lanc·er

(lăn′sər)

1. A cavalryman armed with a lance.

2. A member of a regiment originally armed with lances.

3. lancers(used with a sing. verb)

a. A kind of quadrille.

b. The music for this dance.

[French lancier, from Old French, maker of lances, from lance, lance; see lance.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

lancer

(ˈlɑːnsə)

1. (Military) (formerly) a cavalryman armed with a lance

2. (Military)

a. a member of a regiment retaining such a title

b. (plural; capital when part of a name): the 21st Lancers.

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

lanc•er

(ˈlæn sər, ˈlɑn-)

n.

a cavalry soldier armed with a lance.

[1580–90; < Middle French lancier. See lance, -er²]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

lancer - (formerly) a cavalryman armed with a lance

cavalryman, trooper - a soldier mounted on horseback; "a cavalryman always takes good care of his mount"

Translations

Lancier

lancier

lanciere

lancer

[ˈlɑːnsəʳ] N → lancero m
lancers (= dance) → lanceros mpl

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

lancer

n (Mil Hist) → Lanzenreiter m, → Ulan m

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

lancer

[ˈlɑːnsəʳ] n (Mil) → lanciere m

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

What to that apostolic lancer, Brother Jonathan, is Texas but a Fast-Fish?

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A French lancer had speared the young ensign in the leg, who fell, still bravely holding to his flag.

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Faith, France gave herself to him, like a handsome girl to a lancer, and the Pope and all his cardinals in robes of red and gold come across the Alps on purpose to anoint him before the army and the people, who clap their hands.

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A regiment of Lancers came charging down the Broad Walk, armed with holly-leaves, with which they jog the enemy horribly in passing.

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Or, being armed with their long keen whaling spears, they were as a picked trio of lancers; even as the harpooneers were flingers of javelins.

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A world in which all those pretty and gracious women dwelt, among the figures of the waltz and the lancers, with chat between about the last instalment of 'The Newcomes,' was good enough world for me; I was only afraid it was too good.

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The second squadron of the Lancers shot by, and there was the troop-horse, with his tail like spun silk, his head pulled into his breast, one ear forward and one back, setting the time for all his squadron, his legs going as smoothly as waltz music.

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Eyes, ears, arms and legs were pierced; every inch of the poor writhing body that did not cover a vital organ became the target of the cruel lancers.

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In the ballroom, meanwhile, the dancers were being formed into squares for the lancers. Arthur and Rachel, Susan and Hewet, Miss Allan and Hughling Elliot found themselves together.

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The troop of lancers came up, and one of them who was in advance began shouting to Don Quixote, "Get out of the way, you son of the devil, or these bulls will knock you to pieces!"

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"I know I 've made a guy of myself; but Fan insisted on it, for fear you 'd be offended if I did n't go the first dance with you," said Tom, remorsefully, watching Polly as she settled the bow of her crushed sash, which Tom had used as a sort of handle by which to turn and twist her; "I can do the Lancers tip-top; but you won't ever want to dance with me any more," he added, as he began to fan her so violently, that her hair flew about as if in a gale of wind.

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"And I have one hundred archers and a score of lancers, but there are two hundred men who wait for me on this side of the water upon the borders of Navarre."

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