English Explanatory Dictionary

lay

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To place down in a position of rest, or in a horizontal position.
  2. To cause to subside or abate.
  3. To prepare (a plan, project etc.); to set out, establish (a law, principle).
  4. To install certain building materials, laying one thing on top of another.
  5. To produce and deposit (an egg or eggs).
  6. To bet (that something is or is not the case).
  7. To deposit (a stake) as a wager; to stake; to risk.
  8. To have sex with.
  9. To state; to allege.
  10. To point; to aim.
  11. To put the strands of (a rope, a cable, etc.) in their proper places and twist or unite them.
  12. To place and arrange (pages) for a form upon the imposing stone.
noun
  1. Arrangement or relationship; layout.
  2. A share of the profits in a business.
  3. The direction a rope is twisted.
  4. A casual sexual partner.
  5. An act of sexual intercourse.
  6. A place or activity where someone spends a significant portion of their time.
  7. The laying of eggs.
  8. A layer.
  9. A basis or ground.
  10. A pursuit or practice; a dodge.
noun
  1. A lake.
adj
  1. Not belonging to the clergy, but associated with them.
  2. Non-professional; not being a member of an organized institution.
  3. Not trumps.
  4. Not educated or cultivated; ignorant.
verb
  1. simple past of lie (“to be oriented in a horizontal position, situated”)
noun
  1. A ballad or sung poem; a short poem or narrative, usually intended to be sung.
  2. A lyrical, narrative poem written in octosyllabic couplets that often deals with tales of adventure and romance.
noun
  1. A meadow; a lea.
noun
  1. A law.
  2. An obligation; a vow.
verb
  1. To don or put on (tefillin (phylacteries)).
name
  1. A river in western France.
  2. A surname.

Pronunciation

lā /leɪ/ en-us-lay.ogg

Word forms

lay lays laying laid no-table-tags glossary layest laidst laidest layeth more lay most lay lai

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English leyen, leggen, from Old English leċġan (“to lay”), from Proto-West Germanic *laggjan, from Proto-Germanic *lagjaną (“to lay”), causative form of Proto-Germanic *ligjaną (“to lie, recline”), from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie, recline”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian lääse (“to lay; to lie”), West Frisian lizze (“to lay, to lie”), Cimbrian leng (“to lay”), Dutch leggen (“to lay”), German legen (“to lay”), Limburgish lègke (“to lay”), Luxembourgish leeën (“to lay”), Yiddish לייגן (leygn, “to lay”), Danish lægge (“to lay”), Faroese, Icelandic leggja (“to lay”), Norwegian Bokmål legge (“to lay”), Norwegian Nynorsk legga, legge, leggja, leggje (“to lay”), Swedish lägga (“to lay”), Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (lagjan, “to lay”), Old French laier, laiier, laire (“to leave”), Albanian lag (“troop, band, war encampment”).

Synonyms

becalm settle down lie by lie with sleep with Formal terms bed coit coitize dight enjoy feague go in unto go to bed with have know love mount occupy penetrate season seduce take Any of Thesaurus:copulate + "with" Informal and slang terms ball bang bauf beep be with bone boff boink bonk boom-boom dick diddle dig out do doink drill eff expletive deleted fill frack frak frick frig fuck get into someone's pants get over on get up in give someone one give someone the time go with have one's way with have one's wicked way with hit hump jape

Antonyms

clerical secular

Related words

lazy laity gooseberry lay kinchin lay snaffling lay

Derived words

allay a wild goose never laid a tame egg belay best laid plans bricklay cable-laid cable-laid rope forelay forlay get laid hawser-laid hawser-laid rope interlay laid back laid-back laid-off laid up lay about lay a finger on lay a foundation lay a glove on lay a hand on lay an anchor to the windward lay an egg lay aside lay at someone's door lay a venue lay away lay back layback lay bare lay bare one's soul lay behind lay-bye lay-by lay by lay by the heels lay chase lay chilly lay claim lay-down lay down lay down on lay eggs lay eyes on layflat lay for lay hands on lay hold of lay hold on lay hold upon lay in lay-in lay in ashes laying on of hands lay in lavender lay into lay it on lay it on thick lay low
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