LACTES'CENCE, noun [Latin lactescens, lactescp, from lacto; lac, milk.] 1. Tendency to milk; milkiness or milky color. 2. In botany, milkiness; the liquor which flows abundantly from a plant, when wounded; commonly white, but sometimes yellow or red.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI