Standard Lemma guide

laity

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American, UK: /ˈleɪ.ə.ti/
  • General-American, UK: /ˈleɪ.ɪ.ti/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪɪti
  • CMU ARPABET: L EY1 AH0 T IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

People of a church who are not ordained clergy or clerics.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: congregation, flock, fold

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The common man or woman.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The unlearned, untrained or ignorant.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

in Christianity, members of a religious community that do not have the priestly responsibilities of ordained clergy

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: temporalty

Antonyms: clergy

Broader terms: multitude, masses, mass, hoi polloi, people, the great unwashed

History

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman laite, from Latin laitas, from Ancient Greek λαός (laós, “people”).

Across languages

Translations

15 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: миряни (mirjani) — people of a church who are not ordained
  • Czech: laikové — people of a church who are not ordained
  • Finnish: maallikko — people of a church who are not ordained
  • French: laïcat — people of a church who are not ordained
  • German: Laie — people of a church who are not ordained
  • Greek: αμύητοι (amýitoi) — people of a church who are not ordained
  • Irish: an tuath — people of a church who are not ordained
  • Irish: na tuataí — people of a church who are not ordained
  • Macedonian: мирјани (mirjani) — people of a church who are not ordained
  • Manx: yn theay — people of a church who are not ordained
  • Māori: hunga reimana — people of a church who are not ordained
  • Polish: laikat — people of a church who are not ordained
  • Russian: миря́не (mirjáne) — people of a church who are not ordained
  • Spanish: laico — people of a church who are not ordained
  • Vietnamese: giáo dân — people of a church who are not ordained