lay
Non-professional; not being a member of an organized institutionNon-professional; not being a member of an organized institution.
Recorded US: Dvortygirl, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Translations
7 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 2
By meaning 1
Meaning
4 senses(attributive)Non-professional; not being a member of an organized institution.
Laien-, laikal, Laien-
мирско́йmirskój, све́тскийsvétskij, непрофессиона́льныйneprofessionálʹnyj
непрофесі́йнийneprofesíjnyj, непрофесіона́льнийneprofesionálʹnyj
Not belonging to the clergy, but associated with them.
They seemed more lay than clerical.
a lay preacher; a lay brother
Not trumps.
a lay suit
(obsolete)Not educated or cultivated; ignorant.
- characteristic of those who are not members of the clergy
- not of or from a profession
Origin
Inherited from Middle English lay, from Old French lai, from Latin lāicus, from Ancient GrInherited from Middle English lay, from Old French lai, from Latin lāicus, from Ancient Greek λαϊκός (laïkós). Doublet of laic.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
more lay, most laySynonyms
3 synonymsAntonyms
2 antonymsWord family
18 related wordsLessons for this word
2 lessons- A2Comparatives — Because it has a comparative form
- A2Superlatives — Because it has a superlative form
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.