Where does “outlay” come from?

Outlay comes from Middle English ut- combined with English lay, which derives from Latin laicus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- meaning to lie or recline.

outlay (English): A laying out or expending; that which is laid out...

Definitions

  1. A laying out or expending; that which is laid out...

Ancestry of “outlay”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlayTo place down in a position of rest, or in a...
2EnglishLeefor someone who lived near a meadow (the Anglo-Saxon for meadow being ley or leag)
3IrishLaoilay, song
4Middle Irishláed
5EnglishloidA lock-picking tool made from a piece of...
6EnglishcelluloidAny of a variety of thermoplastics created from...
7English-oidOf similar form to, but not the same as. Having...
8Latin-oides-like, -form
9Greek-οending for accusative singular forms (eg δρόμος, ψήφος); and some vocative singular forms
10Ancient GreekεἶδοςThat which is seen: form, image, shape;...
11Spanish-scopio-scope
12Latin-scopium
13Ancient GreekσκοπέωI look, look at, behold; I examine, inspect; 413...
14Ancient Greekσκοπόςwatcher, lookout; protector, guardian; spy, scout
Every word from Ancient Greek σκοπός
outlay — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer