Lay
/leɪ/noun
To place something down or to put someone or something in a position.
Did you know?Lay descends from a very old Germanic verb meaning “to place” and is not related to the noun lay (“song” or “story”), which comes from a different source entirely.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leǵ-
“to gather, collect, or place in order”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*lagjaną
“to lay, place, or set down”
Old English
OE
lecgan
“to lay down, place, or put”
Middle English
ME
layen
“to place, set, or cause to lie down”
Modern English
English
lay
“to place something down”