A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Lac, gen.sg. lactis (s.n.III), acc. sg. lac, abl. sg. lacte: milk, milky juice, the milky sap of plants; “a fluid having an opaque appearance, and either white, orange, or some such color, occurring in many plants” (Lindley); = Greek gala, gen.sg. galaktos (s.n.III), milk [> L. lac, gen.sg. lactis (s.n.III); milk; a type of whiteness; the milky juice of certain plants; cf. Gk. gala” (Glare); cf latex,-icis (s.m.III), juice, fluid; see lacti-; see juice, ‘sap;’

- tota herba, odorem alliaceum volatilem fortiter spirat, a bestiis saepe esa, lactem vaccarum inquinans (Swartz), the whole herb strongly emitting a volatile aliaceous odor, often eaten by beasts, fouling the milk of cows.

- ramuli fractura lacte acri amaro scatent (F. Mueller), the branchlets with breaking are full of an acrid, bitter milky sap [i.e. milk].

- in a, lac acerrimum album aeri expositum mox colorem induit pulchelle roseum (S&A), in a [=alpha), a very bitter white latex covers it when exposed to the air soon colored a beautiful rose-color.

Lac, gen.sg. lactis (s.n.III) sacchari [= gen.sg], abl. sg. lacte sacchari, milk sugar; see saccharum,-i (s.n.II).

Lactosum,-i (s.n.II) = (pharm.) saccharum,-i (s.n.II) lactis (Bennett).

Serum,-i (s.n.II), q.v., abl.sg. sero, nom.& acc.pl. sera: the watery part of curdled milk, whey;

- serum lactis, the whey of milk.

NOTE: latex = “the same as Lac; but extended to any kind of viscid fluid conveyed in laticiferous vessels, whether opaque or not” (Lindley).