1.A weapon of war, consisting of a long shaft or handle and a steel blade or head; a spear carried by horsemen, and often decorated with a small flag; also, a spear or harpoon used by whalers and fishermen. "A braver soldier never couched lance."
2.A soldier armed with a lance; a lancer.
3.(Founding) A small iron rod which suspends the core of the mold in casting a shell.
4.(Mil.) An instrument which conveys the charge of a piece of ordnance and forces it home.
5.(Pyrotech.) One of the small paper cases filled with combustible composition, which mark the outlines of a figure.
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