laypeople
[ley-pee-puh l]
- laymen and laywomen collectively.
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layperson
[ley-pur-suh n]
- a person who is not a member of the clergy; one of the laity.
- a person who is not a member of a given profession, as law or medicine.
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Origin of layperson
Usage note
See -person.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for lay-people
Historical Examples
The monks, like the lay-people, are remarkable for their habit of early rising.
Buddhism, In its Connexion With Brahmanism and Hinduism, and In Its Contrast with ChristianitySir Monier Monier-Williams
Word Origin and History for lay-people
layperson
n.
1972, gender-neutral version of layman.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper