layperson

[ ley-pur-suhn ]
See synonyms for: laypersonlaypeople on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a person who is not a member of the clergy; one of the laity.

  2. a person who is not a member of a given profession, as law or medicine.

Origin of layperson

1
First recorded in 1970–75; lay(man) + -person

usage note For layperson

See -person.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use layperson in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lay person

lay person

nounplural lay persons, lay people, laypersons or laypeople
  1. a person who is not a member of the clergy

  2. a person who does not have specialized or professional knowledge of a subject: a lay person's guide to conveyancing

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012