lac
Abbreviation with 4 meanings
| Stands for | Laceration |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 4 |
| Categories | Medical, Geography & Places, Education & Academia, Military |
| Also written | LAC |
lac has four meanings. The most common are Laceration (emergency medicine) and Latin America and the Caribbean (region); it can also stand for Liberal arts college and Leading Aircraftman.
Meanings of lac at a glance
| # | lac stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laceration | Medical › Emergency Medicine |
| 2 | Latin America and the Caribbean | Geography & Places › Region |
| 3 | Liberal arts college | Education & Academia › Academic |
| 4 | Leading Aircraftman | Military › British Military Rank |
1. Laceration
Medical · Emergency Medicine Abbreviations
Cut or tear in the skin, documented by location, length, depth, contamination and repair method. Emergency notes commonly abbreviate it in diagnoses and procedure notes.
Example: 3 cm lac to L forearm, irrigated, repaired with 5 simple interrupted sutures.
Repair options include sutures, staples, tissue adhesive and adhesive strips. Tetanus status should be checked for all wounds. Wounds over joints, from bites or with tendon involvement need extra care. Lac is pronounced like "lack".
2. Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)
Geography & Places · Region Abbreviations
Region used by the United Nations, the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, covering 33 countries from Mexico to Argentina, including the English-speaking Caribbean.
Example: The UN's economic commission for LAC is based in Santiago, Chile.
LAC is broader than LATAM because it includes English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean nations. The UN body is ECLAC, known in Spanish as CEPAL.
3. Liberal arts college (LAC)
Education & Academia · Academic Abbreviations
Small, usually residential undergraduate college that emphasizes broad education in the humanities, sciences and social sciences, small classes and close contact with faculty. Well-known examples include Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Pomona and Wellesley.
Example: Applying to an LAC means you'll take seminars with fifteen students instead of lecture halls of three hundred.
Most American LACs are private, but public liberal arts colleges also exist. U.S. News ranks them in a separate "National Liberal Arts Colleges" list. LACs produce a disproportionate share of future PhDs relative to their size. The abbreviation SLAC (small liberal arts college) is also common.
4. Leading Aircraftman (LAC)
Military · British Military Rank Abbreviations
RAF rank above aircraftman, held by airmen who have completed trade training, and marked by a two-bladed propeller badge on the sleeve. LACs work as technicians, drivers, administrators and RAF Regiment gunners.
Example: LAC Singh joined the engineering squadron at RAF Lossiemouth after trade training.
Women hold the title Leading Aircraftwoman. The propeller badges distinguish the junior RAF ranks: two blades for a leading aircraftman, three for a senior aircraftman. Promotion to senior aircraftman follows a period of experience and assessment.
Related abbreviations
More emergency medicine abbreviations
- IFT – Interfacility transport
- IHCA – In-hospital cardiac arrest
- ISS – Injury Severity Score
- KED – Kendrick Extrication Device
- LSB – Long spine board
- LWBS – Left without being seen
- MARCH – Massive hemorrhage, airway, respiration, circulation, hypothermia
- MCC – Motorcycle crash
See all 97 emergency medicine abbreviations →
More region abbreviations
- GTA – Greater Toronto Area
- IE – Inland Empire
- IOW – Isle of Wight
- JAPAC – Japan and Asia Pacific
- LATAM – Latin America
- LBI – Long Beach Island
- LGA – Local Government Area
- MEA – Middle East and Africa
See all 60 region abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.