Lax Meaning
/læks/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA salmon.
adjLenient and allowing for deviation; not strict.
Sentence Examples
Some member countries have been lax in abiding by G-7 agreements.
Better short and sweet, than long and lax.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The school's very ____ security allowed outsiders to enter the building easily.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The security at the airport was criticized for being too ____, allowing several unauthorized items through.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Society at that epoch was lenient, if not lax, in matters of the passions."
— 1886, John Addington Symonds, Philip Sidney:
"The Fleſh of this ſort of [cartilaginous] Fiſh being lax and ſpungy, and nothing ſo firm, ſolid and weighty as that of the bony Fiſhes, and there being a good quantity of Air contained in the Cavity of their Abdomen, they cannot ſink in the Water without letting in ſome of it by theſe Holes (the Orifices whereof are opened and ſhut at pleaſure by the help of Muſcles provided for that purpoſe) into the hollow of their Bellies, whereby they preponderate the Water and deſcend; […]"
— 1701, John Ray, The Wisdom of God Manifested in the Works of the Creation, […], 3rd edition, London: […] Sam[uel] Smith, and Benj[amin] Walford, […], →OCLC, part II, page 355:
"Sreedharan and Mirsa (1973) reported that two lax panicle mutants, designated as nude panicle mutation, were obtained from the M₂ of two rice cultivars."
— 1979, “Genetical Studies on Dense and Lax Panicles In Rice”, in Japan. J. Breed., volume 29, number 2, page 151:
"The guard was paying no attention whatever to the running of his train, in total disregard of rules, and, as the recently-published report of a Ministry of Transport Inspecting Officer of Railways shows, there were other disquieting features in the case, such as ignorance on the part of responsible men of rules and appendix instructions and a lax attitude to regulations of which they professed to be aware, combined with failure to look at staff notice boards."
— 1956 September, “Notes and News: The Barby Sidings Accident Report”, in Railway Magazine, page 638:
"Prior to this match, Albion had only scored three league goals all season, but Wes Brown's lax marking allowed Morrison to head in their fourth from a Chris Brunt free-kick and then, a minute later, the initial squandering of possession and Michael Turner's lack of pace let Long run through to slot in another."
— 2011 October 1, Phil Dawkes, “Sunderland 2 – 2 West Brom”, in BBC Sport:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The school's very ____ security allowed outsiders to enter the building easily.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The security at the airport was criticized for being too ____, allowing several unauthorized items through.