lard

1 of 2

verb

ˈlärd 

larded; larding; lards

transitive verb

1

a

: to dress (meat) for cooking by inserting or covering with something (such as strips of fat)

b

: to cover or soil with grease

2

: to augment or intersperse especially with something superfluous or excessive

the book is larded with subplots

3

obsolete : to make rich with or as if with fat

lard

2 of 2

noun

: a soft white solid or semisolid fat obtained by rendering fatty pork

lardy

ˈlär-dē 

adjective

Examples of lard in a Sentence

Verb

a roast larded with bacon

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

To be clear, the same can't be said for the rest of the internet, which every April Fools' Day lards its usual mystery blend of fact, rumor and misinformation with, well, still more misinformation — this time in the service of what some allege to be humor. —Colin Dwyer, NPR, 1 Apr. 2025

Sadly, there are countless more examples like these larding my social media feed and surely those of tens of thousands of others. —Dj Rosenthal, Baltimore Sun, 5 Nov. 2024

Noun

Some vegetarians and pescatarians eat products made with gelatin or lard (e.g., jello).3 Both diets focus on plant foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, seeds, and nuts. —Isabel Vasquez Rd Ldn, Health, 18 Apr. 2025

And tallow isn’t the only animal fat: Butter, lard and ghee are also in that category. —Kristen Rogers, CNN, 25 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English larden, borrowed from Anglo-French larder (also continental Old French), derivative of lard "bacon, lard entry 2"

Noun

Middle English lard, larde "fat pork cured in brine or smoked, bacon, lard," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French lard, larde, lart (also continental Old French), going back to Latin lāridum, lārdum "bacon," perhaps borrowed, with change of suffix, from Greek lārīnós "(of a bull or ox) fattened," of uncertain origin

Note: Greek lārīnós has been compared with lārós "pleasing, delicious (of a meal, wine)" and apolaúein "to have pleasure or enjoyment, benefit," though the derivational details are far from clear if there is actually a relationship.

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing lard

• lard with
• leaf lard

Rhymes for lard

• bard
• barred
• card
• chard
• charred
• guard
• hard
• jarred
• marred
• nard
• scarred
• shard

Kids Definition

lard

1 of 2 verb

ˈlärd 

1

: to insert strips of usually pork fat into meat before cooking

2

: to smear with lard, fat, or grease

3

: to add something extra and unnecessary to

lard

2 of 2 noun

: a soft white fat from the fatty tissue of the hog

Medical Definition

lard

noun

ˈlärd 

: adeps