A resinous substance secreted by insects and used to make shellac, varnish, and sealing wax. It is also the source of natural red dye.
From Hindi लाख (lākh) and Sanskrit लाक्षा (lākṣā), referring to the resinous secretion of the lac insect. The word entered English in the 16th century through Portuguese and Dutch traders who imported the valuable substance from India. The same root gives us 'lakh' (100,000) from the red counting marks made with lac dye.
Lac was so valuable in ancient trade that it was literally worth its weight in silver! The same Hindi word gave us both 'lac' the resin and 'lakh' the number (100,000) because merchants used red lac dye to mark large quantities on their account books.
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