laity
[ ley-i-tee ]
/ ˈleɪ ɪ ti /
noun
the body of religious worshipers, as distinguished from the clergy.
the people outside of a particular profession, as distinguished from those belonging to it: the medical ignorance of the laity.
RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
laissez-faire, laissez-passer, lait d'amandes, laitance, laith, laity, laius, lajoie, lak cell, lake, lake 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for laity
British Dictionary definitions for laity
laity
/ (ˈleɪɪtɪ) /
noun
laymen, as distinguished from clergymen
all people not of a specific occupation
Word Origin for laity
C16: from lay ³
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
Word Origin and History for laity
laity
"body of people not in religious orders," early 15c., from Anglo-French laite, from lay (adj.) + -ity.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper