lay figure

lay fig·ure

L l

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [ley fig-yer]
- /leɪ ˈfɪg yər/
- /leɪ ˈfɪɡə(r)/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [ley fig-yer]
- /leɪ ˈfɪg yər/

Definitions of lay figure words

noun lay figure a jointed model of the human body, usually of wood, from which artists work in the absence of a living model. 1
noun lay figure a similar figure used in shops to display costumes. 1
noun lay figure a person of no importance, individuality, distinction, etc.; nonentity. 1
noun lay figure an artist's jointed dummy, used in place of a live model, esp for studying effects of drapery 0
noun lay figure a person considered to be subservient or unimportant 0
noun lay figure an artist's jointed model of the human form, on which drapery is arranged to get the proper effect 0

See all 9 definitions of lay figure

Information block about the term

Origin of lay figure

First appearance:

before 1785

One of the 44% newest English words

1785-95; lay, extracted from obsolete layman < Dutch leeman, variant of ledenman, equivalent to leden- (combining form of lid limb, cognate with Old English, Middle English lith) + man man1)

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Lay figure

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Lay figure

lay figure popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 42% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

According to our data about 61% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

lay figure usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for lay figure

noun lay figure

dummy — a representation or copy of something, as for displaying to indicate appearance: a display of lipstick dummies made of colored plastic.

Just one Synonym for lay figure