| 释义 |
▪ I. lie, n.1|laɪ|
Forms: 1 lyᵹe, liᵹe, 3–4 leȝe, leye, lighe, liyhe (pl. leis), 3–5 legh(e, 4 lyȝe, 4–8 lye, 5– 6, 9 (Sc. and north. dial.) lee (pl. lees, 6 leis), 5 le, 5, 7 ly, 6 Sc. ley, 4– lie.
[OE. lyᵹe str. masc. = OHG. lug (MHG. luc, inflected lug-; mod.G. lug):—OTeut. type *lugi-z, f. *lug- wk.-grade of *leug-, OE. léoᵹan: see lie v.2 Cf. the synonymous OHG. lugîn fem. (MHG., mod.G. lüge), ON. lygi fem. The formal identity between the n. and the vb. is a result of convergent sound-change. In northern dialects the plural lees is liable to confusion with lease n.2]
1. a. An act or instance of lying; a false statement made with intent to deceive; a criminal falsehood. Phrase, to tell († formerly to make) a lie. † Also, without lie, no lie, truly (often as an expletive in ME. poetry; cf. without fable).
In mod. use, the word is normally a violent expression of moral reprobation, which in polite conversation tends to be avoided, the synonyms falsehood and untruth being often substituted as relatively euphemistic.
c900tr. Bæda's Hist. iii. xiv. [xix.] (1890) 212 An is ærest lyᵹes [v.r. liᵹes] fyr [L. unum (sc. ignem) mendacii]. a1000Cædmon's Christ & Satan 53 (Gr.-Wülk. II. 525) Þu us ᵹelær⁓dæst þurh lyᵹe ðinne. a1300E.E. Psalter v. 7 That lighe [MS. Harl. liyhe] spekes leses tou mare and lesse. Ibid. lviii. 13 Of legh, and of cursinge, Sal þai be schewed in endinge. a1300Cursor M. 13941 (Cott.) Sal yee na leis here o mi toth. c1300Havelok 2117 Mo þan an hundred, with-uten leye. c1330R. Brunne Chron. (Rolls) 10587 Of Arthure ys seid many selcouþ..Al ys nougt soþ, ne nought al lye. a1340Hampole Psalter xxvi. 18 A wicked spekere delited is in his leghe. 13..E.E. Allit. P. A. 304 Much to blame..Þat louez [read leuez] oure lorde wolde make a lyȝe. c1385Chaucer L.G.W. Prol. 12 Men schal nat wenyn euery thyng a lye For that he say it nat of ȝore a-go. c1400Destr. Troy 12594 Thies foure in hor falshode had forget a lie. c1470Harding Chron. vii. vii, Iubiter gate Dardanus no lee. 1500–20Dunbar Poems lix. 13 [Who] in my name all leis recordis. a1533Ld. Berners Huon xlvi. 155 Oberon neuer as yet made any lye to you. 1596Shakes. Merch. V. iii. iv. 74 And twentie of these punie lies Ile tell. a1618Raleigh Mahomet (1637) 146 He was never known to make a Ly. a1651Calderwood Hist. Kirk (1843) II. 153 They doe receave but the lees of men for the truthe of God. 1651Hobbes Leviath. i. xi. 51 Able to make a man both to believe lyes, and tell them. 1727De Foe Hist. Appar. i. (1840) 11 Sarah was the first..that ever told God a lie to his face. a1764Lloyd Ep. to C. Churchill Poet. Wks. 1774 I. 88 Shrewd Suspicion..To truth declar'd, prefers a whisper'd lye. 1791Boswell Johnson an. 1781 (1848) 670/1 Johnson had accustomed himself to use the word lie, to express a mistake or an errour in relation..though the relater did not mean to deceive. 1796Nelson 24 July in Nicolas Disp. (1846) VII. xciii, The lie of the day is, that Archduke Charles has requested an Armistice, which the French General positively refused. 1816Scott Antiq. xxi, For they were queer hands the monks, unless mony lees is made on them. 1820Coleridge Lett., Convers., etc. I. 119, I am almost inclined to reverse the proverb and say ‘What every one says must be a lie’. 1879Froude Cæsar xx. 339 It was perhaps a lie invented by political malignity.
b. white lie: a consciously untrue statement which is not considered criminal; a falsehood rendered venial or praiseworthy by its motive.
1741in Gentl. Mag. XI. 647 A certain Lady of the highest Quality..makes a judicious Distinction between a white Lie and a black Lie. A white Lie is That which is not intended to injure any Body in his Fortune, Interest, or Reputation but only to gratify a garrulous Disposition and the Itch of amusing People by telling Them wonderful Stories. 1785Paley Mor. Philos. (1818) I. 187 White lies always introduce others of a darker complexion. 1833Marryat P. Simple xxxiv, All lies disgrace a gentleman, white or black. 1857C. Reade (title) White Lies.
c. transf. Something grossly deceptive; an imposture.
1560Bible (Geneva) Ps. lxii. 9 Yet the children of men are vanitie, the chief men are lies [1611 men of high degree are a lie]. 1649Bp. Reynolds Hosea iv. 59 The very formality of an Idol is to be a lye, to stand for that which it is not. 1749Fielding Tom Jones xi. v, How is it possible for a Man to maintain a constant Lie in his Appearance [etc.]? 1842Miall in Nonconf. II. 177 Homage the most indirect paid to the state church is..the worship of a lie. 1851Ruskin Stones Ven. (1874) I. i. 28 The sculptor of this base and senseless lie [the Vendramin statue].
2. a. to give the lie (to): to accuse (a person) to his face of lying. Also transf. of facts, actions, etc.: to prove the falsity of, to contradict (appearances, professions).
1593R. Bancroft Daung. Posit. i. iii. 13 They gaue the Queene the lie. 1599H. Buttes Dyets drie Dinner C ij, Though Galen saith,..yet experience gives him the lye. 1610Shakes. Temp. iii. ii. 85 Giue me the lye another time. c1600Raleigh The Farewell 6 Go, since I needs must die, And give them all the lie. 1638Baker tr. Balzac's Lett. (vol. II.) 83 Tertullian..therein gives the lie to all antiquitie. 1711Addison Spect. No. 99 ⁋7 The great Violation of the Point of Honour from Man to Man, is giving the Lye. 1768W. Donaldson Life Sir B. Sapskull II. 110 She gave him the lie for his civility, by assuring him she eat very hearty. 1805T. Lindley Voy. Brasil (1808) 115 Replies..that nearly gave the lie to his pretended superior knowledge. 1823Scott Quentin D. xxvi, Francis the First, and the Emperor Charles, gave each other the lie direct. 1856Reade Never too Late xxiv, Am I to understand that you give Mr. Hawes the lie?
b. Hence occas. the lie is used for: The action of giving the lie; the charge of falsehood.
1593Shakes. Rich. II, iv. i. 66 That Lye, shall lie so heauy on my Sword, That [etc.]. 1600Rowlands Lett. Humours Blood iii. 61 Astronomers..By common censure somtimes meete the lie. 1705Hickeringill Priest-cr. i. (1721) 17 The other gives him the Lye..and follows his Lye with a Stab. 1732Berkeley Alciphr. iii. §2 He abhors to take the Lye but not to tell it.
3. attrib. and Comb.; chiefly objective, as in lie-giving, lie-hater, lie-monger, lie-teller, lie-writer; lie-consuming adj.; † lie-bill nonce-wd., a distortion of libel n.; lie-detector orig. U.S., an instrument intended to indicate when a person is lying by detecting changes in his physiological characteristics; lie-tea, said to be a transl. of the name given by the Chinese to teas coloured for the European market.
1620Melton Astrolog. 61 Pasquil and Morphirius, on whose brests were written no *Lie-Bills, as the Popes called them, but True-Bills of their villanies.
1822Shelley Hellas 985 Thy *lie-consuming mirror.
1909C. E. Walk Yellow Circle iv. 69 It is a *lie detector... You set some wheels going. 1922Rep. 45th Ann. Meeting Amer. Bar Assoc. 619 (heading) The Berkeley Lie Detector and other deception tests. 1933PMLA XLVIII. 609 These views lead to such revolting pseudo-scientific nonsense as the use..of a lie detector apparatus in order to convict defendants. 1962[see galvanic a. a]. 1971Daily Tel. 28 July 4/8 About 30 employees..have been given lie-detector tests in the fight against pilfering. It is believed to be the first use of ‘polygraph interviews’, as the tests are called, in New York shops. 1974‘A. Garve’ File on Lester ii. 9 When a politician talks of frankness most voters reach for their lie-detectors.
1848Thackeray Bk. Snobs xxxix, *Lie-givings, challenges, retractations.
1900York Powell in St. George III. 66 We at least will be a people of truth-lovers and *lie-haters.
1830James Darnley xxxiv, The tales that were circulated by the *liemongers of the court.
1876A. H. Hassall Food 114 This article has received the name of ‘*lie-tea’ because it is spurious, and for the most part, not tea at all.
1552Huloet, *Lye teller, or liynge knaue or queane. a1641Bp. R. Montagu Acts & Mon. (1642) 215 The end and purpose of the lye-teller.
1863N. & Q. 3rd Ser. III. 300 We would advise him to give more attention to the contemporary libellers and *lie-writers.
Sense 3 in Dict. becomes 4. Add: 3. In weakened or non-pejorative sense: an anecdote, tale, ‘tall story’. lie and story, gossip. orig. and chiefly Black English.
1934Z. N. Hurston Jonah's Gourd Vine vi. 105 Y'all wanta heah some lies? 1935Z. N. Hurston Mules & Men i. ii. 37 ‘Zora,..you come to the right place if lies is what you want. Ah'm gointer lie up a nation.’... It was a hilarious night with a pinch of everything social mixed with the story-telling. 1943Cassidy & Le Page Dict. Jamaican Eng. (1967) 274/2 Lie an story, gossip. 1950L. Bennett et al. Anancy Stories & Dial. Verse 33 Him start fe carry lie and story between dem and start big kas-kas. 1960P. Oliver Blues fell this Morning vi. 152 When there is nothing else to do he joins his fellows to tell ‘lies’. 1966D. J. Crowley I could talk Old-Story Good ii. 14 The narrators themselves refer to a tale as ‘a wonderful lie’, but they mean to indicate a work of the imagination rather than an untruth. 1977in J. L. Dillard Lexicon Black Eng. viii. 139 Sometimes the joke, or the lie told, makes up the better part of the occasion.
▪ II. lie, n.2|laɪ|
Also 7 lye.
[f. lie v.1]
1. a. Manner of lying; direction or position in which something lies; direction and amount of slope or inclination. Also fig. the state, position, or aspect (of affairs, etc.). Phr. the lie of the land.
1697Collect. Connect. Hist. Soc. (1897) VI. 248 Nott to alter the proper lye of the Land. 1843Ruskin Mod. Paint. (1851) I. ii. vi. i. §30. 399 The general lie and disposition of the boughs. 1849J. F. W. Johnston Exper. Agric. 101 On what geological formation the land rests—its physical position or lie. 1850J. H. Newman Diffic. Anglic. 325 To map out the field of thought..and to ascertain its lie and its characteristics. 1862Trollope N. Amer. II. 2 Washington, from the lie of the land, can hardly have been said to be centrical at any time. 1865Carlyle Fredk. Gt. xx. iii. (1872) IX. 44 Friedrich understands well enough..from the lie of matters, what his plan will be. 1894Baring-Gould Deserts S. France I. 15 The horizontal lie of the chalk beds. 1894Besant In Deacon's Orders 83 The lie of his hair, his pose [etc.]. 1950E. H. Gombrich Story of Art 1 To show the newcomer the lie of the land without confusing him with details. 1956M. Lowry Let. 13 Nov. (1967) 392 If anyone is to blame it is I, for not giving you the lie of the land before. 1966D. Varaday Gara-Yaka's Domain xi. 123 The quick powers of grasping a situation with which all game are endowed, showed themselves in the speedy summing-up by the leading boar, as he got the lie of the land.
b. Golf. (a) ‘The inclination of a club when held on the ground in the natural position for striking’. (b) ‘The situation of a ball—good or bad’. (Badm. Libr., Golf Gloss.)
1857H. B. Farnie Golfer's Manual in Golfiana Misc. (1887) 126 The precise lie [of the ball] it [the niblick] is intended for so seldom occurs. Ibid. 141 The lie of these spoons should be rather upright. 1887W. G. Simpson Art Golf 152 From a bad lie it is the only way I know of to loft a ball. 1890Hutchinson Golf 58 An important consideration is the ‘lie’ of the driving club.
2. concr. A mass that lies; a stratum, layer.
a1728Woodward Nat. Hist. Fossils i. (1729) I. 12 Not in regular orderly Strata..as Stone-lies, and various sorts of Earth which are in their original State. 1865Swinburne Phaedra 153 The heifer..sleek under shaggy and speckled lies of hair.
3. The place where an animal, etc. is accustomed to lie; to haunt. Also, room for lying.
1869Blackmore Lorna D. vii, There were very fine loaches here, having more lie and harbourage than in the rough Lynn stream. 1886Q. Rev. Oct. 359 note, At other times he [a salmon] is usually resting in his ‘stand’ or ‘lie’. 1888Rider Haggard Maiwa's Rev. i. 2 A long narrow spinney which was a very favourite ‘lie’ for woodcock.
4. Railways. ‘A siding or short offset from the main line, into which trucks may be run for the purpose of loading and unloading’ (Cent. Dict.). (See also lye n.2)
5. A period of resting or lying (esp. in bed). See also lie-down, -in, -up below.
1930L. Cooper Ship of Truth i. 30 Sunday was their one chance of a long lie. 1938D. du Maurier Rebecca xvii. 271 Have a good long lie tomorrow morning. Don't attempt to get up.
6. lie-about, an idle person, one of no fixed occupation, a disreputable ‘character’; = layabout; lie-down colloq., a rest (on a bed, etc.); a form of protest in which the participants lie on the ground and refuse to move; lie-in colloq. = sense 5; also, as a form of protest, = prec.; lie-up, the fact of lying inactive in a place.
1937M. Allingham Dancers in Mourning ii. 27 He took out a wallet which would have disgraced a lie-about. 1956Daily Mail 26 Apr. 1/1 They are called champions of the prize ring but on Tuesday they appeared as two fat and horizontal lie-abouts. 1961Guardian 27 Jan. 9/4 This former lie-about has got himself married.
1840H. Mozley Let. 13 Oct. in D. Mozley Newman Family Lett. (1962) 93, I should be very glad of a lie down but cannot. 1850C. Kingsley Alton Locke I. v. 80 You must keep moving all night..or else you goes to a twopenny-rope shop and gets a lie down. 1919W. S. Maugham Moon & Sixpence xlvii. 202 When..we hadn't even got the price of a lie down at the Chink's, he'd be as lively as a cricket. 1928St. John Ervine Four One-Act Plays 65 Yes, Aggie, you go an' 'ave a lie-down, see, and you'll be all right. 1936Time 7 Dec., Second Sit-Down, Lie-Down... Twelve women and forty-five men, picketing the Berkshire Knitting Mills in Reading, Pennsylvania, by lying flat on its ice-covered front walk..were arrested. 1970D. Balsdon Oxf. Then & Now iii. v. 114 It is..the small body of demonstrators with whom we are here concerned—in particular the sit-down or lie-down to impede the Vice-Chancellor and Proctors in the exercise of their proper duties on November 5th, 1968. 1974M. Birmingham You can help Me ii. 43, I won't risk our clients to you in your concussed state... Why don't you go and have a little lie-down?
1867T. Wright Some Habits Working Classes iii. 206 The luxury of ‘a long lie in’, is the earliest and most universal of the delights of a working man's Sunday. 1916‘Taffrail’ Pincher Martin xvi. 300 Lucky dogs!.. You've got a lie in. I envy you. This is a night for poor old Peter to be at sea. 1932C. L. Morgan Fountain ii. iv. 120 He left orders you was both to have a lie-in this morning. 1959G. Freeman Jack would be Gent. ix. 192 I'm going to 'ave a bit of a lie in..seeing I'm on 'oliday. 1964Tuscaloosa (Alabama) News 20 Apr. 1/8 The reported demonstration plans grew—from an auto stall-in on access roads to the fair to sit-ins, lie-ins and alike on other major highways, bridges and in tunnels throughout the city. 1971Time 27 Dec. 40 Last week pollution protesters staged a lie-in at government offices in Tokyo.
1908J. W. Tyrrell Across Sub-Arctics of Canada (ed. 3) 222 The two hundred mile tramp..had hardened our muscles so much that, with the ten days' ‘lie-up’ on the bank of the Nelson River,..we were now in first-class walking trim. 1926Blackw. Mag. Dec. 850/2 We settled ourselves down for a happy four months of ‘lie-up’.
▪ III. † lie, a.1 Obs.
[OE. lyᵹe, cogn. w. lyᵹe lie n.1]
Lying, false.
c975Rushw. Gosp. Matt. xxvi. 60 Moniᵹe lyᵹe ᵹewitu. c1290S. Eng. Leg. I. 319/688 Hinderful and of bost I-nouȝ, hardi and ofte lie.
▪ IV. lie, v.1|laɪ|
Forms and inflexions: see below.
[A Com. Teut. str. vb.: OE. licgan = OFris. liga, lidsa, lidzia, OS. liggian (Du., LG. liggen), OHG. and MHG. liggen, licken, ligen (mod.G. liegen), ON. liggia (Sw. ligga, Da. ligge), Goth. ligan:—OTeut. *ligjan (the Goth. ligan is abnormal), f. Teut. root *leg- (:lag-:lǣg-):—West Aryan *legh- (:logh-:lēgh-) to lie; cf. Gr. λέχος bed, ἄλοχος bedfellow, wife, λόχος lying in wait, ambush, L. lectus bed, OSl. ležati to lie.
As in OTeut. *sitjan sit v., the present-stem has a j suffix, though the pa. tense and pa. pple. are strong. In WGer. and consequently in OE., the pres.-stem has two forms, due to the diversity in the phonetic character of the flexional suffixes: (1) The WGer. lig-, OE. liᵹ-, appears in the 2nd and 3rd pers. sing. pres. ind. and the sing. imp., and is the source of the mod.Eng. lie; (2) the WGer. ligg-, OE. licᵹ-, appears in the inf., the 1st pers. sing. and the pl. pres. ind., the pres. subj., and the pl. imp.; it is represented in mod. northern dialects by lig; the southern lidge has been found only in the Wexford dialect, though the ME. ligge in southern texts can only represent the pronunciation |lɪdʒə|.]
A. Inflexional Forms.
1. inf. lie. Forms: α1 licgan, licgean, Northumb. licga, 2 liggan, 2–5 ligge-n, 3 ligen, luggen |y|, 4–5 lyge, lygge, 4–6 (7–9 dial.) lig, ligg, 5 ligyn, lyggyn, lyg, lyegge. β2 lien, 3 liᵹen, 3 lin, 4 lii, lij, li, lyen, (? erron. ley-n, leȝe, lai), 4–5 lyn(e, lyȝe, 4–8 ly, 4–9 lye, 5 liyn, lyyn, lyin, 4– lie. See also lig v.
α Beowulf 3082 (Gr.) Lete hyne licgean, þær he longe wæs. c1160Hatton Gosp. John v. 6 Þa se hælend ᵹe-seah þisne liggan. c1175Lamb. Hom. 79 Ho..letten hine liggen half quic. c1205Lay. 22836 Þer he scal liggen [c 1275 luggen]. a1275Prov. ælfred 467 in O.E. Misc. 131 He sal ligen long anicht. a1275Death 118 ibid. 174 Nu þu schalt wrecche liggen ful stille. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 3169 He bad him ligge and slepe wel. a1300Cursor M. 5309, I will me lig to dei. a1340Hampole Psalter v. 4, I sall noght lige in fleschy lustis. c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) xxv. 118 Whare þe emperour schall ligge on þe morue. 1425Ord. Whittington's Alms-house in Entick London (1766) IV. 354 A..little house..in which he shall lyegge and rest. c1440[see β]. 1483Cath. Angl. 216/1 To Lyg in wayte. 1579Spenser Sheph. Cal. Sept. 254 There mayst thou ligge in a vetchy bed. 1651Randolph, etc. Hey for Honesty iii. i. Wks. (1875) 431 Liggen in strommel. a1652Brome Eng. Moor i. iii. Wks. (1873) II. 13 Make thy bed fine and soft I'le lig with thee. 1674Ray N.C. Words 30 To Lig: to lye, Var. Dial.
β1154O.E. Chron. an. 1137 (Laud MS.) He ne myhte..ne sitten ne lien ne slepen. c1200Ormin 6020, & nile he nohht tærinne lin. a1300Cursor M. 3778 (Cott.) He..þar-on laid his hefd to li [Fairf. ly]. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints vii. (Jacobus minor) 482, & þare wele foure dais can þai ley but met & drink. 1382Wyclif Isa. xi. 6 The parde with the kide shal leyn. c1400Lanfranc's Cirurg. 68, I lete it lie still. 1426Lydg. De Guil. Pilgr. 13554 Lat hym lyn a whyle stylle. c1440Promp. Parv. 304/2 Lyyn or lyggyn (K. lyin or ligyn), jaceo. 1480Caxton Chron. Eng. ccxlii. 277 They..charged hym to lye still. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. ix. II. 446 He might lie many years in a prison.
2. ind. pres.
a. 1st pers. sing. lie. Forms: α1 licge, 3–4 ligge, 4–6 (7– 9 dial.) lig, 5 lige. β4 liy, 4–9 lye, 6 ly, 4– lie.
a1240Lofsong in Cott. Hom. 211 Ase ich ligge lowe. c1275Lay. 14137 Ihc ligge faste bi-clused in on castle. a1300–1400Cursor M. 3612 (Gött.) Here..i liy [other texts lig, lye] in bed of care. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. v. 417, I..ligge abedde in lenten. 1432Test. Ebor. II. 22, j matres yt I lige on. 1530Palsgr. 610/1, I lye a bedde. c1586C'tess Pembroke Ps. lvii. i, On thee I ly. 1688Levinz in Keble Life Bp. Wilson iii. (1863) 99 When I lye under the confinement of my melancholy retreat. 1719D'Urfey Pills (1872) II. 148 Thinking that I lig so nigh. 1801R. Anderson Cumb. Ball. 17 At neet I lig me down. 1802Coleridge Ode to Rain 5 O Rain! that I lie listening to.
b. 2nd pers. sing. liest |ˈlaɪɪst|. Forms: α1 liᵹest, liᵹst, líst, 3–5 list, lyst, 4–9 lyest, 6–7 ly'st, 4– liest. Also north. 4 lyis, 5 lise, lyes. β5 lyggest, lyggyst.
a1000Cædmon's Gen. 734 (Gr.) Þær þu ᵹebunden liᵹst. c1000ælfric Josh. vii. 10 Aris nu..hwi list ðu neowel on eorþan. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 103 Wi list þu turnd on þe eorðe? a1275Death 84 in O.E. Misc. 172 Nu þu list [v.r. lyst] on bere. c1386Chaucer Manciple's T. 172 Now listow deed [v.rr. lyst thow, liest thou, lyes thou]. c1450Cov. Myst. (Shaks. Soc.) 159 Heyl, Lord over lordys, that lyggyst ful lowe. 1470–85Malory Arthur xxi. ii, Here now thow lyggest. 1596Shakes. Tam. Shr. v. ii. 151 Whil'st thou ly'st warme at home. 1671Milton Samson 1663 Thou..now ly'st victorious Among thy slain. 1877C. Patmore Unknown Eros i. ix. (Eurydice), Where..On pallet poor Thou lyest, stricken sick.
c. 3rd pers. sing. lies |laɪz|. Forms: α1 liᵹeþ, liᵹþ, líþ, 2–5 liþ, 3 liᵹið, 3–6 lyth, 4 lyþe, leiþ, lyhth, liȝth, lyȝt, liht, 4–5 lijth, lithe, 4– 6 lythe, 4–7 lyeth, 5–6 lyith, 3– (now arch.) lieth. Also (with ending orig. north.) 1 liᵹes, 4 lyse, lijs, 4–5 lis(e, 4–6 liis, 4–8 lyes, 5–6 lyis, lyese, 6 Sc. lysz, lisz, lyisz, 4– lies. β2–6 liggeþ, -eth, 4–5 liggith. Also 4 liggus, 4–5 ligus, -es, lygges, -ys, -ez, 5 ligis, 6 (7–9 dial.) lig(g)s.
αa900O.E. Chron. an. 893 (Parker MS.) Seo ea..lið ut of þæm wealda. c950Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. viii. 6 Cnaeht min liᵹes in hus eorð-cryppel. a1100O.E. Chron. an. 675 (Laud MS.) Medeshamstede..& eal þ̶ þær to liggeð. Ibid. an. 792 His lic liᵹð æt Tinan muþe. c1220Bestiary 24 Ðanne he lieð to slepen. c1250Gen. & Ex. 889 In ðe weie ðe liȝið to salem. a1300Cursor M. 2117 Þis land lies mast vnto þe south. 1362Langl. P. Pl. A. i. 115 Lucifer louwest liȝth of hem alle. c1369Chaucer Dethe Blaunche 181 A-wake..who lyeth there [v.rr. lythe, liþe]. 1382Wyclif Matt. viii. 6 My child lyeth [v.r. liggeth, 1388 lijth]..sike. c1400Destr. Troy 5369 Teutra..here in tombe lis. c1425Hampole's Psalter Metr. Pref. 26 This same sauter..is þe self..That lyȝt at hampole. c1475Rauf Coilȝear 246, I haue na knawledge quhair the Court lyis. 1533Gau Richt Vay 84 To say..that thair lisz mair pardone to ony oder prayer. c1560A. Scott Poems (S.T.S.) iv. 76 Sum can nocht keip hir gap Fra lansing, as scho lyiss. 1579Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 86 As much as in me lyeth. 1611Bible Neh. ii. 3 When the city..lyeth waste. 1660Barrow Euclid i. xxvi, That side which lyeth betwixt the equal angles. 1666Milton 2nd Epit. University Carrier 1 Here lieth one who [etc.]. 1675Earl of Essex Lett. (1770) 88 That part of the town which..lyes to the water. 1711Hearne Collect. (O.H.S.) III. 133 His skill indeed chiefly lyes in Coyns.
βa1300Cursor M. 2033 Þi fader slepand..Liggus [Gött. lis, Fairf. lyse, Trin. liþ] here-oute. 13..E.E. Allit. P. B. 1792 A dogge..þat in a dych lygges. a1400–50Alexander 5173 A cabayne quare þe kyng liggis. c1460Towneley Plays ii. 220 Gif hym that that ligis thore. 1597Tofte Laura in Arb. Garner VIII. 298 Ah, happy thrice, that ligs in love with thee! 1605Camden Rem., Epitaphs 59 Iohn Bell broken-brow Ligs vnder this stean. a1774Fergusson Hallowfair Poems (1845) 15 When Phœbus ligs in Thetis' lap. 1849James Woodman xxxix, I can find out for him where liggs the pretty lass. 1865S. Evans Bro. Fabian 52 Bold Robin he liggeth here.
d. pl. lie. Forms: α1 licgaþ, licgeaþ, 2–3 liggeð, 4 liggiþ, 2–4 (6 arch.) liggen, 5 liggyn, 4 ligge, 5 lygge. Also north. 4 ligges, 5 liggez, liggis. β2–4 lien, 2–3 lin, 4–6 lyen, 5 lyȝn, lyun, 4–9 ly(e, 4– lie. Also north. 4 lijs, Sc. 4–6 lyis, lyes.
αa1000Andreas 1426 (Gr.) Licgað æfter lande loccas todrifene. c1175Lamb. Hom. 49 We liggeð in heueð sunnen. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 6355 Þere hii liggeþ. a1300Cursor M. 25965 Al ur sin þat we..ligges in [Fairf. lien]. 1362Langl. P. Pl. A. ii. 105 Thei liggen to-gedere. 1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) I. 403 They..Stondeþ, sitteþ, liggeþ, and slepeþ. Ibid. II. 193 Þey ligge [Caxton lygge] vpriȝt. a1400–50Alexander 772* Þar liggez lymmes of laddes. Ibid. 4845 Þai seȝe doun sodanly slane of þaire blonkis..& in þe strete liggis. 1486Bk. St. Albans E vij b, The Forchers that liggyn euen between The ij theys of the beest. 1579Spenser Sheph. Cal. May 217 Many wyld beastes liggen in waite.
βa1100O.E. Chron. an. 963 (Laud MS.) Ealle þa þorpes þe ðærto lin. 1154Ibid. an. 1137 Þe landes þe lien to þe circe wican. c1230Hali Meid. 3 Al þat bitter bale þat ter lieð under. a1300Cursor M. 5340 Þar lijs [Fairf. lyes] our heldres. c1350Will. Palerne 2266 In caue þei lyen, & slepen samen y-fere. c1374Chaucer Compl. Mars 5 Ye lovers that lye [v.r. ben] in eny drede. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints xiv. (Lucas) 80, & ger thame ryse þat lyis law. c1400Mandeville (1839) xxiv. 255 Thei lyȝn in Tentes. c1400Destr. Troy 7966 Þe grekes, þat on oure ground lyun. 1448in Willis & Clark Cambridge (1886) II. 8 All the bemes that lyen by hemself. 1513Bradshaw St. Werburge i. 284 Whiche Ladyes were buryed..and now there lyen in shryne. 1596Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. I. 54 Sum monstruous gret amang thame lyis to the cost of Carrik. Ibid. 148 In tyme of neid lyes the Pechtis abak wt thair supporte. c1614Sir W. Mure Dido & æ. i. 101 Troy..Whose ruines poore, which low in ashes lye. 1711J. Greenwood Eng. Gram. 197 Place and Things that ly upward. 1756–7tr. Keysler's Trav. (1760) III. 104 Here lie the remains of Giacomo Sanseverini. 1808A. Parsons Trav. i. 12 Pebbles, which have been dug up..and now lye in heaps.
3. ind. pa. lay |leɪ|. Forms: α(strong) 1st and 3rd pers. sing. 1 læᵹ, læiᵹ, 2 læi, 2–3 lei, 2–4 lai, leie, 3 læi(ȝ)e, leai, leiȝe, Ormin laȝȝ, 3–6 laie, 4 leȝ, leye, 4–5 leyȝe, leghe, 4–6 Sc. la, 4–7 ley, (5 lye, leȝe), 5–6 laye, 3– lay. 2nd pers. 1 lǽᵹe, 3 læiȝe, 3–4 lay, lai, etc.; 7 laist, 9 lay'st. pl. 1 lǽᵹon, láᵹon, Northumb. léᵹon, 3–4 leien, laien, leiȝen, etc.; also 3– uninflected. β(weak) 6–7 dial., 8–9 arch. ligged, 6 Sc. liggit, 9 lied, dial. lig'd.
α Beowulf 1532 (Gr.) Hit on eorðan læᵹ. c950Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. ix. 36 Leᵹon suæ scip næfdon hiorde. 11..O.E. Chron. an. 1052 (Cotton MS.) Þætte on Sandwic læiᵹ. c1160Hatton Gosp. Mark ii. 4 Þæt bed þe se lame on laiȝ. c1200Ormin 3692 He laȝȝ..i cribbe. c1205Lay. 5030 Þa wombe þe þu læie inne swa longe. Ibid. 9766 Vaspasien mid his monnen læiȝe [c 1275 lay] at Exchæstre. c1220Bestiary 42 In a ston stille he lai til it kam ðe dridde dai. a1275Passion Lord 195 in O.E. Misc. 42 Þe Gywes vp asturte þat leyen in þe grunde. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 3830 Boþe stede & king leye sone atte grounde. a1300Cursor M. 10571 Þar efterson þai samen lai. Ibid. 23500 Quat þou did and in credel lai [other texts lay]. 13..Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 2006 Þe leude lystened ful wel, þat leȝ in his bedde. 13..E.E. Allit. P. A. 214 Her fax..On schylderez þat leghe. 1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) V. 107 His body lay in þe streete..unburied. c1400Destr. Troy 8243 The ladies o lofte leghen to waite. c1420Chron. Vilod. 4459 (Horstm.) He lye euery-presonede stylle in þat castelle. a1548Hall Chron., Hen. VI, 173 b, His seignorie and power laie in those partes. 1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 57 b, His Purse..laye upon his bed. 1596Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. ix. 86 To ly hidd as he la. 1671Milton P.R. i. 247 The Manger where thou lais't. 1749Fielding Tom Jones xviii. vi, I lay Seven years in Winchester jail. 1847L. Hunt Jar Honey x. (1848) 131 Sicily lay at our feet.
β1560Rolland Crt. Venus i. 56 Behind the Bus..I liggit law. a1641Bp. R. Montagu Acts & Mon. (1642) 456 Their Cels and Commoratories where they ligged. 1748Thomson Cast. Indol. 595 Here whilom ligg'd th' Esopus of the age. 1813T. Busby tr. Lucretius I. Dissert. 14 Bright eminences and fertile vallies lied in his way. Ibid. vi. Comm. 25 Those who, by death or desertion, were deprived of their friends and domestics, lied unburied in their houses. 1879E. Arnold Lt. Asia iii. 2 In which calm home of happy life and love Ligged our Lord Buddha.
4. subj. pres. lie. Forms: 1 licge, 3–4 ligge, 4 lyg, ligg, 6 lig, 6–7 ly(e, 5– lie.
c1000Laws of Wihtræd c. 25 (Schmid) Licge butan wyr⁓ᵹelde. a1225Ancr. R. 424 Nenne mon ne leten heo in..ne ne ligge ute. 1340Hampole Pr. Consc. 3507 If any fal in dedly syn Ryse he up, and ligg noght lang þar-in. c1374Chaucer Troylus v. 411 If þow þus ligge a day or two or þre. c1375Lay Folks Mass Bk. (MS. B.) 593 Wheþer we ryde, or be goande, lyg, or sitt. c1449Pecock Repr. ii. xx. 272 That he lie with the lord in oon bed. 1508Dunbar Tua mariit wemen 500 That he be lost or with me lig. 1596Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. I. 31 How lang saevir the frost ly. 1596Shakes. Merch. V. ii. vii. 61 If my forme lye there.
5. subj. pa. lay |leɪ|. Forms: 1 lǽᵹe, (pl. lǽᵹen), 3 leie, læie, 3–4 leye, 4 laye, 5 leyȝe, 7 ley (etc., as in pa. ind.), 5– lay.
c893K. ælfred Oros. i. i. §14 He sæde þæt he..wolde fandian hu longe þæt land norþryhte læᵹe. a1175Lamb. Hom. 33 Þah þu leie in ane prisune. c1205Lay. 22254 Þat his folc gode aswunden ne læie þere [c 1275 leye]. c1374Chaucer Troylus iv. 1532 (1560) If þis were wist my lif lay [v.r. leye] in balaunce. c1400Lanfranc's Cirurg. 16 It were good þat he lay [Add. MS. leyȝe] & traueilide wiþ hise hondis. 1596Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, v. ii. 48 O, would the quarrell lay vpon our heads. 1684T. Burnet Theory Earth i. 195 If the ballast ley more at one end, it would dip towards that pole.
6. imp. lie |laɪ|. Forms: sing. 1 liᵹ(e, 3 liȝ(e, 3–5 li, ly, 5–9 north. lig, ligg, 6–8 lye, 3– lie. pl. 4 liggeth; 4– lie.
c1000Sax. Leechd. II. 118 Liᵹe on þa sidan þe [etc.]. c1205Lay. 18097 Passent liȝ [c 1275 ly] nu þer. Ibid. 28724 Liȝe þer. a1225Ancr. R. 290 Ne lie þu nout stille. a1275Death 137 in O.E. Misc. 176 Li [v.r. ly] awariede bali þat neauer þu ne arise. c1374Chaucer Troylus ii. 904 (953) Li stil and lat me slepe. Ibid. iii. 899 (948) Liggeth stille and taketh hym right here. c1460Towneley Myst. ii. 326 Lig down ther and take thi rest. c1650Christopher White iv. in Child Ballads II. 439 Come, sweet wench, and ligg thy loue on mee. 1680Otway Orphan i. iv. 276 Lye still! my Heart.
7. pres. pple. lying |ˈlaɪɪŋ|. Forms: 1 licgende, Northumb. lic(c)end, 2–3 liggend, 4 liynge, lyng, liging, ligand(e, -onde, liende, lyende, liggonde, -ande, lyggynde, 4–5 ligging, -yng(e, 5 liggeng, lieng, lyynge, leing, liend, 4–6 lyeng(e, liand(e, lyand(e, 5 lyond, lyggande, 5–6 lyggyng(e, -ing(e, lyinge, 6 liyng, 7 lyeing, 5– lying, 9 ligging dial.
c950Lindisf. Gosp. John v. 6 Ðionne miððy ᵹesæh se hælend licgende [Rushw. licende]. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 183 Þus doð þe libbende frend to-ȝenes þe liggende. a1300Cursor M. 6130 (Cott.) For was na hus in al þat land Þat þar ne was ded man ligand [other texts liggande, ligond]. c1315Shoreham 122 Lyggynde ine hare forage. c1325Song Mercy 57 in E.E.P. (1862) 120 In harde prisoun lyng. c1375Cursor M. 3384 (Fairf.) Þe landes lyand towarde þe est. 1382Wyclif Matt. viii. 14 He say his wyues moder liggynge [v.r. lyende, 1388 liggynge]. c1400Destr. Troy 12666 Þe buernes..Left hym þer lyond. 1436Rolls of Parlt. IV. 498/1 As Felons..in awayte lyggyng. c1440Generydes 3027 In the feld he left hym liggeng. c1450Holland Howlat 227 Lyand in lichory, laith, vnloveable. 1470–85Malory Arthur xviii. xx, The fayrest corps lyenge in a ryche bedde. 1496Naval Acc. Hen. VII (1896) 175 The Soueraigne leing in the dokke. 1533Gau Richt Vay 64 Liand in his bed. 1553Brende Q. Curtius F viij, The fore front alwayes defended the rest of the work lying behinde. 1596Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. I. 5 The vthir syd lyeng toward Spane. Ibid. 9 The mid parte lyeing betuene that and Cheuott hillis. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. v. I. 597 A merchantman lying at the quay took fire. 1864Tennyson North. Farmer i. i, Wheer 'asta beän saw long and meä liggin' 'ere aloän?
8. pa. pple. lain |leɪn|. Forms: α(strong) 1 (ᵹe)leᵹen, 3 i-læien, i-leien, i-leye, i-lei, 3–4 y-leye(n, lei(e)n, 4 y-leine, y-leie, y-lay, y-leighe, yleiȝe, y-lie, leye(n, leie, leiȝen, ligen, lygyn, lin(e, Sc. lyin, 4–5 leyn(e, liggen, 4–6 lyn, 4–7 layn(e, laine, lyne, 4–8 layen, lyen, lien (also 9 arch.), 5 y-ly, lye, ? loy(e)n, 6 lyene, 7 li'n, lay, 7– lain. β(weak) 6 Sc. liggit, 7 lied, 9 dial. lig'd.
αc893K. ælfred Oros. v. xiii. §3 Þa heo þæron ᵹeleᵹen wæs. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 7 Longe we habben lein on ure fule synnes. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 1711 He adde ileye sik. a1300Cursor M. 10084 Vte o prisun strang þat þai had ligen [other texts liggen, leyn, leyne] in sua lang. Ibid. 11297 Efter þat sco suld ha lin [other texts lyne, lien, lyn] Fourti dais in hir gisin. c1320Sir Beues 2001 (MS. A.) In is prisoun.. Ichaue leie þis seuen ȝare. c1325Lai le Freine 98 Tvay men han y-ly me by. c1330Arth. & Merl. 4188 (Kölbing) Bi hir he wald haue yleiȝe. 1340Hampole Pr. Consc. 3162 Som..Þat..has..lang lygyn in þair syn. 1362Langl. P. Pl. A. v. 259 He haþ leiȝen [C. vii. 330 leye] bi latro, lucifers brother. Ibid. xi. 276 Þat hadde leyn [B. x. 419 yleine] with lucifer manye longe ȝeris. c1380Wyclif Wks. (1880) 286 Þei han so longe leyen in so gret cursinge. c1440J. Capgrave Life St. Kath. iv. 2090 It were as good thei had loyn in bedde. a1450Le Morte Arth. 525 How þat he had woundyd bene, And seke he had lye fulle sore. c1450Merlin 86 How a man hadde lyen with her in semblaunce of the Duke. 1463Bury Wills (Camden) 23 Y⊇ bedde that she hath loyen in. c1560R. Morice in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden) 25, I wolde yt hadd byn my fortune to have lyn in London. a1586Sidney Arcadia ii. (1590) 101 b, Those flames which had so long layn deade in me. 1611Bible John xx. 12 Where the body of Iesus had layen. 1624Heywood Gunaik. ii. 67 Oft in one shade the hare and hound hath lyne. 1650Baxter Saints' R. iii. vi. §24 (1651) 125 What if you had lien in Hell but one year? 1675Earl of Essex Lett. (1770) 207 An order of Council which had several months lay by me. 1676Hobbes Iliad (1677) 380, I..rolling on the soiled grass have li'n Perpetually, and..wept. 1681T. Flatman Heraclitus Ridens No. 25 (1713) I. 161 If my Life had lain never so much at stake. 1703T. N. City & C. Purch. 43 Bricks..had layen in the Place to dry. 1722De Foe Plague (1756) 227 We..found it had lyen much longer conceal'd. 1788Beattie Burns' Wks. II. 141 Lang had she lien wi' buffe and flegs. 1871G. Macdonald Bk. Sonnets in Wks. Fancy & Imag. II. 176 At thy holy feet I should have lien. 1871Smiles Charac. iii. (1876) 69, I have lain awake all night.
β1500–20Dunbar Poems lv. 28, I saw cowclinkis..Had better liggit in the stockis. 1670Barrow in Rigaud Corr. Sci. Men (1841) II. 75 It hath lied by me without looking on for many years. 1832Specim. Yorksh. Dial. 11 Had she lig'd theer lang?
B. Signification and uses.
I. In senses expressive of bodily posture, and developments of these.
1. a. intr. Of persons or animals: To be in a prostrate or recumbent position. Formerly also with refl. pronoun.
c1000ælfric Hom. I. 246 Se witeᵹa læᵹ and slep. Ibid. 328 Þa læᵹ sum wædla æt his ᵹeate, and his nama wæs Lazarus. c1175Lamb. Hom. 81 Þes oðer Mon..luueð his sunnen alse deð þet fette swin þet fule fen to liggen in. a1300Cursor M. 690 Bi þe dere þat now es wild, Als lambe him lai þe leon mild. c1300Havelok 475 Þe children..Leyen and sprauleden in þe blod. c1330R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 55 ‘A ha!’ said þe erle, ‘had þat schank ne bien, þou had liggen þer stille, þe risen suld non haf sene.’ 1362Langl. P. Pl. A. Prol. 9 As I lay and leonede and lokede on þe watres. 1382Wyclif Gen. xxix. 2 He sawȝ a pit in the feeld and thre flockis of sheep liggynge bisidis it. c1440Gesta Rom. ii. 6 (Harl. MS.) To ligge ny þe fire. 1551Robinson More's Utop. ii. (1895) 295 When they haue lien a little space on the grounde, the priest giueth them a signe for to ryse. 1607Dekker Knt.'s Conjur. (1842) p. vi, They that haue once or twice lyen vpon the rack of publicke censure. 1809Med. Jrnl. XXI. 385 The woman having lain during the labour upon her left side. 1850Tennyson In Mem. lxxxix. 23 To hear him, as he lay and read The Tuscan poets on the lawn.
b. with predicative complement expressing condition; e.g. to lie asleep, sick, dead, blind, in a fever. † Also with inf. (e.g. to lie to die).
c1000Ags. Gosp. Matt. viii. 6 Min cnapa lið on minum huse lama. 1154O.E. Chron. an. 1135 (Laud MS.) He lai an slep in scip. c1175Lamb. Hom. 81 And efre lei þes wreche for-wunden. a1225Leg. Kath. 2286 Nalde nawt godd leoten his martirs licomes liggen to forleosen. a1340Hampole Psalter Cant. 496 A man þat liggys in a strayte fifere. a1425Cursor M. 14172 (Trin.) He liþ to deȝe þat lele & trewe. c1440Gesta Rom. lxi. 253 (Harl. MS.) The suster of the Emperoure, þat now lithe in childebed. 1470–85Malory Arthur xvii. xviii. 715 And anon the kynge sawe hym the whiche had leyne blynd of long tyme. 1526Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 72 b, And so sayd saynt Laurence whan he laye rostynge on the yren crate. 1530Palsgr. 610/1, I lye at the poynte of dethe. 1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 24 b, For the duke of Saxonie lay sicke at Collen. 1564Grindal Funeral Serm. Ferdinand A iv b, Aeschilus the Poete lieng on slepe bare headed nere the sea. 1669Pepys Let. 2 Nov. in Diary (1879) VI. 112 My wife..hath layn under a fever so severe, as [etc.]. 1711Swift Jrnl. to Stella 31 Aug., Ophy Butler's wife there lies very ill of an ague. 1870E. Peacock Ralf Skirl. III. 81 For hours she lay awake. 1887E. Berdoe St. Bernard 68 The..room where she lay a cripple for so many years.
†c. Used simply = to ‘lie sick’, keep one's bed.
a1300Cursor M. 8942 War his sekenes neuer sa strang, Ne had he lin neuer sua lang. 1470–85Malory Arthur ii. xiii. 91 They..told hym how her lady was seke & had layne many yeres. 1596Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. x. 408 Quhen bot schort he had lyne the x of July he departed this lyfe.
d. Expressing the posture of a dead body: To be extended on a bier or the like; to be buried (in a specified place). to lie in state: see state. † In OE. and early ME. also, To be dead.
Beowulf 2745 (Gr.) Nu se wyrm liᵹeð. a1000O.E. Chron. an. 901 (Parker MS.) æðelwald..sæde þæt he wolde oðer oððe þær libban oððe þær licgan. c1175Lamb. Hom. 35 Ga to þine feder burinesse oðer þer eni of þine cunne lið in. c1205Lay. 5869 We eow wulleð bi-foren libben oðer liggen. c1250Gen. & Ex. 3892 Ðor he [Aaron] lið doluen on ðat wold. a1300Cursor M. 5340 Þar lijs our heldres, þar sal i li. c1470Harding Chron. clxxix. ii, Thyrty thousande with theim liggand ly. 1501Bury Wills (Camden) 83 The holy place where the blyssyd and holy Apostyll Seynt Jamys lyth. 1695Sibbald Autobiog. (1834) 126 He was buried at Edinburgh in the Gray Frier churchyard, where our other relations lye. 1711Addison Spect. No. 164 ⁋12 Here lie the Bodies of Father Francis and Sister Constance. 1798Wordsw. We are seven 21 Two of us in the church⁓yard lie, My sister and my brother.
e. To be in one's bed for the purpose of sleeping or resting. Also (now rarely) with qualifying word or phrase, e.g. to lie soft(ly.
c1290S. Eng. Leg. I. 102/37 Þare heo leien In heore beden. 1362Langl. P. Pl. A. vii. 14 The Neodi and the Nakede nym ȝeeme hou thei liggen. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints xvi. (Magdalene) 312 Þu in chuchis & silkine clathis lyis ful softe. c1386Chaucer Sir Thopas 200 He nolde slepen in noon hous But liggen in his hoode. c1440Gesta Rom. lxiii. 274 (Harl. MS.) Certenly he desirith wele to ete, swetly to drinke, softely to ligge. 1579Spenser Sheph. Cal. May 125 Tho gan shepheards swaines to looke aloft, And leave to live hard, and learne to ligge soft. 1651Hobbes Leviath. (1839) 8 Hence it is that lying cold breedeth dreams of fear. 1710S. Centlivre Man's Bewitched v. 68 Leave the London Dames..To lig in their Beds till Noon. 1742Chesterfield Lett. (1792) I. xc. 250 The people are extremely rude and barbarous, living chiefly upon raw flesh, and lying generally upon the ground, or at best in tents. 1850Thackeray Pendennis ix, You must lie on the bed which you have made for yourself.
f. Hence to lie with (or † lie by): to have sexual intercourse with. Somewhat arch.
a1300Cursor M. 27943 Incest, þat es for to lij Bi þat þi sibman has line bi. c1330Arth. & Merl. 852 (Kölbing) Þis maiden..feled al so bi her þi, Þat sche was yleyen bi. c1400Mandeville (1839) xxvii. 276 He wille not lyȝe with his Wyfes but 4 sithes in the Ȝeer. 1470–85Malory Arthur v. xii, That none of his lyege men shold defoule ne lygge by no lady. 1504Plumpton Corr. (Camden) p. lxiv, That they shuld not ligg togedder till she came to the age of xvi yeres. 1533Gau Richt Vay 16 Thay that lysz wit thair kine and bluid. 1611Bible Jer. iii. 2 Lift vp thine eyes vnto the high places, and see where thou hast not bene lien with. a1652Brome Mad Couple i. i. Wks. 1873 I. 16 You have unlawfully lyen with some woman. 1711Steele Spect. No. 51 ⁋7 Tho' he betrays the Honour and Bed of his Neighbour and Friend, and lies with half the Women in the Play. 1750G. Jeffreys in Duncombe's Letters (1773) II. 250 He was only beforehand with his double⁓dealing brother in lying with a prostitute.
2. To assume a recumbent or prostrate position. Chiefly in lie down, lie back, etc., for which see branch IV. † Also with refl. pronoun. † Also, to lean or hang over (a wall).
a1300Cursor M. 20487 To hir bedd son scho ȝod & lay Abutte þe time al of midday. c1320Sir Tristr. 70 Þat maidens miȝt him se And ouer þe walles to lye. c1435Torr. Portugal 1166 Ladyes lay over and beheld. c1440Gesta Rom. xix. 67 (Harl. MS.) And þerfore let vs make him, þat settith such a dyet in vs, to rise with vs, and lig with vs. 1484Caxton Fables of Alfonce v, We shalle go and lye vs for to slepe. 1530Palsgr. 610/1, I lye me to slepe, je me mets a dormir. a1828Leesome Brand xxxiii. in Child Ballads I. 183 His mother lay ower her castle wa, And she beheld baith dale and down. 1832Tennyson Miller's Dau. 111 From off the wold I came, and lay Upon the freshly-flower'd slope.
3. a. To be or remain in a specified position of subjection, helplessness, misery, degradation, or captivity; to be kept in prison; to continue in sin, etc. † Also simply = ‘to lie in prison’; sometimes idiomatically to lie by it. to lie by the heels (arch.): see heel n.1 19. to lie open (to): see open.
c893K. ælfred Oros. v. i, On carcernum læᵹon. c1200Vices & Virtues (1888) 37 Ȝif he..lið on sume heaued-senne. c1300Havelok 1374 He haueth me do..ofte in sorwe and pine ligge. c1350Will. Palerne 4307 Alle oþer of þe lordes of þat lond þat þere leie in hold. c1380Wyclif Serm. (Sel. Wks.) I. 39 A long custom to ligge in synne. 1470–85Malory Arthur iv. vii, We ben here xx knyghtes prysoners..& some of vs haue layne here seuen yere. 1483Caxton Gold. Leg. 239 b/1 And yet he entended to be his pledge and to lye for him, his charite was so grete. 1530Palsgr. 610/1, I lye bounde in chaynes. 1567Gude & Godlie Ball. (S.T.S.) 133 Sa lang in Sin as thow dois ly. 1586Earl of Leicester Corr. (Camden) 277 The auditour also..is worthy to lye by the heeles. 1618E. Elton Rom. vii. (1622) 90 Any particular sinne wherein thou hast liued and lyen. 1631Massinger Emperor East iii. i, To free all such as lie for debt. 1644Quarles Barnabas & B. 16, I must be paid, or he lie by it, until I have my utmost farthing or his bones. a1670Hacket Abp. Williams ii. (1692) 138 Lincoln was like to lye by it, and to be shut out of mercy by an irreversible decree. 1692R. L'Estrange Fables, Life æsop (1708) 7 From Lying at the Mercy of Fire, Water, and a Wicked Woman, Good Lord deliver us. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. iv. I. 482 The defendant..was lying in prison as a debtor. 1882Stevenson Fam. Stud. 265 His brother still lay by the heels for an unpatriotic treaty with England.
b. to lie under: to be subject to (some disadvantage or obligation).
1599Shakes. Much Ado iv. i. 171 If this sweet Ladie lye not guiltlesse heere, Vnder some biting error. 1682Count Königsmark in Buccleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) I. 336 The misfortune which I lay under. 1701W. Wotton Hist. Rome vi. 105 He lay under a sort of a Vow. 1710Addison Whig Exam. No. 4 ⁋9 Any one who reads this letter will lye under the same delusion. 1748Anson's Voy. ii. x. 236 Manila..lies under some disadvantage, from the difficulty there is in getting to sea to the eastward. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. vii. II. 202 In spite of all the restraints under which the press lay. 1866Duke of Argyll Reign Law vii. (1871) 331 The bondage under which all Science lies to fact.
4. a. To remain in a state of inactivity or concealment (not necessarily prone or reclining). Chiefly with complementary adj. or pa. pple. (For to lie close, low, perdu, etc., see those adjs.)
Cf. sense 8, where the subj. is a thing.
c1374Chaucer Boeth. ii. Metr. vii. 47 (Camb. MS.) Liggeth thanne stille al owtrely vnknowable. 1538Starkey England ii. i. 174 By the reson wherof our owne marynerys oft-tymys lye idul. 1604E. G[rimstone] tr. D'Acosta's Hist. Indies i. xvii. 57 That these nations of the Indies, which have lyen so long hidden, should bee knowne and discovered. 1679Dryden Troilus & Cr. iii. i, We'll none of him: but let him like an Engine Not portable, lye lagg of all the Camp. 1745in Col. Rec. Pennsylv. V. 12 We have in this part of the country lain still, both the last Summer and this. 1769Falconer Dict. Marine (1780), Tout le monde bas,..the order to the ship's crew to lie snug upon deck or below. 1838Dickens O. Twist xlviii, He..resolved to lie concealed within a short distance of the metropolis. Ibid. l, Do you mean to sell me, or to let me lie here till this hunt is over? 1885U. S. Grant Mem. I. xx. 269 They were growing impatient at lying idle so long, almost in hearing of the guns of the enemy.
b. to lie in ambush, in wait, † in await (see the ns.). † to lie for = to lie in wait for. to lie at catch or lie upon the catch (? arch. or dial.): to set oneself to entrap a person, to be captious. (For to lie at lurch, at ward, on one's guard, see the ns.)
1605T. Ryves Vicar's Plea (1620) 141 That hee seeme not to lie at catch for an aduantage against his inferiour fellow minister. 1611Cotgr., Aguetté, dogged; watched, waited; lien for. 1655Fuller Ch. Hist. iii. i. §11 Lie at catch, and wait advantages one against another. 1671Shadwell Humourists iii. 38 Dryb... That's stole out of a Play. Craz. What then, that's lawful; 'tis a shifting age for wit, and every body lies upon the Catch. a1715Burnet Own Time (1724) I. 307 The Dutch had a rich fleet coming from Smyrna..Holmes was ordered to lye for them..with eight men of war. 1802–12Bentham Ration. Judic. Evid. (1827) I. 588 note, Since he lay upon the watch and catch, only to see what the plaintiff proved. 1879Spurgeon Serm. XXV. 329 He only asks the question because it ought to be asked, and does not lie upon the catch.
c. Shooting. Of game-birds: To remain crouching upon the ground. (Also to lie dead.) to lie to the dogs, to the gun: to permit the approach of a dog or the sportsman without ‘rising’.
1797Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) XVII. 441/1 After the birds have been sprung many times, they lie so dead that they will suffer him [the sportsman] almost to tread upon them before they will rise. Ibid. 441/2 Partridges lie much better to dogs that wind them, than to those that follow them by the track. Ibid. 443/1 When..the sportsman perceives the birds running with their heads erect, he must run after them..for he may be pretty certain they will not lie well that day. 1848Zoologist VI. 1964 The Spanish snipe would much less frequently ‘lie’ to the gun. 1886Badm. Libr., Shooting 6 In Scotland grouse are usually walked up with dogs. The birds in that country lie well... If grouse lie well to dogs..they give easy marks to the gunner.
d. to lie on or upon one's arms, oars, sculls, to lie upon wing: see the ns.
5. a. To dwell or sojourn; esp. to sleep or pass the night (in a place), to lodge temporarily. Now rare or arch.
c1330R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 312 At Sant Katerine hous þe erle Marschalle lay. c1350Will. Palerne 166 Þe king edwardes newe at glouseter þat ligges. 1415Sir T. Grey in 43 Deputy Keeper's Rep. 584 And yat neghte I lay at Kengston. 1547Boorde Introd. Knowl. xvii. (1870) 167 Prage, wher the king of Boeme doth ly much whan he is in the countre. 1632Lithgow Trav. iv. 141 [He] kept a better house, than any Ambassadour did, that euer lay at Constantinople. 1695Congreve Love for L. i. xi, I think your father lies at Foresight's. 1721Lond. Gaz. No. 5980/3 The Exeter Carrier has lain at the Saracen's Head Inn..for many Years past. 1766Goldsm. Vic. W. vi. (Globe) 12 He refused, as he was to lie that night at a neighbour's. 1776H. Walpole Let. to Mason 16 Apr., She lay at home..or according to the chaste modern phrase, slept there. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. viii. II. 295 He lay that night at the deanery.
b. spec. of a host or army (or its leader): To be encamped, to have or take up a position in a field. † to lie in leaguer: see leaguer.
c1205Lay. 650 He..leai þer abuten & abat his balesiðes. c1450Merlin 239 The saisnes..laye that nyght stille armed. 1470–85Malory Arthur ii. vi, For the kyng Ryons lyeth at a syege atte castel Tarabil. a1533Ld. Berners Huon lxi. 213 Y⊇ admyrall that lay at sege before y⊇ castell. a1548Hall Chron., Hen. VIII, 259 The kyng laie before Bullein, and was like to have conquered the same. 1644Vicars God in Mount 146 Their Forces which had lyen so long before Sherborne. a1671Ld. Fairfax Mem. (1699) 28 At Wakefield, six miles off, lay three thousand of the enemy. 1724De Foe Mem. Cavalier (1840) 68 The army lay under their arms all night. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. iii. I. 294 Near the capital lay also the corps which is now designated as the first regiment of dragoons.
†c. To live under specified circumstances or engaged in some specified occupation. (With at, about.) Obs.
1546Langley Pol. Verg. De Invent. viii. iii. 146 b, It cost hym his life in Areciæ, where he laye at Surgery for the healyng of his legge. 1599Hakluyt Voy. II. i. 176 An Englishman called Thomas Williams..lieth about trade of merchandize in the streete called The Soca of the Iewes. 1623Massinger Bondman ii. i, To lie at rack and manger. 1694Motteux Rabelais v. vii. (1737) 27 There he lay at Rack and Manger. 1719De Foe Crusoe ii. vi, The men lying..at victuals and wages upon the owners' account.
†d. To be quartered on. Obs.
1669Ormonde MSS. in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. v. 101 Five of the horsemen are lying on the tenants of your petitioner.
6. In various idiomatic uses (with preps., etc.), expressive of steady and continuous action. (Cf. L. incumbere operi.)
†a. to lie at, lie upon: to importune, urge. Obs.
1535Coverdale 1 Macc. xi. 40 He..laye sore vpon him, to delyuer him this yonge Antiochus. 1566Gascoigne Supposes i. i. Poems 1869 I. 204 The olde dotarde, he that so instantly dothe lye vpon my father for me [i.e. as a suitor for her hand]. 1568MS. Depos. Canterbury Cath. Libr. Bk. 16. 24 Sept., Shee hath layne at me a good while to have your good will in maryage with her. 1600Holland Livy i. 32 Dame Tullia lay ever upon him, & pricked forward his distempered & troubled mind. 1619W. Whately God's Husb. ii. (1622) 114 To lie at him with vncessant and vehement sollicitations to commit such and such foule deeds. 1673Janway Heaven on E. (1847) 155 Shall they lie at you day and night, to give your consent,..and are you still unwilling? a1688W. Clagett 17 Serm. (1699) 358 The judge in the parable granted the widow's suit merely because she lay upon him, and was troublesome to him. 1737Whiston Josephus, Hist. iii. viii. §3 Nicanor lay hard at Josephus to comply.
†b. to lie heavy upon: to oppress, harass. (Cf. 7 c.) Obs.
c1586C'tess Pembroke Ps. cxlvi. iii, He orphans doth support: But heavy lies upon the godlesse sort. 1611Bible 1 Esdras v. 72 The heathen of the land lying heauy vpon the inhabitants of Iudea. 1676Hobbes Iliad (1677) 181 This said, the Lycians heavier than before (To please their prince) upon the Argives lay.
c. to lie † at, lie to: to apply oneself vigorously and steadily to.
1583T. Stocker Civ. Warres Lowe C. iii. 87 b, Citizens, Souldiers, Souldiers Wiues, and Pages, laye at it daye and night: insomuch that it was quickly dispatcht. 1656Baxter Reformed Pastor 58 This is the work that we should lie at with them night and day. 1833L. Ritchie Wand. by Loire 160 The men..lay desperately to their oars, and the skiff sprang through the water. 1837Carlyle Fr. Rev. II. xi. 78 No mercenary mock-workers, but real ones that lie freely to it.
†d. with gerund: To keep on or continue doing something. Obs. rare.
1692R. L'Estrange Fables xi. (1708) 13 Why will you lie Pining and Pinching your self in such a Lonesome, Starving Course of Life? Ibid. lxii. 77 The Generality of Mankind lye Pecking at One Another, till One by One they are all Torn to Pieces. 1692― Josephus iv. (1733) 892 Here's an obscure, mean Wretch, that has the Face to lie tutoring me upon a Subject he knows nothing at all of himself.
II. Said of things, material or immaterial.
7. a. Of material things: To be placed or set horizontally or lengthwise or at rest on the ground or other surface.
c1000Ags. Gosp. John xx. 5 He ᵹeseah þa linwæda licᵹan. c1290S. Eng. Leg. I. 9/296 Þat treo ne scholde nouȝt ligge þere. a1300Cursor M. 1129 His blod on erth sced lijs. 1362Langl. P. Pl. A. v. 65 As a leek þat hedde I-leiȝen longe In þe sonne. c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) iii. 9 Apon þat body lay a grete plate of gold. c1450St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 6603 Alle þe clathes lay him aboute. a1548Hall Chron., Hen. VIII 262 b, On all the bankes by the water side, laie peces of ordinaunce whiche shot of. 1590Greene Mourn. Garm. (1616) 12 A bottle full of Country whigge, By the Shepheards side did ligge. 1747Wesley Prim. Physic (1762) 75 Take as much as lies on a shilling of Calcin'd Eggshells. 1754Chatham Lett. Nephew vi. 42, I hear with great pleasure, that Jocke lay before you, when you writ last to me. 1776–96Withering Brit. Plants (ed. 3) II. 436 Corn fields and sandy places, especially where water has lain. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. iii. I. 345 The ruins of an old fort were to be seen lying among the pebbles and seaweed on the beach.
b. To be deposited, remain permanently in a specified place.
c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) ii. 6 Þe coroune lyes in a vessell of cristall. 1459Test. Ebor. (Surtees) II. 227 A Sawter..and an Hympner..lyggynge in his saide closet. 1463Bury Wills (Camden) 22 The gardeyn assigned..for woode to lye in. 1535Coverdale Judith xii. 1 Then commaunded he her to go in, where his treasure laye. 1609Skene Reg. Maj. 1 b, Al the grains and cornes lyand in bings. 1804Europ. Mag. XLV. 65/1 A Petition from J. Macleod..was ordered to lie on the table. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. iii. I. 393 An esquire passed among his neighbours for a great scholar, if Hudibras and Baker's Chronicle [etc.]..lay in his hall window among the fishing rods and fowling pieces. 1891Law Times XCI. 411/2 Jeune, J. made the order, but directed that it should lie in the office for a week.
c. Of a building, etc.: To be overthrown or fallen; with complement, as to lie in ruins, lie in the dust. to lie heavy: to be a heavy load upon (lit. and fig.: see heavy a.). Of food, etc., to lie heavy, lie cold, etc. († formerly, simply to lie) lie on the stomach: to be felt as oppressive.
c1330Arth. & Merl. 544 (Kölbing) Foundement & werk þai founde Ligge vp so & doun op þe grounde. a1592H. Smith God's Arrow agst. Atheists v. (1593) K 3 b, If it bee not builded vpon a good foundation..the whole building is like to lie in the dust. 1711Swift Jrnl. to Stella 5 Sept., I ate sturgeon, and it lies on my stomach. c1726[see heavy 1 b]. 1884W. C. Smith Kildrostan 43 One sidewall long had in ruins lain. 1897Allbutt's Syst. Med. III. 704 Delicate persons, in whom the cold water tends to lie heavy on the stomach.
8. To remain unworked, unused, untouched, or undiscovered. Often with complement, as to lie barren, lie hid, lie waste (see also fallow a.2, lea a.); also in phr. to lie on one's hands, to lie at a stand.
(Cf. sense 4, where the subj. is a person or a personification.)
a1300Cursor M. 6841 Your land yee sal sau seuen [sic] yeir... Þe seuend ye sal it lat lij still. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. vi. 165 Worth neuere plente amonge þe poeple þer-while my plow liggeth. a1548Hall Chron., Hen. VIII, 173 b, Wherfore all brode Clothes, Kerseis, and Cottons, laye on their handes. 1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 150 b, Through our mens wrytinges, sondrye articles are called agayne to lyght, whiche laye before hidde in darkenes. c1590Marlowe Faustus (1604) D 3 b, Letts goe and make cleane our bootes which lie foule vpon our handes. 1622in Buccleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) I. 211 This hath made matters to lie a little at a stand. 1628Digby Voyage Medit. (1868) 68 To make them buy their currantes (which lay vpon their handes). 1641Hinde J. Bruen To Rdr. 7 This worke hath lyen above twice five [years]. 1653Holcroft Procopius iii. 88 Turris, an ancient City..which had been sack'd by Barbarians, and layen long wast. 1671J. Flavel Fount. of Life i. 3 'Tis pity that anything in Christ should ly hid from his People. 1879Gladstone Glean. I. i. 2 Rarely within the living memory has so much of skill lain barren.
†9. Of the wind, the tongue: To be or become still, be at rest, subside. Obs.
a1000Phœnix 182 Ðonne wind liᵹeð weder bið fæᵹer. 1600Holland Livy xxv. xxvii. 569 When the East wind began to lie, which for certeine daies had blustred and raged. 1611Cotgr., Languarde,..a wench whose tongue neuer lyes. 1647Trapp Comm. 1 Thess. v. 3 When the winde lies, the great rain fals. 1689Prior Ep. to F. Shephard 110 Fancies flow in, and Muse flies high; So God knows when my Clack will lye.
10. a. To be situated (in space), to have a (specified) position. Often with adj. (or quasi-adv.) complement.
c1121O.E. Chron. an. 656 (Laud MS.) Ealle þa landes þa þær abuton liggeð. a1300Cursor M. 2469 Þe land o gommor þar-bi lijs. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. x. 316 Ac þei leten hem as lordes her londe lith so brode. c1400Lanfranc's Cirurg. 161 In þe holownes þat is aboue liggiþ þe herte & þe lungis. 1455Rolls of Parlt. V. 313/1, vii acres of Mede, liggyng in the Mede beside the Brigge of Chartesey. 1577Hanmer Anc. Eccl. Hist. (1619) 508 The citie, which lay wonderfull commodious for the Romanes. 1597Bacon Coulers Good & Evill v. Ess. (Arb.) 144 Men whose liuing lieth together in one Shire. 1605Shakes. Lear iii. iv. 21 O that way madnesse lies, let me shun that. 1648Hamilton Papers (Camden) 184, I belieue the sceane of disorder may lye heere. 1657R. Ligon Barbadoes (1673) 3 So much is the eye deceived in Land which lies high. 1695Woodward Nat. Hist. Earth ii. (1723) 77 Those Strata that ly deepest. 1711Addison Spect. No. 170 ⁋13 It is a Misfortune for a Woman to be born between the Tropicks; for there lie the hottest Regions of Jealousy. 1793Smeaton Edystone L. §204 A small sea-port of Somersetshire, lying upon the Bristol Channel. 1818Cruise Digest (ed. 2) V. 606 Within the manor of Collingham, where the lands lay. 1883Eng. Illustr. Mag. Nov. 72/1 The wild beauty of Wicken Fen is in striking contrast with the cultivated land lying around it.
b. To be spread out or extended to the view.
1764Goldsm. Trav. 100 But let us try these truths with closer eyes, And trace them through the prospect as it lies. 1792Gentl. Mag. 9/2 A spacious field now lies before the Christian world for the introduction of a better policy. 1836J. H. Newman Par. Serm. (1837) III. x. 141 It is remarkable that such difficulties as these should lie on the face of Scripture. 1860Pusey Min. Proph. 181 Samaria..unfenced and unconcealed by walls, lay open, unsheltered in every part from the gaze of the besiegers. 1879S. C. Bartlett Egypt to Pal. v. 99 We could not for a moment expect such indications to lie upon the surface. 1890J. Payn Burnt Million II. xxx. 248 What a future seemed to lie before him!
c. Of a road, way, journey, etc.: To extend, have a (specified) direction.
c1000ælfric Gen. xxxv. 19 On þam weᵹe, þe lið to Euphfrate. 1596Shakes. Tam. Shr. iii. ii. 212 There lies your way. 1605― Lear iii. iv. 10 If thy flight lay toward the roaring Sea. 1648Gage West Ind. 114, I found it not so hard to overcome, as I had conceited, the way lying with windings. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. x. II. 567 The counties through which the road to London lay. 1851Carlyle Sterling ii. vii. (1872) 142 Our course lay along the Valley of the Rhone. 1883R. W. Dixon Mano iii. viii. 136 Nor doubt I where my voyage next must lie.
d. Of the wind: To remain in a specified quarter.
1604E. G[rimstone] D'Acosta's Hist. Indies iv. v. 218 Small furnaces vpon the sides of the mountaines, built expresly where the winde lies. 1704Ray Creation i. (ed. 4) 96 The wind lying in that corner at least three quarters of the Year. 1876‘Mark Twain’ Tom Sawyer i. 4 But in spite of her, Tom knew where the wind lay, now. 1886F. T. Elworthy West Somerset Word-Bk. 434 Which way do the wind lie 'smornin?
e. Of horses, yachts, etc., in a race: to occupy a specified ordinal position. Also transf.
1951E. Rickman Come Racing with Me iii. 24 What is that with the light blue sleeves lying fourth? 1955J. Christopher Year of Comet ii. 49 Who's lying fourth? 1972D. Francis Smokescreen iv. 55 He took the first half mile without apparent effort, lying about sixth. 1974Country Life 24 Oct. 1189/3 Busted is lying third in this year's table of sire's winnings.
11. Naut.
a. Of a ship: To be stationed in a berth or anchorage.
c1121O.E. Chron. an. 1009 (Laud MS.) And þær [þa scipu] sceoldan licgan. c1470Henry Wallace vii. 1068 A hundreth schippys..in hawyn was lyand thar. 1495Naval Acc. Hen. VII (1896) 254 The seid ship lying at Rode in the Kynges haven. 1530Palsgr. 610/1, I lye at an anker, as a shyppe dothe. 1775R. Chandler Trav. Asia Minor (1825) I. 35 They lay at anchor near Tenedos. a1812A. Cherry Song, Bay of Biscay 7 Our poor devoted bark, Till next day, there she lay, In the Bay of Biscay O! 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. iii. I. 302 He..lay in port when he was ordered to chase a Sallee rover. 1851D. G. Mitchell Fresh Glean. 12 The Zebra lay just off the pier.
b. To steer in a (specified) direction. Also (quasi-trans.) to lie the course: (of a ship) to have her head in the direction wished. to lie at hull: see hull n.2 2.
1574Bourne Regiment for Sea xix. (1577) 51 a, If the ship haue had often trauerse by the meanes of contrary windes, so that she could not lie hir course. 1597–8Bp. Hall Sat. iv. v. 121 Whiles his false broker lyeth in the wind. 1719De Foe Crusoe ii. ii. (1840) 27 They could not lie near the wind. 1748Anson's Voy. iii. v. 342 The proas..are capable of lying much nearer the wind than any other vessel hitherto known. 1769Falconer Dict. Marine (1780) G gg, The ship cannot lie her course without being close-hauled. 1800Nelson in Nicolas Disp. (1845) IV. 189 The Success being to leeward, Captain Peard..lay across his hawse. 1892H. M. Doughty Our Wherry in Wendish Lands 123 The water⁓way we now entered..was scarcely four feet deep..and that only in the middle. Luckily we could just lie it. Ibid. 301 A turn enabled us to lie our course, and up the sail went.
12. fig.
a. Of immaterial things: To exist, be found, have place, reside (in some specified place or quarter); to be set, fixed, or arranged in some specified position or order. † to lie fair: to be just or reasonable. † to lie in common: to be common to or among several possessors. spec. const. against, for, to, in legal use.
c1250Gen. & Ex. 1916 For-ði wexem wið gret nið And hate, for it in ille (herte) lið. a1300Cursor M. 22280 Al falshed and feluni, And al tresun sal in him lii. 1380Wyclif Wks. (1880) 334 And þus popes & prelates kepen to hem silf assoylyng, in which lyþe wynnyng. c1449Pecock Repr. ii. xiv. 233 Whiche ij. textis, if thei ben considered as thei liggen to gidere in rewe. 1523Skelton Garl. Laurel 1200 Therby lyith a tale. 1538Starkey England i. ii. 33 Herin, me semyth lyth a dowte. 1566W. Adlington Apuleius To Rdr., I have not..so absolutely translated every word as it lieth in the prose. 1641Milton Animadv. v. Wks. 1851 III. 223 If the words lay thus in order. 1662Stillingfl. Orig. Sacr. i. i. §15 This defect..of those histories is either more general, which lies in common to them all, or [etc.]. Ibid. ii. iv. §1 If the opposition did not lie between the order of true Prophets..and the false Prophets. 1672R. Montagu in Buccleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) I. 520 Methinks it is natural and lies fair enough that..I should have some share in [etc.]. 1704Swift T. Tub Wks. 1760 I. 67 Their father..commanded, that whatever they got should lie in common among them all. 1711Addison Spect. No. 170 ⁋12 Their Acquaintance and Conversation has lain wholly among the vicious Part of Womankind. 1719J. T. Philipps tr. Thirty four Confer. 43 The fault lies at their own doors. 1845McCulloch Taxation i. iv. (1852) 109 If the choice lay only between a tax on property and a tax on income. 1848J. H. Newman Loss & Gain 147 He..holds many profound truths in detail, but is quite unable to see how they lie to each other. 1861M. Pattison Ess. (1889) I. 33 The people themselves, incapable of discerning where their true interest lay. 1868Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) II. vii. 112 Their sympathies lay wholly with Gruffydd. 1883R. W. Dixon Mano i. viii. 23 And told him all the truth, how all things lay. 1958Times 26 Apr. 6/7 If a chief constable is dismissed by a county council an appeal lies to the Home Secretary. 1964Mod. Law Rev. XXVII. iii. 322 Nowadays, after the revival of certiorari as a remedy lying for intra-jurisdictional defects, the scope of review on habeas corpus must be defined with more accuracy. 1970Internat. & Compar. Law Q. 4th Ser. XIX. ii. 306 The Erbersatzanspruch lies against the heirs, and consists of a sum equal to half the value of the portion, to which a legitimate intestate heir would be entitled. 1971Mod. Law Rev. XXXIV. vi. 691 Where X and Y have a regular course of dealing and are likely to make contracts in the future, a quia timet injunction will lie to prevent Z, a third party, from inducing breaches of such contracts as may be made in the future.
†b. Of thoughts, inclinations, activities, etc.: To have a specified direction. Obs.
1633Bp. Hall Hard Texts, N.T. 281 Our fight doth not lye against flesh and blood. 1641J. Jackson True Evang. T. iii. 189 The Elench here lyes directly, and point-blanck against the Papists. 1666Boyle Orig. Formes & Qual. (1667) 2 The..Prejudices that lye against them. 1672Villiers (Dk. Buckhm.) Rehearsal i. i. (Arb.) 25 My humour lyes another way. 1692R. L'Estrange Fables, Life æsop (1708) 22 æsop's Faculty lay notably that way. 1825New Monthly Mag. XIII. 17 My inclinations have not lain towards prose.
c. to lie in (a person): to rest or centre in him; to depend upon him, be in his power (to do). Now chiefly in phr. as far as in (me, etc.) lies. Also, to lie in one's power, to lie in (or † on) one's hands.
c1350Will. Palerne 965 Þer-for loueliche ladi in þe lis al min hope. c1374Chaucer Compl. Mars 184 Sith hit lythe in his myght. 1393Langl. P. Pl. C. xxi. 431 Hit lyth in my grace, Wheþer þei deye oþer deye nat. c1440Generydes 3109, I wote right wele it lithe in me The Sowdon to destroye. 1470–85Malory Arthur ii. iii, Aske what ye wil and ye shall haue it, and hit lye in my power to yeue hit. a1533Ld. Berners Huon lxxxi. 243 It lyeth now in you to do with hym at your pleasure. a1548Hall Chron., Hen. VIII, 255 b, Thei promised the kyng, to doo all that in theim laie with their frendes. 1590Marlowe Edw. II (1598) H 2 b, Fauour him my Lord, as much as lieth in you. 1593Shakes. Rich. II, i. ii. 4 Correction lyeth in those hands Which made the fault that wee cannot correct. 1597Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. lx. §7 The Church, as much as in her lieth, wilfully casteth away their soules. 1605Bacon Adv. Learn. ii. vii. §2 (1873) 113 To me..that do desire as much as lieth in my pen [etc.]. 1613Overbury A Wife Wks. (1856) 44 Women though they weaker be..yet on their hands The chastity of men doth often lye. 1642Rogers Naaman 176 As much as in you hath lyen. 1662Chas. II in Julia Cartwright Henrietta of Orleans (1894) 121, I am sure I have done all that lies in my power. 1720Ozell Vertot's Rom. Rep. I. iv. 226 All the Hopes of the Republic lay in an old Man just taken from the Plough. 1875Scrivener Lect. Text N.T. 9 Resolved, so far as in him lay, to root out the Christian Faith. 1885Tennyson Tiresias, Only in thy virtue lies The saving of our Thebes.
†d. To belong or pertain to a person (to do); to pertain, be attached or incident to a thing. Also, to lie (one) in hand to do. Obs.
a1225Leg. Kath. 779 Ne lið hit nawt to þe to leggen lahe upon me. 13..Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. (E.E.T.S.) 505/453 Þer-to liht muche mede. c1430Hymns Virg. 42 To me, maistir deuel, it lijs; To ihesu wole y take hede. 1577tr. Bullinger's Decades (1592) 73 He cannot choose..but..do all things, that lie God a King and Prieste in hande to doe. 1657W. Rand tr. Gassendi's Life Peiresc i. 59 Contrarily, it lies me in hand, I suppose, to take heed, least [etc.].
e. to lie with: to be the office or province of (some one) to do something.
1885Manch. Exam. 22 Sept. 5/1 It lies now with Turkey to take the initiative.
f. To rest or be imposed as a burden, charge, obligation, etc. upon a person; to be incumbent or obligatory upon; to press or weigh upon (one's mind or heart).
a1300Cursor M. 8348 (Cott.) He tald þat him lai apon hert. Ibid. 13385 (Gött.) On vs ligges noght þe nede. 1526Tindale Acts xxvii. 20 Noo smale tempest laye apon vs. 1551Recorde Pathw. Knowl. Ep. to King, Sundrie occasions which may lye them on. 1596Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, v. ii. 48 O, would the quarrell lay vpon our heads. 1630Sanderson Serm. II. 255 It lieth us upon, to employ it to the best advantage we can. 1666Bunyan Grace Ab. ⁋86 That Scripture lay much upon me, without shedding of Blood is no remission. 1676W. Hubbard Happiness of People 49 The present distress of the war that hath lyen so long upon us. a1715Burnet Own Time (1724) I. 62 It was a duty lying on them by the Covenant. 1722De Foe Plague (Rtldg.) 94 These Things..lay upon my Mind. 1794Burke Sp. agst. W. Hastings Wks. XVI. 74 With those charges lying upon him. 1804Castlereagh in Owen Wellesley's Desp. 258 It lay upon them to offer terms to us. 1873Act 36 & 37 Vict. c. 86 §24 It shall lie on the defendant to prove that the child is not of such age.
g. To be set at stake; to hang or depend on or upon a hazard, doubtful issue, etc.
1590Spenser F.Q. i. iii. 12 Full fast she fled..As if her life upon the wager lay. 1601Shakes. All's Well iii. vii. 43 He persists As if his life lay on't. 1606― Ant. & Cl. iii. viii. 5 Our fortune lyes Vpon this iumpe. 1668R. Steele Husbandman's Calling iv. (1672) 52 Nor..can he reform sin, if his life lay on it. 1760–72H. Brooke Fool of Qual. (1809) II. 142 We entered as warmly into it [the question], as though a province had lain at stake.
h. to lie in: to consist in, to have its ground or basis in. † Also with inf. instead of in and object.
1589Puttenham Eng. Poesie iii. xxii. (Arb.) 265 Another point of surplusage lieth not so much in superfluitie of your words. 1633G. Herbert Temple, Faith vii, If blisse had lien in art or strength, None but the wise or strong had gained it. 1644Milton Areop. (Arb.) 51 But here the great art lyes to discern in what [etc.]. 1724A. Collins Gr. Chr. Relig. 75 The argument lies in the word Netser. a1770Jortin Serm. (1771) VII. ii. 29 The perfection of every being must lie in its best part. 1871B. Stewart Heat §84 Our only chance of success lies in abstracting heat from this liquid. 1881Gardiner & Mullinger Eng. Hist. i. iii. 48 The true remedy lay..in female education. Ibid. x. 178 Pitt's strength lay in his character.
i. to lie in, within: to be contained or comprised in (a specified room or compass); † to admit of being expressed in (rhyme).
a1300Cursor M. 9240 (Gött.) Of abiud [cam] Elyachim, Of quam Asor, sadoch of him, þat loth er for to lig in rim. 1712Addison Spect. No. 414 ⁋1 The Beauties of the most stately Garden or Palace lie in a narrow Compass. 1771Junius Lett. lviii. 301 The question..lies within a very narrow compass.
†j. to lie at one's heart: to be the object of one's affection or desire. Similarly, to lie heavy at or to one's heart: to give one grave anxiety. Obs.
1607Shakes. Cor. iv. ii. 48 It would vnclogge my heart Of what lyes heauy too't. 1638R. Baker tr. Balzac's Lett. (vol. II.) 32, I have something, I know not what, lies heavy at my heart. 1673Sir W. Temple To Dk. Ormond Wks. 1720 I. 123 The Spaniards have but one Temptation to quarrel with Us, which is an occasion of recovering Jamaica, for that has ever lien at their hearts.
13. (Chiefly in Law.) Of an action, charge, claim, etc.: To be admissible or sustainable.
c1320Sir Tristr. 853 Certes, þi fader þan slouȝ y. Seþþen þou so hast sayd, Amendes þer ouȝt to ly. c1385Chaucer L.G.W. Prol. 409 For sythe no cause of deth lyth in this cace, Ȝow oughte to ben the lyghtere merciable. 1495Act 11 Hen. VII, c. 24 §1 None essoyne or proteccion to lye nor to be allowed in the same. 1621H. Elsing Debates Ho. Lords (Camden) 108 To consider what appeales out of the Chancery to this Courte doe lye. 1651Hobbes Leviath. iii. xlii. 277 There lyeth Excommunication for Injustice. 1712Prideaux Direc. Ch.-wardens (ed. 4) 75 There doth lye an Appeal to the Bishop. 1745Wesley Answ. Ch. 5, I should rejoice if there lay no other Objection against them, than that of Erroneous Opinions. 1748Richardson Clarissa (1811) VIII. 253 If not, then indeed is thy conscience seared, and no hopes will lie for thee. 1756Burke Subl. & B. ii. ix, Some or all of these objections will lie against every figure of a cross. 1818Cruise Digest (ed. 2) V. 430 A writ of error did not lie after he attained his full age. 1850Robertson Serm. Ser. iii. ix. (1853) 121 One from whose knowledge..there lies almost no appeal. 1865Lightfoot Galat. (1874) 124 Still more serious objections lie against identifying it with any later visit in the Acts. 1866Crump Banking iv. 93 In which case no action for damages would lie.
†14. Of land, landed possessions: To appertain to. Obs.
839in Birch Cartul. Sax. I. 599, xiiii aeceras & ða mæde þe þær to lið. c1050in Kemble Cod. Dipl. IV. 232 ælc ðara landa ðe on mines fæder dæᵹe læᵹ into Cristes cyrcean. a1225Leg. Kath. 28 King of þat lond þat lei into Rome. a1225Juliana 13 Alle þe londes þe þerto liggeð. c1420Chron. Vilod. st. 983 A parcell of lond..Þe wheche ryȝtwyslyche to þat Abbay lay. 1583Stubbes Anat. Abus. ii. (1882) 29 A house, with pasture lieng to it. 1618Bolton Florus i. ix. (1636) 24 Whereas they had in the beginning no Land of their owne lying to their City.
¶ III. 15. trans. Used causatively or by mistake for lay v.1 Now rare.
1387Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VII. 369 He was wont to legge [MS. γ lygge] his heed uppon a forme. a1400–50Alexander 2101 He comands To gedire þam vp ilka gome & þam in grauys ligg. 1402Jack Upland (Skeat) 46–7 And whan ye liggen it [your habit] besyde you, than lig ye youre religion besyde you, and ben apostatas. c1485Digby Myst. (1882) iv. 549 We shall..ly hym in the mold. a1500H. Medwall Nature (Brandl) ii. 1088 Thy sores whyche be mortall Onles that thys medycyns to theym be layn. 1641Best Farm. Bks. (Surtees) 48 That in mowinge hee neauer lye out his sheaues beyonde the balkes but rather within the balkes. c1648–50R. Brathwait Barnabees Jrnl. iii. P. iv, I saw a Tombe one had beene laine in. 1699Garth Dispens. ii. (1706) 16 Whilst Seas of melted oar lye waste the Plains. a1703Burkitt On N.T. Mark iv. 41 Christ, as God, lies a law upon the most lawless creatures. 1708J. C. Compl. Collier (1845) 18 Would they but lye their groundless pretences by. 1749Fielding Tom Jones xii. xii, The whole furniture of the infernal regions hath long been appropriated to the managers of play-houses, who seem lately to have lain them by as rubbish. 1802Med. Jrnl. VIII. 507, I dressed the wound, lying down as much of the scalp as [etc.]. 1809Malkin Gil Blas i. xvi. ⁋5 The cloth was lain. Down we sat at table. 1880F. G. Lee Church under Eliz. II. 245 As God had lain this peer's honour in the dust.
IV. Combined with adverbs.
†16. lie aback.
a. To be backward, reluctant, or shy. Obs.
1560in Tytler Hist. Scot. (1864) III. 397 Not only shall any of his own pretend to disobey or ly aback in this action, but [etc.]. 1596Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. ii. 148 Nathir..in tyme of neid lyes the Pechtis abak wt thair supporte.
†b. as n. Shyness, timidity. Obs.
c1600Montgomerie Cherrie & Slae 1423 Sir, I have sein them baith, In braidieness and lye aback, Escape and cum to skaith.
17. lie about, to lie here and there; to be left lying carelessly or in disorder.
1852C. Kingsley Hypatia (1853) I. xiii. 274 Why, these poor blackguards lying about are very fair specimens of humanity. 1891R. Buchanan Come live with Me II. xiii. 168 Ye might leave it [sc. poison] lying about, and mischief might happen. 1891W. Morris News from Nowhere v. 31 Most children, seeing books lying about, manage to read by the time they are four years old. 1934G. B. Shaw Simpleton of Unexpected Isles i. 4, I hate to see dust lying about. Look! You could write your name in it.
†18. lie abroad. To lodge out of one's house or abode; to reside in a foreign country (in quot. 1651 with pun on lie v.2). Obs.
c1645Howell Lett. (1650) III. 13 We might go barefoot, and ly abroad as beasts having no other canopy than the wild air. 1651Walton Life Sir H. Wotton Reliq. W. c 1 b, An Embassadour is an honest man, sent to lie abroad for the good of his Countrey. 1653Holcroft Procopius ii. 39 He..being said to be sent to ly abroad, to prevent mischief to the Camp. 1675Collect. Sev. Treat. Penal Laws Pref. A iv, The Popes Ambassadors..lye abroad for his..advantage.
19. lie along.
a. To be prostrate at full length, to lie outstretched on the ground (now arch.); to extend along a surface.
1530Palsgr. 601/1, I lye..as one lyeth alonge upon the grounde. 1600Shakes. A.Y.L. ii. i. 30 As he lay along Vnder an oake. 1734J. Ward Introd. Math. App. Gauging 455 To find what Quantity of Liquor is in any Cask, when its Axis is Parallel to the Horizon, viz. when it lies along. 1737Whiston Josephus, Antiq. vi. i. §1 Dagon..lay along, as having fallen down from the basis whereon he had stood. 1771Goldsm. Hist. Eng. I. 91 A cell so small, that he could neither stand erect, nor lie along in it. 1803Beddoes Hygëia x. 21 Few persons, suddenly stimulated to anger as they were lying along, would continue to repose in the same easy manner. 1883R. W. Dixon Mano iii. vi. 129 Him who there lay dead along. 1885–94R. Bridges Eros & Psyche July xxii, The..wings, That from his shoulders lay along at rest.
b. Naut. Of a ship: To incline to one side under the pressure of a wind abeam.
1769Falconer Dict. Marine (1780) s.v. Along, Lying-Along, the state of being pressed down sideways by a weight of sail in a fresh wind that crosses the ship's course. 1781Archer in Naval Chron. XI. 288 The Ship lay very much along, by the pressure of the wind. 1838Poe A. G. Pym xiii. Wks. (1865) IV. 109 The hulk lay more along than ever, so that we could not stand an instant without lashing ourselves.
20. lie back. To lean backwards against some support.
1894Crockett Raiders 14, I shipped the oars and lay back thinking.
21. lie by.
†a. To have a concubine. (Cf. lie-by 1.) Obs.
1571Satir. Poems Reform. xxviii. 28 My Father..had ane wyfe, Thocht he abusit his body, and lay by.
b. Naut. = lie to 29 a: see by adv. 2 b.
1613[see by adv. 2 b]. 1666Lond. Gaz. No. 60/1 Our Fregats received some damage in their sails, and..were forced to ly by to mend them. 1748Anson's Voy. ii. v. 177 We lay by all the night..for Captain Saunders..to join us. 1769Falconer Dict. Marine (1780) A a a 4, To make sail, after having lain-by for some time.
c. To remain unused, be laid up in store.
1642Rogers Naaman 59 Let his carnall favour, and erroneous conceits ly by, let him empty himselfe of a worldly heart. Ibid. 441 Peters nets lay by when the season was. 1692R. L'Estrange Fables cccclviii. 434 The..Wretchedness of Avarice, that rather then make use of the Bounties of Providence in their Seasons, suffers them to lye by and Perish. 1719W. Wood Surv. Trade 74 Thriving Nations have..great Stores lying by of their own Manufactures. 1843Mrs. Carlyle Lett. I. 254, I had..pillows lying by of no use.
d. To keep quiet, withdraw from observation; to remain inactive, rest.
1709Addison Tatler No. 133 ⁋5 To lie by for some Time in Silence and Obscurity. 1754Richardson Grandison II. 53 Sir H. ‘What a plague—you did not cane him?’ Sir Ch. ‘He got well after a fortnight's lying by’. 1809Malkin Gil Blas x. i. ⁋6 We determined on lying by for a day at Valladolid, as well to rest our mules, as to call on Signor Sangrado. 1824Scott St. Ronan's xxv, I lay by on the watch for some opportunity when I might mend my own situation with my father. 1840R. H. Dana Bef. Mast xxxi. 117, I must go below, and lie-by for a day or two. 1892Law Times XCIII. 414/1 The plaintiff had lain by, whereas he should have taken the earliest opportunity of coming to the court.
22. lie down.
a. (ME. also lie adown.) See sense 2 and down adv. 5. Also refl. (now arch.). Also in pregnant senses: † To fall in battle; † to die; to go to bed; to give up; to be remiss or lazy.
c1205Lay. 6864 Seoððen he dun læi [c 1275 deaȝede]. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 1145 Þe romeins leie sone adoun; he made ampti place, & þe brutons arise vaste. Ibid. 2204 Oþer ligge adoun & be aslawe. a1300Cursor M. 10711 Þan lai þai all in kneling dun. 1340–70Alex. & Dind. 446 We liggen down in our den. c1460Towneley Myst. ii. 326 So lig down ther and take thi rest. 1535Coverdale Ruth iii. contents, Ruth lyeth her downe in the barne at Boos fete. ― Isa. xi. 6 The leoparde shal lye downe by the gote. a1631Donne Poems (1650) 17 Why should we rise, because 'tis light? Did we lie downe, because 'twas night? 1774Foote Cozeners iii. Wks. 1799 II. 185 Mrs. Air. Pray, Madam, is the young lady at home? Mrs. Fl. Just lain down for a little. 1815Scott Guy M. ii, They rose early and lay down late. 1847Marryat Childr. N. Forest iv, There may be anether [stag] lying down in the fern close to us. 1860Tyndall Glac. i. xvi. 113, I lay down and had five minutes sleep. 1861G. W. Dasent Burnt Njal II. 312 Kari lay him down. 1904W. H. Smith Promoters i. 21 When they finally lie down, we'll just say, ‘All right, we'll go ahead alone.’ 1916Lit. Digest 8 Jan. 87/1 It is natural enough that the accusation of ‘lying down’ and quitting has been cast up in turn at each of the participants in the conference. 1918E. Pound Let. 3 Apr. (1971) 134 It is the best that can be done. Hope Kahn won't think I am lying down on the job. 1926J. Black You can't Win xiv. 193 An ambitious fighting young lawyer who never ‘laid down’ on a client.
†b. To be brought to bed of a child. Obs.
c1450Merlin 89 The kynge sawgh that the quene was redy to ly down. 1580Lyly Euphues Ep. Ded. (Arb.) 214 Of the second I went a whole yeare big, and yet when euerye one thought me ready to lye downe, I did then quicken. 1620J. Pyper tr. Hist. Astrea i. vi. 171 His wife lay downe, but it was of a daughter. 1654tr. Martini's Conq. China 212 Matrons with Child and ready to lye down. 1692R. L'Estrange Fables xxii. (1708) 29 A Wolf came to a Sow that was just lying down, and very kindly offer'd to take care of her Litter. 1818W. Godwin in Kegan Paul Life (1876) II. 256 He says..that Eliza was expected to lie down in two days after he sailed.
†c. Of an army: To take up a position before.
1693Mem. Cnt. Teckely i. 82 This obliged Heister to demand Cannon and Foot, with whom he lay down before the Castle of Kus.
d. to take (a beating, defeat, etc.) lying down: to receive it with abject submission.
1888Sat. Rev. 4 Aug. 133/1 Those who..profess themselves willing to take, ‘lying down’, any and every inconvenience that the victorious Irish may inflict. 1914G. B. Shaw Androcles (1916) i. 17 You know, I should feel ashamed if I let myself be struck like that, and took it lying down. 1931E. F. Benson Mapp & Lucia viii. 229 She had to swallow her medicine... I had no idea.. that she would take it lying down like that. 1974M. Gilbert Flash Point viii. 64, I heard what the beak said to you. I had an idea you weren't going to take it lying down.
†23. lie forth. Of bees: To settle outside the hive. (Cf. lie out, 27 b.) Obs.
1609C. Butler Fem. Mon. (1634) 47 Those [hives] that have lyen forth, or otherwise be very full, you may let alone.
24. lie in.
a. To be brought to bed of a child († also const. with); to be ‘confined’. Also fig.
c1440Promp. Parv. 304/2 Lyyn' yn or yn chylde bedde..decubo. c1530Ld. Berners Arth. Lyt. Bryt. (1814) 42 As yet I am not determyned in what place she shall lye in. 1602Rowlands Tis Merrie when Gossips meete 35 When I lay in of my first Boy. 1607Shakes. Cor. i. iii. 86 You must go visit the good Lady that lies in. 1626Bacon Sylva §899 The Shee-Beare breedeth, and lyeth in with her Young. 1729–30Bolingbroke in Swift's Lett. (1766) II. 105 His wife lies-in with one child. 1749Fielding Tom Jones xii. xiv, Five hungry children, and a wife lying in of a sixth. 1762Goldsm. Cit. W. xc, They regularly retire every year at proper intervals to lie in of the spleen. 1825New Monthly Mag. XIII. 51 Learning then ordinarily lay-in of folio volumes. 1871Tylor Prim. Cult. 76, 'Tis like a Koravan eating asafœtida when his wife lies in.
†b. To amount to, cost (a certain sum); ‘to stand (a person) in’ so much. Obs.
1622in Picton L'pool Munic. Rec. (1883) I. 212 Soe much money..as the tendinge and keepinge of the said clocke shall lye in. 1660Willsford Scales Comm. 1 A Grocer bought 53/4 C grosse weight of Wares, which lay him in..{pstlg}163 13s. 8d. 1677A. Yarranton Eng. Improv. 134 The Corn will lye the Mum-Brewers in Two Shillings Six-pence per Bushel. 1755Johnson Lie 21, To cost: as, it lies me in more money.
c. Naut. (See quot.)
1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Lie in! the order to come in from the yards when reefing, furling, or other duty is performed.
d. To remain in bed (after one's usual hour of rising). Cf. lie-in (lie n.2 6).
1893–4R. O. Heslop Northumb. Words II. 449 Lie, in the combination lie-in, to sleep longer than intended. 1911E. M. Clowes On Wallaby v. 144 On Sundays her husband and son ‘lay in’, as she called it, till midday, while she gave them their breakfast in bed.
25. lie off.
a. Naut. Of a ship or boat: To stand some distance away from the shore or from some other craft.
1596Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, iii. i. 79 The remnant Northward, lying off from Trent. 1726G. Roberts Four Years Voy. 26 As I lay off at an Anchor. 1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Lie off! an order given to a boat to remain off on her oars till permission is given for her to come alongside. 1890Hall Caine Bondman i. ix, [The schooner] intending to lie off at Ramsey for contraband rum.
b. To cease work temporarily; to take a rest.
1891R. Kipling City Dreadf. Nt. 81 As soon as he makes a little money he lies off and spends it. 1899Nation (N.Y.) 21 Dec. 467/1 If McKinley would lie off for the next four years, he might make a very good free-trade candidate for the Presidency in 1904.
c. Racing slang. ‘To make a waiting race’ (Farmer Slang 1896).
26. lie on.
†a. To be laid on. Obs.
1641–2Shute Sarah & Hagar (1649) 109 Upon the first laying on of the rod, it may be, we will stamp and chafe; but when it still lies on..we lie quiet, and then our spirit comes down.
b. Of a vessel: To be bound for.
1850Tait's Mag. XVII. 38/1 Not one [vessel] was, just then, ‘lying on’ for the Baltic way, the season being so late.
27. lie out.
†a. To stretch out, extend. Obs.
1601Holland Pliny I. 54 Spaine and France..lying out with their promontories into two contrary seas. Ibid. 61 Corsica..lyeth out from the North into the South, and containeth in length an hundred and fiftie miles.
b. † To rest or settle outside (obs.); to sleep out, now dial. of cattle, to be left unhoused at night. Obs.
1630J. Levett Ord. Bees (1634) 34 Their Bees haue exceedingly lyen out upon the Hiue and board. 1712Arbuthnot John Bull iii. i, The witnesses farther made oath, that the said Timothy lay out a-nights. 1886Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk., Lie in, Lie out, said of horses or cows. If they are kept housed at night, they are said to lie in, if not they lie out. Do your 'oss lie in or out?
c. Sc. To delay; spec. to delay in entering upon property as heir.
1640–1Kirkcudbr. War-Comm. Min. Bk. (1855) 42 For his lying sae lang out in not subscryveing of the covenant. 1673–88Fountainhall in M. P. Brown Suppl. Decis. (1826) III. 146 A man is married on a woman, that is apparent heir to lands.—She, to defraud her husband either of the jus mariti or the courtesy, lies out and will not enter. 1868Act 31 & 32 Vict. c. 101 §6 The rights and remedies competent to a superior against his vassal lying out unentered.
d. to lie it out: to sleep on late into the morning. ? Obs.
1748Richardson Clarissa (1811) V. 2 The dear creature was so frightened, and so fatigued, last night, no wonder she lies it out this morning.
e. to lie out of one's money: to remain unpaid. to lie out of one's ground (Racing slang): see quot. 1896.
1860Geo. Eliot Mill on Fl. i. viii. I. 151, I can't lie out o' my money any longer. You must raise it as quick as you can. 1892Daily Chron. 19 Apr. 9/2 How can zealous discharge of this duty be expected, when the officer..has to advance the cost of the summons, and lie out of his money for a year at a time, if not for ever? 1896Farmer Slang, To lie out of one's ground = to ‘lie off’ too long, so as to be unable to recover lost ground.
28. lie over.
a. To be held over or deferred to a future occasion.
1856Mrs. Carlyle Lett. II. 294, I have a strange story to tell you..but that must lie over, or I shall miss the omnibus.
b. ‘To remain unpaid after the time when payment is due’ (Craig 1848).
c. Naut. (See quot.)
1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Lie over, a ship heeling to it with the wind abeam.
d. U.S. To suspend travelling; to stop.
1849Ex. Doc. 31st U.S. Congress 1 Sess. Senate No. 64. 186 But I shall make an early drive and ‘lie over’ tomorrow at the first water. 1903A. Adams Log of Cowboy 181 We overtook a number of wagons loaded with wool, lying over, as it was Sunday.
29. lie to.
a. Naut. Of a ship: To come almost to a standstill, with her head as near the wind as possible, by backing or shortening sail.
1711Littleton Let. 13 Aug. in Lond. Gaz. No. 4906/3 The largest of them lay too a long time. 1748Anson's Voy. i. viii. 79 Another storm..reduced us to the necessity of lying to under our bare poles. 1760–72H. Brooke Fool of Qual. (1809) III. 81 We shortened sail, and lay to till morning. 1800Asiatic Ann. Reg., Chron. 117/2 It blew a strong gale..on which Lieut. Roper handed all his sails, except the mizen, which he balanced, and lay to. 1883Stevenson Treas. Isl. (1886) 212 Take a turn round the capstan, and lie-to for the tide.
b. Sc. To come to be fond of a person.
1768Ross Helenore 79, I do like him sair, An' that he wad ly too [ed. 1789, p. 85 like me], I hae nae fear.
30. lie up.
†a. To be laid out for burial.
1553Becon Reliques of Rome (1563) 253 Vilanye and synne yt weren vsed & done about dead bodyes ligging vp & yet is vsed about in many places, or the body be borne to church.
b. To go into or remain in retirement or retreat; to take to one's bed or keep one's room as an invalid; (of a ship) to go into dock.
1699W. Dampier Voy. II. iii. 24 There they [ships] must lye up, or be 3 or 4 Years in their return from a place which may be sailed in 6 Weeks. a1868Dickens in Househ. Words (Cent.), He has a bad cold—rheumatism—he must lie up for a day or two. 1881Greener Gun 595 The black bear lies up during the day in caves and amongst rocks. 1893R. Kipling Many Invent. 26 When there's nothing going on, there is nothing going on, and you lie up. 1897Allbutt's Syst. Med. II. 443 Some days the patient may feel comparatively well and fit for work, on other days he is languid and lies up.
c. to lie up in lavender: to be in safe keeping or custody. (Cf. lavender n.2 2.)
1822Scott Nigel xxv, Alas! the good gentleman lies up in lavender..himself.
d. To lay or shape one's course.
1779Forrest Voy. N. Guinea 169 The land wind veered to the northward, and we lay up no better than west. 1868Atkinson Cleveland Gloss., Lig up to, to proceed towards, to lay or shape one's course to, a given place.
Add:[B.] [IV.] [20.] [a.] Also, to assume or resume a recumbent posture (earlier and later examples).
1862‘C. Bede’ College Life 74 Mr. Percival Wylde was lying back upon his pillows, apparently engaged in sipping the gruellous compound. 1920E. O'Neill Beyond Horizon iii. i. 153 He lies back and closes his eyes, breathing pantingly. 1979W. Golding Darkness Visible xiii. 216 She lay back again and shut her eyes. 1986A. Brookner Misalliance x. 154 Alone, Blanche lay back thankfully, but again sleep did not come.
b. spec. with reference to unwanted but inevitable sexual intercourse (also sometimes humorously fig.) in phrs. lie back and think of England, lie back and enjoy it, and varr.
[1912Lady Hillingdon Jrnl. in J. Gathorne-Hardy Rise & Fall of Brit. Nanny (1972) iii. 71 When I hear his steps outside my door I lie down on my bed, open my legs and think of England.] 1969S. Hyland Top Bloody Secret ii. 113 He relaxed on the principle of rape-impossible-lie-back-and-enjoy. 1974L. Deighton Spy Story viii. 82 Reunification is inevitable—lie back and enjoy it. 1977Partridge Dict. Catch Phrases 138/2 Lie back and enjoy it! ‘A c.p. allegedly used as advice to a girl when escape from rape is impossible’ (Barry Prentice, 15 December 1974): since c . 1950. 1987Daily Tel. 4 Apr. 9/1 From then until the end of the play's three-hour traffic, I lay back and thought of England, letting Trevor Nunn have his way with me and with Heywood's mundane piece of early 17th-century drama.
▪ V. lie, v.2|laɪ|
Inflected lying |ˈlaɪɪŋ|, lied |laɪd|. Forms: inf. 1 léoᵹan, 2 leioȝen, 2–5 liȝe-n, 3 lege, (imp. lih), 4 ley(e, lei, lije, li, 3–7 ly, 3–8 lye, 4 leighe, leiȝe, lyghe, lyeȝe, leie, 4–5 leȝe, 4–6 ley, Sc. le, 5 ly(ȝ)yn, 5–6, 9 Sc. and north. lee, 4– lie. ind. pres. 2nd sing. α. 3 Orm. leȝhesst, 4 liȝest, leyest, lex(s)t, lixt(e, 4–5 lyest, 3– liest. β. north. and Sc. 4 lighes, leies, lies, 4–5 lyes, 4–6 leis. 3rd sing. α. 1 léoᵹeþ, líhþ, 3 lih(e)ð, ligeð, leȝeð, legheþ, Orm. leȝheþþ, 4 liȝ(e)þ, lyeþ, leiþ, leighth, leȝth, lyeȝ(e)th, lihth, likth, 5 lith(e, 3– lieth. β. 4 liges, leies, leyes, 5 lijs, leghes, 6 Sc. leis, 4– lies, 3rd pl. 6 Sc. lene, leyne. pa. tense. α. 1 léah, léaᵹ, (pl. luᵹon), 2–3 luȝe, 3 leh, læh, lighgh, 3–4 lowe, 4 leigh, legh, ligh, lygh. β. 4 liȝed(e, leiȝede, leeȝide, liede, lyede, leghed, lei(e)d, lieid, 4–6 Sc. leit, leyt, 4–7 lyed, leid, 7 Sc. leed, 4– lied. pa. pple. α. 1 loᵹen, 2–3 i-loȝe(n, loȝen, 3 i-lowe, 3–4 y-low(e, loun, 4 lowe(n, leiȝen. β. 4 liȝed, Sc. leyt, 5 lyet, 4– lied.
[A Com. Teut. str. vb. (in Eng. conjugated weak from the 14th c.): OE. léoᵹan (léah, luᵹon, loᵹen) corresponds to OFris. *liaga, *liatza (recorded in 3rd sing. pres. ind. liucht, pa. tense sing. subj. lege), OS. liogan, liagan (Du. liegen, loog, gelogen), OHG. liogan, loug, lugun, gelogen (MHG. liegen, louc, gelogen, mod.G. lügen, log, gelogen), Goth. liugan, ON. liúga (Sw. ljuga, Da. lyve), f. Teut. root *leug- (:laug-: lug-), whence lie n.1; cogn. w. OSl. lŭža lie.]
1. intr. To tell a lie or lies; to utter falsehood; to speak falsely.
971Blickl. Hom. 29 Se awerᵹda gast..sona leah. c1050Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 401/1 Fefellisset, þa þa he leaᵹ. c1175Lamb. Hom. 91 Þu hauest iloȝen þan halie gaste. Ibid. 93 Ne luȝe þu na monnum! Ibid. 153 Hwenne þe muð is open for to liȝe. c1200Vices & Virtues (1888) 9 Ðar ðu luȝe, ðu lease dieuel. c1200Trin. Coll. Hom. 131 He þe neure ne lihgh ne lige ne wile. c1200Ormin 5190 Þu leȝhesst, & beswikesst swa þin aȝhen wrecche sawle. c1205Lay. 17684 Þus læh [c 1275 leh] þe laðe mon. a1225Leg. Kath. 1431 Mit se swiðe lufsome leores ha leien. a1225Ancr. R. 236 Þu liest, cweð heo, fule þing. 1297R. Glouc. (Rolls) 3348 He adde so foule ilowe. a1300Cursor M. 5143 (Cott.) Þou lighes [Gött. lies, Fairf. lyes, Trin. lyest] now, eber pantener! 1340Ayenb. 63 Kvead þing hit is to lyeȝe. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints xxv. (Julian) 206 My gud brethyre, quhy lest ȝou le? c1380Wyclif Wks. (1880) 264 In whiche autorite he seide soþ & in whiche he leiȝede. 1393Langl. P. Pl. C. xxi. 351 Þow lowe tyl eue. c1394P. Pl. Crede 542 Þou leyest, & þou lext. c1400Gamelyn 297 Thou lixt, seid Gamelyn, so broke I my chyn. 1483Cath. Angl. 216/1 To Lye (A. Lee), commentari. 1513Douglas æneis i. Prol. 233 Les than wyse autouris lene [ed. 1553 leyne]. 1567Gude & Godlie Ball. (S.T.S.) 193, I say, ȝe leit euerie one. 1581Sidney Apol. Poetrie (Arb.) 52 As I take it, to lye, is to affirme that to be true which is false. 1678Bunyan Pilgr. i. 7 It was made by him that cannot lye. a1784Johnson in Boswell an. 1781 (1848) 670/1 He lies, and he knows he lies. 1885Burton Arab. Nts. (1886) I. 263, I lied against myself and confessed the theft, albeit I am altogether innocent of it.
b. to lie of (arch.), † lie on, † lie upon: to tell lies about.
a1200Moral Ode 287 Of þo pine þe þere bued nelle ic hou nout leioȝen. a1225Ancr. R. 68 An te unwreste bliðeliche lieð on þe gode. c1230Hali Meid. 39 Forȝet ti folc þat liheð þe of weres & worldes wunne. c1275Passion of Our Lord 241 in O.E. Misc. 44 A ueole kunne wise hi lowen him vp-on. c1305St. Andrew 28 in E.E.P. (1802) 99 Þu wost wel mid alle Þat þu þerof loude lixt. c1330Amis & Amil. 838 He leighth on ous, withouten fail. c1400Lanfranc's Cirurg. 142 Manye men liȝen of þe wounde of þe nose. 1508Dunbar Flyting w. Kennedie 138 Thocht thow..thus vpoun me leid. 1559J. Aylmer Harborowe L 2 The smarts of the tormentes made him to confesse it, and lye of him self. 1580J. Hay Demandes in Cath. Tractates (1901) 59 Quhy ar ye nocht esscheamed..to lie on wss in your preachings, saying [etc.]. 1629Earle Microcosm., Modest Man (Arb.) 80 Whosoeuer dare lye on him hath power ouer him. 1864Carlyle Fredk. Gt. IV. 409 Nobody was more lied of. 1871R. Ellis tr. Catullus lxvii. 20 They lie on her [L. falsum est].
c. Proverbial expressions. For to lie in one's teeth, throat, to lie like a trooper, see the ns.
a1400Pistill of Susan 317 Nou þou lyest in þin hed. a1529Skelton Merie Tales v. Wks. 1843 I. p. lx, He..woulde lye as fast as a horse woulde trotte. 1530Palsgr. 610/2 He wyll lye as fast as a dogge wyll trotte. 1588Marprel. Epist. (Arb.) 21 Bishops will lye like dogs.
2. fig. Chiefly of inanimate objects: To present false statements; to convey a false impression; to make a deceitful show.
c1220Bestiary 451 Ðe boc ne leȝeð noȝt of ðis. a1300Cursor M. 5054 For quen þe tan þe toþer sei Na wight moght þair blodes lei. Ibid. 14702 Þe hali writte lies [Trin. lyeþ] na wight. 1426Lydg. De Guil. Pilgr. 22376 The merour lyed verily. 1483Caxton Gold. Leg. 320 b/2 The Philosophers were brought to this that they sayd..that the elementys lyeden or god of nature suffred. 1513Douglas æneis i. Prol. 270 This wther buik..So frenschlie leis, oneth twa wourdis gais richt. 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. i. 587 The Sun, who never lies, Foretels the Change of Weather in the Skies. 1732Pope Ep. Bathurst 340 Where London's column, pointing at the skies, Like a tall bully, lifts the head, and lies.
3. quasi-trans.
†a. with cogn. obj. Obs.
a1300Cursor M. 16067 Mani lesing had þai loun again iesu þat dai. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. xviii. 400 Þi lesynge..þat þow lowe [v.rr. leighe, leyȝ] til Eue. c1449Pecock Repr. ii. iii. 150 Many lesingis y haue herd him lie. c1500Wyl Bucke's Test. (Copland) A ij b, My tounge that neuer lied lesinge.
†b. To say or allege falsely. Obs.
a1300Seven Sins ix. in E.E.P. (1862) 18 O worde ic ȝou lie nelle. c1375Sc. Leg. Saints i. (Petrus) 512 Þu leis all þat þou sais. c1450Merlin i. 11 How sholde I..enioyne the penance for thynges which I wene thow lyest veryly.
c. With adv. or phrase: To take away by lying; to get (a person, etc.) into or out of by lying.
1720T. Gordon Humourist I. 175, I have known great Ministers rail'd and ly'd out of their Places. 1755J. Shebbeare Lydia (1769) II. 44 Slandering women of reputation, and endeavouring to lye away their characters. 1762Foote Lyar i. Wks. 1799 I. 290 If you don't one time or another..lye yourself into some confounded scrape, I will consent to be hanged. 1784R. Bage Barham Downs I. 48 Every one would tell his story, his own way, and combine to lye an honest lawyer out of his bread. 1858Sir J. Kaye Hist. Afghan War I. 204 The character of Dost Mohamed was lied away. 1865Carlyle Fredk. Gt. xii. vii. (1872) IV. 177 The tragically earnest meaning of your Life, is quite lied out of you, by a world sunk in lies. 1884Punch 6 Dec. 276/2 Go on tamely to allow yourself to be lied into Party blindness.
†4. trans. To give the lie to. Obs.
1389in Eng. Gilds (1870) 87 If any broþer or syster dispyse or mysconsel or lye his broþer. c1450Robin Hood & Monk xiv. in Child Ballads III. 97/2 With þat Robyn Hode lyed Litul Jon. 1464Waterford Arch. in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. v. 331 He lied and rebuked the balif, to the great contempt of the King.
Add:[1.] d. To talk, gossip; to tell ‘tall’ stories or exchange anecdotes. orig. and chiefly Black English.
1935Z. N. Hurston Mules & Men i. iv. 92 Cliffert Ulmer told me that I'd get a great deal more [stories] by going out with the swamp-gang. He said they lied a plenty while they worked. 1953Amer. Speech XXVIII. 117 Lie, to talk. ‘Let's sit down and lie to one another’. |