Lawrence

English

Alternative forms

• (surname): Lieurance

Etymology

See Laurence.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈlɒ.ɹəns/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈlɔɹəns/
• (NYC) IPA^(key): /ˈlɑɹəns/
• Rhymes: -ɒɹəns, -ɔɹəns

Proper noun

Lawrence (countable and uncountable, plural Lawrences)

1. A male given name from Latin, the usual spelling of Laurence in the U.S.; masculine of Lauren
   • 2003, Elise Title, Inside Out: A Mystery, St.Martin's Minotaur, published 2003, →ISBN, page 69:

     "I named him Lawrence. After my father. Pete, that's my husband, he never really liked the name Lawrence. He thought it wasn't very..." she shut her eyes for a moment, shaking her head slowly, "...very masculine." She opened her eyes and smiled ruefully. " That's a good one, isn't it?"

2. A surname originating as a patronymic.
   • 2007, John Dunning, The Bookworm's Last Fling, Simon & Schuster, published 2007, →ISBN, page 321:

     "My name is Richard Lawrence."
     Candice thought he had a storybook name. Like Lawrence of Arabia, she said, but what she always called him was Ricky. Just a jump away from Tricky Dicky.

3. A placename:
   1. A city, the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, United States.
   2. A city in Massachusetts, United States and one of the two county seats of Essex County.
   3. A number of townships in the United States, listed under Lawrence Township.
   4. A small town in Otago, New Zealand, named after Henry Montgomery Lawrence.
4. (US, law, sexuality, US politics, informal, uncountable) Ellipsis of Lawrence v. Texas. A 2003 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex sexual relations; and reaffirmed the existence of a right to privacy under due process following the 14th Amendment.

   Coordinate terms: Eisenstadt, Obergefell, substantive due process

5. A haze caused by heat; named after a third-century Christian killed by Emperor Valerian by being burned.

Derived terms

• lawrencate
• Lawrence Hill
• lawrencium
• lazy Lawrence
• St Lawrence
• St. Lawrence Island
• Saint Lawrence River, St. Lawrence River
• St. Lawrence County
• Waltham St Lawrence
• Wick St Lawrence
• Wootton St Lawrence

Translations

male given name — see Laurence