Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [ley]
- /leɪ/
- /leɪ/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [ley]
- /leɪ/
Definitions of lay word
- verb with object lay to bring about or affect by lying (often used reflexively): to lie oneself out of a difficulty; accustomed to lying his way out of difficulties. 1
- verb without object lay to be in a horizontal, recumbent, or prostrate position, as on a bed or the ground; recline. Antonyms: stand. 1
- verb without object lay (of objects) to rest in a horizontal or flat position: The book lies on the table. Antonyms: stand. 1
- verb without object lay to be or remain in a position or state of inactivity, subjection, restraint, concealment, etc.: to lie in ambush. 1
- verb without object lay to rest, press, or weigh (usually followed by on or upon): These things lie upon my mind. 1
- verb without object lay to depend (usually followed by on or upon). 1
Information block about the term
Origin of lay
First appearance:
before 900 One of the 4% oldest English words
before 900; Middle English layen, leggen, Old English lecgan (causative of licgan to lie2); cognate with Dutch leggen, German legen, Old Norse legja, Gothic lagjan
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Lay
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
lay popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 100% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
lay usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for lay
adj lay
- secular — of or relating to worldly things or to things that are not regarded as religious, spiritual, or sacred; temporal: secular interests.
- ordinary — of no special quality or interest; commonplace; unexceptional: One novel is brilliant, the other is decidedly ordinary; an ordinary person.
- temporal — of, relating to, or situated near the temple or a temporal bone.
- inexpert — not expert; unskilled.
- nonprofessional — not a member of or trained in a specific profession.
verb lay
- locate — to identify or discover the place or location of: to locate the bullet wound.
- plant — any member of the kingdom Plantae, comprising multicellular organisms that typically produce their own food from inorganic matter by the process of photosynthesis and that have more or less rigid cell walls containing cellulose, including vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, and hornworts: some classification schemes may include fungi, algae, bacteria, blue-green algae, and certain single-celled eukaryotes that have plantlike qualities, as rigid cell walls or photosynthesis.
- set — to put (something or someone) in a particular place: to set a vase on a table.
- leave — to go out of or away from, as a place: to leave the house.
- settle — to appoint, fix, or resolve definitely and conclusively; agree upon (as time, price, or conditions).
adjective lay
- untrained — Railroads. a self-propelled, connected group of rolling stock.
- amateur — An amateur is someone who does something as a hobby and not as a job.
- uninitiated — to begin, set going, or originate: to initiate major social reforms.
- unqualified — not qualified; not fit; lacking requisite qualifications: unqualified for the job.
noun lay
- diapason — either of two stops (open and stopped diapason) usually found throughout the compass of a pipe organ that give it its characteristic tone colour
- vocals — of, relating to, or uttered with the voice: the vocal mechanism; vocal criticism.
- premises — Also, premiss. Logic. a proposition supporting or helping to support a conclusion.
- noel — the Christmas season; yuletide.
- oldie — a popular song, joke, movie, etc., that was in vogue at a time in the past.
Antonyms for lay
adj lay
- professional — following an occupation as a means of livelihood or for gain: a professional builder.
- ordained — to invest with ministerial or sacerdotal functions; confer holy orders upon.
verb lay
- disorder — lack of order or regular arrangement; confusion: Your room is in utter disorder.
- disorganize — to destroy the organization, systematic arrangement, or orderly connection of; throw into confusion or disorder.
- unsettle — to alter from a settled state; cause to be no longer firmly fixed or established; render unstable; disturb: Violence unsettled the government.
- mix up — an act or instance of mixing.
- destroy — To destroy something means to cause so much damage to it that it is completely ruined or does not exist any more.
Top questions with lay
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