lay

English

/leɪ/

verb
Definitions
  • (transitive) To place down in a position of rest, or in a horizontal position.
  • (transitive) To cause to subside or abate.
  • (transitive) To prepare (a plan, project etc.); to set out, establish (a law, principle).
  • (transitive) To install certain building materials, laying one thing on top of another.
  • (transitive) To produce and deposit an egg.
  • (transitive) To bet (that something is or is not the case).
  • (transitive) To deposit (a stake) as a wager; to stake; to risk.
  • (transitive) To have sex with.
  • (nautical) To take a position; to come or go.
  • (legal) To state; to allege.
  • (military) To point; to aim.
  • (ropemaking) To put the strands of (a rope, a cable, etc.) in their proper places and twist or unite them.
  • (printing) To place and arrange (pages) for a form upon the imposing stone.
  • (printing) To place (new type) properly in the cases.
  • To apply; to put.
  • To impose (a burden, punishment, command, tax, etc.).
  • To impute; to charge; to allege.
  • To present or offer.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English layen inherited from Old English leċġan (lay) inherited from *laggjan (place) inherited from Proto-Germanic *lagjaną (lay, place), *ligjaną (lie, recline) derived from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (lie, lie down, lay, be situated, recline, resting place, put down), *legʰ- (lie, lie down, lay, be situated, recline, resting place, put down).

Origin

Proto-Indo-European

*legʰ-

Gloss

lie, lie down, lay, be situated, recline, resting place, put down

Concept
Semantic Field

Basic actions and technology

Ontological Category

Action/Process

Emoji
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Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms