Lay
Lay , imperfect
of Lie, to recline.
Lay , adjective
[French lai, Latin laicus, Greek {not transcribed} of or from the people, lay, from {not transcribed}, {not transcribed}, people. Compare Laic.]
1.
Of or pertaining to the laity, as distinct from the clergy; as, a lay person; a lay preacher; a lay brother.
2.
Not educated or cultivated; ignorant. [Obsolete]
3.
Not belonging to, or emanating from, a particular profession; unprofessional; as, a lay opinion regarding the nature of a disease.
Collocations (5)
Lay baptism (Ecclesiastical) , baptism administered by a lay person. — F. G. Lee
Lay brother (Roman Catholic Church) , one received into a convent of monks under the three vows, but not in holy orders.
Lay clerk (Ecclesiastical) , a layman who leads the responses of the congregation, etc., in the church service. — Hook
Lay days (Commerce) , time allowed in a charter party for taking in and discharging cargo. — McElrath
Lay elder , See 2d Elder, 3, note.
Lay , noun
The laity; the common people. [Obsolete]
The learned have no more privilege than the lay.
Lay , noun
Lay , noun
[Old French lei faith, law, French loi law. See Legal.]
1.
Faith; creed; religious profession. [Obsolete]
Of the sect to which that he was born
He kept his lay, to which that he was sworn.
2.
A law. [Obsolete]
Many goodly lays.
3.
An obligation; a vow. [Obsolete]
They bound themselves by a sacred lay and oath.
Lay , adjective
[Old French lai, lais, prob. of Celtic origin; compare Ir. laoi, laoidh, song, poem, OIr. laoidh poem, verse; but compare also Anglo-Saxon lāc play, sport, German leich a sort of poem (compare Lake to sport). {not transcribed}.]
1.
A song; a simple lyrical poem; a ballad. — Spenser. Sir W. Scott
2.
A melody; any musical utterance.
The throstle cock made eke his lay.
Lay (lā) , transitive verb
[Old English leggen, Anglo-Saxon lecgan, causative, from licgan to lie; akin to Dutch leggen, German legen, Icelandic leggja, Gothic lagjan. See Lie to be prostrate.]
1.
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.
A stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den.
Soft on the flowery herb I found me laid.
2.
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.
3.
To prepare; to make ready; to contrive; to provide; as, to lay a snare, an ambush, or a plan.
4.
To spread on a surface; as, to lay plaster or paint.
5.
To cause to be still; to calm; to allay; to suppress; to exorcise, as an evil spirit.
After a tempest when the winds are laid.
6.
To cause to lie dead or dying.
Brave Caneus laid Ortygius on the plain,
The victor Caneus was by Turnus slain.
7.
To deposit, as a wager; to stake; to risk.
I dare lay mine honor
He will remain so.
8.
To bring forth and deposit; as, to lay eggs.
9.
To apply; to put.
She layeth her hands to the spindle.
10.
To impose, as a burden, suffering, or punishment; to assess, as a tax; as, to lay a tax on land.
The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
11.
To impute; to charge; to allege.
God layeth not folly to them.
Lay the fault on us.
12.
To impose, as a command or a duty; as, to lay commands on one.
13.
To present or offer; as, to lay an indictment in a particular county; to lay a scheme before one.
14.
(Law) To state; to allege; as, to lay the venue. — Bouvier
15.
(Military) To point; to aim; as, to lay a gun.
16.
(Rope Making) 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.
17.
(a) (Printing) To place and arrange (pages) for a form upon the imposing stone.
(b)
(Printing) To place (new type) properly in the cases.
And laid those proud roofs bare to summer's rain.
Let brave spirits... not be laid by.
No selfish man will be concerned to lay out himself for the good of his country.
Lay , intransitive verb
1.
To produce and deposit eggs.
2.
(Nautical) To take a position; to come or go; as, to lay forward; to lay aloft.
3.
To lay a wager; to bet.
Collocations (6)
To lay about or To lay about one , to strike vigorously in all directions. — J. H. Newman
To lay at , to strike or strike at. — Spenser
To lay for , to prepare to capture or assault; to lay wait for. [Colloquial] — Bp Hall
To lay in for , to make overtures for; to engage or secure the possession of. [Obsolete] I have laid in for these.
To lay on , to strike; to beat; to attack. — Shakespeare
To lay out , to purpose; to plan; as, he lays out to make a journey.
Lay , noun
1.
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. — Addison
A viol should have a lay of wire strings below.
The lay of a rope is right-handed or left-handed according to the hemp or strands are laid up. See Lay, transitive verb, 16. The lay of land is its topographical situation, esp. its slope and its surface features.
2.
A wager.
My fortunes against any lay worth naming.
3.
(a) A job, price, or profit.
(b)
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. [Provincial English; United States] — Wright
4.
(b)
(Textile Manufacturing) The lathe of a loom. See Lathe, 3.
5.
A plan; a scheme. [Slang] — Dickens
Collocations (4)
Lay figure , (a) A jointed model of the human body that may be put in any attitude; -- used for showing the disposition of drapery, etc. (b) A mere puppet; one who serves the will of others without independent volition.
Lay race , that part of a lay on which the shuttle travels in weaving; -- called also shuttle race.
the lay of the land , the general situation or state of affairs.
to get the lay of the land , to learn the general situation or state of affairs, especially in preparation for action.