lack

[[t]læk[/t]]

n.

1) deficiency or absence of something needed or desirable:

lack of money; lack of skill[/ex]

2) something missing or wanted:

After he left, they really felt the lack[/ex]

3) cvb to be without; have need of:

You lack common sense[/ex]

4) to fall short in respect of:

He lacks three votes to win[/ex]

5) to be absent or missing:

Nothing lacks but their full agreement[/ex]

6) to have a scarcity of something:

She will never lack for friends[/ex]

•

Etymology: 1125–75; ME lak; c. MLG lak, MD lac deficiency; akin to ON lakr deficient syn: lack, want, need, require indicate the absence of something desirable, important, or necessary. lack means to be without or to have less than a desirable quantity of something: to lack courage; to lack sufficient money. want stresses the urgency of fulfilling a desire or providing what is lacking: The room wants some final touch to make it homey. need suggests even more urgency, stressing the necessity of supplying something essential: to need an operation. require has a similar sense, although it is used in formal or serious contexts: The report requires some editing.