Plural of lac, which is a red resinous substance produced by an insect and used to make shellac, dyes, and lacquer.
From Hindi 'lakh', derived from Sanskrit 'laksha'. The word was borrowed into English during the 1600s through trade with India, where the lac insect was harvested.
Lac is made by insects (the lac bug), not plants—millions of insects secrete this resin on trees, and for centuries it was one of the most valuable trade goods in the world before petroleum-based plastics replaced it.
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