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Definition:
b) a person who is a non-professional
German translation:
layman = der Laie, der Nichtfachmann
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GOOGLE INDEX
layman: approximately 5,000,000 hits
Sample text:
"It is difficult for the LAYMAN to make informed choices about what he or she eats if they do not know what is in their food."
- Dr Robert Clarke, consultant in public health at the University of Oxford
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Mr Hay is a metering technician, which in LAYMAN'S terms involves making sure the amount of oil produced on the platform conforms to standard measurements.
(BBC News)
Did you know?
layman (gender neutral = layperson)
noun
- someone who is not trained in or does not have a detailed knowledge of a particular subject
- someone who is part of a religious organization but who is not paid or specially trained
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
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WORD ORIGIN
Layman stems from the Old French lai, which means secular, and further from the Late Latin laicus and the Greek laikos, meaning "of the people."
Although layman originally referred to someone not ordained by the church, the definition broadened over the centuries to mean a person who is a non-expert in a given field of knowledge.
The word is often used as an adjective, such as putting something "in layman's terms" or "from a layman's point of view." This means describing a complex or technical issue so that the average individual can understand it. A gender-neutral version of the word is layperson.
The professional and the layman don't always see eye-to-eye. And as the following joke illustrates, they sometimes don't have much respect for each other either:
A patient goes to a doctor for his first visit:
Doctor: "And whom did you consult before coming to me?"
Patient: "Just the village chemist," replies the patient.
Doctor: "And what sort of foolish advice did that idiot give you?"
(his tone and manner suggesting contempt for the advice of the layman)
Patient: (in a matter-of-fact tone) "Oh, he told me to come and see you."
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SYNONYMS
amateur, aspirant, dilettante, greenhorn, neophyte, non-professional, novice, recruit
(Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus)
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ANTONYMS
expert, professional
(Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus)
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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"Sometimes a layman can provide a creative solution to a technical problem."
Thanks to Franziskus for suggesting today's word!
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And now...
Today's Learning Tip (7):
Recall some Synonyms
When you learn the new word, recall other English words with similar meanings - having alternative ways of saying something gives you more precision and flexibility in speaking.
more learning tips
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