lay

• vt. 躺下；产卵；搁放；放置；铺放；涂，敷
• adj. 世俗的；外行的；没有经验的
• n. 位置；短诗；花纹方向；叙事诗；性伙伴
• vi. 下蛋；打赌
• v. 躺；位于（lie的过去式）

来自PIE*legh,躺，放置，词源同lie,lair,beleaguer.语法上为lie的宾格动词形式。

来自希腊语laikos,人民，普通的，词源同laity,layperson.引申词义非神职人员的，世俗的，引申词义外行的。

1. a narrative song with a recurrent refrain

2. a narrative poem of popular origin

lay

lay: English has three words lay. The common verb, ‘cause to lie’ [OE], goes back to the prehistoric Germanic base *lag- ‘put’, a variant of which produced lie. From it was derived *lagjan, whose modern descendants are German legen, Dutch leggen, Swedish lägga, Danish lægge, and English lay. Law comes from the same source, and it is possible that ledge [14] may be an offshoot of lay (which in Middle English was legge). Ledger could well be related too. Lay ‘secular’ [14] comes via Old French lai and Latin lāicus from Greek lāikós, a derivative of lāós ‘the people’.

And lay ‘ballad’ [13] comes from Old French lai, a word of unknown origin.
=> law, lie, ledger; liturgy

lay (v.)

Old English lecgan "to place on the ground (or other surface)," also "put down (often by striking)," from Proto-Germanic *lagjan (cognates: Old Saxon leggian, Old Norse leggja, Old Frisian ledza, Middle Dutch legghan, Dutch leggen, Old High German lecken, German legen, Gothic lagjan "to lay, put, place"), causative of lie (v.2). As a noun, from 1550s, "act of laying." Meaning "way in which something is laid" (as in lay of the land) first recorded 1819.

Meaning "have sex with" first recorded 1934, in U.S. slang, probably from sense of "deposit" (which was in Old English, as in lay an egg, lay a bet, etc.), perhaps reinforced by to lie with, a phrase frequently met in the Bible. The noun meaning "woman available for sexual intercourse" is attested from 1930, but there are suggestions of it in stage puns from as far back as 1767. To lay for (someone) "await a chance at revenge" is from late 15c.; lay low "stay inconspicuous" is from 1839. To lay (someone) low preserves the secondary Old English sense.

lay (adj.)

"uneducated; non-clerical," early 14c., from Old French lai "secular, not of the clergy" (Modern French laïque), from Late Latin laicus, from Greek laikos "of the people," from laos "people," of unknown origin. In Middle English, contrasted with learned, a sense revived 1810 for "non-expert."

lay (n.)

"short song," mid-13c., from Old French lai "song, lyric," of unknown origin, perhaps from Celtic (compare Irish laid "song, poem," Gaelic laoidh "poem, verse, play") because the earliest verses so called were Arthurian ballads, but OED finds this "out of the question" and prefers a theory which traces it to a Germanic source, such as Old High German leich "play, melody, song."

lay, place, put, set

这些动词均有"放"之意。

lay： 指小心地把人或物平放或横放，侧重动作安稳。

place： 较正式用词，指把某物放在一个正确的位置上，侧重动作的正确。

put： 普通用词，含义较广泛。指把人或物置于某处，并将其留在该处。

set： 普通用词，指为了某种目的而将人或物放在一定位置上。指物是多指立着放。

This means they often have to make a special effort to lay the past to rest.

出自-2017年6月阅读原文

Leah gained confidence by laying out her fears and confronting them directly.

出自-2017年6月阅读原文

In spring, chickens start laying again, bringing a welcome source of protein at winter's end.

出自-2017年6月阅读原文

Why do some students give up when they encounter difficulty, whereas others who are no more skilled continue to strive and learn? One answer, I soon discovered, lay in people's beliefs about why they had failed.

出自-2016年12月阅读原文

His mother, convinced that she had to do something dramatic to prevent him from leading a life of failure, lay down some rules.

出自-2015年12月听力原文

As he lay in the hospital recovering, Harper imagined a line of healthy frozen foods that tasted good.

出自-2015年12月听力原文

they lay more emphasis on commitment and devotion

出自-2013年6月阅读原文

Increasingly, science indicates that genes lay the groundwork for many human traits.

出自-2010年12月阅读原文

But the store manger laid the evil eye on us.

出自-2010年12月听力原文

his mother, convinced that she had to do something dramatic to prevent him from leading a life of failure, lay down some rules.

2015年12月四级真题（第一套）听力 Section C

One answer, I soon discovered, lay in people's beliefs about why they had failed.

2016年12月四级真题（第二套）阅读 Section B

So he lay down and fell asleep, but the tide swept in quickly at the beach.

2019年12月四级真题（第二套）听力 Section A

It laid emphasis on women's beauty.

出自-2017年6月阅读原文

Unfortunately, the union in Chicago is insisting that teachers who are laid off—often for being ineffective— should get priority in new hiring.

出自-2016年6月阅读原文

According to Chinese officials, their activities in Antarctica lay greater emphasis on scientific research.

出自-2016年12月阅读原文

That is because the engineers, designers, regulators, operators, and all of the other skilled people needed for the new energy industry are specialists who have to be trained first ( ' , or retrained, if they are the ones being laid off in some related industry), and education, like any other complicated endeavor, takes times.

出自-2015年12月阅读原文

So when fly the north, they might lay eggs in Louisiana and die.

出自-2014年6月听力原文

They start to lay eggs when they are nine months old

出自-2014年6月听力原文

Only the strongest can reach their destination to lay eggs.

出自-2014年6月听力原文

Each flock of butterflies lays eggs in the same states.

出自-2014年6月听力原文

Each generation in a cycle lays eggs at a different place

出自-2014年6月听力原文

Later working together in London, they laid the foundations of modern physics by showing that normal laws of cause and effect do not apply at the level of subatomic particles.

出自-2013年12月听力原文

Apparently the bus company will be laying off its employees if they can't reach an agreement on wages by midnight.

出自-2013年12月听力原文

Laying the foundations of modem mathematics

出自-2013年12月听力原文

They lay great emphasis on hard work.

出自-2013年6月听力原文

Last year, Andrea's husband, Rick, a miner in Nevada was laid off.

出自-2012年12月听力原文

He said the chickens had never missed a meal and he could not figure out why some of them had stopped laying eggs.

2016年高考英语浙江卷（10月） 完形填空 原文

I got so angry with him for laying down the law.

2017年高考英语天津卷 阅读表达 原文

Obediently, my class lay their heads on their desks, closed their eyes and waited.

2015年高考英语湖南卷 完形填空 原文

Other European countries laid down a similar requirement for immigrants, and some terms are even tougher.

2017年高考英语浙江卷（6月） 阅读理解 阅读C 原文

Over a hundred kinds of tea are laid out in a line on long tables.

2015年高考英语全国卷1 听力 原文

Scott's last journey, completed as he lay in a tent dying of cold and hunger, caught the world's imagination, and a film made in his honor drew crowds.

2016年高考英语全国卷2 阅读理解 阅读D 原文

She hopes to inspire the jamaicans to lay down their weapons.

2016年高考英语江苏卷 阅读理解 阅读D 原文

Then lay the tube in place so that one end rests all the way in the cup and the rest of the line runs up — and out — the side of the hole.

2017年高考英语全国卷1 阅读理解 阅读D 原文

This included digging up the road, laying the track and then building a strong roof over the top.

2017年高考英语全国卷2 语法填空 原文

With great interest, he read everything he could lay his hands on, listened to the town elders and learned about the world beyond his tiny hometown.

2015年高考英语福建卷 阅读理解 阅读B 原文

The history of the EEOB began long before its foundations were laid.

出自-2018年考研阅读原文

There is a great deal of this kind of nonsense in the medical journals which, when taken up by broadcasters and the lay press, generates both health scares and short-lived dietary enthusiasms.

2020年考研真题（英语一）翻译 Section Ⅲ

She laid the baby down gently on the bed.

她把婴儿轻轻地放在床上。

牛津词典

He laid a hand on my arm.

他把手搭在我的胳膊上。

牛津词典

The horse laid back its ears.

那匹马把耳朵往后竖着。

牛津词典

Relatives laid wreaths on the grave.

死者亲属在墓前献了花圈。

牛津词典

The cloth should be laid flat.

布应展开平放。

牛津词典

to lay a carpet/cable/pipe

铺地毯；铺设电缆；铺管道

牛津词典

The foundations of the house are being laid today.

今天正在给房子打地基。

牛津词典

(figurative)They had laid the groundwork for future development.

他们为此后的发展奠定了基础。

牛津词典

Before they started they laid newspaper on the floor.

他们开始前在地板上铺了报纸。

牛津词典

Lay a sheet of newspaper on the floor...

在地上铺一张报纸。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

My father's working bench was covered with a cloth and his coffin was laid there...

爸爸的工作台上盖了一块布，他的灵枢就陈放在那儿。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

The butler always laid the table.

每次都是男管家把餐具摆好。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

A man came to lay the saloon carpet...

一名男子来铺客厅的地毯。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

Public utilities dig up roads to lay pipes.

公共事业公司挖路铺设管道。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

They were laying a trap for the kidnapper.

他们设下一个圈套引绑匪上钩。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

My canary has laid an egg...

我的金丝雀生了一个蛋。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

Freezing weather in spring hampered the hens' ability to lay.

春天严寒的天气降低了母鸡的产蛋能力。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

Diplomats meeting in Chile have laid the groundwork for far-reaching environmental regulations...

在智利会面的外交官们已经为那些对未来影响深远的环境保护条例的制定打好了基础。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

The organisers meet in March to lay plans.

组织者们于3月碰头制订计划。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

She refused to lay the blame on any one party...

她拒绝归咎于任何一方。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

He could not bear to lay too much responsibility for the unhappiness of his later years on his own shoulders...

为自己晚景凄凉承担这么多责任，他接受不了。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

I wouldn't lay bets on his still remaining manager after the spring...

我看他的这个经理当不到春天之后了。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

I'll lay odds that Dean is at your office right now.

我敢打赌迪安现在就在你办公室。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

Don't lay it on too thick, but make sure they are flattered...

不要吹捧得太露骨，不过一定要恭维得他们很惬意。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

I may have spoken a bit too freely, been a bit extreme, even laid it on a little.

我可能有些自由发挥，有些极端，甚至有些言过其实了。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

The party thereby lays itself open to charges of conflict of interest...

该党因此难免被人指责有利益冲突。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

Such a statement could lay her open to ridicule.

这种言论会让人家笑话她。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

Edwards is a Methodist lay preacher and social worker.

爱德华是一位循道宗在俗传教士兼社会工作者。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

It is difficult for a lay person to gain access to medical libraries...

非业内人士难以进入医学图书馆。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

It is not just a textbook for professional diplomats. The lay reader will enjoy the anecdotes.

它不仅仅是职业外交家的教科书，里面的轶事趣闻外行的读者也会喜欢。

柯林斯高阶英语词典