What does lased mean?
“Lased” is the past tense and past participle of “lase,” a verb meaning to use a laser or to emit a laser beam. The word occurs especially in medical, surgical, scientific, and industrial contexts, where it can describe directing a focused beam at tissue or material, removing or modifying it, or irradiating it for measurement or treatment. “Lased” can therefore imply not merely exposure to laser light but a deliberate procedure performed with a laser. For example, a surgeon may say that abnormal tissue was lased, while an engineer might describe cutting a component with a laser. Because the word is technical and often implies a specialized action, ordinary contexts can usually express the same idea more directly with “used a laser” or “laser-treated.” It should not be confused with “lazed,” which means relaxed or spent time doing nothing.
verbTo emit, direct, or apply a laser beam, especially in a medical, surgical, scientific, or industrial procedure.
- To emit or direct a laser beam.
- To treat, cut, ablate, or otherwise work on a material with laser light.
"The surgeon lased the affected tissue with a focused beam."
"The technician carefully lased the component to the required dimensions."
"The surgeon lased the abnormal tissue while monitoring the surrounding area."
If a doctor says a patient was lased, the treatment involved light intense enough to cut or alter tissue.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does lased come from?
The related verb “lase” developed from “laser,” an acronym formed in the 20th century from the phrase “Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.” The acronym initially referred to the device and its amplified light, and “lase” came to mean emitting or using that light. The form “lased” follows the ordinary English pattern of adding the ending “-ed” to the verb.
Related word forms
How lased is actually used
This form is most common in technical, medical, and scientific writing. In general prose, “used a laser” or “laser-treated” may be clearer when the exact technical action is not important.
Easily confused with lased
“Lased” refers to the use of a laser, whereas “lazed” means to spend time relaxing idly.