Dictionary
Find
in
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Translations

Click to move up the list of words
laws of cure
lawsuit
lawwoman
lawyer
lawyer up
lawyered
lawyering
LAX
lax
laxation
laxative
laxity
lay (1)
lay (2)
lay (3)
lay (4)
lay about
Click to move down the list of words
Print Preview
See pronunciation key
Search for "lax" in all of MSN Encarta
E-mail this entry
Blog about this entry on MSN Spaces
Download the MSN Encarta Right-Click Dictionary

lax

lax [ laks ] (comparative lax·er, superlative lax·est)


adjective 
Definition:
 
1. not strict: not strict or careful enough

2. not tense: not tight or tense

3. physiology with tendency to diarrhea: describes a bowel that is not easily controlled and produces loose feces

4. phonetics pronounced with relaxed muscles: pronounced with the muscles of the jaw relaxed rather than tense, as is the "a" in "hat"

[14th century. < Latin laxus "loose"]

lax·ly adverb
lax·ness noun
Advertisement

Also on Encarta
Englishtown: Learn English online
Our Partners
Also on MSN
Encarta Message Boards (© Rubberball/Jupiterimages)
Shopping
© 2009 Microsoft