from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Lay \Lay\ (l[=a]), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Laid} (l[=a]d); 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.
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A stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the
den. --Dan. vi. 17.
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Soft on the flowery herb I found me laid. --Milton.
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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.
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3. To prepare; to make ready; to contrive; to provide; as, to
lay a snare, an ambush, or a plan.
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4. To spread on a surface; as, to lay plaster or paint.
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5. To cause to be still; to calm; to allay; to suppress; to
exorcise, as an evil spirit.
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After a tempest when the winds are laid. --Waller.
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6. To cause to lie dead or dying.
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Brave C[ae]neus laid Ortygius on the plain,
The victor C[ae]neus was by Turnus slain. --Dryden.
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7. To deposit, as a wager; to stake; to risk.
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I dare lay mine honor
He will remain so. --Shak.
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8. To bring forth and deposit; as, to lay eggs.
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9. To apply; to put.
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She layeth her hands to the spindle. --Prov. xxxi.
19.
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10. To impose, as a burden, suffering, or punishment; to
assess, as a tax; as, to lay a tax on land.
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The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
--Is. liii. 6.
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11. To impute; to charge; to allege.
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God layeth not folly to them. --Job xxiv.
12.
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Lay the fault on us. --Shak.
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12. To impose, as a command or a duty; as, to lay commands on
one.
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13. To present or offer; as, to lay an indictment in a
particular county; to lay a scheme before one.
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14. (Law) To state; to allege; as, to lay the venue.
--Bouvier.
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15. (Mil.) To point; to aim; as, to lay a gun.
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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.
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17. (Print.)
(a) To place and arrange (pages) for a form upon the
imposing stone.
(b) To place (new type) properly in the cases.
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{To lay asleep}, to put sleep; to make unobservant or
careless. --Bacon.
{To lay bare}, to make bare; to strip.
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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.
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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 it on thick}, to flatter excessively.
{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.
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No selfish man will be concerned to lay out himself
for the good of his country. --Smalridge.
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{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.
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Syn: See {Put}, v. t., and the Note under 4th {Lie}.
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