lase

Back-formation from laser, as if removing -er. Compare mase.

• IPA^(key): /ˈleɪz/

• Audio (US)

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• Homophones: lays, laze
• Rhymes: -eɪz

lase (third-person singular simple present lases, present participle lasing, simple past and past participle lased)

1. (transitive) To use a laser beam on, as for cutting.

   The surgeon lased the elongated soft palate, cutting off the excess tissue and stopping the blood flow in one swipe.

   The physical chemist lased the atoms as they passed between the electrodes to study their motion.

   • 2010 (publication date), Daniel Lametti, "The Proton Gets Small(er)", Discover, ISSN 0274-7529, volume 32, number 1, January–February 2011, page 67:

     When a laser zaps an electron orbiting a proton, the electron undergoes what is called the Lamb shift, absorbing energy and jumping to a higher energy level. […] But instead of lasing electrons, Knowles examined protons with particles called muons, which he calls "the electron's fat cousin."

2. (transitive) To use a laser beam on, as for targeting or rangefinding.

   The commander lased the target across the valley.

3. (intransitive) To operate as a laser; to release coherent light due to stimulation.

   Once enough of the gas particles are in a higher energy state, they will begin to lase and give off a coherent beam.

   • 1988, Theodore H. Maiman, in an interview, to Richard Rhodes:

     Charles Townes' comments that it turned out to be easy to make the first laser and that anything will lase if you hit it hard enough are incredible statements to me. If it was so easy, why didn't Columbia, Bell Labs, or TRG pull it off? They each had a head start, plenty of money, and heavy staffing.

• ASLE, Ales, ELAS, Elsa, LAEs, LEAs, SEAL, Sale, Salé, Seal, Sela, aels, ales, leas, sale, seal, sela

• las

lase

1. second-person singular imperative of laskma

   Lase mul süüa.

   Let me eat.

lase governs the adessive (verb in the infinitive), las governs the nominative (verb in corresponding person, in the present).

From Proto-Samic *lësē.

lase

1. addition, increase

• lase in Marja-Liisa Olthuis, Taarna Valtonen, Miina Seurujärvi and Trond Trosterud (2015–2022) Nettidigisäänih Anarâškiela-suomakielâ-anarâškielâ sänikirje‎, Tromsø: UiT

• Koponen, Eino; Ruppel, Klaas; Aapala, Kirsti, editors (2002–2008) Álgu database: Etymological database of the Saami languages‎, Helsinki: Research Institute for the Languages of Finland

Cognates include Latvian lāse and Lithuanian lašas.

• IPA^(key): [ˈlasʲæ]
• Hyphenation: la‧se

lase f (diminutive laseite)

1. drop (of liquid)

• Nicole Nau (2011) A short grammar of Latgalian, München: LINCOM GmbH, →ISBN

• IPA^(key): [ˈlase]

lase

1. third-person singular/plural present subjunctive of lăsa