Meaning

• Arrangement or relationship; layout.

  "the lay of the land"

• A share of the profits in a business.

• A lyrical, narrative poem written in octosyllabic couplets that often deals with tales of adventure and romance.

• The direction a rope is twisted.

  "Worm and parcel with the lay; turn and serve the other way."

• A casual sexual partner.

  "What was I, just another lay you can toss aside as you go on to your next conquest?"

• An act of sexual intercourse.

• A plan; a scheme.

• (uncountable) the laying of eggs.

  "The hens are off the lay at present."

• A layer.

Meaning

• To place down in a position of rest, or in a horizontal position.

  "A shower of rain lays the dust."

• To cause to subside or abate.

• To prepare (a plan, project etc.); to set out, establish (a law, principle).

• To install certain building materials, laying one thing on top of another.

  "lay brick;  lay flooring"

• To produce and deposit an egg.

  "Did dinosaurs lay their eggs in a nest?"

• To bet (that something is or is not the case).

  "I'll lay that he doesn't turn up on Monday."

• To deposit (a stake) as a wager; to stake; to risk.

• To have sex with.

• To take a position; to come or go.

  "to lay forward;  to lay aloft"

• To state; to allege.

  "to lay the venue"

• To point; to aim.

  "to lay a gun"

• (ropemaking) To put the strands of (a rope, a cable, etc.) in their proper places and twist or unite them.

  "to lay a cable or rope"

• To place and arrange (pages) for a form upon the imposing stone.

• To place (new type) properly in the cases.

• To apply; to put.

• To impose (a burden, punishment, command, tax, etc.).

  "to lay a tax on land"

• To impute; to charge; to allege.

• To present or offer.

  "to lay an indictment in a particular county;   to lay a scheme before one"