English Meaning & Definitions
A person who does not have expert or professional knowledge of a particular subject.
- “The doctor explained the complex medical procedure in terms that a layperson could easily understand.”
- “While the legal jargon was confusing to the layperson, the attorney clarified the implications of the contract.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “layperson”.
Derived from the Middle English 'lay', meaning 'not of the clergy' (from Old French 'lai', from Late Latin 'laicus', from Greek 'laikos' meaning 'of the people'), combined with 'person'. Historically, it distinguished members of a religious congregation from the ordained clergy; it later broadened to distinguish non-experts from professionals in any specialized field.
Think of a 'lay' person as someone who 'lays' aside their professional tools because they are not an expert in that specific field.
Frequently Asked Questions About “layperson”
1. What is the meaning of “layperson” in English?
In English, layperson (noun) is defined as: “A person who does not have expert or professional knowledge of a particular subject.”.
2. How do you use “layperson” in a sentence?
“The doctor explained the complex medical procedure in terms that a layperson could easily understand.”
3. What are English synonyms of “layperson”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “layperson”?
Derived from the Middle English 'lay', meaning 'not of the clergy' (from Old French 'lai', from Late Latin 'laicus', from Greek 'laikos' meaning 'of the people'), combined with 'person'. Historically, it distinguished members of a religious congregation from the ordained clergy; it later broadened to distinguish non-experts from professionals in any specialized field.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.