lair

¹

[ lair ]

noun

1. a den or resting place of a wild animal:

   The cougar retired to its lair.

2. a secluded or hidden place, especially a secret retreat or base of operations; a hideout or hideaway:

   a pirate's lair.

3. British. a place in which to lie or rest; a bed.

verb (used with object)

1. to place in a lair.
2. to serve as a lair for.

verb (used without object)

1. to go to, lie in, or have a lair.

lair

²

[ lair ]

noun

1. British Dialect. mud; mire.

verb (used without object)

1. Scot. to sink or stick in mud or mire.

lair

³

[ lair ]

noun

, Chiefly Scot.

1. lore; learning.

lair

⁴

[ lair ]

noun

, Australian Informal.

1. a man who dresses garishly and is crude or vulgar; show-off.

lair

¹

/ lɛə /

noun

1. a flashy man who shows off

verb

1. intr; foll by up or around to behave or dress like a lair

lair

²

/ lɛə /

noun

1. the resting place of a wild animal
2. informal.
   a place of seclusion or hiding
3. an enclosure or shed for farm animals
4. the ground for a grave in a cemetery

verb

1. intr (esp of a wild animal) to retreat to or rest in a lair
2. tr to drive or place (an animal) in a lair

lair

³

/ ler /

noun

1. a Scot word for mire

Word History and Origins

Origin of lair¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English leir(e), lair, lare, Old English leger; cognate with Dutch, Old High German leger “bed, camp,” Afrkaans laager “defensive circle of wagons,” German Lager “storehouse”; akin to lie ²

Origin of lair²

First recorded in 1300–50; verb use of Middle English lair “clay, mire,” from Old Norse leir ”clay, mud”

Origin of lair³

Middle English lōre, laire (north and Scots lare, lere ), Old English lār “teaching, instruction”; lore ¹

Origin of lair⁴

First recorded in 1930–35; back formation from lairy

Word History and Origins

Origin of lair¹

perhaps from leer

Origin of lair²

Old English leger; related to lie ² and Old High German leger bed

Origin of lair³

from Old Norse leir mud

Example Sentences

Speaking at the news conference, the former Harrods employee told how working for Fayed was like walking "into a lion's den - a lair of cover-ups, deceit, lies, manipulation, humiliation and gross sexual misconduct".

From BBC

They literally accused her of staying artificially young by sacrificing children in a secret lair beneath a pizza parlor.

From Los Angeles Times

In addition to the record-setting sale, he also put another home on the market: a stone monolith of sorts in Beverly Hills that resembles a supervillain’s lair more than a house.

From Los Angeles Times

The polar bears pop up from their winter lairs, the arctic tern soar back from their long journey south and the musk oxen wade north.

From Science Daily

Technicians drill holes into the infested wood to reach the termite "gallery" or lair, then inject poison into the hole to inundate the bugs.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• hideaway