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Glite Dictionary
lagging

lagging

3 6.9
Material put around pipes, boilers, or in attics to keep heat in
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : aislante

Examples

  • At Grant Street, teachers and school leaders engaged in a multiyear effort to address students' lagging reading development, and the results were hopeful.

    Academic text (2013)

  • "Rising demand for highly educated workers, combined with lagging supply, is contributing to higher levels of earnings inequality," the authors write.

    Blog text (30)

  • Politicians and educators bemoan this country's lagging standards in science, technology, engineering, and math.

    Blog text (3)

  • The plumber installed new lagging around the pipes to improve energy efficiency.

  • To keep the house warm in winter, we added lagging in the attic for better insulation.

  • The factory's heating system was upgraded with effective lagging to reduce heat loss.

Synonyms

sleeving
vslagging
  • Specialized
6.3

A protective tube placed around wires to prevent damage

is used on pipes and buildings to prevent heat loss rather than electrical insulation
furnace lining
vslagging
  • Specialized
6.9

A heat-resistant layer inside a furnace that protects the walls from very high heat

focuses on stopping heat loss from pipes and spaces rather than heat resistance

Surface Forms

lagging singular
laggings plural

Morphology

lagging = lag (semi-transparent) = lag + ing

The formation is the regular verb + -ing pattern, but the noun meaning 'insulating material' depends on a specialised verb sense of 'lag' rather than the common 'fall behind'.

Etymology

Lagging comes from the verb lag, which once meant 'to wrap' or 'to cover', like giving a pipe a 'coat'. So lagging is the material that wraps pipes or boilers to stop heat escaping.