latex

English Online Dictionary. What means latex‎? What does latex mean?

English

Etymology

Borrowed from New Latin latex (“clear fluid which is part of a humour or bodily fluid”), a later use of Latin latex (“water; liquid, fluid”). Potentially a borrowing from Ancient Greek λᾰ́τᾰξ (látax, “drop of wine”), reformed by analogy to other nouns in -ex. The semantic shift, however, from drop of wine to water is difficult to explain and may indicate that both words originated from a separate language. Perhaps from the same root as Proto-Celtic *lati- (Old Irish laith (“liquid, beer”), Welsh llad (“beer”)) or Proto-Germanic *ladjō- (Old High German letto (“clay, loam”), Old Norse leðja (“mud, dregs”)) or from a Pre-Greek language.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈleɪtɛks/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈleɪˌtɛks/
• Hyphenation: la‧tex

Noun

latex (countable and uncountable, plural latices or latexes)

1. (medicine, archaic, rare) A clear liquid believed to be a component of a humour or other bodily fluid (esp. plasma and lymph)
2. The milky sap of several trees that coagulates on exposure to air; used to make rubber.
3. An emulsion of rubber in water, used in adhesives and the like.
4. (uncountable) Natural latex rubber, especially non-vulcanized rubber, such as is used in making latex gloves, latex condoms, and latex clothing.

Derived terms

• latex paint

Translations

Further reading

• latex on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

References

• “latex, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, June 2015.

Anagrams

• -taxel, exalt, taxel

French

Etymology

Borrowed from New Latin latex (“clear fluid which is part of a humour or bodily fluid”), a later use of Latin latex (“water; liquid, fluid”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /la.tɛks/

Noun

latex m (uncountable)

1. latex (milky sap of trees)
2. latex (emulsion of rubber in water)

Derived terms

Further reading

• “latex”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Latin

Etymology

Potentially a borrowing from Ancient Greek λᾰ́τᾰξ (látax, “drop of wine”), reformed by analogy to other nouns in -ex. The semantic shift, however, from drop of wine to water is difficult to explain and may indicate that both words originated from a separate language. Perhaps from the same root as Proto-Celtic *lati- (Old Irish laith (“liquid, beer”), Welsh llad (“beer”)) or Proto-Germanic *ladjō- (Old High German letto (“clay, loam”), Old Norse leðja (“mud, dregs”)) or from a Pre-Greek language.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈla.teks/, [ˈɫ̪ät̪ɛks̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈla.teks/, [ˈläːt̪eks]

Noun

latex m (genitive laticis); third declension

1. (Classical Latin, chiefly poetic) water
2. (Classical Latin, chiefly poetic) liquid, fluid
3. (Classical Latin, chiefly poetic, in the plural) springs
4. (Classical Latin, chiefly poetic) juice, oil, milk
5. (New Latin, medicine) A clear liquid believed to be a component of a humour or other bodily fluid (esp. plasma and lymph)
6. (New Latin, botany) Milky liquid which exudes from a plant when cut and which coagulates on exposure to air.

Declension

Third-declension noun.

Descendants

References

• “latex”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “latex”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• latex in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• latex in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• “latex, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, June 2015.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French latex.

Noun

latex n (plural latexuri)

1. latex

Declension

Swedish

Noun

latex c

1. latex (sap)
2. latex (latex rubber)

Declension

References

• latex in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• latex in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)