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.

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Question 1 of 7

schlep

to say or do hesitantly or awkwardly

to fold or wind around something

to carry; lug

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Origin of laity

First recorded in 1535–45; lay³ + -ity

Words nearby laity

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. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for laity

Many ex-members I spoke with felt like financial matters were off limits from the laity.
Another Mega Church Implodes|Warren Throckmorton|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Under such circumstances we need not wonder that the standards of the laity were low.
The Age of Erasmus|P. S. Allen
The laity seized the opportunity to rise against the clerical order, and to excuse themselves for disobedience to the Church.
Freaks of Fanaticism|Sabine Baring-Gould
The crown is an insignia of civil power borne by the laity; the nimbus is ecclesiastical and religious.
Fictitious & Symbolic Creatures in Art|John Vinycomb

The laity treat them with the greatest respect provided that they set an example of a life better than most men can live.
Hinduism and Buddhism, Vol I. (of 3)|Charles Eliot
With the ascendancy of the state over the Church the selection of bishops was practically transferred to the laity.
The Rise of the Mediaeval Church|Alexander Clarence Flick

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

laity

noun

QUIZZES

Origin of laity

Words nearby laity

Words related to laity

Example sentences from the Web for laity

British Dictionary definitions for laity

noun

Word Origin for laity