Main Entry: ¹lay

Pronunciation: \ˈlā\

Function: verb

Inflected Form(s): laid \ˈlād\; lay·ing

Etymology: Middle English leyen, from Old English lecgan; akin to Old English licgan to lie — more at lie

Date: before 12th century

transitive verb 1 : to beat or strike down with force
2 a : to put or set down <lay your books on the table> b : to place for rest or sleep; especially : bury
3 : to bring forth and deposit (an egg)
4 : calm, allay <lay the dust>
5 : bet, wager
6 : to press down giving a smooth and even surface
7 a : to dispose or spread over or on a surface <lay track> <lay plaster> b : to set in order or position <lay a table for dinner> <lay brick> c : to put (strands) in place and twist to form a rope, hawser, or cable; also : to make by so doing <lay up rope>
8 a : to impose as a duty, burden, or punishment <lay a tax> b : to put as a burden of reproach <laid the blame on her> c : to advance as an accusation : impute <the disaster was laid to faulty inspection>
9 : to place (something immaterial) on something <lay stress on grammar>
10 : prepare, contrive <a well-laid plan>
11 a : to bring against or into contact with something : apply <laid the watch to his ear> b : to prepare or position for action or operation <lay a fire in the fireplace>; also : to adjust (a gun) to the proper direction and elevation
12 : to bring to a specified condition <lay waste the land>
13 a : assert, allege <lay claim to an estate> b : to submit for examination and judgment <laid her case before the commission>
14 often vulgar : to copulate withintransitive verb 1 : to produce and deposit eggs
2 nonstandard : ¹lie
3 : wager, bet
4 dialect : plan, prepare
5 a : to apply oneself vigorously <laid to his oars> b : to proceed to a specified place or position on a ship <lay aloft>

— lay an egg : to fail or blunder especially embarrassingly

— lay eyes on : see, behold

— lay into : to attack especially verbally <laid into the referee>

— lay on the table 1 : to remove (a parliamentary motion) from consideration indefinitely
2 British : to put (as legislation) on the agenda

usage lay has been used intransitively in the sense of “lie” since the 14th century. The practice was unremarked until around 1770; attempts to correct it have been a fixture of schoolbooks ever since. Generations of teachers and critics have succeeded in taming most literary and learned writing, but intransitive lay persists in familiar speech and is a bit more common in general prose than one might suspect. Much of the problem lies in the confusing similarity of the principal parts of the two words. Another influence may be a folk belief that lie is for people and lay is for things. Some commentators are ready to abandon the distinction, suggesting that lay is on the rise socially. But if it does rise to respectability, it is sure to do so slowly: many people have invested effort in learning to keep lie and lay distinct. Remember that even though many people do use lay for lie, others will judge you unfavorably if you do.