layer
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
layer¹
- /ˈleɪ̯ɚ/ US
- [ˈleɪ̯ɚ] ~ [ˈleɪ̯ɹ̩] US
- /ˈlɛɹ/ US
- /ˈleɪ.ə/ UK
- [ˈleɪ̯.ə] UK
- /ˈlɛə/ UK
- [ˈlɛə̯] ~ [ˈlɛː] UK
- /ˈlɛː/ British, Southern, Standard
- /ˈlɜː(ɹ)/ UK
- /ˈleɾ/ Scotland, UK
- [ˈleːɾ] Scotland, UK
- /ˈlæɪ.ə/ Australia
- /ˈleː/ Australia
- /ˈleə/ New Zealand
- /ˈliə/
Sounds like lair (some pronunciations) · Rhymes with -ɛə(ɹ), -eɪə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
Appears at first glance to be from Middle English leyer, leyare (“a layer of stones or bricks”), equivalent to lay + -er. In which case, ultimately identical to etymology 2 below. For the pronunciation compare prayer.
However, this word layer (referring to a thickness of a material covering a surface) has also been argued to be from a respelling of an obsolete sense of the word lair that was once used by farmers, which had to do with soil. The connecting sense between the usual meaning of lair and the specialised farming meaning was: an area where cows typically rest, the ground being fertilised by their waste. Related to lie, ledger.
noun layers
- A single thickness of some material covering a surface. Wrap the loaf in two layers of aluminum foil before putting it in the oven.
- An item of clothing worn under or over another. It's cold now but it will warm up this afternoon. Make sure you wear layers.
-
A (usually) horizontal deposit; a stratum.
I find seven-layer cake a bit too rich.
Similar: stratum
- One of the items in a hierarchy. mired in layers of deceit
- One in a stack of (initially transparent) drawing surfaces that comprise an image; used to keep elements of an image separate so that they can be modified independently from one another.
- One of the seven network switch pieces in the Open Systems Interconnection model: application, presentation, session, transport, network, data link, and physical.
- An alternative keymap accessed through a modifier key or toggle.
Similar: lay
verb layers · layering · layered
- To cut or divide into layers.
- To arrange in layers. Layer the ribbons on top of one another to make an attractive pattern.
layer²
- /ˈleɪ.ə/ UK
- /ˈleɪ.ɚ/ US
Rhymes with -eɪə(ɹ)
noun layers
- A person who lays anything, such as tiles or a wager. If fortune ever favoured any venturesome layer of bets, Tom Elliot was certainly the one that day.
- A mature female bird, insect, etc. that is able to lay eggs. As for which hen we'll cull for next Sunday's dinner, we certainly won't eat Henrietta yet — she's still a prime layer.
- A hen kept to lay eggs; a breed of chicken bred to maximize laying output. “Mrs. Boast can’t have got all these from one hatching,” [Ma] said. “I do believe there’s not more than two cockerels among them.” “The Boasts have got such a head-start with chickens, likely they’re planning to eat friers this summer,” said Pa. “It may be she took a few cockerels out of this flock,
- A shoot of a plant, laid underground for growth.
Layer³
proper noun Layers
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: superimposed, stratified, bedded, ply, coating, veneer, floor, storey, film, wrapper, cover, barrier, landfill, overlay, tier, bed
noun
Similar: lay
Translations
Every language
noun single thickness of some material covering a surface
| Español | capa, tongada, tonga, tanda |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 층 cheung |
| 日本語 | 層 sō, 膜 maku |
| 中文 | 層 /层 céng |
| हिन्दी | परत parat, तह tah, तबक़ा tabqā, तबका tabkā |
| Português | camada |
| Français | couche |
| Deutsch | Lage, Schicht |
| Italiano | strato |
| Ελληνικά | στρώση strósi, στρώμα stróma, στιβάδα stiváda, διάστρωση diástrosi |
| Română | strat, așternut, acoperământ |
| Русский | слой sloj, пласт plast |
| Tiếng Việt | lớp |
| العربية | طَبَقَة ṭabaqa |
| עברית | רוֹבֶד róved, שִׁכְבָה shikhvá |
noun item of clothing worn under or over another
| Português | camada |
|---|---|
| Français | couche |
| Deutsch | Bekleidungsschicht, Lage, Schicht |
| Italiano | strato |
noun deposit
| 日本語 | 層 sō |
|---|---|
| Português | camada |
| Deutsch | Schicht |
| Italiano | strato |
| Ελληνικά | στρώμα stróma, διάστρωση diástrosi |
| Русский | слой sloj, пласт plast |
noun drawing surface (computer graphics)
| 한국어 | 레이어 reieo |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | レイヤー reiyā |
| Français | calque |
| Deutsch | Ebene |
| Русский | слой sloj |
verb to cut or divide into layers
| Deutsch | trennen, spalten |
|---|---|
| Ελληνικά | καταβολεύω katavolévo |
| Русский | рассла́ивать rassláivatʹ, расслои́ть rassloítʹ |
verb to arrange in layers
| Deutsch | schichten, übereinanderlegen |
|---|---|
| Русский | насла́ивать nasláivatʹ, наслои́ть nasloítʹ |
noun person who lays anything, such as tiles or a wager
| Português | assentador |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Leger, Verleger |
| Русский | укла́дчик ukládčik, кла́дчик kládčik |
Talk about this word "layer." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/layer. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026. layer. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/layer "layer." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 5, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/layer.Cite this
@misc{layer_2026,
title = {layer},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/layer},
urldate = {2026-11-05}
}
