layer

[ley-er]

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.

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

/ 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

verb

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

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

Other Word Forms

• layerable adjective
• interlayer verb (used with object)
• nonlayered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of layer¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of layer¹

C14 leyer, legger, from _lay ¹ + _-er ¹

Example Sentences

The movie reveals itself to you, layer by layer, incident by incident, in a way that becomes downright intoxicating.

From Los Angeles Times

"The collagen will just sit on the outer layer of your skin, it won't reach the dermis - which is the middle layer."

From BBC

The government recently announced plans for an "integrated layered air defence", along with investment in long-range precision weapons to hit enemy territory.

From BBC

The signature challenge asked bakers to make a batch of monkey bread, a sticky pull-apart bread made from balls of dough layered and baked in a Bundt pan.

From Salon

"She was a woman who had everything and yet was still looking for something. Learning about her gave me a sense of her lack of fulfilment and added another layer to her."

From BBC

Related Words

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