Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - lax

 I. adjective  Etymology: Middle English, from Latin ~us loose — more at slack  Date: 14th century  1.  a. of the bowels loose, open  b. having loose bowels  2. deficient in firmness ; not stringent ~ control a ~ foreman  3.  a. not tense, firm, or rigid ; slack a ~ rope  b. having an open or loose texture  c. having the constituents spread apart a ~ flower cluster  4. articulated with the muscles involved in a relatively re~ed state (as the vowel i in contrast with the vowel e)  Synonyms: see negligent  • ~ation noun  • ~ly adverb  • ~ness noun  II. noun  Etymology: by shortening & alteration (x as symbol for -crosse)  Date: 1951 lacrosse