Lax

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /læks/

Definitions

1. Exhibiting a state of being loose or not taut, lacking firmness
2. Characterized by a relaxed, forgiving approach, often lacking strict enforcement or discipline
3. Not strictly enforced or maintained, allowing more freedom or leniency ; not held tightly or firm, having some looseness or slack

Etymology: Across several Germanic languages, a word that looks just like this one means "salmon": Middle Dutch "lacks," German "Lachs," and Swedish and Icelandic "lax." English "lax" is not related to that fish. The adjective was borrowed from Latin "laxus," meaning loose, wide, or slack, a sense that described things physically before it described rules. The physical sense is the root of the figurative one. A rope that is not drawn tight, or a net with loose mesh, is lax, and a rule that is not held firmly is lax in the same way. The Latin word itself belongs to the same family as "relax" and "laxative," which share the idea of letting something loosen. Sports fans will know a separate "lax," the common abbreviation for lacrosse. That shortening came about by replacing the syllable "crosse" with the cross-shaped letter X, so it is a homograph that developed independently of the adjective.

Synonyms: slack, loose, careless, negligent, indulgent

Antonyms: strict, rigid, tense, careful, disciplined