Where does “laying” come from?
Laying derives from Middle English lay, from Latin laicus meaning nonprofessional, from Proto-Indo-European ḱley-, ḱel-, and ultimately legʰ-.
laying (English): present participle of lay
Definitions
- present participle of lay
Ancestry of “laying”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | lay | To place down in a position of rest, or in a... |
| 2 | English | Lee | for someone who lived near a meadow (the Anglo-Saxon for meadow being ley or leag) |
| 3 | Irish | Laoi | lay, song |
| 4 | Middle Irish | láed | — |
| 5 | English | loid | A lock-picking tool made from a piece of... |
| 6 | English | celluloid | Any of a variety of thermoplastics created from... |
| 7 | English | -oid | Of similar form to, but not the same as. Having... |
| 8 | Latin | -oides | -like, -form |
| 9 | Greek | -ο | ending for accusative singular forms (eg δρόμος, ψήφος); and some vocative singular forms |
| 10 | Ancient Greek | εἶδος | That which is seen: form, image, shape;... |
| 11 | Spanish | -scopio | -scope |
| 12 | Latin | -scopium | — |
| 13 | Ancient Greek | σκοπέω | I look, look at, behold; I examine, inspect; 413... |
| 14 | Ancient Greek | σκοπός | watcher, lookout; protector, guardian; spy, scout |