lie

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See also: LIE, lié, líe, liè, liē, liě, li'e, and -lie

English[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

A Bichon Frisé lying in grass

From Middle English lien, liggen, from Old English licgan, from Proto-Germanic *ligjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ-. Cognate with West Frisian lizze, Dutch liggen, German liegen, Danish and Norwegian Bokmål ligge, Swedish ligga, Norwegian Nynorsk liggja, Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽 (ligan); and with Latin lectus (“bed”), Irish luighe, Russian лежа́ть (ležátʹ), Albanian lag (“troop, band, encampment”).

As a noun for position, the noun has the same etymology above as the verb.

Verb[edit]

lie (third-person singular simple present lies, present participle lying, simple past lay, past participle lain or (obsolete) lien)

  2. (intransitive) To rest in a horizontal position on a surface.
    The book lies on the table;  the snow lies on the roof;  he lies in his coffin
  3. (intransitive) To be placed or situated.
    • 1992, Rudolf M. Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, page vii
      Hepaticology, outside the temperate parts of the Northern Hemisphere, still lies deep in the shadow cast by that ultimate "closet taxonomist," Franz Stephani—a ghost whose shadow falls over us all.
    • 2013 June 8, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52:
      From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. Those entering it are greeted by wire fences, walls dating back to colonial times and security posts. For mariners leaving the port after lonely nights on the high seas, the delights of the B52 Night Club and Stallion Pub lie a stumble away.
  4. To abide; to remain for a longer or shorter time; to be in a certain state or condition.
    to lie waste;  to lie fallow; to lie open;  to lie hidden;  to lie grieving;  to lie under one's displeasure;  to lie at the mercy of the waves
    The paper does not lie smooth on the wall.
  5. Used with in: to be or exist; to belong or pertain; to have an abiding place; to consist.
    • Arthur Collier (1680-1732)
      Envy lies between beings equal in nature, though unequal in circumstances.
    • John Locke (1632-1705)
      He that thinks that diversion may not lie in hard labour, forgets the early rising and hard riding of huntsmen.
  6. Used with with: to have sexual relations with.
    1611, Bible (King James Version), Genesis 39:7:
    And it came to passe after these things, that his masters wife cast her eyes vpon Ioseph, and shee said, Lie with me.
  7. (archaic) To lodge; to sleep.
    • John Evelyn (1620-1706)
      While I was now trifling at home, I saw London, […] where I lay one night only.
    • Charles Dickens (1812-1870)
      Mr. Quinion lay at our house that night.
  8. To be still or quiet, like one lying down to rest.
  9. (law) To be sustainable; to be capable of being maintained.
    • Ch. J. Parsons
      An appeal lies in this case.
Usage notes[edit]

The verb lie in this sense is sometimes used interchangeably with the verb lay in informal spoken settings. This can lead to nonstandard constructions that are sometimes objected to. Additionally, the past tense and past participle can both become laid, instead of lay and lain respectively, in less formal settings. These usages are common in speech but rarely found in edited writing or in more formal spoken situations.

Derived terms[edit]
Terms derived from lie
Related terms[edit]
  • lay, a corresponding transitive version of this word
  • lees
  • lier
Translations[edit]

Noun[edit]

lie (plural lies)

  1. (golf) The terrain and conditions surrounding the ball before it is struck.
  2. (medicine) The position of a fetus in the womb.
Translations[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

From Middle English lien (“to lie, tell a falsehood”), from Old English lēogan (“to lie”), from Proto-Germanic *leuganą (“to lie”), from Proto-Indo-European *lewgʰ- (“to lie, swear, bemoan”). Cognate with West Frisian lige (“to lie”), Low German legen, lögen (“to lie”), Dutch liegen (“to lie”), German lügen (“to lie”), Norwegian ljuge/lyge (“to lie”), Danish lyve (“to lie”), Swedish ljuga (“to lie”), and more distantly with Bulgarian лъжа (lǎža, “to lie”), Russian лгать (lgatʹ, “to lie”), ложь (ložʹ, “falsehood”).

Verb[edit]

lie (third-person singular simple present lies, present participle lying, simple past and past participle lied)

  2. (intransitive) To give false information intentionally with intent to deceive.
    When Pinocchio lies, his nose grows.
    If you are found to have lied in court, you could face a penalty.
    While a principle-based approach might claim that lying is always morally wrong, the casuist would argue that, depending upon the details of the case, lying might or might not be illegal or unethical. The casuist might conclude that a person is wrong to lie in legal testimony under oath, but might argue that lying actually is the best moral choice if the lie saves a life.WP
  3. (intransitive) To convey a false image or impression.
    Photographs often lie.
    Hips don't lie.
  4. (intransitive) To succeed or excel at lying; lie successfully; show one's expertise or mastery in the art of lying.
    Wow, that boy can really lie!
  5. (intransitive, colloquial) To be mistaken or unintentionally spread false information.
    Sorry, I haven't seen your keys anywhere...wait, I lied! They're right there on the coffee table.
Synonyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]

Etymology 3[edit]

From Middle English lie, from Old English lyġe (“lie, falsehood”), from Proto-Germanic *lugiz (“lie, falsehood”), from Proto-Indo-European *leugh- (“to tell lies, swear, complain”), *lewgʰ-. Cognate with Old Saxon luggi (“a lie”), Old High German lugī, lugin (“a lie”) (German Lüge), Danish løgn (“a lie”), Bulgarian лъжа́ (lǎžá, “а lie”).

Noun[edit]

lie (plural lies)

  1. An intentionally false statement; an intentional falsehood.
    I knew he was telling a lie by his facial expression.
  2. A statement intended to deceive, even if literally true; a half-truth
  3. Anything that misleads or disappoints.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Trench:
      Wishing this lie of life was o'er.
    • The cake is a lie. - Portal
Synonyms[edit]
Antonyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Terms derived from lie
Translations[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Finnish[edit]

Verb[edit]

lie

  1. (nonstandard) Third-person singular potential present form of olla.
    Se on missä lie.
    It's somewhere. / I wonder where it is.
    Tai mitä lie ovatkaan
    Or whatever they are.

Usage notes[edit]

  • This form is chiefly used in direct and indirect questions.

Synonyms[edit]

  • (3rd-pers. sg. potent. pres. of olla; standard) lienee

Anagrams[edit]

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Probably from Transalpine Gaulish *liga (“silt, sediment”), from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie, to lay”).

Noun[edit]

lie f (plural lies)

  1. lees, dregs (of wine, of society)

Verb[edit]

lie

  1. first-person singular present indicative of lier
  2. third-person singular present indicative of lier
  3. first-person singular present subjunctive of lier
  4. third-person singular present subjunctive of lier
  5. second-person singular imperative of lier

Further reading[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Mandarin[edit]

Romanization[edit]

lie (Zhuyin ˙ㄌㄧㄝ)

  1. Pinyin transcription of 咧

lie

  1. Nonstandard spelling of liē.
  2. Nonstandard spelling of lié.
  3. Nonstandard spelling of liě.
  4. Nonstandard spelling of liè.

Usage notes[edit]

  • English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.

Old French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

See English lees.

Noun[edit]

lie f (oblique plural lies, nominative singular lie, nominative plural lies)

  1. dregs; mostly solid, undesirable leftovers of a drink

Descendants[edit]

Spanish[edit]

Verb[edit]

lie

  1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of liar.
  2. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted?) present subjunctive form of liar.

Swedish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Swedish līe, lē, from Old Norse lé, from Proto-Germanic *lewô, from Proto-Indo-European *leu- (“to cut”).

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

lie c

  1. scythe; an instrument for mowing grass, grain, or the like.

Declension[edit]

Declension of lie 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative lie lien liar liarna
Genitive lies liens liars liarnas

Related terms[edit]

References[edit]

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