Lay \Lay\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Laid; 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.

A stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den. --Dan. vi. 17.

Soft on the flowery herb I found me laid. --Milton.

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.

3. To prepare; to make ready; to contrive; to provide; as, to lay a snare, an ambush, or a plan.

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

5. To cause to be still; to calm; to allay; to suppress; to exorcise, as an evil spirit.

After a tempest when the winds are laid. --Waller.

6. To cause to lie dead or dying.

Brave C[ae]neus laid Ortygius on the plain, The victor C[ae]neus was by Turnus slain. --Dryden.

7. To deposit, as a wager; to stake; to risk.

I dare lay mine honor He will remain so. --Shak.

8. To bring forth and deposit; as, to lay eggs.

9. To apply; to put.

She layeth her hands to the spindle. --Prov. xxxi. 19.

10. To impose, as a burden, suffering, or punishment; to assess, as a tax; as, to lay a tax on land.

The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. --Is. Iiii. 6.

God layeth not folly to them. --Job xxiv. 12.

Lay the fault on us. --Shak.

12. To impose, as a command or a duty; as, to lay commands on one.

13. To present or offer; as, to lay an indictment in a particular county; to lay a scheme before one.

14. (Law) To state; to allege; as, to lay the venue. --Bouvier.

15. (Mil.) To point; to aim; as, to lay a gun.

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.

17. (Print.)
   (a) To place and arrange (pages) for a form upon the imposing stone.
   (b) To place (new type) properly in the cases.

To lay asleep, to put sleep; to make unobservant or careless. --Bacon.

To lay bare, to make bare; to strip.

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.

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.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)