Lance

1. A soldier armed with a lance; a lancer.
2. An instrument which conveys the charge of a piece of ordnance and forces it home.
3. To throw in the manner of a lance. See Lanch.
4. A small iron rod which suspends the core of the mold in casting a shell.
5. To open with a lancet; to pierce; as, to lance a vein or an abscess.
6. One of the small paper cases filled with combustible composition, which mark the outlines of a figure.
7. To pierce with a lance, or with any similar weapon.
8. 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.