What does lay mean?
Definitions for lay
leɪlay
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word lay.
Princeton's WordNet
ballad, laynoun
a narrative song with a recurrent refrain
ballad, layadjective
a narrative poem of popular origin
laic, lay, secularadjective
characteristic of those who are not members of the clergy
"set his collar in laic rather than clerical position"; "the lay ministry"
layverb
not of or from a profession
"a lay opinion as to the cause of the disease"
put, set, place, pose, position, layverb
put into a certain place or abstract location
"Put your things here"; "Set the tray down"; "Set the dogs on the scent of the missing children"; "Place emphasis on a certain point"
lay, put down, reposeverb
put in a horizontal position
"lay the books on the table"; "lay the patient carefully onto the bed"
layverb
prepare or position for action or operation
"lay a fire"; "lay the foundation for a new health care plan"
layverb
lay eggs
"This hen doesn't lay"
layverb
impose as a duty, burden, or punishment
"lay a responsibility on someone"
Wiktionary
laynoun
Plural form of laywoman.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
Layadjective
Not clerical; regarding or belonging to the people as distinct from the clergy.
Etymology: laicus, Latin; λάος.
All this they had by law, and none repin’d,
The pref’rence was but due to Levi’s kind:
But when some lay preferment fell by chance,
The Gourmands made it their inheritance. Dryden.Lay persons, married or unmarried, being doctors of the civil law, may be chancellors, officials, &c. John Ayliffe, Parerg.
It might well startle
Our lay unlearned faith. Nicholas Rowe, Ambitious Step Mother.Laynoun
Etymology: from the verb.
A viol should have a lay of wire-strings below, as close to the belly as the lute, and then the strings of guts mounted upon a bridge as in ordinary viols, that the upper strings strucken might make the lower resound. Francis Bacon.
Upon this they lay a layer of stone, and upon that a lay of wood. John Mortimer, Husbandry.
It is esteemed an even lay, whether any man lives ten years longer: I suppose it is the same, that one of any ten might die within one year. John Graunt, Bills of Mortality.
Laynoun
Grassy ground; meadow; ground unplowed, and kept for cattle: more frequently, and more properly, written lea.
Etymology: from the verb.
A tuft of daisies on a flow’ry lay
They saw. John Dryden, Flower and Leaf.The plowing of layes is the first plowing up of grass ground for corn. John Mortimer, Husbandry.
Laynoun
A song; a poem.
Etymology: lay , French. It is said originally to signify sorrow or complaint, and then to have been transferred to poems written to expresss sorrow. It is derived by the French from lessus , Latin, a funeral song; but it is found likewise in the Teutonick dialect: ley, leoð , Saxon; leey , Danish.
To the maiden’s sounding timbrels sung,
In well attuned notes, a joyous lay. Edmund Spenser, Fairy Queen.Soon he slumber’d, fearing not be harm’d,
The whiles with a loud lay, she thus him sweetly charm’d. Edmund Spenser, Fairy Queen, b. ii.This is a most majestick vision, and
Harmonious charming lays. William Shakespeare, Tempest.Nor then the solemn nightingale
Ceas’d warbling, but all night tun’d her soft lays. John Milton.If Jove’s will
Have link’d that amorous power to thy soft lay,
Now timely sing. John Milton.He reach’d the nymph with his harmonious lay,
Whom all his charms could not incline to stay. Edmund Waller.On Ceres let him call, and Ceres praise,
With uncouth dances, and with country lays. John Dryden, Virg.Ev’n gods incline their ravish’d ears,
And tune their own harmonious spheres
To his immortal lays. John Dennis.Laypreterite of lye.
O! would the quarrel lay upon our heads,
And that no man might draw short breath to day,
But I and Harry Monmouth. William Shakespeare, Henry IV.He was familiarly acquainted with him at such time as he lay embassador at Constantinople. Richard Knolles, Hist. of the Turks.
When Ahab had heard those words he fasted, and lay in sackcloth. 1 Kings xxi. 27.
I try’d whatever in the Godhead lay. Dryden.
He rode to rouze the prey,
That shaded by the sern in harbour lay,
And thence dislodged. John Dryden, Knight’s Tale.Leaving Rome, in my way to Sienna, I lay the first night at a village in the territories of the antient Veii. Addison.
How could he have the retiredness of the cloister, to perform all those acts of devotion in, when the burthen of the reformation lay upon his shoulders? Francis Atterbury.
The presbyterians argued, that if the pretender should invade those parts where the numbers and estates of the dissenters chiefly lay, they would sit still. Jonathan Swift.
To LAYverb
Etymology: lecgan , Saxon; leggen, Dutch.
Seek not to be judge, being not able to take away iniquity, lest at any time thou fear the person of the mighty, and lay a stumbling-block in the way of thy uprightness. Ecclus.
Another ill accident is laying of corn with great rains in harvest. Francis Bacon, Natural History.
Let no sheep there play,
Nor frisking kids the flowery meadows lay. Thomas May, Virgil.I’ll use th’ advantage of my power,
And lay the summer’s dust with showers of blood. William Shakespeare.It was a sandy soil, and the way had been full of dust; but an hour or two before a refreshing fragrant shower of rain had laid the dust. John Ray, on Creation.
Schismaticks, outlaws, or criminal persons, are not fit to lay the foundation of a new colony. Francis Bacon, Adv. to Villiers.
I lay the deep foundations of a wall,
And Enos, nam’d from me, the city call. Dryden.Men will be apt to call it pulling up the old foundations of knowledge; I persuade myself, that the way I have pursued lays those fouudations surer. John Locke.
Then he offered it to him again; then he put it by again; but, to my thinking, he was very loth to lay his fingers on it. William Shakespeare, Julius Cæsar.
They shall lay hands on the sick, and recover. Mark.
They, who so state a question, do no more but separate and disentangle the parts of it, one from another, and lay them, when so disentangled, in their due order. John Locke.
We to thy name our annual rites will pay,
And on thy altars sacrifices lay. Alexander Pope, Statius.David fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption. Acts xiii. 36.
Lay thee an ambush for the city behind thee. Jos. viii. 2.
The wicked have laid a snare for me. Psal.
Lay not wait, O! wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous. Prov. xxiv. 15.
The colouring upon those maps should be laid on so thin, as not to obscure or conceal any part of the lines. Isaac Watts.
The pictures drawn in our minds are laid in fading colours; and, if not sometimes refreshed, vanish and disappear. John Locke.
They bragged, that they doubted not but to abuse, and lay asleep, the queen and council of England. Francis Bacon.
Friends, loud tumults are not laid
With half the easiness that they are rais’d. Ben Jonson.Thus pass’d the night so foul, till morning fair
Came forth with pilgrim steps in amice grey,
Who with her radiant finger still’d the roar
Of thunder, chas’d the clouds and laid the winds. John Milton.After a tempest, when the winds are laid,
The calm sea wonders at the wrecks it made. Edmund Waller.I fear’d I should have found
A tempest in your soul, and came to lay it. John Denham.At once the wind was laid, the whisp’ring sound
Was dumb, a rising earthquake rock’d the ground. Dryd.The husband found no charm to lay the devil in a petticoat, but the rattling of a bladder with beans in it. Roger L'Estrange.
I laid meat unto them. Hos. xi. 4.
The chief time of laying gillyflowers is in July, when the flowers are gone. John Mortimer, Husbandry.
But since you will be mad, and since you may
Suspect my courage, if I should not lay;
The pawn I proffer shall be full as good. John Dryden, Virg.The sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest, for herself, where she may lay her young. Psal. lxxxiv. 3.
After the egg lay’d, there is no further growth or nourishment from the female. Francis Bacon, Natural History.
A hen mistakes a piece of chalk for an egg, and sits upon it; she is insensible of an increase or diminution in the number of those she lays. Joseph Addison, Spectator, №. 120.
Lay siege against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against it. Ezek. iv. 2.
Never more shall my torn mind be heal’d,
Nor taste the gentle comforts of repose!
A dreadful band of gloomy cares surround me,
And lay strong siege to my distracted soul. Phillips.She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. Prov. xxxi. 19.
It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting; for that is the end of all men, and the living will lay it to his heart. Eccl. vii. 2.
The peacock laid it extremely to heart, that, being Juno’s darling bird, he had not the nightingale’s voice. Roger L'Estrange.
He that really lays these two things to heart, the extreme necessity that he is in, and the small possibility of help, will never come coldly to a work of that concernment. Brian Duppa.
Wo unto them that lay field to field. Isa. v. 8.
Till us death lay
To ripe and mellow; we’re but stubborn clay. John Donne.If the sinus lie distant, lay it open first, and cure that apertion before you divide that in ano. Richard Wiseman, Surgery.
The wars for some years have laid whole countries waste. Joseph Addison, Spectator, №. 198.
Every breast she did with spirit inflame,
Yet still fresh projects lay’d the grey-ey’d dame. George Chapman.is like his Jupiter, has his terrors, shaking Olympus; Virgil , like the same power in his benevolence, counselling with the gods, laying plans for empires. Alexander Pope.
Don Diego and we have laid it so, that before the rope is well about thy neck, he will break in and cut thee down. Arbuth.
A tax laid upon land seems hard to the landholder, because it is so much money going out of his pocket. John Locke.
Preoccupied with what
You rather must do, that what you should do,
Made you against the grain to voice him consul,
Lay the fault on us. William Shakespeare.How shall this bloody deed be answered?
It will be laid to us, whose providence
Should have kept short, restrain’d, and out of haunt,
This mad young man. William Shakespeare, Hamlet.We need not lay new matter to his charge. William Shakespeare.
Men groan from out of the city, yet God layeth not folly to them. Job xxiv. 12.
Let us be glad of this, and all our fears
Lay on his providence. Paradise Regain’d, b. i.The writers of those times lay the disgraces and ruins of their country upon the numbers and fierceness of those savage nations that invaded them. William Temple.
They lay want of invention to his charge; a capital crime. John Dryden, Æneis.
You represented it to the queen as wholly innocent of those crimes which were laid unjustly to its charge. Dryden.
They lay the blame on the poor little ones. John Locke.
There was eagerness on both sides; but this is far from laying a blot upon Luther. Francis Atterbury.
The weariest and most loathed life
That age, ach, penury, imprisonment,
Can lay on nature, is a paradise
To what we fear of death. William Shakespeare, Meas. for Meas.Thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury. Exod. xx. 25.
The Lord shall lay the fear of you, and the dread of you, upon all the land. Deut. xi. 25.
It seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden. Acts xv. 28.
Whilst you lay on your friend the favour, acquit him of the debt. William Wycherley.
A prince who never disobey’d,
Not when the most severe commands were laid,
Nor want, nor exile, with his duty weigh’d. Dryden.You see what obligation the profession of Christianity lays upon us to holiness of life. John Tillotson, Sermons.
These words were not spoken to Adam; neither, indeed, was there any grant in them made to Adam, but a punishment laid upon Eve. John Locke.
Neglect the rules each verbal critick lays,
For not to know some trifles is a praise. Alexander Pope.It is not the manner of the Romans to deliver any man to die, before that he which is accused have the accusers face to face, and have licence to answer for himself concerning the crime laid against him. Acts xxv. 16.
Till he lays his indictment in some certain country, we do not think ourselves bound to answer an indefinite charge. Francis Atterbury.
He bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city he layeth it low, even to the ground. Isa. xxvi. 5.
Brave Cæneus laid Ortygius on the plain,
The victor Cæneus was by Turnus slain. John Dryden, Æn.He took the quiver, and the trusty bow
Achates us’d to bear; the leaders first
He laid along, and then the vulgar pierc’d. Dryden.Lay down by those pleasures the fearful and dangerous thunders and lightnings, and then there will be found no comparison. Walter Raleigh.
Lay apart all filthiness. James i. 21.
Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us. Heb. xii. 1.
Amaze us not with that majestick frown,
But lay aside the greatness of your crown. Edmund Waller.Roscommon first, then Mulgrave rose, like light;
The Stagyrite, and Quintus Horatius Flaccus, laid aside,
Inform’d by them, we need no foreign guide. George Granville.Retention is the power to revive again in our minds those ideas which, after imprinting, have disappeared, or have been laid aside out of sight. John Locke.
When by just vengeance guilty mortals perish,
The gods behold their punishment with pleasure,
And lay the uplifted thunder-bolt aside. Joseph Addison, Cato.Queen Esther laid away her glorious apparel, and put on the garments of anguish. Esther xiv. 2.
I cannot better satisfy your piety, than by laying before you a prospect of your labours. William Wake, Prepar. for Death.
That treaty hath been laid before the house of commons. Jonathan Swift, Remarks on the Barrier Treaty. Preface to.
Their office it is to lay the business of the nation before him. Joseph Addison, Freeholder, №. 46.
Let every one lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him. 1 Cor. xvi. 2.
Let brave spirits that have sitted themselves for command, either by sea or land, not be laid by as persons unnecessary for the time. Francis Bacon, Advice to Villiers.
She went away, and laid by her veil. Gen. xxxviii. 19.
Did they not swear to live and die
With Essex, and straight laid him by. Hudibras.For that look, which does your people awe,
When in your throne and robes you give 'em law,
Lay it by here, and give a gentler smile. Edmund Waller.Darkness, which fairest nymphs disarms,
Defends us ill from Mira's charms;
Mira can lay her beauty by,
Take no advantage of the eye,
Quit all that Lely's art can take,
And yet a thousand captives make. Edmund Waller.Then he lays by the publick care,
Thinks of providing for an heir;
Learns how to get, and how to spare. John Denham.The Tuscan king,
Laid by the lance, and took him to the sling. Dryden.Where Dædalus his borrow'd wings laid by,
To that obscure retreat I chuse to fly. John Dryden, Juvenal.My zeal for you must lay the father by,
And plead my country's cause against my son. Dryden.Fortune, conscious of your destiny,
E'en then took care to lay you softly by;
And wrapp'd your fate among her precious things,
Kept fresh to be unfolded with your king's. Dryden.Dismiss your rage, and lay your weapons by,
Know I protect them, and they shall not die. Dryden.When their displeasure is once declared, they ought not presently to lay by the severity of their brows, but restore their children to their former grace with some difficulty. John Locke.
I lay down my life for the sheep. John x. 15.
For her, my Lord,
I dare my life lay down, and will do't, Sir,
Please you t' accept it, that the queen is spotless
I' th' eyes of heaven. William Shakespeare, Winter's Tale.The soldier being once brought in for the service, I will not have him to lay down his arms any more. Edmund Spenser, Ireland.
Ambitious conquerors, in their mad career,
Check'd by thy voice, lay down the sword and spear. Richard Blackmore, Creation, b. ii.The story of the tragedy is purely fiction; for I take it up where the history has laid it down. John Dryden, Don Sebastian.
I will lay me down in peace and sleep. Psal. xlviii.
And they lay themselves down upon cloaths laid to pledge, by every altar. Amos ii. 8.
We lay us down, to sleep away our cares; night shuts up the senses. Joseph Glanvill, Scep.
Some god conduct me to the sacred shades,
Or lift me high to Hæmus' hilly crown,
Or in the plains of Tempe lay me down. John Dryden, Virg.I have laid down, in some measure, the description of the old known world. George Abbot, Descript. of the World.
Kircher lays it down as a certain principle, that there never was any people so rude, which did not acknowledge and worship one supreme deity. Edward Stillingfleet, on Rom. Idolatry.
I must lay down this for your encouragement, that we are no longer now under the heavy yoke of a perfect unsinning obedience. William Wake, Preparation for Death.
Plato lays it down as a principle, that whatever is permitted to befal a just man, whether poverty or sickness, shall, either in life or death, conduce to his good. Joseph Addison, Spect.
From the maxims laid down many may conclude, that I had a mind the world should think there had been occasion given by some late abuses among men of that calling. Jonathan Swift.
He embarked himself at Marseilles, after a long and dangerous journey, being not without the knowledge of Solyman hardly laid for at sea by Cortug-ogli, a famous pirate. Richard Knolles.
O bird! the delight of gods and of men! and so he lays himself forth upon the gracefulness of the raven. Roger L'Estrange.
Embalm me,
Then lay me forth; although unqueen'd, yet like
A queen, and daughter to a king, interr me. William Shakespeare.Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out. Deut. xxi. 19.
Favourable seasons of aptitude and inclination, be heed- fully laid hold of. John Locke.
Let the main part of the ground employed to gardens or corn be to a common stock; and laid in, and stored up, and then delivered out in proportion. Francis Bacon, Essays.
An equal stock of wit and valour
He had laid in, by birth a taylor. Hudibras, p. i.They saw the happiness of a private life, but they thought they had not yet enough to make them happy, they would have more, and laid in to make their solitude luxurious. Dryd.
Readers, who are in the flower of their youth, should labour at those accomplishments which may set off their persons when their bloom is gone, and to lay in timely provisions for manhood and old age. Joseph Addison, Guardian.
We make no excuses for the obstinate: blows are the proper remedies; but blows laid on in a way different from the ordinary. John Locke, on Education.
Teach me, dear creature, how to think and speak,
Lay open to my earthy gross conceit,
Smother'd in errours, feeble, shallow, weak,
The folded meaning of your word's deceit. William Shakespeare.A fool layeth open his folly. Prov. xiii. 16.
Wo unto him that faith to the wood, awake; to the dumb stone, arise, it shall teach: behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it. Hab. ii. 19.
Fathers are wont to lay up for their sons,
Thou for thy son art bent to lay out all. John Milton.Tycho Brahe laid out, besides his time and industry, much greater sums of money on instruments than any man we ever heard of. Boyle.
The blood and treasure that's laid out,
Is thrown away, and goes for nought. Hudibras.If you can get a good tutor, you will never repent the charge; but will always have the satisfaction to think it the money, of all other, the best laid out. John Locke.
I, in this venture, double gains pursue,
And laid out all my stock to purchase you. Dryden.My father never at a time like this
Would lay out his great soul in words, and waste
Such precious moments. Joseph Addison, Cato.A melancholy thing to see the disorders of a houshold that is under the conduct of an angry stateswoman, who lays out all her thoughts upon the publick, and is only attentive to find out miscarriages in the ministry. Joseph Addison, Freeholder.
When a man spends his whole life among the stars and planets, or lays out a twelve-month on the spots in the sun, however noble his speculations may be, they are very apt to fall into burlesque. Joseph Addison, on ancient Medals.
Nature has laid out all her art in beautifying the face; she has touched it with vermilion, planted in it a double row of ivory, and made it the seat of smiles and blushes. Addison.
He was dangerous, and takes occasion to lay out bigotry, and false confidence, in all its colours. Francis Atterbury.
The garden is laid out into a grove for fruits, a vineyard, and an allotment for olives and herbs. Notes on the Odyssey.
No selfish man will be concerned to lay out himself for the good of his country. George Smalridge.
When we began, in courteous manner, to lay his unkindness unto him, he, seeing himself confronted by so many, like a resolute orator, went not to denial, but to justify his cruel falshood. Philip Sidney.
We should now lay to our hands to root them up, and cannot tell for what. Oxford Reasons against the Covenant.
Let children be hired to lay to their bones,
From fallow as needeth, to gather up stones. Thomas Tusser.The great master having a careful eye over every part of the city, went himself unto the English station, which was then hardly laid to by the Bassa Mustapha. Richard Knolles.
Whilst he this, and that, and each man's blow
Doth eye, defend, and shift, being laid to fore;
Backwards he bears. Samuel Daniel, Civil War.If we lay all these things together, and consider the parts, rise, and degrees of his sin, we shall find that it was not for nothing. Robert South, Sermons.
Many people apprehend danger for want of taking the true measure of things, and laying matters rightly together. Roger L'Estrange.
My readers will be very well pleased, to see so many useful hints upon this subject laid together in so clear and concise a manner. Joseph Addison, Guardian, №. 96.
One series of consequences will not serve the turn, but many different and opposite deductions must be examined, and laid together, before a man can come to make a right judgment of the point in question. John Locke.
A Roman soul is bent on higher views,
To civilize the rude unpolish'd world,
And lay it under the restraint of laws. Joseph Addison, Cato.In the East-Indies, the general remedy of all subject to the gout, is rubbing with hands till the motion raise a violent heat about the joints: where it was chiefly used, no one was ever troubled much, or laid up by that disease. William Temple.
St. Paul did will them of the church of Corinth, every man to lay up somewhat by him upon the Sunday, and to reserve it in store, till himself did come thither, to send it to the church of Jerusalem for relief of the poor there. Richard Hooker, b. iv. sect. 13.
Those things which at the first are obscure and hard, when memory hath laid them up for a time, judgment afterwards growing explaineth them. Richard Hooker, b. v. sect. 22.
That which remaineth over, lay up to be kept until the morning. Exod. xvi. 23.
The king must preserve the revenues of his crown without diminution, and lay up treasure in store against a time of extremity. Francis Bacon, Advice to Villiers.
Fathers are wont to lay up for their sons,
Thou for thy son art bent to lay out all. John Milton.The whole was tilled, and the harvest laid up in several granaries. William Temple.
I will lay up your words for you till time shall serve. Dryd.
This faculty of laying up, and retaining ideas, several other animals have to a great degree, as well as man. John Locke.
What right, what true, what fit, we justly call,
Let this be all my care; for this is all:
To lay this harvest up, and hoard with haste
What every day will want, and most, the last. Alexander Pope.All the people laid so earnestly upon him to take that war in hand, that they said they would never bear arms more against the Turks, if he omitted that occasion. Richard Knolles.
To Layverb
Hens will greedily eat the herb which will make them lay the better. John Mortimer, Husbandry.
Which mov’d the king,
By all the aptest means could be procur’d,
To lay to draw him in by any train. Samuel Daniel, Civil War.At once he wards and strikes, he takes and pays,
Now forc’d to yield, now forcing to invade,
Before, behind, and round about him lays. Fa. Queen.And laid about in fight more busily,
Than th’ Amazonian dame Penthesile. Hudibras.In the late successful rebellion, how studiously did they lay about them, to cast a slur upon the king. Robert South, Sermons.
He provides elbow-room enough for his conscience to lay about, and have its full play in. Robert South, Sermons.
Fiercely the good man did at him lay,
The blade oft groaned under the blow. Edmund Spenser, Pastoral.The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold. Job.
I have laid in for these, by rebating the satire, where justice would allow it, from carrying too sharp an edge. Dryd.
His heart laid on as if it try’d,
To force a passage through his side. Hudibras.Answer, or answer not, ’tis all the same,
He lays me on, and makes me bear the blame. Dryden.My father has made her mistress
Of the feast, and she lays it on. William Shakespeare, Winter’s Tale.Those ants knew some days after they had nothing to fear, and began to lay out their corn in the sun. Joseph Addison, Guard.
I made strict enquiry wherever I came, and laid out for intelligence of all places, where the intrails of the earth were laid open. John Woodward.
ChatGPT
lay
"Lay" can have several meanings depending on the context. In general, it refers to someone who is not a professional or expert in a particular field or subject. It can also mean the act of placing or putting something in a particular position or location. Additionally, "lay" can refer to a non-clerical individual or a person who is not part of the clergy.
Webster Dictionary
Lay
of Lie, to recline
Layadjective
of or pertaining to the laity, as distinct from the clergy; as, a lay person; a lay preacher; a lay brother
Layadjective
not educated or cultivated; ignorant
Layadjective
not belonging to, or emanating from, a particular profession; unprofessional; as, a lay opinion regarding the nature of a disease
Laynoun
the laity; the common people
Laynoun
a meadow. See Lea
Laynoun
faith; creed; religious profession
Laynoun
a law
Laynoun
an obligation; a vow
Layadjective
a song; a simple lyrical poem; a ballad
Layadjective
a melody; any musical utterance
Layverb
to cause to lie down, to be prostrate, or to lie against something; to put or set down; to deposit; as, to lay a book on the table; to lay a body in the grave; a shower lays the dust
Layverb
to place in position; to establish firmly; to arrange with regularity; to dispose in ranks or tiers; as, to lay a corner stone; to lay bricks in a wall; to lay the covers on a table
Layverb
to prepare; to make ready; to contrive; to provide; as, to lay a snare, an ambush, or a plan
Layverb
to spread on a surface; as, to lay plaster or paint
Layverb
to cause to be still; to calm; to allay; to suppress; to exorcise, as an evil spirit
Layverb
to cause to lie dead or dying
Layverb
to deposit, as a wager; to stake; to risk
Layverb
to bring forth and deposit; as, to lay eggs
Layverb
to apply; to put
Layverb
to impose, as a burden, suffering, or punishment; to assess, as a tax; as, to lay a tax on land
Layverb
to impute; to charge; to allege
Layverb
to impose, as a command or a duty; as, to lay commands on one
Layverb
to present or offer; as, to lay an indictment in a particular county; to lay a scheme before one
Layverb
to state; to allege; as, to lay the venue
Layverb
to point; to aim; as, to lay a gun
Layverb
to put the strands of (a rope, a cable, etc.) in their proper places and twist or unite them; as, to lay a cable or rope
Layverb
to place and arrange (pages) for a form upon the imposing stone
Layverb
to place (new type) properly in the cases
Layverb
to produce and deposit eggs
Layverb
to take a position; to come or go; as, to lay forward; to lay aloft
Layverb
to lay a wager; to bet
Laynoun
that which lies or is laid or is conceived of as having been laid or placed in its position; a row; a stratum; a layer; as, a lay of stone or wood
Layverb
a wager
Layverb
a job, price, or profit
Layverb
a share of the proceeds or profits of an enterprise; as, when a man ships for a whaling voyage, he agrees for a certain lay
Layverb
a measure of yarn; a lea. See 1st Lea (a)
Layverb
the lathe of a loom. See Lathe, 3
Layverb
a plan; a scheme
Lay
of Lie
Etymology: [OF. lei faith, law, F. loi law. See Legal.]
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Lay
pa.t. of lie, to lay one's self down.
Lay
lā, v.t. to cause to lie down: to place or set down: to beat down: to spread on a surface: to conjoin: to spread the proper thing on: to calm: to appease: to wager: to bring forth: to impose: to charge: to present.—v.i. to produce eggs: to wager, bet:—pr.p. lay′ing; pa.t. and pa.p. laid.—n. situation: (Shak.) a bet: a share of profit, esp. in whaling enterprises: (slang) a field or method of operations, esp. of thieves: a measure in thread manufacture, about 800 yards.—ns. Lay′er, that which lays—e.g. a hen, a bricklayer: a bed or stratum: a shoot laid for propagation; Lay′ering, the propagation of plants by layers; Lay′ing, the first coat of plaster: the act or time of laying eggs: the eggs laid; Lay′-out, that which is laid out, a spread, for dining, gaming, &c.; Lay′-stall, a place for laying dung, rubbish, &c.—Lay about one, to deal blows vigorously or on all sides; Lay aside, away, to discard: to put apart for future use; Lay at, to endeavour to strike; Lay bare, to make bare, disclose; Lay before, to submit to, as of plans; Lay by, to keep for future use, to dismiss, to put off; Lay by the heels (see Heel); Lay down, to give up: to deposit, as a pledge: to apply, as embroidery: to delineate, describe: to affirm, assert: (rare) to store for future use; Lay heads together, to consult together, to deliberate; Lay hold of, or on, to seize, apprehend; Lay in, to get in a supply of; Lay into, to chastise thoroughly; Lay it on, to charge exorbitantly, to do anything with profuseness; Lay off, to cast aside: to mark off; Lay on, to apply with force, to strike, to act with vigour; Lay one's self out to, to put forth one's best efforts for anything; Lay on load (Spens.), to belabour; Lay on the table (see Table); Lay open, to make bare, to show, expose; Lay out, to expand, to display: to expend, to plan, to exert: to dress in grave-clothes: to take measures, seek; Lay siege to, to besiege: to importune; Lay the land, to cause the land to disappear below the horizon by sailing away from it; Lay to, to apply with vigour: to bring a ship to rest; Lay to heart (see Heart); Lay under, to subject to; Lay up, to store up, preserve: to confine to one's bed or room for a time: to put a ship in dock after dismantling; Lay upon, to wager upon; Lay wait, to lie in wait, or in ambush; Lay waste, to devastate, to destroy.—Laying on of hands (see Hand).—Laid embroidery, gimped or raised embroidery.—On a lay, on shares, as when a crew is shipped 'on a lay' instead of receiving wages. [Lay is the causal to lie, from A.S. lecgan; Ice. leggja, Ger. legen.]
Lay
lā, n. a song: a lyric or narrative poem. [O. Fr. lai, from Celt.; cf. Gael. laoidh, a hymn.]
Lay
lā, Laic, -al, lā′ik, -al, adjs. pertaining to the people: not clerical: unprofessional: (cards) not trumps.—v.t. Lā′icise, to deprive of a clerical character.—ns. Lā′ity, the people as distinguished from any particular profession, esp. the clerical; Lay′-bap′tism, baptism administered by a layman; Lay′-broth′er, a layman: a man under vows of celibacy and obedience, who serves a monastery, but is exempt from the studies and religious services required of the monks; Lay′-commun′ion, the state of being in the communion of the church as a layman; Lay′-imprō′priator, an impropriator who is a layman (see Impropriator); Lay′-lord, a civil lord of the Admiralty; Lay′man, one of the laity: a non-professional man; Lay′-read′er, in the Anglican Church, a layman who receives authority to read the lessons or a part of the service, and who may in certain cases preach or read the sermons of others. [O. Fr. lai—L. laicus—Gr. laikos—laos, the people.]
Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms
lay
1. Direct or adjust the aim of a weapon. 2. Setting of a weapon for a given range, a given direction, or both. 3. To drop one or more aerial bombs or aerial mines onto the surface from an aircraft. 4. To spread a smoke screen on the ground from an aircraft. 5. To calculate or project a course. 6. To lay on: a. to execute a bomber strike; b. to set up a mission.
Dictionary of Nautical Terms
lay
The order to desist rowing, without laying the oars in.--Lay out on your oars! is the order to give way, or pull with greater force.
Military Dictionary and Gazetteer
lay
To quit; to surrender the use of; as, lay down one’s arms. To lay for, is to attempt something by ambuscade.
lay
To point or aim; as, to lay a gun. See Pointing.
Suggested Resources
LAY
What does LAY stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the LAY acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.
Lay
Lay vs. Lie -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Lay and Lie.
Surnames Frequency by Census Records
LAY
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Lay is ranked #1957 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
The Lay surname appeared 18,468 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 would have the surname Lay.
70.9% or 13,109 total occurrences were White.
14.4% or 2,661 total occurrences were Asian.
7.5% or 1,398 total occurrences were Black.
3.8% or 702 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
2.2% or 412 total occurrences were of two or more races.
1% or 187 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.
British National Corpus
Spoken Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'lay' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1065
Written Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'lay' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2221
Verbs Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'lay' in Verbs Frequency: #222
Anagrams for lay »
aly
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of lay in Chaldean Numerology is: 5
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of lay in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2
Examples of lay in a Sentence
It is not the time to lay blame and if it is there is enough to go round.
As difficult as that is, at least this time around, just lay low and cool it.
Poetry reveals to us the loveliness of nature, brings back the freshness of youthful feelings, reviews the relish of simple pleasures, keeps unquenched the enthusiasm which warmed the springtime of our being, refines youthful love, strengthens our interest in human mature, by vivid delineations of its tenderest and softest feelings, and through the brightness of its prophetic visions, helps faith to lay hold on the future life.
That was the perfect environment and perfect venue. He got to lay out what he wants to do and emphasize who he is bringing on to the team. Everyone thought it was a good idea.
The genius of impeachment lay in the fact that it could punish the man without punishing the office.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for lay
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- وضعArabic
- laic, profàCatalan, Valencian
- laickýCzech
- læg, lægge, læg-Danish
- flachlegen, laikal, legen, Laien-German
- poner, laico, profano, yacer, tirar, lego, acostar, tumbarSpanish
- asettelu, pano, kattaa, panna, sijoittelu, laulu, laannuttaa, muurata, laskea, laittaa, tehdä, maallikko, laatoittaa, jättää, asettaa, kierre, maata, [[kierteen]] [[suunta]], munia, valmistaaFinnish
- laïque, coucher, pondre, mettre, poserFrench
- fektetHungarian
- porre, deporre, profana, lasciare, profano, laico, posare, disporre, laicaItalian
- לְהַנִיחַHebrew
- 産む, 置くJapanese
- lègkeLimburgish, Limburgan, Limburger
- dēt, klāt, liktLatvian
- whakatakoto, whakatāpapa, whānau, panga, whakapapaMāori
- lek, leg-, lek-, legNorwegian
- leken-, leggen, wereldlijk, liggingDutch
- lek, lek-Norwegian Nynorsk
- legge, dekkeNorwegian
- botar, deitar, leigoPortuguese
- oua, culcaRomanian
- отложить, положить, светский, лэ, мирской, кластьRussian
- položitiSlovene
- lägga, ligga, lek-, kvädeSwedish
- yumurtlamak, döşemek, yatırmakTurkish
- đẻ trứngVietnamese
- ponreWalloon
- לײגןYiddish
- 躺着Chinese
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