World Languages Lexicon
10 Language-to-English DictionariesLay of the land
/ˈleɪ əv ðə ˈlænd/Comprehensive Definitions & Senses
2 senses- 1
The general state of affairs, current situation, or how a particular environment or scenario is structured.
"Before making a major business proposal, the CEO wanted to understand the lay of the land." - 2
The physical arrangement or features of a tract of land or terrain.
"The military scouts were sent ahead to study the lay of the land before the march."
Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum
Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology
Originating in 19th-century America and Britain, this phrase stems literally from surveying and cartography, describing the physical lie or configuration of a tract of country. Over time, the expression transitioned metaphorically from physical geography to refer to the general situation, state of affairs, or prevailing conditions in a given context.
Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Lay of the land"?
10 Global Lexicons: How "Lay of the land" is said worldwide
Click any language below to open its dedicated Language to English dictionary page with native script & transliteration
état des lieux
Transliteration: e-ta de lɥø
"Il est important de bien comprendre l'état des lieux avant d'agir."
Lage der Nation
Transliteration: ˈlaːɡə deːɐ̯ naˈtsi̯oːn
"Wir müssen zuerst die Lage der Nation verstehen."
stato delle cose
Transliteration: ˈstaːto ˈdɛlle ˈkoːze
"Dobbiamo analizzare lo stato delle cose prima di decidere."
estado de la situación
Transliteration: esˈtaðo ðe la situhaˈsjon
"El director evaluó el estado de la situación antes de la reunión."
estado das coisas
Transliteration: isˈtadu das ˈkɔizɐs
"Ele tentou entender o estado das coisas antes de investir."
स्थिति का जायजा
Transliteration: sthiti ka jayja
"कोई भी निर्णय लेने से पहले स्थिति का जायजा ले लेना चाहिए।"
形势
Transliteration: xíng shì
"在做决定之前，我们需要了解目前的形势。"
정세
Transliteration: jeongse
"우리는 회사를 옮기기 전에 전체적인 정세를 파악해야 한다."
情勢
Transliteration: jōsei
"新しいプロジェクトを始める前に、現地の情勢を把握しておくべきだ。"
Related Vocabulary Words to Explore
View all English termsA piece of written, printed, or electronic matter that provides information or evidence or that serves as an official record.
Able to adapt or be adapted to many different functions or activities.
A word or a group of words that functions as a single unit within a hierarchical syntactic structure.
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