Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Lay"

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) 1.7 (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 or abstract location; "Put your
things here"; "Set the tray down"; "Set the dogs on the
scent of the missing children"; "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
responsibility on someone"


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