lard

1 of 2

verb

larded; larding; lards

transitive verb

1
a
: to dress (meat) for cooking by inserting or covering with something (such as strips of fat)
b
: to cover or soil with grease
2
: to augment or intersperse especially with something superfluous or excessive
the book is larded with subplots
3
obsolete : to make rich with or as if with fat

lard

2 of 2

noun

: a soft white solid or semisolid fat obtained by rendering fatty pork
lardy adjective

Examples of lard in a Sentence

Verb a roast larded with bacon
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
This expensive, but frequently cheap-looking, placeholder is historical, but larded up with clunky fiction. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 July 2024 But the new season suffers from both a surfeit of ideas and a lack of vision, relegating beloved relationships to the background while larding the show with characters and story lines that fail to compel. Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 29 June 2024
Noun
Following recipes that have been passed down through generations of Mississippians, Sugaree’s uses lard alongside butter in their irresistible crusts. Madeline Weinfield, Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2024 One notable episode from June 1993 was supposed to feature the then British Conservative MP Roy Hattersley, but having canceled at the last minute and for the third time, he was replaced on the set by a tub of lard. Scott Bryan, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for lard 

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English larden, borrowed from Anglo-French larder (also continental Old French), derivative of lard "bacon, lard entry 2"

Noun

Middle English lard, larde "fat pork cured in brine or smoked, bacon, lard," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French lard, larde, lart (also continental Old French), going back to Latin lāridum, lārdum "bacon," perhaps borrowed, with change of suffix, from Greek lārīnós "(of a bull or ox) fattened," of uncertain origin

Note: Greek lārīnós has been compared with lārós "pleasing, delicious (of a meal, wine)" and apolaúein "to have pleasure or enjoyment, benefit," though the derivational details are far from clear if there is actually a relationship.

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lard was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near lard

Cite this Entry

“Lard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lard. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

lard

1 of 2 verb
1
: to insert strips of usually pork fat into meat before cooking
2
: to smear with lard, fat, or grease
3
: to add something extra and unnecessary to

lard

2 of 2 noun
: a soft white fat from the fatty tissue of the hog

Medical Definition

lard

noun
: adeps
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!