and subsequently, a knight
      or roving soldier, who was free to engage for any state or
      commander that purchased his services; hence, a person who
      assails institutions or opinions on his own responsibility
      without regard to party lines or deference to authority.
      see also freelance, n. and a., and freelancer.

   lance bucket cavalry, a socket attached to a saddle or
      stirrup strap, in which to rest the but of a lance.

   lance corporal, same as lancepesade.

   lance knight, a lansquenet. --b. jonson.

   lance snake zool., the fer-de-lance.

   stink-fire lance mil., a kind of fuse filled with a
      composition which burns with a suffocating odor; -- used
      in the counter operations of miners.

   to break a lance, to engage in a tilt or contest.
      1913 webster
see also:
launch free lance freelance freelancer lance bucket lance corporal 
lancepesade lance knight lance snake stink-fire lance to break a lance 

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Garter Snake, definition of term: Garter Snake
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Hognose Snake >> H Words
Hognose Snake, definition of term: Hognose Snake
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Free Lance >> F Words
Free Lance, definition of term: Free Lance
free+lance_pag1.html

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Corn Snake, definition of term: Corn Snake
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Coral Snake, definition of term: Coral Snake
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Black Snake >> B Words
Black Snake, definition of term: Black Snake
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