unlaid

[ uhn-leyd ]

/ ʌnˈleɪd /

adjective

not laid or placed: The table is still unlaid.

(of dead bodies) not laid out; not prepared for burial.

not laid to rest, as a spirit.

untwisted, as a rope.

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?

Question 1 of 10

decorum

the act of or need for making up one's mind.

dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.

a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of unlaid

First recorded in 1425–75, unlaid is from the late Middle English word unleyd. See un-¹, laid

Words nearby unlaid

unknown, unknown quantity, unknown soldier, unlace, unlade, unlaid, unlamented, unlash, unlatch, unlawful, unlawful assembly

Definition for unlaid (2 of 2)

unlay

[ uhn-ley ]

/ ʌnˈleɪ /

verb (used with object), un·laid, un·lay·ing.

to separate (a strand) from a rope.

to untwist (a rope) in order to separate its strands.

Origin of unlay

First recorded in 1720–30; un-² + lay¹

Example sentences from the Web for unlaid

Aus ungelegten Eiern werden spt junge Hhner—Chickens are long in coming out of unlaid eggs.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources|James Wood
On June 25, 1951, an incomplete clutch of three eggs was found with a female which still had an unlaid egg.
Life History and Ecology of the Five-lined Skink, Eumeces fasciatus|Henry S. Fitch
But still, above and beneath and through every other odor, the unlaid ghost of Tammas's victim cried for vengeance.
Dear Enemy|Jean Webster
Terrors and ghosts of unlaid accountants haunt the houses of their children from generation to generation.
The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. II. (of 12)|Edmund Burke

The officer who had brought Father Vincent to this conference, also stood musing after them with unlaid suspicion.
The Lady of Fort St. John|Mary Hartwell Catherwood

British Dictionary definitions for unlaid

unlay

/ (ʌnˈleɪ) /

verb -lays, -laying or -laid

(tr) to untwist (a rope or cable) to separate its strands

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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