layer
/ˈleɪ̯ɚ/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.40 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A (usually) horizontal deposit; a stratum.
noun
One in a stack of (initially transparent) drawing surfaces that comprise an image; used to keep elements of an image separate so that they can be modified independently from one another.
noun
One of the seven network switch pieces in the Open Systems Interconnection model: application, presentation, session, transport, network, data link, and physical.
noun
An alternative keymap accessed through a modifier key or toggle.
Example Sentences
- "Wrap the loaf in two layers of aluminum foil before putting it in the oven."
- "After the first coat of paint dried, he applied another layer."
- "It's cold now but it will warm up this afternoon. Make sure you wear layers."
- "I find seven-layer cake a bit too rich."
- "Sometimes, the underlying layers are exposed by erosion, revealing the story of the rocks like an open book."
- "mired in layers of deceit"
Etymology
Appears at first glance to be from Middle English leyer, leyare (“a layer of stones or bricks”), equivalent to lay + -er. In which case, ultimately identical to etymology 2 below. For the pronunciation compare prayer. However, this word layer (referring to a thickness of a material covering a surface) has also been argued to be from a respelling of an obsolete sense of the word lair that was once used by farmers, which had to do with soil. The connecting sense between the usual meaning of lair and the specialised farming meaning was: an area where cows typically rest, the ground being fertilised by their waste. Related to lie, ledger.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈleɪ̯ɚ/
- British English: /ˈleɪ.ə/
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Botany.