- To lay down
- Lay Lay (l[=a]), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Laid} (l[=a]d); 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.
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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 C[ae]neus laid Ortygius on the plain, The victor C[ae]neus 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]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
