from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
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.
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The watchful traveler . . .
Lay down again, and closed his weary eyes. --Dryden.
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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.
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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.
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4. To be or exist; to belong or pertain; to have an abiding
place; to consist; -- with in.
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Envy lies between beings equal in nature, though
unequal in circumstances. --Collier.
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He that thinks that diversion may not lie in hard
labor, forgets the early rising and hard riding of
huntsmen. --Locke.
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5. To lodge; to sleep.
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Whiles I was now trifling at home, I saw London, . .
. where I lay one night only. --Evelyn.
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Mr. Quinion lay at our house that night. --Dickens.
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6. To be still or quiet, like one lying down to rest.
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The wind is loud and will not lie. --Shak.
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7. (Law) To be sustainable; to be capable of being
maintained. "An appeal lies in this case." --Parsons.
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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.
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{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 {To lie 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 {To lie 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.
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What he gets more of her than sharp words, let it
lie on my head. --Shak.
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{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.
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