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. [ 1913 Webster ]

A viol should have a lay of wire strings below. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A wager. “My fortunes against any lay worth naming.” [ 1913 Webster ]

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. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Textile Manuf.) (a) A measure of yarn; a lea. See 1st Lea (a). (b) The lathe of a loom. See Lathe, 3. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. A plan; a scheme. [ Slang ] Dickens. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. --
the lay of the land, the general situation or state of affairs. --
to get the lay of the land, to learn the general situation or state of affairs, especially in preparation for action. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

A stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den. Dan. vi. 17. [ 1913 Webster ]

Soft on the flowery herb I found me laid. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To prepare; to make ready; to contrive; to provide; as, to lay a snare, an ambush, or a plan. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To spread on a surface; as, to lay plaster or paint. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To cause to be still; to calm; to allay; to suppress; to exorcise, as an evil spirit. [ 1913 Webster ]

After a tempest when the winds are laid. Waller. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. To cause to lie dead or dying. [ 1913 Webster ]

Brave Cæneus laid Ortygius on the plain,
The victor Cæneus was by Turnus slain. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. To deposit, as a wager; to stake; to risk. [ 1913 Webster ]

I dare lay mine honor
He will remain so. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. To bring forth and deposit; as, to lay eggs. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. To apply; to put. [ 1913 Webster ]

She layeth her hands to the spindle. Prov. xxxi. 19. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. To impose, as a burden, suffering, or punishment; to assess, as a tax; as, to lay a tax on land. [ 1913 Webster ]

The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Is. liii. 6. [ 1913 Webster ]

11. To impute; to charge; to allege. [ 1913 Webster ]

God layeth not folly to them. Job xxiv. 12. [ 1913 Webster ]

Lay the fault on us. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

12. To impose, as a command or a duty; as, to lay commands on one. [ 1913 Webster ]

13. To present or offer; as, to lay an indictment in a particular county; to lay a scheme before one. [ 1913 Webster ]

14. (Law) To state; to allege; as, to lay the venue. Bouvier. [ 1913 Webster ]

15. (Mil.) To point; to aim; as, to lay a gun. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

17. (Print.) (a) To place and arrange (pages) for a form upon the imposing stone. (b) To place (new type) properly in the cases. [ 1913 Webster ]

To lay asleep, to put sleep; to make unobservant or careless. Bacon. --
To lay bare, to make bare; to strip. [ 1913 Webster ] 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. [ 1913 Webster ] 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. [ 1913 Webster ] No selfish man will be concerned to lay out himself for the good of his country. Smalridge. [ 1913 Webster ] --
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. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- See Put, v. t., and the Note under 4th Lie. [ 1913 Webster ]

imp. of Lie, to recline. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To produce and deposit eggs. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Naut.) To take a position; to come or go; as, to lay forward; to lay aloft. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To lay a wager; to bet. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. lei faith, law, F. loi law. See Legal. ] 1. Faith; creed; religious profession. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Of the sect to which that he was born
He kept his lay, to which that he was sworn. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A law. [ Obs. ] “Many goodly lays.” Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. An obligation; a vow. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

They bound themselves by a sacred lay and oath. Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ OF. lai, lais, prob. of Celtic origin; cf. Ir. laoi, laoidh, song, poem, OIr. laoidh poem, verse; but cf. also AS. lāc play, sport, G. leich a sort of poem (cf. Lake to sport). &unr_;. ] 1. A song; a simple lyrical poem; a ballad. Spenser. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A melody; any musical utterance. [ 1913 Webster ]

The throstle cock made eke his lay. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A meadow. See Lea. [ Obs. ] Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ F. lai, L. laicus, Gr. &unr_; of or from the people, lay, from &unr_;, &unr_;, 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Not educated or cultivated; ignorant. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Not belonging to, or emanating from, a particular profession; unprofessional; as, a lay opinion regarding the nature of a disease. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The laity; the common people. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The learned have no more privilege than the lay. B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A person who does no work.
Syn. -- idler, loafer, do-nothing, bum. [ WordNet 1.5 ]