B1noun · countable / uncountable · common

lay

lay · lays

балада

короткая песенка, короткая баллада, скрутка, лэ

Ballade

Arrangement or relationshipArrangement or relationship; layout.

ⓘ

/leɪ/

» She laid herself on the grass.

Sie legte sich auf das Gras. — Pfirsichbaeumchen

Она легла на траву. — Balamax

Она улеглась на траву. — Balamax

Вона лягла на траву. — iskra

CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR

Meaning

16 senses

(countable, uncountable)Arrangement or relationship; layout.
the lay of the land
(countable, uncountable)A share of the profits in a business.
While the Pequod lay at Nantucket, Peleg put Ishmael down for the three hundredth lay.
(countable, uncountable)The direction a rope is twisted.
Worm and parcel with the lay; turn and serve the other way.
скру́ткаskrútka, сви́вкаsvívka
(colloquial, countable, uncountable)A casual sexual partner.
What was I, just another lay you can toss aside as you go on to your next conquest?
полово́й партнёрpolovój partnjór
(colloquial, countable, uncountable)An act of sexual intercourse.
(countable, uncountable)The laying of eggs.
The hens are off the lay at present.
A lake.
A ballad or sung poem; a short poem or narrative, usually intended to be sung.
1925 The Lay of Leithien, poem by J.R.R. Tolkien, Anglo-Saxon Professor.
лэlɛ, короткая песенкаkorotkaja pesenka, короткая балла́даkorotkaja balláda
a narrative poem of popular origin
A lyrical, narrative poem written in octosyllabic couplets that often deals with tales of adventure and romance.
1945: "The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun" by JRR Tolkien Sad is the note and sad the lay, but mirth we meet not every day.
(archaic, countable, slang, uncountable)A place or activity where someone spends a significant portion of their time.
(countable, obsolete, uncountable)A layer.
(countable, obsolete, uncountable)A basis or ground.

Examples

605 sentences

She laid herself on the grass.
Вона лягла на траву. — iskra
ruОна легла на траву. — Balamax
deSie legte sich auf das Gras. — Pfirsichbaeumchen
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · B1Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
The chicken laid an egg this morning.
Курка сьогодні вранці знесла яйце. — deniko
ruСегодня утром курица снесла яйцо. — odexed
deDas Huhn hat heute Morgen ein Ei gelegt. — Manfredo
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · B1Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
He laid himself flat on the floor.
Він розтягнувся на підлозі. — aandrusiak
deEr legte sich auf den Fußboden. — Pfirsichbaeumchen
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · B1Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
She laid her baby on the bed.
Вона поклала дитину на ліжко. — aandrusiak
ruОна положила своего ребёнка на кровать. — Balamax
deSie legte ihr Baby aufs Bett. — raggione
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · B1Open on Tatoeba Report a problem
Tom laid the book on the desk.
Том поклав книжку на письмовий стіл. — deniko
ruТом положил книгу на письменный стол. — odexed
deTom legte das Buch auf den Schreibtisch. — dinkel_girl
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · B1Open on Tatoeba Report a problem

Translations

3 languages

Русский

By meaning 3

direction a rope is twisted:

casual sexual partner:

sung poem:

Origin

Inherited from Middle English leyen, leggen, from Old English leċġan (“to lay”), from Prot

Inherited from Middle English leyen, leggen, from Old English leċġan (“to lay”), from Proto-West Germanic *laggjan, from Proto-Germanic *lagjaną (“to lay”), causative form of Proto-Germanic *ligjaną (“to lie, recline”), from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie, recline”).

Inherited from Middle English lay, laye, laie, ley, leye, which may have multiple origins:

Inherited from Middle English lay, from Old French lai (“song, lyric, poem”), from Frankish *laih (“play, melody, song”), from Proto-Germanic *laikaz, *laikiz (“jump, play, dance, hymn”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyg- (“to jump, spring, play”). Akin to Old High German leih (“a play, skit, melody, song”), Middle High German leich (“piece of music, epic song played on a harp”), Old English lācan (“to move quickly, fence, sing”). See lake (“to play”). Contrast German Lied and Lied.

From Middle English lay, laye, laiȝe, leyȝe, from Old English lǣh, lēh, northern (Anglian) variants of Old English lēah (“lea”). More at lea.

Inherited from Middle English lay, lai, laye, ley, lei, borrowed from Old French lei (“law”). Possibly also from or influenced by the etymologically unrelated Middle English lawe (“law”) (with variants including laige, laiȝh, læȝe), from Old English lagu (“law”). More at law.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source