laity
Americannoun
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the body of religious worshipers, as distinguished from the clergy.
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the people outside of a particular profession, as distinguished from those belonging to it.
the medical ignorance of the laity.
noun
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laymen, as distinguished from clergymen
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all people not of a specific occupation
Usage
What does laity mean? Laity is used in a religious context to collectively refer to the group of people who are regular members of a religious congregation and not members of the clergy—that is, people who are not religious officials like priests.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.Laity is a noun form of the adjective lay, which means belonging to, pertaining to, or performed by the people or laity, as distinguished from the clergy.Members of the laity can be called laypeople. The singular form of laypeople is layperson. The gender-specific terms layman and laywoman are also used, though layman is often used regardless of gender.Terms like layman, layperson, and laypeople are perhaps even more commonly used outside of a religious context to refer to people who are not members of a particular profession or who are not experts in or knowledgeable about a particular field. The related phrases layman’s terms and layperson’s terms refer to 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. However, laity is not usually used in this sense.Example: People tend to associate the church with priests, but the truth is that the biggest part of the church is the laity.
Etymology
Origin of laity
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“But in practice, at least among laity, but also many pastors, especially in fundamentalist and evangelical circles, there’s an unspoken understanding that it’s basically true.”
From Slate • Apr. 5, 2024
More recently, he launched a global synod, or listening process, that encourages the laity to share their thoughts, dreams and hopes about the future of the church.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2023
Just this week, the head of the Vatican’s laity office, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, wrote to Carron’s successor complaining that Carron and his followers were still exercising influence against the Vatican’s reforms.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 15, 2022
“What is striking, however, is the approving chorus on the part of the priesthood and some of the laity that followed this performance.”
From Washington Post • Apr. 8, 2022
There were clerks with neat little skull-caps to keep their tonsures warm, dressed in sober clothes which contrasted with the laity.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
