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
🤥
Timeline
Distribution of cognates by language
Geogrpahic distribution of cognates
Cognates and derived terms
- about English
- allay English
- allayer English
- allayest English
- allayeth English
- allayment English
- back English
- baselayer English
- belay English
- belayer English
- bilayer English
- biolayer English
- blocklayer English
- bricklayer English
- carpetlayer English
- down English
- egglayer English
- epilayer English
- flat English
- flatlay English
- forelay English
- forlay English
- gyrolayer English
- hemilayer English
- heterolayer English
- inlay English
- inlayer English
- interlay English
- interlayer English
- interlayment English
- intralayer English
- judge English
- laccolith English
- land English
- lay down English
- lay judge English
- lay out English
- layabout English
- layback English
- layer English
- layerage English
- layerize English
- layerwise English
- layest English
- layeth English
- layflat English
- layland English
- layless English
- layman English
- laymanize English
- laymanship English
- layout English
- layouting English
- layover English
- layperson English
- layshaft English
- layship English
- laystall English
- laytime English
- layup English
- laywoman English
- man English
- metalayer English
- microlayer English
- minelayer English
- mislay English
- mislayer English
- monolayer English
- multilayer English
- multilayout English
- nanolayer English
- offlay English
- onlay English
- out English
- outlay English
- over English
- overlay English
- overlayer English
- pentalayer English
- person English
- pipe English
- pipelay English
- pipelayer English
- platelayer English
- prelay English
- re-lay English
- shaft English
- stall English
- stonelayer English
- sublayer English
- sublayout English
- superlayer English
- tetralayer English
- time English
- tracklayer English
- tribolayer English
- trilayer English
- underlay English
- underlayer English
- underlayment English
- unlay English
- up English
- uplay English
- way English
- waylay English
- waylayer English
- waylaying English
- lectus Latin
- Grundlegung German
- Lager German
- Lagerbier German
- Layout German
- ablegen German
- anlegen German
- auflegen German
- auslegen German
- beilegen German
- beiseitelegen German
- belegen German
- darlegen German
- einlegen German
- flachlegen German
- fortlegen German
- hereinlegen German
- hinlegen German
- hintanlegen German
- hinterlegen German
- klarlegen German
- legen German
- loslegen German
- offenlegen German
- reinlegen German
- umlegen German
- unterlegen German
- vorlegen German
- weglegen German
- widerlegen German
- zerlegen German
- zulegen German
- zurücklegen German
- überlegen German
- laccolite Italian
- laico Italian
- aanleggen Dutch, Flemish
- afleggen Dutch, Flemish
- beleggen Dutch, Flemish
- blootleggen Dutch, Flemish
- droogleggen Dutch, Flemish
- legboor Dutch, Flemish
- leggen Dutch, Flemish
- legger Dutch, Flemish
- legging Dutch, Flemish
- leghen Dutch, Flemish
- legkip Dutch, Flemish
- neerleggen Dutch, Flemish
- omleggen Dutch, Flemish
- onderlegger Dutch, Flemish
- overleggen Dutch, Flemish
- uitleggen Dutch, Flemish
- voorleggen Dutch, Flemish
- weerleggen Dutch, Flemish
- wegleggen Dutch, Flemish
- ложить Russian
- λάκκος Ancient Greek
- λέχομαι Ancient Greek
- λόχος Ancient Greek
- παραλέχομαι Ancient Greek
- *legʰ- Proto-Indo-European
- *leh₁d- Proto-Indo-European
- *logʰeye- Proto-Indo-European
- *légʰyeti Proto-Indo-European
- *lókus Proto-Indo-European
- bøtelegge Norwegian Bokmål
- fargelegge Norwegian Bokmål
- fastlegge Norwegian Bokmål
- forelegge Norwegian Bokmål
- forlegge Norwegian Bokmål
- framlegge Norwegian Bokmål
- gravlegge Norwegian Bokmål
- grunnlegge Norwegian Bokmål
- ilegge Norwegian Bokmål
- innlegge Norwegian Bokmål
- islagt Norwegian Bokmål
- kartlegge Norwegian Bokmål
- legge Norwegian Bokmål
- leggetid Norwegian Bokmål
- nedlegge Norwegian Bokmål
- planlegge Norwegian Bokmål
- pålegge Norwegian Bokmål
- skattlegge Norwegian Bokmål
- skrinlegge Norwegian Bokmål
- tilbakelegge Norwegian Bokmål
- tillegge Norwegian Bokmål
- tilrettelegge Norwegian Bokmål
- tørrlegge Norwegian Bokmål
- vektlegging Norwegian Bokmål
- ødelegge Norwegian Bokmål
- layout Portuguese
- *abalagjaną Proto-Germanic
- *lagjaną Proto-Germanic
- *lagą Proto-Germanic
- *laibijaną Proto-Germanic
- *legrą Proto-Germanic
- *ligjaną Proto-Germanic
- *lēgaz Proto-Germanic
- *lēgiją Proto-Germanic
- *lēgiþō Proto-Germanic
- *lōgą Proto-Germanic
- anlägga Swedish
- belägga Swedish
- bilaga Swedish
- bilägga Swedish
- bordlägga Swedish
- brolägga Swedish
- förlägga Swedish
- grundlägga Swedish
- handlägga Swedish
- inlägg Swedish
- kartlägga Swedish
- layout Swedish
- lägga Swedish
- läggdags Swedish
- omläggning Swedish
- skrinlägga Swedish
- tillägga Swedish
- vederlägga Swedish
- ödelägga Swedish
- överlägsen Swedish
- レイアウト Japanese
- レイヤー Japanese
- gravleggja Norwegian Nynorsk
- grunnleggja Norwegian Nynorsk
- laga Norwegian Nynorsk
- lage Norwegian Nynorsk
- lagom Norwegian Nynorsk
- legd Norwegian Nynorsk
- legde Norwegian Nynorsk
- legging Norwegian Nynorsk
- leggja Norwegian Nynorsk
- løye Norwegian Nynorsk
- alecgan Old English
- belecgan Old English
- gelecgan Old English
- lecgan Old English
- leċġan Old English
- liċġan Old English
- oferlecgan Old English
- alayen Middle English
- beleggen Middle English
- layen Middle English
- leyen doun Middle English
- leyer Middle English
- onleien Middle English
- underleyen Middle English
- aflagliga Old Norse
- auralag Old Norse
- banalag Old Norse
- laga Old Norse
- lagaskipan Old Norse
- leggja Old Norse
- liggja Old Norse
- læging Old Norse
- lǫgeyrir Old Norse
- lǫgrétta Old Norse
- belægge Danish
- blotlægge Danish
- forelægge Danish
- forlægge Danish
- lægge Danish
- lægge øde Danish
- overlægge Danish
- planlægge Danish
- pålægge Danish
- ødelægge Danish
- *leťi Proto-Slavic
- *ležati Proto-Slavic
- *logъ Proto-Slavic
- *lono Proto-Slavic
- *lǫgъ Proto-Slavic
- *perlogъ Proto-Slavic
- delaier Old French
- laiier Old French
- laiko Esperanto
- legging Icelandic
- leggja Icelandic
- belagen Middle Dutch
- leggen Middle Dutch
- legen Old High German
- leggen Old High German
- ligan Old High German
- ligen Old High German
- lê Afrikaans
- legen Middle High German
- aleeën Luxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- ausleeën Luxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- beleeën Luxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- bäileeën Luxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- draleeën Luxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- dropleeën Luxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- duerleeën Luxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- eraleeën Luxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- leeën Luxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- ofleeën Luxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- uleeën Luxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- ëmleeën Luxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- ënnerleeën Luxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- lag Albanian
- lagaterë Albanian
- 𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 Gothic
- 𐌻𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽 Gothic
- *laggjan gmw-pro
- *liggjan gmw-pro
- leggen Old Dutch
- liggen Old Dutch
- *laittadak Proto-Finnic
- *legeti Proto-Celtic
- *lego- Proto-Celtic
- *legyom Proto-Celtic
- *legyā Proto-Celtic
- *logeyeti Proto-Celtic
- *uɸo-leg-s Proto-Celtic
- leggen Middle Low German
- leng Cimbrian
- leggian Old Saxon
- liggian Old Saxon
- læggia Old Swedish
- *latjan Frankish
- lizze Western Frisian
- ложе Old East Slavic
- ложити Old East Slavic
- ledza Old Frisian
- lidza Old Frisian
- lidzia Old Frisian
- leggen Low German
- tohoopleggen Low German
- *lag- Proto-Albanian
- *lauga Proto-Albanian
- *lēga Proto-Albanian
- *legtei Proto-Balto-Slavic
- lesto Tocharian B
- lyäk- Tocharian B
- *liga Gaulish
- *liga xtg
- up
- out
- way
- man
- flat
- over
- time
- back
- land
- pipe
- down
- judge
- layup
- layer
- uplay
- about
- allay
- unlay
- shaft
- onlay
- belay
- inlay
- stall
- prelay
- offlay
- layeth
- layest
- forlay
- re-lay
- outlay
- waylay
- person
- layout
- layman
- mislay
- lay out
- pipelay
- bilayer
- layflat
- layship
- overlay
- layless
- layback
- belayer
- laytime
- layland
- flatlay
- forelay
- allayer
- layover
- inlayer
- allayeth
- laywoman
- epilayer
- sublayer
- interlay
- mislayer
- waylayer
- trilayer
- underlay
- layshaft
- layerage
- laystall
- layabout
- lay down
- egglayer
- layerize
- allayest
- biolayer
- laymanize
- hemilayer
- layerwise
- overlayer
- allayment
- laccolith
- layouting
- baselayer
- layperson
- pipelayer
- gyrolayer
- waylaying
- monolayer
- sublayout
- nanolayer
- minelayer
- metalayer
- lay judge
- stonelayer
- interlayer
- tracklayer
- bricklayer
- tetralayer
- microlayer
- platelayer
- underlayer
- multilayer
- intralayer
- blocklayer
- tribolayer
- pentalayer
- superlayer
- laymanship
- multilayout
- carpetlayer
- heterolayer
- underlayment
- interlayment