lay
verb
[ leɪ ]
• put (something) down gently or carefully.
• "she laid the baby in his cot"
Similar:
put,
place,
set,
put down,
set down,
deposit,
rest,
situate,
sit,
settle,
stow,
balance,
station,
drop,
leave,
let fall,
throw down,
fling down,
deploy,
locate,
position,
plant,
stick,
dump,
bung,
park,
plonk,
pop,
shove,
Opposite:
pick up,
• put down and set in position for use.
• "it is advisable to have your carpet laid by a professional"
• used with an abstract noun so that the phrase formed has the same meaning as the verb related to the noun used, e.g. ‘lay the blame on’ means ‘to blame’.
• "she laid great stress on little courtesies"
Similar:
assign,
attribute,
ascribe,
allocate,
allot,
impute,
attach,
impose,
fix,
hold someone responsible,
hold someone accountable,
hold someone answerable,
condemn,
find guilty of,
pin the blame on,
• (of a female bird, insect, reptile, or amphibian) produce (an egg) from inside the body.
• "flamingos lay only one egg"
• have sex with.
• follow (a specified course).
• "I'm going to lay a course for Ibiza harbour"
• trim (a hedge) back, cutting the branches half through, bending them down, and interweaving them.
• "most hedges are no longer laid"
lay
noun
• the general appearance of an area of land.
• "the lay of the surrounding countryside"
• an act or instance of having sex.
• the laying of eggs or the period during which they are laid.
• "the onset of lay may be marked by a dropping of the duck's abdomen"
Origin:
Old English lecgan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch leggen and German legen, also to lie1.
lay
adjective
• not ordained into or belonging to the clergy.
• "a lay preacher"
Opposite:
ordained,
• not having professional qualifications or expert knowledge, especially in law or medicine.
• "a lay member of the Health Authority"
Origin:
Middle English: from Old French lai, via late Latin from Greek laïkos, from laos ‘people’. Compare with laic.
lay
noun
• a short lyric or narrative poem meant to be sung.
• "a minstrel recited a series of lays"
Origin:
Middle English: from Old French lai, corresponding to Provençal lais, of unknown origin.
lay
verb
• past of lie1.
lie
verb
• (of a person or animal) be in or assume a horizontal or resting position on a supporting surface.
• "the body lay face downwards on the grass"
Similar:
recline,
lie down,
lie back,
be recumbent,
be prostrate,
be supine,
be prone,
be stretched out,
stretch oneself out,
lean back,
sprawl,
rest,
repose,
relax,
lounge,
loll,
bask,
• be, remain, or be kept in a specified state.
• "the abbey lies in ruins today"
• (of a place) be situated in a specified position or direction.
• "Kexby lies about five miles due east of York"
Similar:
be situated,
be located,
be placed,
be positioned,
be found,
be sited,
be established,
be,
• (of an action, charge, or claim) be admissible or sustainable.
• "an action for restitution would lie for money paid in breach of the law"
Origin:
Old English licgan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch liggen and German liegen, from an Indo-European root shared by Greek lektron, lekhos and Latin lectus ‘bed’.
in lay
• (of a hen) laying eggs regularly.
