lac (2)EnglishOxford Dictionary of Englishlac2 /lak / ▸ adjective Biology denoting the ability of normal strains of the bacterium E. coli to metabolize lactose, or the genetic factors involved in this ability (which is lost in some mutant strains): the lac operon. – ORIGIN 1940s: abbreviation of lactose.
EnglishOxford Dictionary of English
