12 definitions found
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Lay \Lay\, n.
The laity; the common people. [Obs.]
The learned have no more privilege than the lay. --B.
Jonson
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Lay \Lay\, n.
A meadow. See {Lea}. [Obs.] --Dryden.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Lay \Lay\, n. [OF. lei faith, law, F. loi law. See {Legal}.]
1. Faith; creed; religious profession. [Obs.]
Of the sect to which that he was born He kept his
lay, to which that he was sworn. --Chaucer.
2. A law. [Obs.] ``Many goodly lays.'' --Spenser.
3. An obligation; a vow. [Obs.]
They bound themselves by a sacred lay and oath. --
Holland.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Lay \Lay\, imp.
of {Lie}, to recline.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Lay \Lay\, a. [OF. lai, lais, prob. of Celtic origin; cf Ir
laoi, laoidh song, poem, OIr. laoidh poem, verse; but cf
also AS l[=a]c play, sport, G. leich a sort of poem (cf.
{Lake} to sport). ?.]
1. A song; a simple lyrical poem; a ballad. --Spenser. Sir W.
Scott.
2. A melody; any musical utterance.
The throstle cock made eke his lay. --Chaucer.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Lay \Lay\, a. [F. lai, L. laicus Gr ? of or from the people,
lay, from ?, ?, people. Cf {Laic}.]
1. Of or pertaining to the laity, as distinct from the
clergy; as a lay person; a lay preacher; a lay brother.
2. Not educated or cultivated; ignorant.[Obs.]
3. Not belonging to or emanating from a particular
profession; unprofessional; as a lay opinion regarding
the nature of a disease.
{Lay baptism} (Eccl.), baptism administered by a lay person.
--F. G. Lee.
{Lay brother} (R. C. Ch.), one received into a convent of
monks under the three vows, but not in holy orders
{Lay clerk} (Eccl.), a layman who leads the responses of the
congregation, etc., in the church service. --Hook.
{Lay days} (Com.), time allowed in a charter party for taking
in and discharging cargo. --McElrath.
{Lay elder}. See 2d {Elder}, 3, note.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Lay \Lay\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Laid}; p. pr & vb n.
{Laying}.] [OE. leggen, AS lecgan causative, fr licgan to
lie; akin to D. leggen, G. legen, Icel. leggja Goth. lagjan.
See {Lie} to be prostrate.]
1. To cause to lie down to be prostrate, or to lie against
something to put or set down to deposit; as to lay a
book on the table; to lay a body in the grave; a shower
lays the dust.
A stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the
den. --Dan. vi 17.
Soft on the flowery herb I found me laid. --Milton.
2. To place in position; to establish firmly; to arrange with
regularity; to dispose in ranks or tiers; as to lay a
corner stone; to lay bricks in a wall; to lay the covers
on a table.
3. To prepare; to make ready; to contrive; to provide; as to
lay a snare, an ambush, or a plan
4. To spread on a surface; as to lay plaster or paint.
5. To cause to be still to calm; to allay; to suppress; to
exorcise, as an evil spirit.
After a tempest when the winds are laid. --Waller.
6. To cause to lie dead or dying.
Brave C[ae]neus laid Ortygius on the plain, The
victor C[ae]neus was by Turnus slain. --Dryden.
7. To deposit, as a wager; to stake; to risk.
I dare lay mine honor He will remain so --Shak.
8. To bring forth and deposit; as to lay eggs.
9. To apply; to put
She layeth her hands to the spindle. --Prov. xxxi.
19.
10. To impose, as a burden, suffering, or punishment; to
assess, as a tax; as to lay a tax on land.
The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all
--Is. Iiii. 6.
11. To impute; to charge; to allege.
God layeth not folly to them --Job xxiv.
12.
Lay the fault on us --Shak.
12. To impose, as a command or a duty; as to lay commands on
one
13. To present or offer; as to lay an indictment in a
particular county; to lay a scheme before one
14. (Law) To state; to allege; as to lay the venue.
--Bouvier.
15. (Mil.) To point; to aim as to lay a gun.
16. (Rope Making) To put the strands of (a rope, a cable,
etc.) in their proper places and twist or unite them as
to lay a cable or rope.
17. (Print.)
a To place and arrange (pages) for a form upon the
imposing stone.
b To place (new type) properly in the cases.
{To lay asleep}, to put sleep; to make unobservant or
careless. --Bacon.
{To lay bare}, to make bare; to strip.
And laid those proud roofs bare to summer's rain.
--Byron.
{To lay before}, to present to to submit for consideration;
as the papers are laid before Congress.
{To lay by}.
a To save.
b To discard.
Let brave spirits . . . not be laid by
--Bacon.
{To lay by the heels}, to put in the stocks. --Shak.
{To lay down}.
a To stake as a wager.
b To yield; to relinquish; to surrender; as to lay
down one's life; to lay down one's arms.
c To assert or advance, as a proposition or principle.
{To lay forth}.
a To extend at length; (reflexively) to exert one's
self to expatiate. [Obs.]
b To lay out (as a corpse). [Obs.] --Shak.
{To lay hands on}, to seize.
{To lay hands on one's self}, or {To lay violent hands on
one's self}, to injure one's self specif., to commit
suicide.
{To lay heads together}, to consult.
{To lay hold of}, or {To lay hold on}, to seize; to catch.
{To lay in}, to store; to provide.
{To lay it on}, to apply without stint. --Shak.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Lay \Lay\, v. i.
1. To produce and deposit eggs.
2. (Naut.) To take a position; to come or go as to lay
forward; to lay aloft.
3. To lay a wager; to bet.
{To lay about}, or {To lay about one}, to strike vigorously
in all directions. --J. H. Newman.
{To lay at}, to strike or strike at --Spenser.
{To lay for}, to prepare to capture or assault; to lay wait
for [Colloq.] --Bp Hall.
{To lay in for}, to make overtures for to engage or secure
the possession of [Obs.] ``I have laid in for these.''
--Dryden.
{To lay on}, to strike; to beat to attack. --Shak.
{To lay out}, to purpose; to plan as he lays out to make a
journey.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Lay \Lay\, n.
1. That which lies or is laid or is conceived of as having
been laid or placed in its position; a row; a stratum; a
layer; as a lay of stone or wood. --Addison.
A viol should have a lay of wire strings below.
--Bacon.
Note: The lay of a rope is right-handed or left-handed
according to the hemp or strands are laid up See
{Lay}, v. t., 16. The lay of land is its topographical
situation, esp. its slope and its surface features.
2. A wager. ``My fortunes against any lay worth naming.''
3.
a A job, price, or profit. [Prov. Eng.] --Wright.
b A share of the proceeds or profits of an enterprise;
as when a man ships for a whaling voyage, he agrees
for a certain lay. [U. S.]
4. (Textile Manuf.)
a A measure of yarn; a lea. See 1st {Lea}
a .
b The lathe of a loom. See {Lathe}, 3.
5. A plan a scheme. [Slang] --Dickens.
{Lay figure}.
a A jointed model of the human body that may be put in
any attitude; -- used for showing the disposition of
drapery, etc
b A mere puppet; one who serves the will of others
without independent volition.
{Lay race}, that part of a lay on which the shuttle travels
in weaving; -- called also {shuttle race}.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
3. The movable swing frame of a loom, carrying the reed for
separating the warp threads and beating up the weft; --
called also {lay} and {batten}.
{Blanchard lathe}, a lathe for turning irregular forms after
a given pattern, as lasts, gunstocks, and the like
{Drill lathe}, or {Speed lathe}, a small lathe which from
its high speed, is adapted for drilling; a hand lathe.
{Engine lathe}, a turning lathe in which the cutting tool has
an automatic feed; -- used chiefly for turning and boring
metals, cutting screws, etc
{Foot lathe}, a lathe which is driven by a treadle worked by
the foot.
{Geometric lathe}. See under {Geometric}
{Hand lathe}, a lathe operated by hand; a power turning lathe
without an automatic feed for the tool.
{Slide lathe}, an engine lathe.
{Throw lathe}, a small lathe worked by one hand, while the
cutting tool is held in the other
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Lie \Lie\, v. i. [imp. {Lay} (l[=a]); p. p. {Lain} (l[=a]n),
({Lien} (l[imac]"[e^]n), Obs.); p. pr & vb n. {Lying}.]
[OE. lien, liggen, AS licgan; akin to D. liggen, OHG. ligen,
licken, G. liegen, Icel. liggja Sw ligga, Dan. ligge, Goth.
ligan, Russ. lejate, L. lectus bed, Gr le`chos bed,
le`xasqai to lie. Cf {Lair}, {Law}, {Lay}, v. t., {Litter},
{Low}, adj.]
1. To rest extended on the ground, a bed, or any support; to
be or to put one's self in an horizontal position, or
nearly so to be prostate; to be stretched out -- often
with down when predicated of living creatures; as the
book lies on the table; the snow lies on the roof; he lies
in his coffin.
The watchful traveler . . . Lay down again and
closed his weary eyes. --Dryden.
2. To be situated; to occupy a certain place as Ireland
lies west of England; the meadows lie along the river; the
ship lay in port.
3. To abide; to remain for a longer or shorter time; to be in
a certain state or condition; as to lie waste; to lie
fallow; to lie open to lie hid; to lie grieving; to lie
under one's displeasure; to lie at the mercy of the waves;
the paper does not lie smooth on the wall.
4. To be or exist; to belong or pertain; to have an abiding
place to consist; -- with in
Envy lies between beings equal in nature, though
unequal in circumstances. --Collier.
He that thinks that diversion may not lie in hard
labor, forgets the early rising and hard riding of
huntsmen. --Locke.
5. To lodge; to sleep.
Whiles I was now trifling at home, I saw London, . .
. where I lay one night only. --Evelyn.
Mr Quinion lay at our house that night. --Dickens.
6. To be still or quiet, like one lying down to rest.
The wind is loud and will not lie. --Shak.
7. (Law) To be sustainable; to be capable of being
maintained. ``An appeal lies in this case.'' --Parsons.
Note: Through ignorance or carelessness speakers and writers
often confuse the forms of the two distinct verbs lay
and lie. Lay is a transitive verb and has for its
preterit laid; as he told me to lay it down and I
laid it down Lie is intransitive, and has for its
preterit lay; as he told me to lie down and I lay
down Some persons blunder by using laid for the
preterit of lie; as he told me to lie down and I laid
down So persons often say incorrectly, the ship laid
at anchor; they laid by during the storm; the book was
laying on the shelf, etc It is only necessary to
remember, in all such cases, that laid is the preterit
of lay, and not of lie.
{To lie along the shore} (Naut.), to coast, keeping land in
sight.
{To lie at the door of}, to be imputable to as the sin,
blame, etc., lies at your door.
{To lie at the heart}, to be an object of affection, desire,
or anxiety. --Sir W. Temple.
{To lie at the mercy of}, to be in the power of
{To lie by}.
a To remain with to be at hand; as he has the
manuscript lying by him
b To rest; to intermit labor; as we lay by during the
heat of the day
{To lie hard} or {heavy}, to press or weigh; to bear hard.
{To lie in}, to be in childbed; to bring forth young.
{To lie in one}, to be in the power of to belong to ``As
much as lieth in you live peaceably with all men.''
--Rom. xii. 18.
{To lie in the way}, to be an obstacle or impediment.
{To lie in wait}, to wait in concealment; to lie in ambush.
{To lie on} or {upon}.
a To depend on as his life lies on the result.
b To bear, rest, press, or weigh on
{To lie low}, to remain in concealment or inactive. [Slang]
{To lie on hand},
{To lie on one's hands}, to remain unsold or unused; as the
goods are still lying on his hands; they have too much
time lying on their hands.
{To lie on the head of}, to be imputed to
What he gets more of her than sharp words let it
lie on my head. --Shak.
{To lie over}.
a To remain unpaid after the time when payment is due,
as a note in bank.
b To be deferred to some future occasion, as a
resolution in a public deliberative body.
{To lie to} (Naut.), to stop or delay; especially, to head as
near the wind as possible as being the position of
greatest safety in a gale; -- said of a ship. Cf {To
bring to}, under {Bring}.
{To lie under}, to be subject to to suffer; to be oppressed
by
{To lie with}.
a To lodge or sleep with
b To have sexual intercourse with
c To belong to as it lies with you to make amends.
From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]:
lay
adj 1: concerning those not members of the clergy; "set his collar
in laic rather than clerical position"; "the lay
ministry"; "the choir sings both sacred and secular
music" [syn: {laic}, {secular}]
2: not of or from a profession; "a lay opinion as to the cause
of the disease"
n 1: a narrative song with a recurrent refrain [syn: {ballad}]
2: a narrative poem of popular origin [syn: {ballad}]
v 1: put into a certain place: "Put your things here"; "Set the
tray down"; "Set the dogs on the scent of the mising
children"; also with abstract objects and locations:
"Place emphasis on a certain point" [syn: {put}, {set},
{place}, {pose}, {position}]
2: put in a horizontal position; "lay the books on the table";
"lay the patient carefully onto the bed" [syn: {put down},
{repose}]
3: prepare or position for action or operation; "lay a fire";
"lay the foundation for a new health care plan"
4: lay eggs; of female animals; "This hen doesn't lay"
5: impose as a duty, burden, or punishment; "lay a
reponsibility on someone"
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