layperson

[ ley-pur-suhn ]

noun

1. a person who is not a member of the clergy; one of the laity.
2. a person who is not a member of a given profession, as law or medicine.

Gender Note

See -person.

Word History and Origins

Origin of layperson¹

First recorded in 1970–75; lay(man) + -person

Example Sentences

He explains why in terms a layperson can understand: “Trains suck up leaves under the wheels and you get black surface on the wheels and if it’s wet it gets really slippery.”

From BBC

Despite all that, conjectures by laypersons that the illness or death of acquaintances can be traced to the vaccines are legion.

From Los Angeles Times

The decision says almost nothing about the procedure that most laypersons think is the alpha and omega of IVF — the implantation of manually fertilized embryos into the uterus.

From Los Angeles Times

A layperson might mistake the job that swept her across the ocean as “bodyguard.”

From New York Times

Where babies are harmed because of clinical negligence, the projected payouts can appear very sizable to the layperson.

From BBC

More About Layperson

What does layperson mean?

Layperson is used in a religious context to refer to a person who is a regular member of a religious congregation and not a member of the clergy—that is, a layperson is someone who is not a religious official like a priest.

The term clergy collectively refers to people who have been ordained or otherwise serve as religious leaders or officials, such as priests, rabbis, and nuns. The plural of layperson is laypeople. In a religious context, laypeople can be collectively referred to as the laity.

The word layman specifically refers to a man, but it is often used regardless of gender. However, layperson is truly gender-neutral.

Layperson is perhaps even more commonly used outside of a religious context to refer to a person who is not a member of a particular profession or who is not an expert in or knowledgeable about a particular field. The phrase layperson’s terms means plain language that the average person can understand, as opposed to technical jargon that can only be understood by experts in the topic or those who are already familiar with it.

When someone asks for an explanation in layperson’s terms, they want it to be as simple and straightforward as possible, so that it can be understood by a layperson—a nonexpert. The phrase layman’s terms means the same thing and is more commonly used.

Example: She has built a career as a science writer by explaining complex topics in a way that is accessible to the layperson.

Where does layperson come from?

The first records of the word layperson come from the 1970s. The lay in layperson is an adjective meaning “belonging to, pertaining to, or performed by the people or laity, as distinguished from the clergy.”

Lay comes from the Middle English lai, meaning “uneducated” or “not belonging to the clergy.” It ultimately comes from the Greek lāikós, meaning “of the people” (as in the common people).

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to layperson?

• laypeople (plural)

What are some synonyms for layperson?

• member of the laity
• average person
• nonexpert

What are some words that share a root or word element with layperson? 

• layman
• laywoman
• lay
• person
• laity
• clergyperson

What are some words that often get used in discussing layperson?

• terms
• simple
• plain
• language
• average
• expert
• jargon
• clergy
• member
• congregation
• general
• audience

How is layperson used in real life?

Layperson is perhaps most commonly used in non-religious contexts. It’s sometimes used in the phrase layperson’s terms (though layman’s terms is more common).

Quite a nice summary of how #bias enters #AI, probably for the layperson rather than the specialist though! Eliminating bias in AI is no easy feat, but fixes do exist https://t.co/HLdGfdaP7H pic.twitter.com/wgGt09e72D

— umbrelladata (@umbrelladata) July 23, 2019

It’s been five days since starting IM and my senior resident’s consistent praise for me is that I’m good at explaining things to patients in layperson’s terms. Ma’am, don’t be fooled, I am a layperson in scrubs.

— Jillian Millares (@JilllMilll) September 5, 2020

Let’s make this the year to normalise “I don’t know”.

Scientific issues? As a layperson, I don’t know.

Work expertise? I don’t know, but she does – ask her?

Complex social policy? You don’t need my knee jerk reaction, I’m going to have to read more, because I DON’T KNOW.

— Beth Murray (@bmbm) January 2, 2021

Try using layperson!

Which of the following terms can be used as a synonym of layperson?

A. average person
B. nonexpert
C. member of the laity
D. all of the above