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Of or pertaining to the laity, as distinct from the clergy; as, a lay person; a lay preacher; a lay brother.

One of the people, in distinction from the clergy; one of the laity; sometimes, a man not belonging to some particular profession, in distinction from those who do. Being a layman, I ought not to have concerned myself with speculations which belong to the profession. Dryden.

not lettered" Shak. The unlettered barbarians willingly accepted the aid of the lettered clergy, still chiefly of Roman birth, to reduce to writing the institutes of their forefathers. Milman.

zed to receive confessions and grant absolution in all places, independently of the local clergy. [Obs.] Chaucer.

corpse was carried to the church or burial place, and where the bier was placed to await clergyman; a corpse gate. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell. -- Lich wake, the wake, or watching, held over a corpse before burial. [Prov Eng.] Chaucer. -- Lich wall, the wall of a churchyard or burying ground. -- Lich way, the path by wh…

Equal, or nearly equal; as, fields of like extent. More clergymen were impoverished by the late war than ever in the like space before. Sprat.

A solemn form of supplication in the public worship of various churches, in which the clergy and congregation join, the former leading and the latter responding in alternate sentences. It is usually of a penitential character. Supplications . . . for the appeasing of God's wrath were of the Greek church termed litanies…

The benefice of a clergyman; an ecclesiastical charge which a minister receives. [Eng.] He could not get a deanery, a prebend, or even a living Macaulay. Livng room, the room most used by the family.

That with which one makes shift; a temporary expedient. James Mill. I am not a model clergyman, only a decent makeshift. G. Eliot.

The parsonage; a clergyman's house. [Scot.] Capital manse, the manor house, or lord's court.

The body of ministers of state; also, the clergy, as a body.

l risks. -- Neck verse. (a) The verse formerly read to entitle a party to the benefit of clergy, said to be the first verse of the fifty-first Psalm, "Miserere mei," etc. Sir W. Scott. (b) Hence, a verse or saying, the utterance of which decides one's fate; a shibboleth. These words, "bread and cheese," were their nec…

The ninth part of movable goods, formerly payable to the clergy on the death of persons in their parishes. Mozley & W.

g in a particular place, on one's own estate, or in one's proper place; as, a nonresident clergyman or proprietor of lands.

ibution made to a church, as for the expenses of the eucharist, or for the support of the clergy and the poor.

on in matters ecclesiastical; an ecclesiastical judge; also, a deputy of the bishop, or a clergyman appointed to perform divine service for condemned criminals and assist in preparing them for death.

inish the bulk of; to reduce; to lessen. The king began to pare a little the privilege of clergy. Bacon.

ut composed of those persons who choose to unite under the charge of a particular priest, clergyman, or minister; also, loosely, the territory in which the members of a congregation live. [U. S.]

Any clergyman having ecclesiastical preferment; one who is in orders, or is licensed to preach; a preacher. He hears the parson pray and preach. Longfellow. Parson bird (Zoöl.), a New Zealand bird (Prosthemadera Novæseelandiæ) remarkable for its powers of mimicry and its ability to articulate words. Its color is glossy…

A certain sum of money paid to a clergyman in lieu of tithes. [Eng.] Mozley & W.