lie

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See also: LIE, liē, liě, liè, and lié

English[edit]

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Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

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 ligge, Swedish ligga, Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽 (ligan); and with Latin lectus (“bed”), Irish luighe, Russian лежать (ležatʹ), Albanian lagje (“inhabited area, neighbourhood”).

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)

  1. (intransitive) To rest in a horizontal position on a surface.
    The book lies on the table;  the snow lies on the roof;nbsp; he lies in his coffin
  2. (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”, 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.
  3. 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.
  4. To be or exist; to belong or pertain; to have an abiding place; to consist; used with in.
    • 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.
  5. (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.
  6. To be still or quiet, like one lying down to rest.
  7. (law) To be sustainable; to be capable of being maintained.
    • Ch. J. Parsons
      An appeal lies in this case.
Derived terms[edit]
Terms derived from lie (verb)
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, 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”).

Verb[edit]

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

  1. (intransitive) To give false information intentionally.
    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
  2. (intransitive) To convey a false image or impression.
    Photos often lie.
    Hips don't lie.
Derived terms[edit]
Related 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 (German Lüge, “a lie”), Danish løgn (“a lie”), Bulgarian лъжа (lǎža, “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.
    • Trench
      Wishing this lie of life was o'er.
Synonyms[edit]
Antonyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]

Statistics[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 used mostly in the expression missä lie.

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. dregs (of wine, of society)

Verb[edit]

lie

  1. First-person singular indicative present of lier
  2. First-person singular subjunctive present of lier
  3. Third-person singular indicative present of lier
  4. Third-person singular subjunctive present of lier
  5. Second-person singular imperative present of lier

Anagrams[edit]

Mandarin[edit]

Romanization[edit]

lie (Zhuyin ㄌㄧㄝ˙)

  1. Pinyin reading of 咦
  2. Nonstandard spelling of liē.
  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) preterite indicative form of liar.

Swedish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Old Swedish līe, lē, from Old Norse lé, from Proto-Germanic *lewą, 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
Common indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative
genitive

Related terms[edit]

References[edit]

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