lay reader
Americannoun
noun
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Church of England a person licensed by a bishop to conduct religious services other than the Eucharist
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RC Church a layman chosen from among the congregation to read the epistle at Mass and sometimes other prayers
Etymology
Origin of lay reader
First recorded in 1745–55
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A lay reader may find this wordy description difficult to grasp.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025
Joy Gambardella, a lay reader at the city’s Emmanuel Church, said Al Swealmeen had been a “committed Christian”.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 17, 2021
It demands of the lay reader an ability to compartmentalize that may be difficult for some to maintain.
From Slate • Oct. 17, 2020
Along with a call to remember the sick and shut-in, the lay reader asks parishioners to pray for Father Charlie’s eyesight and injured arm.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 25, 2019
As I desire to inform the lay reader as to the interesting course an action may take under the present expeditious mode of procedure, I must now state what I saw in my dream.
From The Humourous Story of Farmer Bumpkin's Lawsuit by Harris, Richard
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
