different between lay vs state
lay
English
Pronunciation
- enPR: l?, IPA(key): /le?/
- Rhymes: -e?
- Homophones: lei, ley, le
Etymology 1
From Middle English leyen, leggen, from Old English le??an (“to lay”), from Proto-West Germanic *laggjan, from Proto-Germanic *lagjan? (“to lay”), causative form of Proto-Germanic *ligjan? (“to lie, recline”), from Proto-Indo-European *leg?- (“to lie, recline”).
Cognate with West Frisian lizze (“to lay, to lie”), Dutch leggen (“to lay”), German legen (“to lay”), Norwegian Bokmål legge (“to lay”), Norwegian Nynorsk leggja (“to lay”), Swedish lägga (“to lay”), Icelandic leggja (“to lay”), Albanian lag (“troop, band, war encampment”).
Verb
lay (third-person singular simple present lays, present participle laying, simple past and past participle laid)
- (transitive) To place down in a position of rest, or in a horizontal position.
- An indulgent playmate, Grannie would lay aside the long scratchy-looking letter she was writing (heavily crossed ‘to save notepaper’) and enter into the delightful pastime of ‘a chicken from Mr Whiteley's’.
- (transitive, archaic) To cause to subside or abate.
- Synonyms: becalm, settle down
- (transitive) To prepare (a plan, project etc.); to set out, establish (a law, principle).
- (transitive) To install certain building materials, laying one thing on top of another.
- (transitive) To produce and deposit an egg.
- (transitive) To bet (that something is or is not the case).
- (transitive) To deposit (a stake) as a wager; to stake; to risk.
- (transitive, slang) To have sex with.
- Synonyms: lie by, lie with, sleep with; see also Thesaurus:copulate with
- (nautical) To take a position; to come or go.
- (law) To state; to allege.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Bouvier to this entry?)
- (military) To point; to aim.
- (ropemaking) To put the strands of (a rope, a cable, etc.) in their proper places and twist or unite them.
- (printing) To place and arrange (pages) for a form upon the imposing stone.
- (printing) To place (new type) properly in the cases.
- To apply; to put.
- To impose (a burden, punishment, command, tax, etc.).
- To impute; to charge; to allege.
- Synonyms: ascribe, attribute
- To present or offer.
Conjugation
Usage notes
- The verb lay is sometimes used instead of the corresponding intransitive verb lie in informal settings, especially but not exclusively in spoken language. Similarly, laid, the past tense and perfect participle of lay, may also replace lay and lain, respectively the past tense and perfect participle of lie.
- This intransitive use dates to Middle English, first appearing in the thirteenth century but only becoming common in the fifteenth century. The usage was still chiefly limited to the present tense and it seems that it was influenced by reflexive or passive use of lay.
- There are several factors that contribute to the loss of the distinction. One is that lay is used as both the base form of lay and as the past tense of lie, another is the use of lay as a reflexive verb meaning “to go lie (down)”. In any event, similar mergers exist in other Germanic languages; compare Afrikaans lê (“to lie; to lay”), where the two verbs have merged completely.
- Traditional grammars, schoolbooks and style guides object to this intransitive use of lay and a certain stigma remains against the practice. Consequently the usage is common in speech but rarely found in edited writing or in more formal spoken situations.
- Nautical use of lay as an intransitive verb is regarded as standard.
Derived terms
Translations
Further reading
- John A. Simpson and Edward S. C. Weiner, editors (1989) , “lay”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, ?ISBN
Noun
lay (countable and uncountable, plural lays)
- Arrangement or relationship; layout.
- the lay of the land
- A share of the profits in a business.
- 1851, Herman Melville, Moby Dick, chapter 16
- I was already aware that in the whaling business they paid no wages; but all hands, including the captain, received certain shares of the profits called lays, and that these lays were proportioned to the degree of importance pertaining to the respective duties of the ship’s company.
- 1851, Herman Melville, Moby Dick, chapter 16
- A lyrical, narrative poem written in octosyllabic couplets that often deals with tales of adventure and romance.
- 1945: "The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun" by JRR Tolkien
- Sad is the note and sad the lay,
but mirth we meet not every day.
- Sad is the note and sad the lay,
- 1945: "The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun" by JRR Tolkien
- The direction a rope is twisted.
- Worm and parcel with the lay; turn and serve the other way.
- (colloquial) A casual sexual partner.
- 1996, JoAnn Ross, Southern Comforts, MIRA (1996), ?ISBN, page 166:
- Over the years she'd tried to tell himself that his uptown girl was just another lay.
- 2000, R. J. Kaiser, Fruitcake, MIRA (2000), ?ISBN, page 288:
- To find a place like that and be discreet about it, Jones figured he needed help, so he went to see his favorite lay, Juan Carillo's woman, Carmen.
- 2011, Kelly Meding, Trance, Pocket Books (2011), ?ISBN, pages 205-206:
- “Because I don't want William to be just another lay. I did the slut thing, T, and it got me into a lot of trouble years ago. […]
- What was I, just another lay you can toss aside as you go on to your next conquest?
- 1996, JoAnn Ross, Southern Comforts, MIRA (1996), ?ISBN, page 166:
- (colloquial) An act of sexual intercourse.
- 1993, David Halberstam, The Fifties, Open Road Integrated Media (2012), ?ISBN, unnumbered page:
- Listening to this dismissal of his work, [Tennessee] Williams thought to himself of Wilder, “This character has never had a good lay.”
- 2009, Fern Michaels, The Scoop, Kensington Books (2009), ?ISBN, pages 212-213:
- […] She didn't become this germ freak until Thomas died. I wonder if she just needs a good lay, you know, an all-nighter?" Toots said thoughtfully.
- 2011, Pamela Yaye, Promises We Make, Kimani Press (2011), ?ISBN, unnumbered page:
- “What she needs is a good lay. If she had someone to rock her world on a regular basis, she wouldn't be such a raging bit—”
- 1993, David Halberstam, The Fifties, Open Road Integrated Media (2012), ?ISBN, unnumbered page:
- (slang, archaic) A plan; a scheme.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Charles Dickens to this entry?)
- (uncountable) the laying of eggs.
- The hens are off the lay at present.
- (obsolete) A layer.
- 1677, Hannah Woolley, The Compleat Servant-Maid, London: T. Passinger, p. 5,[1]
- […] lay in the bottom of an earthen pot some dried vine leaves, and so make a lay of Pears, and leaves till the pot is filled up, laying betwixt each lay some sliced Ginger […]
- 1718, Joseph Addison, Remarks on Several Parts of Italy, &c. in the Years 1701, 1702, 1703, London: J. Tonson, “Sienna, Leghorne, Pisa,” p. 300,[2]
- […] the whole Body of the Church is chequer’d with different Lays of White and Black Marble […]
- 1724, Thomas Spooner, A Compendious Treatise of the Diseases of the Skin, London, Chapter 2, p. 20,[3]
- […] when we examine the Scarf-Skin with a Microscope, it appears to be made up of several Lays of exceeding small Scales, which cover one another more or less […]
- 1766, Thomas Amory, The Life of John Buncle, Esq., London: J. Johnson and B. Davenport, Volume 2, Section 1, p. 16, footnote 1,[4]
- […] in one particular it exceeds the fen birds, for it has two tastes; it being brown and white meat: under a lay of brown is a lay of white meat […]
- 1677, Hannah Woolley, The Compleat Servant-Maid, London: T. Passinger, p. 5,[1]
Synonyms
- (casual sexual partner): see also Thesaurus:casual sexual partner.
Derived terms
Translations
Etymology 2
From Middle English laie, lawe, from Old English lagu (“sea, flood, water, ocean”), from Proto-West Germanic *lagu (“water, sea”), from Proto-Germanic *laguz (“water, sea”), from Proto-Indo-European *lakw- (“water, body of water, lake”). Cognate with Icelandic lögur (“liquid, fluid, lake”), Latin lacus (“lake, hollow, hole”).
Noun
lay (plural lays)
- A lake.
Etymology 3
From Old French lai, from Latin laicus, from Ancient Greek ?????? (laïkós). Doublet of laic.
Adjective
lay (comparative more lay, superlative most lay)
- Not belonging to the clergy, but associated with them.
- They seemed more lay than clerical.
- a lay preacher; a lay brother
- Non-professional; not being a member of an organized institution.
- (card games) Not trumps.
- a lay suit
- (obsolete) Not educated or cultivated; ignorant.
Related terms
Translations
Etymology 4
See lie.
Verb
lay
- simple past tense of lie when pertaining to position.
- The baby lay in its crib and slept silently.
- (proscribed) To be in a horizontal position; to lie (from confusion with lie).
- 1969 July, Bob Dylan, “Lay Lady Lay”, Nashville Skyline, Columbia:
- Lay, lady, lay. / Lay across my big brass bed.
- 1974, John Denver, “Annie’s Song”, Back Home Again, RCA:
- Let me lay down beside you. / Let me always be with you.
- 1969 July, Bob Dylan, “Lay Lady Lay”, Nashville Skyline, Columbia:
Derived terms
- layabout
Etymology 5
From Middle English lay, from Old French lai (“song, lyric, poem”), from Frankish *laih (“play, melody, song”), from Proto-Germanic *laikaz, *laikiz (“jump, play, dance, hymn”), from Proto-Indo-European *loyg-, *lay?- (“to jump, spring, play”). Akin to Old High German leih (“a play, skit, melody, song”), Middle High German leich (“piece of music, epic song played on a harp”), Old English l?can (“to move quickly, fence, sing”). See lake.
Noun
lay (plural lays)
- A ballad or sung poem; a short poem or narrative, usually intended to be sung.
- 1742, Edward Young, The Complaint: or Night-Thoughts on Life, Death & Immortality, Night I
- I strive, with wakeful melody, to cheer
- The sullen gloom, sweet Philomel! like thee,
- And call the stars to listen: every star
- Is deaf to mine, enamour’d of thy lay.
- 1805 The Lay of the Last Minstrel, Sir Walter Scott.
- 1742, Edward Young, The Complaint: or Night-Thoughts on Life, Death & Immortality, Night I
Translations
Etymology 6
See lea
Noun
lay (plural lays)
- (obsolete) A meadow; a lea.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Dryden to this entry?)
Etymology 7
Noun
lay (plural lays)
- (obsolete) A law.
- (obsolete) An obligation; a vow.
- they bound themselues by a sacred lay and oth to fight it out to the last man
Etymology 8
Calque of Yiddish ?????? (leygn, “to put, lay”).
Verb
lay (third-person singular simple present lays, present participle laying, simple past and past participle laid)
- (Judaism, transitive) To don or put on (tefillin (phylacteries)).
References
Anagrams
- Aly
Anguthimri
Verb
lay
- (transitive, Mpakwithi) to carry
References
- Terry Crowley, The Mpakwithi dialect of Anguthimri (1981), page 186
Haitian Creole
Etymology
From French l'ail (“the garlic”)
Noun
lay
- garlic
Lashi
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /la??/
Postposition
lay
- through
- across
Verb
lay
- to pass
References
- Hkaw Luk (2017) A grammatical sketch of Lacid?[5], Chiang Mai: Payap University (master thesis)
Malagasy
Etymology
From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *laya?, from Proto-Austronesian *laya?.
Noun
lay
- sail (a piece of fabric attached to a boat)
- tent
References
- lay in Malagasy dictionaries at malagasyword.org
Mauritian Creole
Etymology 1
From French ail
Noun
lay
- garlic
Etymology 2
From Malagasy ley (butterfly)
Noun
lay
- moth
References
- Baker, Philip & Hookoomsing, Vinesh Y. 1987. Dictionnaire de créole mauricien. Morisyen – English – Français
Middle English
Verb
lay
- Alternative form of leie: simple past of lien
Seychellois Creole
Etymology 1
From French ail
Noun
lay
- garlic
Etymology 2
From Malagasy ley (butterfly)
Noun
lay
- moth
References
- Danielle D’Offay et Guy Lionnet, Diksyonner Kreol - Franse / Dictionnaire Créole Seychellois - Français
Vietnamese
Pronunciation
- (Hà N?i) IPA(key): [laj??]
- (Hu?) IPA(key): [laj??]
- (H? Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [la(?)j??]
Verb
lay
- to shake
Derived terms
lay From the web:
- what layer is the ozone in
- what lays blue eggs
- what layer of the earth is liquid
- what layer of the earth do we live on
- what layer do we live in
- what layer of the earth is the thickest
- what layers make up the lithosphere
- what lays eggs
state
English
Etymology
Middle English (as a noun); adopted c. 1200 from both Old French estat and Latin status (“manner of standing, attitude, position, carriage, manner, dress, apparel; and other senses”), from stare (“to stand”). Doublet of estate and status. The sense of "polity" develops in the 14th century. Compare French être, Greek ???? (stéo), Italian stare, Portuguese estar, Romanian sta, and Spanish estar.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA(key): /ste?t/
- Rhymes: -e?t
Noun
state (plural states)
- A condition; a set of circumstances applying at any given time.
- (physics) A complete description of a system, consisting of parameters that determine all properties of the system.
- 1977, J. B. Sykes and John Stewart Bell, translating Lev Landau and Evgeny Lifshitz, Course of Theoretical Physics Vol. 3: Quantum Mechanics: Non-relativistic Theory, p.28:
- States in which the energy has definite values are called stationary states of a system; they are described by wave functions ?n which are the eigenfunctions of the Hamiltonian operator, i.e. which satisfy the equation ??n = En?n, where En are the eigenvalues of the energy.
- 1977, J. B. Sykes and John Stewart Bell, translating Lev Landau and Evgeny Lifshitz, Course of Theoretical Physics Vol. 3: Quantum Mechanics: Non-relativistic Theory, p.28:
- (computing) The stable condition of a processor during a particular clock cycle.
- (computing) The set of all parameters relevant to a computation.
- (computing) The values of all parameters at some point in a computation.
- (sciences) The physical property of matter as solid, liquid, gas or plasma.
- (obsolete) Highest and stationary condition, as that of maturity between growth and decline, or as that of crisis between the increase and the abating of a disease; height; acme.
- (physics) A complete description of a system, consisting of parameters that determine all properties of the system.
- High social standing or circumstance.
- Pomp, ceremony, or dignity.
- Rank; condition; quality.
- c. 1593, William Shakespeare, Richard III, [Act I, Scene iii]:
- And le?ned by that ?mall, God I be?eech him, / Thy honor, ?tate, and ?eate, is due to me.
- c. 1593, William Shakespeare, Richard III, [Act I, Scene iii]:
- Condition of prosperity or grandeur; wealthy or prosperous circumstances; social importance.
- A chair with a canopy above it, often standing on a dais; a seat of dignity; also, the canopy itself.
- (obsolete) A great person, a dignitary; a lord or prince.
- 1644, John Milton, Aeropagitica, page 1:
- They who to States and Governours of the Commonwealth direct their Speech, High Court of Parlament, or wanting ?uch acce??e in a private condition, write that which they fore?ee may advance the publick good?; I ?uppo?e them as at the beginning of no meane endeavour, not a little alter’d and mov’d inwardly in their mindes […]
- 1644, John Milton, Aeropagitica, page 1:
- (obsolete) Estate, possession.
- Pomp, ceremony, or dignity.
- A polity.
- Any sovereign polity; a national or city-state government.
- a. 1949, Albert Einstein, as quoted by Virgil Henshaw in Albert Einstein: Philosopher Scientist (1949)
- Never do anything against conscience even if the state demands it.
- a. 1949, Albert Einstein, as quoted by Virgil Henshaw in Albert Einstein: Philosopher Scientist (1949)
- A political division of a federation retaining a notable degree of autonomy, as in the United States, Germany, or Australia.
- (obsolete) A form of government other than a monarchy.
- (anthropology) A society larger than a tribe. A society large enough to form a state in the sense of a government.
- Any sovereign polity; a national or city-state government.
- (mathematics, stochastic processes) An element of the range of the random variables that define a random process.
- (grammar, semantics) The lexical aspect (aktionsart) of verbs or predicates that do not change over time.
- Antonym: occurrence
Hyponyms
Derived terms
Pages starting with “state”.
Translations
Verb
state (third-person singular simple present states, present participle stating, simple past and past participle stated)
- (transitive) To declare to be a fact.
- Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers, of errand not wholly obvious to their fellows, yet of such sort as to call into query alike the nature of their errand and their own relations. It is easily earned repetition to state that Josephine St. Auban's was a presence not to be concealed.
- (transitive) To make known.
Usage notes
State is stronger or more definitive than say. It is used to communicate an absence of reasonable doubt and to emphasize the factual or truthful nature of the communication.
Synonyms
- See Thesaurus:communicate
Translations
Adjective
state (comparative more state, superlative most state)
- (obsolete) Stately.
Related terms
- estate
- statistics
- status
- State
See also
- department
- province
Further reading
- state on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
References
- state at OneLook Dictionary Search
- state in Keywords for Today: A 21st Century Vocabulary, edited by The Keywords Project, Colin MacCabe, Holly Yanacek, 2018.
- state in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- state in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
Anagrams
- Satet, Testa, Tetas, aetts, atest, taste, teats, testa
Afrikaans
Noun
state
- plural of staat
Italian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /?sta.te/
- Rhymes: -ate
- Hyphenation: stà?te
Etymology 1
Apheretic form of estate.
Noun
state f (plural stati)
- (Tuscany) Alternative form of estate
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the main entry.
Verb
state
- inflection of stare:
- second-person plural present indicative
- second-person plural imperative
Etymology 3
See the etymology of the main entry.
Participle
state
- feminine plural of stato
Anagrams
- setta, testa
References
- state in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti
Latin
Verb
st?te
- second-person plural present active imperative of st?
Participle
state
- vocative masculine singular of status
state From the web:
- what state is washington dc in
- what state is md
- what states are on lockdown
- what state is mi
- what state am i in
- what states have certified
- what states are open
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