Lay in different languages

Lay in Different Languages

Discover 'Lay' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'lay' is a versatile English verb, with a range of meanings that make it a fascinating word to explore in different languages. At its core, 'lay' generally means to put or place something down gently. However, its significance goes beyond this simple definition, as it can also refer to the act of presenting something for consideration or to describe the arrangement of something.

Culturally, the word 'lay' has been used in various expressions, proverbs, and idioms across the world. For instance, the phrase 'lay of the land' is an American English idiom that refers to becoming familiar with one's surroundings. Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, the phrase 'lay a ghost' is used to describe the act of coming to terms with a past trauma or mistake.

Given its cultural importance and widespread use, it's no surprise that people might want to know the translation of 'lay' in different languages. Below is a list of translations of 'lay' in various languages, highlighting the word's significance and cultural importance across the globe.

Lay


Lay in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaans
The Afrikaans word "lê" can also mean "to stay or remain".
Amharicተኛ
"ተኛ" in Amharic refers to something that is on the ground, but can also be used figuratively to describe a person's position or status.
Hausasa
The Hausa word "sa" also means "put" or "place".
Igbodina
The Igbo word "dina" also means "to spread out" or "to put down."
Malagasylaika
The Malagasy word “laika” can also refer to a small, thin mat or a type of reed mat with fine designs.
Nyanja (Chichewa)kuyala
In Nyanja, the word "kuyala" can also mean "to lie down", "to rest", or "to sleep"
Shonarara
The word "rara" can also refer to "spread" in the sense of "spread news".
Somalijiifsaday
"Jiifsaday" also means "to lie" (as in, "to tell a falsehood") or "to be prone to" (as in, "be prone to illness")
Sesothobeha
In Sesotho, the word "beha" also means "to place".
Swahilikuweka
The Swahili word "kuweka" comes from the Proto-Bantu root "-*weka" meaning "to put, place, or deposit".
Xhosaulele
The Xhosa word 'ulele' can also mean 'to be exhausted' or 'to be lazy'.
Yorubadubulẹ
Dubule is related to the Yorùbá word "idubulẹ", used in the context of a sacrifice to the Oríṣà.
Zuluukubeka
The term originates from the act of placing a blanket on the floor to sleep.
Bambaraka da
Eweɖoe anyi
Kinyarwandalay
Lingalakotya
Luganda-biika
Sepediala
Twi (Akan)to hɔ

Lay in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicبسط
The word "بسط" is also used to mean "to spread" or "to enlarge". Its etymology, "بسط", means "to cover" in Arabic
Hebrewלְהַנִיחַ
The word "לְהַנִיחַ" originates from the root "נ-ו-ח" which refers to rest, peace, and comfort.
Pashtoکېښودل
The word "کېښودل" in Pashto also means "to insert" or "to place into something".
Arabicبسط
The word "بسط" is also used to mean "to spread" or "to enlarge". Its etymology, "بسط", means "to cover" in Arabic

Lay in Western European Languages

Albanian
The word "vë" can also mean "to put" or "to place" in Albanian.
Basqueetzan
The word "etzan" is also used in the Basque language to mean "to lie down" or "to stretch out."
Catalanestirar
The word "estirar" comes from the Latin "extendere", meaning "to stretch out or make longer" and can also mean "to stretch out or extend the arms or legs."
Croatianpoložiti
Položiti in Croatian can mean to lay something down, to give testimony, or to pass an exam.
Danishlægge
The Danish word "lægge" can also mean "to put", "to place", "to add", or "to bet".
Dutchleggen
The word "leggen" in Dutch has an alternate meaning of "to place" or "to put".
Englishlay
The word 'lay' can also mean 'to put or place something in a particular position'.
Frenchallonger
The word "allonger" in French also means "to lengthen" or "to extend."
Frisianlizze
The word "lizze" in Frisian can also refer to a type of flatbread or a lazy person.
Galicianlaico
In the Galician language, "laico" can also refer to a secular person or a member of the laity.
Germanlegen
Legen translates to "lie" or "put" in German and comes from the Old High German word "legen," meaning "to put down or place."
Icelandic
The Icelandic word "lá" can also refer to a type of traditional Icelandic bread made from oatmeal and whey.
Irishtuata
"Tuata" derives from Old Irish "tudchatha" (to fall), which also survives in "tuitim" (to fall) and "tuathal" (a tumble).
Italianposare
The Italian word "posare" also means "to pose", as in for a photograph.
Luxembourgishleeën
"Lay" is the present tense of "to lie" in English, but in Luxembourgish it means "to go" or "to put".
Maltesejistabbilixxu
"Jistabbilixxu" (lay) is derived from the Latin "stabilis," meaning "stable" or "firm."
Norwegianlegge
The Norwegian word “legge”, which can mean “to lay”, shares its etymological roots and meaning with “lag” (“law”) and “ligge” (“to lie down”).
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)deitar
The verb "deitar" in Portuguese has multiple meanings, including "to lie down", "to throw", and "to pour".
Scots Gaeliclaigh
The Scottish Gaelic word "laigh" also means "low" and can be used in the context of elevation.
Spanishlaico
Laico comes from the Late Latin term *laicus* and originally referred to the people of the Christian community who did not belong to the clergy.
Swedishlägga
The verb lägga also translates as 'put', and it can be used with several prepositions, such as 'i' (in) or 'på' (on).
Welshlleyg
The Welsh word 'lleyg' ('lay') also means 'secular' or 'non-clerical'.

Lay in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianляжаць
The word "ляжаць" can also mean "to lie" or "to be situated" in Belarusian.
Bosnianležao
"Ležao" can also be used to describe a lazy or idle person.
Bulgarianлежеше
The Bulgarian word "лежеше" (lay) comes from the Proto-Slavic word "ležati" (to lie down) and is still used in most Slavic languages.
Czechpoložit
The verb položit can also mean to put something on a surface.
Estonianlama
In addition to its meaning as a verb meaning "to lay," the word "lama" can be used as a noun to refer to a Tibetan Buddhist monk or as an interjection expressing disappointment.
Finnishmakaa
The Finnish word "makaa" also has additional meanings, including "to rest" or "to lie in repose."
Hungarianvilági
In a rare occurrence, the Hungarian word "világi" has separate etymologies for its literal and ecclesiastical meanings.
Latviangulēja
The Latvian word "gulēja" can also mean "to sleep" or "to rest".
Lithuaniangulėti
The word "gulėti" can also mean "to lie" in the sense of "to tell a lie".
Macedonianлежеше
The word "лежеше" is derived from the Proto-Slavic root "*legti", meaning "to lie down".
Polishkłaść
In Polish, the word "kłaść" also means "to put" or "to place", and is related to the word "położyć" which means "to put down".
Romanianîntinde
Întinde can also mean "spread" or "stretch", and comes from Latin "extendere" with the same meaning.
Russianзаложить
"Закладывать" in Russian has various meanings, including "to pawn", "to plan", "to embed", and "to build the foundation of a building".
Serbianлежао
The noun "лежај" also means "a den" or "a lair" in Serbian.
Slovakležať
The word 'ležať' in Slovak can also mean 'to rest' in the sense of taking a nap or break.
Slovenianležati
The stem of the word 'ležati' (lay) in Slovenian also appears in the name of a mythical Slavic serpent.
Ukrainianлежати
The word "лежати" can also mean "to be sick" or "to be in bed" in Ukrainian.

Lay in South Asian Languages

Bengaliপাড়া
In Bengali, the word "পাড়া" can also mean "side" or "edge", and is related to the Sanskrit word "Pada", meaning "foot".
Gujaratiમૂકે છે
"મૂકે છે" (lay) derives from the Latin word "locare" (to place), akin to "locus" (place)".}
Hindiलेज़
The word "लेज़" (lay) in Hindi is derived from the Sanskrit word "ली" (li), meaning "to adhere" or "to stick". In addition, "लेज़" can also mean "leisure" or "laziness", possibly due to its association with reclining or lying down.
Kannadaಲೇ
The word "ಲೇ" can also mean "to pour" or "to spread out" in Kannada.
Malayalamകിടന്നു
"കിടന്നു" can also mean to be in a position of rest, or to be situated in a particular place.
Marathiघालणे
The Marathi word "घालणे" can also refer to the act of putting on clothes, or to the act of pouring a liquid.
Nepaliबिछ्याउनु
"बिछ्याउनु" also means to spread out, to set, or to arrange (as in bedding, a table, etc.).
Punjabiਰੱਖਣ
In Punjabi, the verb "ਰੱਖਣ" also means "to store" or "to place" something in a specific location.
Sinhala (Sinhalese)ගිහි
The word “ගිහි” also means an adult householder or a lay person who has assumed responsibilities within a family, such as a husband or father.
Tamilலே
The Tamil word "லே" can also refer to the sound made by a bird, or an expression of surprise.
Teluguలే
The Telugu word "లే" (lay) can also mean "to write" or "to inscribe".
Urduلیٹ
The Urdu word "لیٹ" can also refer to a layer of material or a musical note.

Lay in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)躺下
"躺下" can also mean 'to be idle' or 'to be indolent'.
Chinese (Traditional)躺下
躺下 originally meant to place, or to lie oneself down, then gradually adopted the meaning of being recumbent.
Japanese横たわっていた
横たわっていた derives from 橫 (よこ) meaning "sideways" and 垂 (た)る meaning "to hang down. It can also carry the nuance of a "casual or lazy" way of doing something.
Korean위치
The word "위치" (lay) in Korean can also refer to the act of placing or arranging something in a place.
Mongolianхэвтэх
The Mongolian word "хэвтэх" can also mean "to place" or "to put".
Myanmar (Burmese)lay
In Burmese, "lay" can also mean "to speak or recite".

Lay in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianawam
Etymology: possibly from Malay, ultimately from Sanskrit "āgama" meaning "scripture"
Javaneselay
In Javanese,
Khmerដាក់
Another meaning of ដាក់ is 'to place something on top of something else, such as a book on a table or a cup on a shelf'.
Laoວາງ
The word "ວາງ" can also mean "to leave" or "to put down" in Lao.
Malayberbaring
The word "berbaring" in Malay can also mean "to lie down" or "to recline".
Thaiนอน
The word "นอน" also carries the alternate meaning of "to sleep", a semantic shift likely stemming from the action of laying oneself down to rest.
Vietnameseđặt nằm
The Vietnamese word "đặt nằm" can also mean "to place something flat" or "to put something to rest."
Filipino (Tagalog)maglatag

Lay in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaniyatmaq
The verb "yatmaq" in Azerbaijani also means "to fit" or "to be appropriate."
Kazakhжату
The term "жату" in Kazakh holds dual meanings, encompassing "to spread" and "to cover" depending on context.
Kyrgyzжатуу
"Жатуу" (to cut) derives from the same Proto-Turkic root as the German "schneiden" (to cut).
Tajikхобидан
Lay (khob) is also used in the sense of “place” and “put” in Persian.
Turkmenýat
Uzbekyotish
The Uzbek word "yotish" also has the meaning of "to come"}
Uyghurlay

Lay in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianmoe
Moe in Hawaiian can also mean "heavy" and is used to emphasize the weight of an object or an event.
Maoritakoto
In Maori, "takoto" can also refer to a resting place or a grave.
Samoantaoto
The word "taoto" can also denote "to stay" or "reside" (i.e., "taoto le fale": staying in the house).
Tagalog (Filipino)humiga
The Tagalog word "humiga" can also mean "to recline" or "to lie down."

Lay in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarauchaña
Guaranimoĩ

Lay in International Languages

Esperantokuŝi
"Kuŝi" also means "to be tired" or "to lie down" in Esperanto.
Latinlay
The Latin word "lay" can also mean "to sing" or "to play an instrument".

Lay in Others Languages

Greekλαϊκός
The word 'λαϊκός' is derived from the Greek word 'λαός', meaning 'people', and can also refer to a person who is not a member of the clergy.
Hmongnteg
The word "nteg" can also mean "to put down" or "to set down" in Hmong.
Kurdishdanîn
'Danîn' also means 'to put' and 'to place' in Kurdish.
Turkishyatmak
The Turkish word "yatmak" also has the meanings of "to go to bed" and "to lie down."
Xhosaulele
The Xhosa word 'ulele' can also mean 'to be exhausted' or 'to be lazy'.
Yiddishלייגן
"לייגן" can also mean "to tell" or "to speak" in Yiddish.
Zuluukubeka
The term originates from the act of placing a blanket on the floor to sleep.
Assameseস্থাপন কৰা
Aymarauchaña
Bhojpuriनकशा
Dhivehiއޮތުން
Dogriरक्खना
Filipino (Tagalog)maglatag
Guaranimoĩ
Ilocanoiyaplag
Kriole
Kurdish (Sorani)پاڵ کەوتن
Maithiliनीचू रखनाइ
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯇꯨꯝꯕ
Mizonghat
Oromolafa kaa'uu
Odia (Oriya)ଶଯ୍ୟା
Quechuachuray
Sanskritस्थापयति
Tatarята
Tigrinyaምውዳቕ
Tsongaandlala

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