Layman
/ˈleɪ.mən/noun
A non-ordained person, especially a non-expert in a field.
Did you know?In medieval English, a layman was a person of the laity—literally someone outside the clergy—so the word’s power comes from a sharp social divide between the sacred and the secular.
Etymological Timeline
Late Latin
Latin
laicus
“of the people; not clerical”
Ancient Greek
Greek
laikos
“of the people, common”
Early Christian Latin
Latin
laicus
“a person not in holy orders”
Old English
Old English
lǣwede
“unlearned, not clerical, lay”
Middle English
English
lay man
“a non-cleric; a person outside the Church”
Modern English
English
layman
“a non-ordained person or non-expert”