\Lay\, imp.
of {Lie}, to recline.

\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.

\Lay\, n.
The laity; the common people. [Obs.]
      The learned have no more privilege than the lay. --B.
                                               Jonson.

\Lay\, n.
A meadow. See {Lea}. [Obs.] --Dryden.

\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.

\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.

\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.
{To lay on}, to apply with force; to inflict; as, to lay on
   blows.
{To lay on load}, to lay on blows; to strike violently. [Obs.
   or Archaic]
{To lay one's self out}, to strive earnestly.
         No selfish man will be concerned to lay out himself
         for the good of his country.          --Smalridge.
{To lay one's self open to}, to expose one's self to, as to
   an accusation.
{To lay open}, to open; to uncover; to expose; to reveal.
{To lay over}, to spread over; to cover.
{To lay out}.
    (a) To expend. --Macaulay.
    (b) To display; to discover.
    (c) To plan in detail; to arrange; as, to lay out a
        garden.
    (d) To prepare for burial; as, to lay out a corpse.
    (e) To exert; as, to lay out all one's strength.
{To lay siege to}.
    (a) To besiege; to encompass with an army.
    (b) To beset pertinaciously.
{To lay the course} (Naut.), to sail toward the port intended
   without jibing.
{To lay the land} (Naut.), to cause it to disappear below the
   horizon, by sailing away from it.
{To lay to}
    (a) To charge upon; to impute.
    (b) To apply with vigor.
    (c) To attack or harass. [Obs.] --Knolles.
    (d) (Naut.) To check the motion of (a vessel) and cause
        it to be stationary.
{To lay to heart}, to feel deeply; to consider earnestly.
{To lay under}, to subject to; as, to lay under obligation or
   restraint.
{To lay unto}.
    (a) Same as {To lay to} (above).
    (b) To put before. --Hos. xi. 4.
{To lay up}.
    (a) To store; to reposit for future use.
    (b) To confine; to disable.
    (c) To dismantle, and retire from active service, as a
        ship.
{To lay wait for}, to lie in ambush for.
{To lay waste}, to destroy; to make desolate; as, to lay
   waste the land.
Syn: See {Put}, v. t., and the Note under 4th {Lie}.

\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.

\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}.