VIDEO FOR LAY
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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
Definition for lay (2 of 7)
Definition for lay (3 of 7)
lay
3
[ ley ]
/ leɪ /
adjective
belonging to, pertaining to, or performed by the people or laity, as distinguished from the clergy: a lay sermon.
not belonging to, connected with, or proceeding from a profession, especially the law or medicine.
Origin of lay
3Definition for lay (4 of 7)
lay
4
[ ley ]
/ leɪ /
noun
a short narrative or other poem, especially one to be sung.
a song.
Origin of lay
4
1200–50; Middle English
lai < Old French, perhaps < Celtic; compare Old Irish
láed, laíd metrical composition, poem, lay
Definition for lay (5 of 7)
lay
5
[ ley ]
/ leɪ /
noun
(on a loom) a movable frame that contains the shuttles, the race plate, and the reed, and that by its oscillating motion beats the filling yarn into place.
any movable part of a loom.
Origin of lay
5
First recorded in 1780–90; variant of
lathe
Definition for lay (6 of 7)
lie
1
[ lahy ]
/ laɪ /
noun
verb (used without object), lied, ly·ing.
to speak falsely or utter untruth knowingly, as with intent to deceive.
to express what is false; convey a false impression.
verb (used with object), lied, ly·ing.
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.
Origin of lie
1
before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English
lyge; cognate with German
Lüge, Old Norse
lygi; akin to Gothic
liugn; (verb) Middle English
lien, Old English
lēogan (intransitive); cognate with German
lügen, Old Norse
ljūga, Gothic
liugan
synonym study for lie
1. See
falsehood.
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH lie
lie lyeDefinition for lay (7 of 7)
lie
2
[ lahy ]
/ laɪ /
verb (used without object), lay, lain, ly·ing.
noun
Verb Phrases
Origin of lie
2
before 900; Middle English
lien, liggen, Old English
licgan; cognate with German
liegen, Dutch
liggen, Old Norse
liggja, Gothic
ligan; akin to Greek
léchesthai to lie down
usage note for lie
See
lay1.
Example sentences from the Web for lay
British Dictionary definitions for lay (1 of 7)
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 (2 of 7)
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 (3 of 7)
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 (4 of 7)
British Dictionary definitions for lay (5 of 7)
Lie
/ (liː) /
noun
Trygve Halvdan (ˈtryɡvə ˈhalðan). 1896–1968, Norwegian statesman; first secretary-general of the United Nations (1946–52)
British Dictionary definitions for lay (6 of 7)
lie
1
/ (laɪ) /
verb lies, lying or lied
(intr)
to speak untruthfully with intent to mislead or deceive
(intr)
to convey a false impression or practise deception
the camera does not lie
noun
an untrue or deceptive statement deliberately used to mislead
something that is deliberately intended to deceive
give the lie to
- to disprove
- to accuse of lying
Other words from lie
Related adjective: mendaciousWord Origin for lie
Old English
lyge (n),
lēogan (vb); related to Old High German
liogan, Gothic
liugan
British Dictionary definitions for lay (7 of 7)
lie
2
/ (laɪ) /
verb lies, lying, lay (leɪ) or lain (leɪn) (intr)
noun
Word Origin for lie
Old English
licgan akin to Old High German
ligen to lie, Latin
lectus bed
undefined lie
See
lay 1
Medical definitions for lay
lie
[ lī ]
n.
The manner or position in which something is situated, especially the relation that the long axis of a fetus bears to that of its mother.
Idioms and Phrases with lay (1 of 2)
lay
Idioms and Phrases with lay (2 of 2)
lie