laypeople

[ley-pee-puh l]

plural noun

laymen and laywomen collectively.

layperson

[ley-pur-suh n]

noun

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.

Origin of layperson

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

Usage note

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for lay-people

Historical Examples of lay-people

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 Christianity
Sir Monier Monier-Williams

Word Origin and History for lay-people

layperson

n.

1972, gender-neutral version of layman.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper