lance

A weapon of war, consisting of a long shaft or handle and a steel blade or head; a spear carried by horsemen.

Noun

A weapon of war, consisting of a long shaft or handle and a steel blade or head; a spear carried by horsemen.
- Thy brother’s blood the thirsty earth hath drunk, Broach’d with the steely point of Clifford’s lance[…] - c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William...
- The head of the lance was commonly of the leaf form, and sometimes approached that of the lozenge; it was very seldom barbed, although this variety, together with the others, appears upon the Bayeux Tapestry. - 1909,...
A wooden spear, sometimes hollow, used in jousting or tilting, designed to shatter on impact with the opposing knight’s armour.
- What will you do, good greybeard? Break a lance, And run a-tilt at Death within a chair? - 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, &...
A spear or harpoon used by whalers and fishermen.
A soldier armed with a lance; a lancer.
An instrument which conveys the charge of a piece of ordnance and forces it home.
A small iron rod which suspends the core of the mold in casting a shell.
One of the small paper cases filled with combustible composition, which mark the outlines of a figure.
A lancet.
A piece in the game of shogi that can move directly forward any number of squares.

From Middle English launce, from Old French lance, from Latin lancea.

To pierce with a lance, or with any similar weapon.
- Seiz'd the due Victim, and with Fury lanch'd Her Back - 1700, [John] Dryden, “Theodore and Honoria, from Boccace”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 268:
To open with a lancet; to prick or cut open with a sharp instrument; to pierce.
- to lance a vein or an abscess
To throw in the manner of a lance; to lanch.
to steal or swipe
- He lanced my drink and spiked it!
To move suddenly and quickly.