Idioms for lay
Origin of lay
1
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
usage note for lay
Lay1 and
lie2 are often confused.
Lay is most commonly a transitive verb and takes an object. Its forms are regular. If “place” or “put” can be substituted in a sentence, a form of
lay is called for:
Lay the folders on the desk. The mason is laying brick. She laid the baby in the crib.
Lay also has many intransitive senses, among them “to lay eggs” (
The hens have stopped laying ), and it forms many phrasal verbs, such as
lay off “to dismiss (from employment)” or “to stop annoying or teasing” and
lay over “to make a stop.”
Lie, with the overall senses “to be in a horizontal position, recline” and “to rest, remain, be situated, etc.,” is intransitive and takes no object. Its forms are irregular; its past tense form is identical with the present tense or infinitive form of lay : Lie down, children. Abandoned cars were lying along the road. The dog lay in the shade and watched the kittens play. The folders have lain on the desk since yesterday.
In all but the most careful, formal speech, forms of lay are commonly heard in senses normally associated with lie. In edited written English such uses of lay are rare and are usually considered nonstandard: Lay down, children. The dog laid in the shade. Abandoned cars were laying along the road. The folders have laid on the desk since yesterday.
Lie, with the overall senses “to be in a horizontal position, recline” and “to rest, remain, be situated, etc.,” is intransitive and takes no object. Its forms are irregular; its past tense form is identical with the present tense or infinitive form of lay : Lie down, children. Abandoned cars were lying along the road. The dog lay in the shade and watched the kittens play. The folders have lain on the desk since yesterday.
In all but the most careful, formal speech, forms of lay are commonly heard in senses normally associated with lie. In edited written English such uses of lay are rare and are usually considered nonstandard: Lay down, children. The dog laid in the shade. Abandoned cars were laying along the road. The folders have laid on the desk since yesterday.
Words nearby lay
British Dictionary definitions for lay open (1 of 4)
lay
1
/ (leɪ) /
verb lays, laying or laid (leɪd) (mainly tr)
noun
Word Origin for lay
Old English
lecgan; related to Gothic
lagjan, Old Norse
leggja
usage for lay
In careful English, the verb
lay is used with an object and
lie without one:
the soldier laid down his arms; the Queen laid a wreath; the book was lying on the table; he was lying on the floor. In informal English,
lay is frequently used for
lie: the book was laying on the table. All careful writers and speakers observe the distinction even in informal contexts
British Dictionary definitions for lay open (2 of 4)
lay
2
/ (leɪ) /
adjective
of, involving, or belonging to people who are not clergy
nonprofessional or nonspecialist; amateur
Word Origin for lay
C14: from Old French
lai, from Late Latin
lāicus, ultimately from Greek
laos people
British Dictionary definitions for lay open (3 of 4)
lay
3
/ (leɪ) /
noun
a ballad or short narrative poem, esp one intended to be sung
a song or melody
Word Origin for lay
C13: from Old French
lai, perhaps of Germanic origin
British Dictionary definitions for lay open (4 of 4)
Idioms and Phrases with lay open (1 of 2)
lay open
Expose; also, make vulnerable to. For example, The audit laid open some suspicious dealings, or She had not laid herself open to any charge of wrongdoing. The first usage dates from the mid-1500s, the second from the mid-1800s. Also see leave open.
Idioms and Phrases with lay open (2 of 2)
lay