Lack Names an Absence Without Naming the Thing
Lack is the absence of something needed. English has an unusual number of ways to express the same idea.
Lack is the state of being without something needed or expected. English can express the idea in several grammatical shapes: *he lacks patience*, *he is lacking in patience*, *for lack of patience*, and *patience is lacking*. Each puts the emphasis somewhere different, and the last makes the missing quality the subject of its own absence. The word came from Middle Dutch and replaced a native Old English verb that has not survived.
- An absence. *A lack of funds.*
- To be without. *He lacks patience.*
- Lacking — deficient. *Lacking in detail.*
- Lacklustre — dull. *Lacklustre.*
- Middle Dutch — *lak*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | lack | A lack. |
| Verb | lack | Lacking. |
| Adjective | lacking | Lacking. |
| Compound | lacklustre | Lacklustre. |
| Middle Dutch | lak | A deficiency. |
- There is a lack of evidence.Noun.
- The plan lacks detail.Verb.
- A lacklustre performance.Compound.
Words for what is missing
- Lack — the plain absence of something needed
- Dearth — a scarcity, from the same root as *dear*
- Want — an older word for lack, now mainly desire
- Deficiency — a measured shortfall
- Void — an absence treated as a thing in itself
Middle Dutch *lak*, a deficiency or fault, entering English in the 1100s.
Is lacklustre related to lack?
Yes. It means lacking lustre, that is without shine or brilliance, and the sense of dullness followed.
What is the difference between lack and dearth?
Lack is a plain absence. Dearth implies scarcity of something that should be plentiful, and shares a root with dear.