lay1 /lā/ transitive verb (layˈing; laid)- To cause to lie
- To place or set down
- To beat down
- To spread on a surface
- To spread or set something on
- To cover
- To apply
- To cause to subside
- To exorcize
- To deposit
- To set on the table
- To make (a bet), wager
- To put forward
- To cause to be
- To set
- To produce and deposit
- To station
- To locate
- To put in (a particular) position
- To waylay
- To impose
- To attribute or impute
- To set material in position for making
- To form (a rope, etc) by setting in position and twisting
- To design or plan
- To layer (horticulture)
- To cause (a hedge) to grow more thickly by cutting some of the growth halfway through and pressing it diagonally towards the ground
- To have sexual intercourse with (slang)
- To put below the horizon by sailing away
- To give birth to a child (obsolete)
- To beset (Shakespeare)
intransitive verb- To produce eggs
- To wager or bet
- To deal blows
- To lie (archaic, nautical and non-standard)
noun- A situation, a place for lying
- An oyster-bed
- A way of lying
- A disposition, arrangement or plan
- A layer
- A mode of twisting
- Laying activity
- An act of sexual intercourse (slang)
- A partner, usu female, in sexual intercourse (slang)
- A bet (Shakespeare)
- A share of profit, esp in whaling
- A field or method of operation, esp in thieving (slang)
ORIGIN: OE lecgan to lay, causative of licgan to lie; cf ON leggja, Ger legen layer /lāˈər or lār/ noun - A course, bed or stratum
- Someone who or something which lays, eg a hen, a bricklayer, etc
- A distinctively coloured space between contour lines on a map
- A shoot bent down to earth in order to take root
transitive verb and intransitive verb To propagate by layers transitive verb- To put in layers
- To cut (hair) in layers
intransitive verb To be laid flat, lodge layˈered adjective In or with layers layˈering noun layˈing noun - The first coat of plaster
- The act or time of laying eggs
- The eggs laid
layˈabout noun A lazy, idle person, a loafer layˈaway noun - Goods on which a deposit has been paid, kept for a customer until payment is completed
- This system of purchasing goods
layˈback noun In rock climbing, a method of climbing a sharp-edged crack in a horizontal position (also intransitive verb) layˈ-by noun (pl layˈ-bys) - A widened area of a roadway to allow vehicles to draw up out of the stream of traffic
- (also layˈ-bye) a deposit against future purchase (S Afr)
- (also layˈ-bye) a system of reserving the right to purchase goods by making a deposit (S Afr)
layˈ-down noun - In card games, esp bridge, a hand which cannot fail to take the number of tricks required to win, and which therefore is sometimes exposed to view without any play taking place
- The contract made by the holder of such a hand
layer cake noun A cake built up in layers layˈ-off noun - A temporary suspension of work introduced by an employer as an economic measure
- The act of laying off or period of time during which someone lays off or is laid off
layˈout noun - Something which is laid out
- A display
- An outfit
- The disposition, arrangement, plan, esp of buildings or ground
- The general appearance of a printed page, also called format
- A set, unit or organization
layˈover noun (chiefly N American) A break in a journey layˈshaft noun An auxiliary geared shaft in a machine, esp the secondary shaft in a car's gearbox layˈstall noun (obsolete) A place for depositing dung, rubbish, etc layˈ-up noun - The time or condition of being laid up
- (in basketball) a shot taken from near the basket, esp one-handed and bouncing off the backboard
- (in golf) a shot deliberately played short of a hazard or green
lay aboard To run alongside, esp in order to board lay about one To deal blows vigorously or on all sides lay a course (nautical) To succeed in sailing to the place required without tacking lay aside or lay away - To discard
- To put on one side for future use (see also layaway above)
lay at To try to strike lay away - To lay eggs in out-of-the-way places (Scot, etc)
- To purchase goods by layaway (qv above)
lay bare To show clearly, disclose lay before To submit (eg plans) to lay by - To keep for future use
- To dismiss
- To put off
lay by the heels see under heel1 lay down - To give up
- To deposit, as a pledge
- To apply (eg embroidery; archaic)
- To formulate
- To assert (a law or rule)
- To store
- To plant
- To record
- To lay on (printing)
lay hands on see under hand lay heads together (archaic) To confer together lay hold of or on To seize lay in To get in a supply of lay into To beat thoroughly lay it on - To charge exorbitantly
- To do anything, eg to exaggerate or flatter, excessively
lay off - To mark off
- To dismiss temporarily from employment as an economic measure
- To cease (informal)
- To doff (archaic)
- To harangue volubly
- To hedge (gambling)
- To pass (the ball) to a teammate who is in a better position (football)
lay of the land (chiefly N American) same as lie of the land (see under lie2) lay on - To install a supply of
- To provide
- To deal blows with vigour
- To arrange made-up pages in the correct order on the imposing surface (also lay down; printing)
lay oneself open to To make oneself vulnerable to, or exposed to (criticism, etc) lay oneself out to (archaic) To make it one's professed object or practice, take great pains, to lay on hands see under hand lay on load (Spenser) To belabour lay on the table see under table lay open - To make bare, to show or expose
- To cut open
lay out - To display
- To spend (money)
- To plan
- To arrange according to a plan
- To prepare for burial
- To knock unconscious
- To take measures, seek
lay siege to - To besiege
- To importune
lay the table To put dishes, etc on the table in preparation for a meal lay to - To apply with vigour
- To bring a ship to rest
lay to heart see under heart lay under To subject to lay up - To store up, preserve
- (usu in passive) to confine to bed or one's room
- To put in dock for cleaning, repairs, etc or because no longer wanted for or fit for service
- To play a lay-up shot
lay upon To wager upon lay wait To lie in wait, or in ambush lay waste To devastate on a lay On shares instead of wages wait1 /wāt/ intransitive verb- To be or remain in expectation or readiness (with for)
- To be or remain in a place in readiness (also wait about or around)
- To delay action
- To be delayed
- To remain temporarily undealt with
- To be in attendance, or in readiness to carry out orders
- To bring food to the table and clear away used dishes
- To keep watch, be on guard (Spenser waite; obsolete)
- To be on the watch for someone, lie in ambush (obsolete)
transitive verb- To postpone (eg a meal) for some purpose (informal)
- To watch, watch for, or lie in ambush for (obsolete)
- To be or remain in expectation of, await (obsolete)
- To attend on, attend or escort (obsolete)
noun- The act or a period of waiting or of expecting
- A delay
- Ambush (as in lie in wait)
- The period of attendance of a lord- or lady-in-waiting
- (in pl) musicians employed by a town to play on ceremonial occasions (historical)
- (in pl) people who welcome in Christmas by playing or singing out of doors at night
- A member of a Christmas band or town band of waits
- A watchman, sentinel or spy (obsolete)
ORIGIN: ONFr waitier (OFr guaitier, Fr guetter) to watch, attend; of Gmc origin; cf OHGer wahta (Ger Wacht) a watchman; cognate with OE wacan to watch waitˈer noun - Someone who waits
- A man whose job is to wait, esp at table in a hotel or restaurant, etc
- An attending servant (obsolete)
- A salver or tray
- A dumb waiter
- Formerly, a uniformed attendant at the London Stock Exchange
- A watchman (obsolete)
- A customs officer (obsolete)
waitˈerage noun (rare) Service waitˈerhood noun (rare) Or waitˈering the occupation of a waiter waitˈing noun - The act or process of remaining in expectation, delaying, etc
- Attendance, service, eg in a restaurant
adjective Relating to, or suitable for waiting waitˈingly adverb (rare) waitˈress noun A woman whose job is to wait at tables in a hotel or restaurant, etc waitˈress intransitive verb To work as a waitress waitˈressing noun The occupation of a waitress waitˈ-a-bit noun (also often adjective) A name given to various plants, esp S African (Afrikaans wag-'n-bietjie /vuhhˈə(n)-bē-kē/), with thorns that catch the clothing of passers-by waitˈ-a-while noun - A wait-a-bit
- An Australian wattle growing in dense thickets
waiting list or wait list noun A list of people waiting, eg candidates awaiting a vacancy, etc waitˈing-maid or waitˈing-woman noun (archaic) A female attendant waiting room noun A room for the use of people waiting waitˈing-vassal noun (obsolete) An attendant wait list see waiting list above. waitˈ-list transitive verb To add the name of (a person) to a waiting list, esp for a seat on an aircraft wait-on see wait on below. waitˈperson noun (US) A waiter or waitress wait state noun (computing) The period of time that a microprocessor must wait while fetching data from a slower memory lay wait (archaic) To lie in wait lie in wait To be in hiding ready to attack or surprise (lit and figurative) lords in waiting Certain officers in the Lord Chamberlain's department of the royal household minority waiter (Sheridan) Meaning uncertain (perh a waiter, or a tidewaiter, out of employment) play a waiting game To avoid action as far as possible in the hope of having an opportunity later to use one's energies with maximum effect wait attendance (Shakespeare) To remain in attendance wait for it! (informal) An expression injected into a narrative to prepare listeners for something impressive wait off (racing) To allow oneself to be temporarily outdistanced by other competitors, reserving one's energies for the final stretch wait on - To wait for (informal)
- To continue to wait (Scot)
- To be patient or wait (Aust and NZ)
- See wait upon below
- (of a hawk) to circle or hover in the air above the falconer's head (falconry; waitˈ-on noun)
wait table To wait at table during a meal wait up - To stay out of bed waiting (with for)
- To slow down or wait (US)
wait upon or on - To call on, visit formally
- To accompany
- To attend and serve
- To be connected with or follow as a consequence
- To carry out the duties of (an office) (Bible)
- To gaze at, keep under observation (obsolete)
you wait! (informal) An expression of warning |