Definition of laity
1 : the people of a religious faith as distinguished from its clergy The laity has played an important role in the history of the church.
2 : the mass of the people as distinguished from those of a particular profession or those specially skilled writers who can interpret this wholeness both to their colleagues and the laity — P. B. Sears
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Examples of laity in a Sentence
a member of the laity
The laity has played an important role in the history of the church.
Recent Examples of laity from the Web
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Laity would play a key role in that effort as top overseer of energy and environmental rules.
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Both Cardinal Tobin and Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the prefect of the Vatican’s dicastery for laity, family and life, who was appointed by Pope Francis, wrote positive blurbs for Father Martin’s book.
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YESTERDAY’S WORD — JAUNTILY jail jaunt jaunty jilt junta alit anil anti aunt ulna unit unity unlay unlit until nail tail tiny tuna inlay inly lain laity lint linty liny litany To purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'laity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of laity
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Other Christian Religious Terms
LAITY Defined for English Language Learners
laity
playDefinition of laity for English Language Learners
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: the people of a religion who are not priests, ministers, etc.
Learn More about laity
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See words that rhyme with laity Spanish Central: Translation of laity Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about laity
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