layman

Etymology

From Middle English lay +‎ man.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

  Rhymes: -eɪmən

Noun

layman (plural laymen)

1. layperson, someone who is not an ordained cleric or member of the clergy
2. by analogy, someone who is not a professional in a given field

   Carmen is not a professional anthropologist, but strictly a layman.

   Let me explain it to you in layman's terms.

3. a common person
4. a person who is untrained or lacks knowledge of a subject
   • 2005, Plato, Sophist. Translation by Lesley Brown. 221d.

     should he be held to be just a layman, or does he have some art?

5. a generally ignorant person
6. lay-sister or lay-brother, person received into a convent of monks, following the vows, but not being member of the order