1
: a person who is not a member of the clergy
The parish council consisted of both clergy and laymen.
2
: a person who does not belong to a particular profession or who is not expert in some field
For a layman, he knows a lot about the law.
Did you know?
Layman is a closed compound of lay man. Lay is an adjective that means "of or relating to the people of a religious faith (but not of its clergy)." The origins of lay and layman go back to Greek laikos, meaning "of the people." Layman was originally used to distinguish between non-clerical people and the clergy before being used to distinguish non-professionals from professionals in a field (such as law or medicine).
Cite this Entry
“Layman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/layman. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
