# layer

Pronunciation: US say "LAY-ur" /ˈleɪ.ɚ/; UK say "LAIR" /lɛə/

## Noun

1. A single thickness of material spread over or covering a surface.
   - Simple: A thin sheet of material that sits on or covers a surface.
   - _A fresh layer of paint made the old fence look new._
   - _The cake had a layer of cream between the two sponges._
2. A horizontal band of deposited material, such as a bed of rock or soil; a stratum.
   - Simple: A flat band of material lying on top of other bands, like rock or soil.
   - _Geologists identified a layer of volcanic ash between the limestone beds._
   - _A thick layer of sediment built up over thousands of years._
3. One of the levels within a hierarchy or ordered system.
   - Simple: One level in a system that has different ranks or stages.
   - _Every layer of bureaucracy slows the approval process further._
   - _The security system relies on several layers working together._
4. A garment worn under or over another item of clothing.
   - Simple: A piece of clothing worn under or over another piece.
   - _In winter she wears three layers to stay warm on her walk._
   - _A light layer under your coat makes a big difference outdoors._
7. One of a stack of transparent drawing surfaces making up a digital image, letting each element be edited independently of the others.
   - Simple: One of several see-through sheets in an image app that lets you change parts of a picture on their own.
   - _She painted the shadows on a separate layer so she could adjust them later._
   - _Merging the layers flattened the file and saved space._
8. A hen kept for egg production, or a chicken breed developed to maximize egg-laying output. (pronounced: US say "LAY-ur" /ˈleɪ.ɚ/; UK say "LAY-uh" /ˈleɪ.ə/)
   - Simple: A hen that is kept to lay eggs.
   - _Each layer in the flock produces around 300 eggs a year._
   - _Commercial layers are usually housed separately from birds raised for meat._
9. A mature female bird, insect, or similar animal capable of laying eggs. (pronounced: US say "LAY-ur" /ˈleɪ.ɚ/; UK say "LAY-uh" /ˈleɪ.ə/)
   - Simple: A grown female animal that is able to lay eggs.
   - _Among many insects, a single dominant layer sustains the whole group._
   - _Biologists tracked each layer to count how many of its eggs survived._
10. One of the seven divisions of the Open Systems Interconnection model, ranging from the physical level up to the application level.
   - Simple: One of the seven parts of a system that describes how computers send data to each other.
   - _The transport layer ensures that data arrives complete and in order._
   - _Errors at the physical layer often appear as dropped connections higher up._
11. An alternative keymap on a keyboard, reached by holding a modifier key or flipping a toggle.
   - Simple: A second set of key meanings you reach by holding or pressing a special key.
   - _She moved the symbols onto a dedicated layer to keep the base keymap clean._
   - _Tapping the toggle switches the board into its navigation layer._
12. A person who lays something, such as tiles, bricks, or a wager. (pronounced: US say "LAY-ur" /ˈleɪ.ɚ/; UK say "LAY-uh" /ˈleɪ.ə/)
   - Simple: A person who lays something, like floor tiles or a bet.
   - _An experienced tile layer can finish a bathroom floor in a single day._
   - _On the exchange, the layer pays out when the backed horse wins._
13. A shoot of a plant laid down and covered with soil so it takes root. (pronounced: US say "LAY-ur" /ˈleɪ.ɚ/; UK say "LAY-uh" /ˈleɪ.ə/)
   - Simple: A plant shoot bent down and covered with soil so it grows roots.
   - _The gardener pegged a long layer of the shrub beneath the soil in spring._
   - _Once the layer had rooted, she severed it from the parent plant._

## Verb

5. To arrange or stack something in layers.
   - Simple: To put things on top of each other in separate flat levels.
   - _The chef layered thin sheets of pasta with rich sauce._
   - _You can layer different fabrics to create a richer texture._
6. To cut or divide something into layers.
   - Simple: To cut something into separate flat pieces.
   - _The baker layered the sponge into three even rounds._
   - _Carefully layer the clay block before shaping each piece._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–7, 10–11** — At first glance this seems to come from Middle English "leyer" or "leyare" ("a layer of stones or bricks"), which is "lay" plus "-er" and ultimately the same as etymology 2. However, some argue it is a respelling of an obsolete farming sense of "lair" that referred to soil: the ground where cows rested and fertilised the earth. It is related to "lie" and "ledger".
**Meanings 8–9, 12–13** — From "lay" plus the suffix "-er".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/layer (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).