lact-

American  

1. variant of lacto- before a vowel.

   lactalbumin.

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Usage

What does lact- mean? Lact- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “milk.” In terms from chemistry, it used to specifically mean "lactate" or "lactic acid." It is often used in scientific and medical terms.Lact- comes from Latin lac (stem lact-), meaning “milk.” The Latin cognate of lac is gála (stem galakt-), also meaning “milk,” which is the source of galaxy. To learn more, check out our Words That Use articles on galacto- and galact-.What are variants of lact-?Lact- is a variant of lacto-, which loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels.A less common variant of lact-, when combined with some words or word elements that begin with a consonant, is lacti-, as in lactifuge.Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles on lacto- and lacti-.