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

Scotland's relationship with England, and how England perceives that relationship, has layers to it.

From BBC

The international research group identified a previously unknown magnetic state in a material made of four atomic layers of chromium iodide.

From Science Daily

Stars similar to our Sun eventually run out of hydrogen and helium fuel and begin shedding their outer layers.

From Science Daily

Music is key to Salieri’s world, and the sound design by Jane Shaw strives to access the otherworldly power of Mozart’s music through layered backing tracks.

From Los Angeles Times

One of the most unsettling things about the Guthrie case is that it adds another layer of uncertainty about our ability to control our lives.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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