Lacu

f. A pool, pond, piece of water, lake :-- Óþ ðæt seó lacu út scýtðæt norþ andlang lace to the point where the water runs out of the lake ... then along the lake, Cod. Dip. Kmbl. ii. 250, 26. Ðonne of exa[n] on ða smala[n] lace of ðære lace eft on exan then from the Exe to the small pool, from the pool again to the Exe, ii. 205, 10. Tó æscwylles lace heáfdon, 24. Tó æscwylles lace, 20. On Suttúninga lace, iii. 211, 23. Andlang foslace, 25, 19. On ða ealdan lace; andlang lace on ða norþeá, vi. i. 20. Laca lacos, Wrt. Voc. ii. 51, 52. [Meres and laces, Chr. 656; Erl. 31, 19: Laym. ouer þen lac (and MS. þe lake) of Siluius and ouer þen lac (2nd MS. þan lake) of Philisteus: Prompt. Parv. lake locus. It might be supposed that lacu was taken from Latin lacus, and the fact that the gender of the Latin is not that of the English word does not disprove the supposition; for feminine porticus gives masculine portic, and masculine versus gives neuter fers. And in the specimens of later English just quoted (in Laym. it will be observed the gender is no longer feminine) it may have been to Latin that the English word is due; but there may have been at an earlier time a native word: cf. leccan to water, and O. H. Ger. lacha; f. palus, botinus, Grff. ii. 100.] lacu