Lay

Lay - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

LAY, pret. of lie. The estate lay in the county of Hartford.

When Ahab heard these words, he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his head, and fasted and lay in sackcloth.

1 Ki 21.

LAY, v.t. pret. and pp. laid. [L. loco, whence locus, Eng. ley or lea. The primary sense is to send or throw; hence this word is the L. lego, legare, differently applied; Gr. to lie down.]

1. Literally, to throw down; hence, to put or place; applied to things broad or long, and in this respect differing from set. We lay a book on the table, when we place it on its side, but we set it on the end. We lay the foundation of a house, but we set a building on its foundation.

He laid his robe from him. Jonah 3.

Soft on the flowery herb I found me laid.

A stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den.

Dan 6.

2. To beat down; to prostrate. Violent winds with rain lay corn and grass.

3. To settle; to fix and keep from rising. A shower lays the dust.

4. To place in order; to dispose with regularity in building; as, to lay bricks or stones in constructing walls.

5. To spread on a surface; as, to lay plaster or paint.

6. To spread or set; as, to lay snares.

7. To calm; to appease; to still; to allay.

After a tempest, when the winds are laid.

8. To quiet; to still; to restrain from walking; as, to lay the devil.

9. To spread and set in order; to prepare; as, to lay a table for dinner.

10. To place in the earth for growth.

The chief time of laying gilliflowers, is in July.

11. To place at hazard; to wage; to stake; as, to lay a crown or an eagle; to lay a wager.

12. To bring forth; to exclude; as, to lay eggs.

13. To add; to join.

Woe to them that join house to house, that lay field to field. Isa 5.

14. To put; to apply.

She layeth her hand to the spindle. Prov 31.

15. To asses; to charge; to impose; as, to lay a tax on land; to lay a duty on salt.

16. To charge; to impute; as, to lay blame on one; to lay want of prudence to one's charge.

17. To impose, as evil, burden, or punishment.

The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isa 53.

18. To enjoin as a duty; as, to lay commands on one.

19. To exhibit; to present or offer; as, to lay an indictment in a particular county.

20. To prostrate; to slay.

The leaders first he laid along.

21. To depress and lose sight of, by sailing or departing from; as, to lay the land; a seaman's phrase.

22. To station; to set; as, to lay an ambush.

23. To contrive; to scheme; to plan.

To lay a cable, to twist or unite the strands.

To lay apart, to put away; to reject.

Lay apart all filthiness. James 1.

1. To lay aside, to put off or away; not to retain.

Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that doth so easily beset us. Heb 41.

2. To discontinue; as, to lay aside the use of any thing.

To lay away, to reposit in store; to put aside for preservation.

To lay before, to exhibit; to show; to present to view. The papers are laid before Congress.

1. To lay by, to reserve for future use.

Let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him. 1 Cor 16.

2. To put away; to dismiss.

Let brave spirits not be laid by, as persons unnecessary for the time.

3. To put off.

And she arose and went away, and laid by her veil. Gen 38.

1. To lay down, to deposit, as a pledge, equivalent or satisfaction; to resign.

I lay down my life for the sheep. John 10.

2. To give up; to resign; to quit or relinquish; as, to lay down an office or commission.

3. To quit; to surrender the use of; as, to lay down one's arms.

4. To offer or advance; as, to lay down a proposition or principle.

To lay one's self down, to commit to repose.

I will both lay me down in peace and sleep - Psa 4.

To lay hold of, to seize; to catch. To lay hold on, is used in a like sense.

To lay in, to store; to treasure; to provide previously.

To lay on, to apply with force; to inflict; as, to lay on blows.

To lay open, to open; to make bare; to uncover; also, to show; to expose; to reveal; as, to lay open the designs of an enemy.

To lay over, to spread over; to incrust; to cover the surface; as, to lay over with gold or silver.

1. To lay out, to expend; as, to lay out money, or sums of money.

2. To display; to discover.

He takes occasion to lay out bigotry and false confidence in all its colors. Obs.

3. To plan; to dispose in order the several parts; as, to lay out a garden.

4. To dress in grave clothes and place in a decent posture; as, to lay out a corpse. Shakespeare uses to lay, forth.

5. To exert; as, to lay out all one's strength. So with the reciprocal pronoun, to lay one's self out, is to exert strength.

1. To lay to, to charge upon; to impute.

2. To apply with vigor.

3. To attack or harass. Obs.

4. To check the motion of a ship, and cause her to be stationary.

To lay together, to collect; to bring to one place; also, to bring into one view.

To lay to heart, to permit to affect greatly.

To lay under, to subject to; as, to lay one under restraint or obligation.

1. To lay up, to store; to treasure; to reposit for future use.

Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. Mat 6.

2. To confine to the bed or chamber. He is laid up with the gout.

To lay siege, to besiege; to encompass with an army.

To lay wait, to station for private attack; to lay in ambush for.

To lay the course, in sailing, is to sail towards the port intended, without gibing.

To lay waste, to destroy; to desolate; to deprive of inhabitants, improvements and productions.

To lay the land, in seamen's language, is to cause the land apparently to sink or appear lower, by sailing from it; the distance diminishing the elevation.

LAY, v.i.

1. To bring or produce eggs.

Hens will greedily eat the herb that will make them lay the better.

2. To contrive; to form a scheme. [Unusual.]

To lay about, to strike or throw the arms on all sides; to act with vigor.

To lay at, to strike or to endeavor to strike.

The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold. Job 41.

1. To lay out, to purpose; to intend. he lays out to make a journey.

2. To take measures.

I made strict inquiry wherever I came, and laid out for intelligence of all places.

To lay upon, to importune. Obs.

LAY, n.

1. That which lies or is laid; a row; a stratum; a layer; one rank in a series reckoned upward; as a lay of wood.

A viol should have a lay of wire-strings below.

2. A bet; a wager. [Little used.]

3. Station; rank. [Not used.]

LAY, n. [L. locus. See Lay, the verb. The words which signify place, are from verbs which express setting or laying. It is written also ley, and lea, but less properly.]

A meadow; a plain or plat of grass land.

A tuft of daisies on a flowery lay.

The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea.

LAY, n. [Gr. to sound. L. laudo, plaudo.]

A song; as a loud or soft lay; immortal lays.

[It is used chiefly in poetry.]

LAY, a. [L. laicus, Gr. from people.]

Pertaining to the laity or people, as distinct from the clergy; not clerical; as a lay person; a lay preacher; a lay brother.

Laying - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

LA'YING, ppr. Putting; placing; applying; imputing; wagering.

la, la'-ing:

(1) sim, "to put," and the Greek equivalent, tithemi, are very frequently translated by "to lay." the Revised Version (British and American) very often changes the King James Version rendering of sim, but never that of tithemi: 1Sa 15:2, "how he set himself against him in the way" (the King James Version "he laid wait for him"); 2Ki 11:16, "So they made way for her" (the King James Version "And they laid hands on her"); compare 2Ch 23:15; Job 24:12, "God regardeth not the folly" (the King James Version "God layeth not folly"); Job 34:23, "For he needeth not further to consider a man" (the King James Version "For he will not lay upon man more"); Isa 28:17, "And I will make justice the line" (the King James Version "Judgment also will I lay to the line"); Job 17:3, "Give now a pledge" (the King James Version "Lay down now").

(2) nathan, literally, "to give," is very commonly translated by "to lay." the Revised Version (British and American) changes the translation of the King James Version in Eze 4:5, "I have appointed"; Eze 33:28 f, "I will make the land a desolation" (the King James Version "I will lay the land most desolate").

(3) "To lay" of the King James Version is frequently rendered differently in the Revised Version (British and American); Isa 54:11, "I will set thy stones" (the King James Version "lay thy stones"); De 29:22, "the sicknesses wherewith Yahweh hath made it sick" (the King James Version "sicknesses which the Lord hath laid upon"). For other differences of the Revised Version (British and American) and the King James Version compare De 21:8; 2Ki 9:25 m; 2Ki 12:11; Ezr 8:31; Ps 104:5 m; Isa 53:6; Jer 5:26; Mr 7:8; Lu 19:44; Jas 1:21; 1Pe 2:1. In most of these passages the change of the Revised Version (British and American) is due to the peculiar use of the word "to lay" in the King James Version. The following expressions are found very frequently: "to lay hands on," "to lay wait," "to lay up," "to lay aside," "to lay upon," "to lay down," etc.

"Laying of wait," the King James Version, is rendered "lying in wait" in Nu 35:20 ff; Ac 9:24 reads: "But their plot became known" (the King James Version "But their laying await was known"). The "laying on of hands" is a very general expression.

See HANDS, IMPOSITION, LAYING ON OF.

A. L. Breslich