layer

American  

[ley-er] / ˈleɪ ər /

noun

1. a thickness of some material laid on or spread over a surface.

   a layer of soot on the windowsill; two layers of paint.

2. something lying over or under something else; a level or tier.

   There can be multiple layers of metaphor in a single poem.

3. a bed; stratum.

   alternating layers of basalt and sandstone.

4. a person or thing that lays (often used in combination): a bricklayer.

   a carpet layer;

   a bricklayer.

5. a hen kept for egg production.

6. one of several items of clothing worn one on top of the other.

7. Horticulture.

   1. a shoot or twig that is induced to root while still attached to the living stock, as by bending and covering with soil.

   2. a plant so propagated.

8. Ropemaking. a machine for laying rope or cable.

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verb (used with object)

1. to make a layer of.

2. to form or arrange in layers.

3. to arrange or wear (clothing) in layers.

   You can layer this vest over a blouse or sweater.

4. to cut (hair) in overlapping layers of different lengths.

   My hairdresser insisted on layering my hair at my last visit—I rather like it this way.

5. Horticulture. to propagate by layering.

verb (used without object)

1. to separate into or form layers.

2. (of a garment) to permit of wearing in layers; be used in layering.

   Frilly blouses don't layer well.

layer British  

/ ˈleɪə /

noun

1. a thickness of some homogeneous substance, such as a stratum or a coating on a surface

2. one of four or more levels of vegetation defined in ecological studies: the ground or moss layer, the field or herb layer, the shrub layer, and one or more tree layers

3. a laying hen

4. horticulture

   1. a shoot or branch rooted during layering

   2. a plant produced as a result of layering

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verb

1. to form or make a layer of (something)

2. to take root or cause to take root by layering

Other Word Forms

• interlayer noun
• layerable adjective
• nonlayered adjective

Etymology

Origin of layer

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English leyer, legger; lay ¹, -er ¹

Example Sentences

“I want really nuanced, layered characters,” she told The Times in January.

From Los Angeles Times

Then they added cardboard and a thick layer of mulch, using a no-dig gardening method called sheet mulching.

From Los Angeles Times

The layers of shell companies and use of foreign conduits into luxury real estate help leaders of the Islamic Republic maintain an image back home of embracing modesty and rejecting lavish lifestyles, researchers say.

From The Wall Street Journal

As AI falsehoods explode across social media, often outpacing the capacity of professional fact-checkers, bogus detectors risk adding another layer of deception to an already fractured information ecosystem.

From Barron's

Out are buzzwords like efficiency, over-hiring, and too many management layers.

From BBC

Related Words

• bed
• blanket
• coat
• floor
• row
• sheet
• slab
• thickness