Word: lie Part of Speech: verb Etymology: From Middle English lien, liggen, from Old English liċġan, from Proto-West Germanic *liggjan, from Proto-Germanic *ligjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ-. Cognates Cognate with Yola lee, lidge (“to lie”), leigh, leiough (“to idle”), North Frisian lade, lai, laie, lei, lii, läde, läie (“to lie; to lay”), Saterland Frisian lääse (“to lie; to lay”), West Frisian lizze (“to lie”), Alemannic German ligge (“to lie”), Central Franconian lijje (“to lie”), Dutch and Dutch Low Saxon liggen (“to lie”), German liegen (“to lie”), German Low German ligge, liggen (“to lie”), Luxembourgish leien (“to lie”), Yiddish ליגן (lign, “to lie”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål ligge (“to lie”), Faroese and Icelandic liggja (“to lie”), Norwegian Nynorsk ligge, liggja, liggje (“to lie”), Swedish ligga (“to lie”), Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽 (ligan, “to lie, to rest”); and with Irish laigh, luigh (“to lie”), Manx lhie (“lie; lay”), Scottish Gaelic laigh (“lie; lay”), Faliscan 𐌋𐌄𐌂𐌄𐌕 (lecet, “he lies down”), Latin lectus (“bed”), South Picene 𐌅𐌄𐌉𐌀𐌕 (veiat, “to lie”), Ancient Greek λέχομαι (lékhomai, “to lie down”), Albanian lag (“band, encampment, troop”), Belarusian ляжа́ць (ljažácʹ, “to lie”), Bulgarian лежа́ (ležá, “to lie”), Czech ležet (“to lie”), Macedonian лежи (leži, “to lie”), Polish leżeć (“to lie”), Russian лежа́ть (ležátʹ, “to lie”), Serbo-Croatian лѐжати, lèžati (“to lie”), Slovene ležáti (“to lie”), Ukrainian лежа́ти (ležáty, “to lie”), Tocharian B lyäk- (“to lie”). As a noun for position, the noun has the same etymology above as the verb. Pronunciation: /laɪ̯/ 1. To rest in a horizontal position on a surface. Labels: intransitive Example: The book lies on the table; the snow lies on the roof; he lies in his coffin. Example: Under an oak were lying asleep a pair of shepherds. 2. To be placed or situated. Labels: intransitive Example: Ying-yang county lies 70 li southwest of the modern Teng-feng county, Honan. Example: 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. 3. To abide; to remain for a longer or shorter time; to be in a certain state or condition. Labels: copulative, intransitive Example: 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 Example: The paper does not lie smooth on the wall. 4. Used with in: to be or exist; to belong or pertain; to have an abiding place; to consist. Example: Envy lies between beings equal in nature, though unequal in circumstances. Example: He that thinks that diversion may not lie in hard labour, forgets the early rising and hard riding of huntsmen. 5. Used with with: to have sexual relations with. Example: And it came to passe after these things, that his masters wife cast her eyes vpon Ioseph, and shee said, Lie with me. 6. Used with on/upon: to be incumbent (on); to be the responsibility of a person. 7. To lodge; to sleep. Labels: archaic Example: While I was now trifling at home, I saw London, […] where I lay one night only. Example: Mr. Quinion lay at our house that night. 8. To be still or quiet, like one lying down to rest. Example: The Wind is lowd, and will not lie till the Ship be cleard of the dead. 9. To be sustainable; to be capable of being maintained. Example: An appeal lies in this case from the ordinary to the arches.