# laser

Pronunciation: US say "LAY-zur" /ˈleɪzɚ/; UK say "LAY-zuh" /ˈleɪz.ə(ɹ)/

## Noun

1. A device that produces a coherent beam of light of a single wavelength.
   - Simple: A machine that makes a thin, strong beam of light, all one color.
   - _Engineers aligned the laser carefully before the precision-cutting run._
   - _Surgeons rely on a laser to make extremely fine incisions._
2. The narrow, coherent beam of light emitted by a laser.
   - Simple: A thin, bright line of light that comes from a laser.
   - _The laser sliced cleanly through the fog in a perfectly straight line._
   - _Reflective surfaces scattered the laser across the entire room._
4. A printer that uses a laser to produce text and images on paper.
   - Simple: A printer that uses a laser to put words and pictures on paper.
   - _The office laser churned out fifty pages a minute._
   - _She swapped the toner cartridge in the laser before the big print job._
6. Ellipsis of laser hair removal. — Ellipsis of laser hair removal.
   - Simple: Short for laser hair removal. Use this when talking about removing body hair with a laser.
   - _The clinic offers laser for both the face and the legs._
   - _After three sessions of laser, the hair grew back much finer._
7. A gum resin obtained from certain umbelliferous plants of the carrot family.
   - Simple: A sticky gum taken from certain plants in the carrot family.
   - _Roman cooks prized laser as both a seasoning and a remedy._
   - _Traders carried laser across the Mediterranean for its medicinal value._
8. A plant of the umbelliferous family that yields the gum resin called laser.
   - Simple: A plant in the carrot family that gives the sticky gum called laser.
   - _Overharvesting drove the wild laser to near extinction in the region._
   - _Botanists combed the hills for any surviving laser._

## Verb

3. To cut, destroy, or medically treat something using a laser.
   - Simple: To cut, burn, or treat something using a laser.
   - _Dermatologists laser the damaged tissue to remove it._
   - _The technician lasered the fine engraving onto the steel plate._
5. To throw or kick something with laser-like speed and pinpoint precision. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To throw or kick something very fast and straight, exactly where you want it.
   - _The quarterback lasered a throw between two defenders._
   - _He can laser the ball into the top corner from thirty yards out._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–6** — From LASER, an acronym of "light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation," coined by American physicist Gordon Gould in 1957. It was originally called an optical maser.
**Meanings 7–8** — From Latin laser.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/laser (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).