What is the Latin word for lay?

The usual Latin words for “lay” are pōnō, locō, collocō; also sternō, sēdō, contendō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“lay” in Latin

pōnōto place; to put; to lay; to ordain; to appoint; to make (something); to set up; to pitch (camp)locōto put, place, set; to arrange, establish; to lease, hire out, lend collocōto place, put, set in order, assign, arrange; to put together, assemble; to settle sternōto spread, stretch out, spread out; to calm, still, moderate; to cover, spread with, scatter with, bestrew with, besprin sēdōto allay, settle, still, calm, assuage or appease; to end, stop or stay contendōto hurry; to stretch, draw tight, make taut, strain; to place together in comparison, compare, contrast parōto arrange, order, contrive, design; to provide, furnish, prepare; to resolve, purpose, decide gignōto bring forth as a fruit of oneself: to bear, to beget, to engender, to give birth to; to produce, to cause, to yield; laciōto entice, ensnare edōto eat

The English word lay itself goes back to Latin lāicus.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

lay v.

To put, place, set, ponere (general term); locare, collocare (to give a definite plan to anything, with choice or purpose): to lay in or upon, ponere, collocare in aliqua re; imponere alicui rei, in aliquam rem, or in aliqua re; ponere super aliqua re; e.g., wood upon the hearth (lignum super foco): to lay under, supponere, subjicere alicui rei or sub aliquid: to lay to, apponere, applicare, admovere alicui rei or ad aliquid: to lay wood on the fire, alimentum dare igni; material igni praebere; flammam materia alere: to lay the hand on the mouth, manum ad os apponere: to lay one’s self down, cubare, decumbere (in order to sleep); accumbere (in order to take food; Vid: Bremi, Suet., Caes., 72): to lay one’s self down on or in anything, recumbere in aliqua re; se abjicere in aliquid (☞ not in aliqua re; Vid: Cic., De Or., 1, 7, extr.): to lay a foundation, fundamenta agere (Cic.) or jacere (Cic.), PROP.; facere fundamenta, figuratively (Cic.): to lay an ambush, insidias locare, collocare, ponere [[and Vid: AMBUSH][and Vid: AMBUSH]: to lay a plot, moliri aliquid, [Vid: PLOT]: to lay siege, obsidere (inchoative: obsidere = obsessam tenere); obsidionem (urbi) inferre; operibus cingere: to lay violent hands on, manus alicui afferre; on one’s self, necem sibi consciscere: to lay waste, vastare devastare; populari: to lay a shoot, etc., propagare: to lay to heart, aliqua re moveri or commoveri; de aliqua re laborare; aliquid aegre ferre; aliquid in pectus, or in pectus animumque, demittere.

To beat down, as corn or grass, sternere.

To keep down, keep from rising, sedare: to lay the dust (humum conspergendo) sedare pulverem (Phaedrus).

To give or offer, as a wager, sponsionem facere (Cic.; with one, cum aliquo) pignore certare or contendere (cum aliquo, Nep., to lay a wager).

To exclude (an egg) from the body, (ovum) parere, gignere (Cic.), lacere (Varr.), edere (Plin.), ponere, eniti (Col.).

To spread (a snare), tendere (e.g., rete, plagas), PROP. and figuratively; (avibus) pedicas ponere (Verg.).

lay adj.

laicus (ecclesiastical).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for lay?: The usual Latin words for “lay” are pōnō, locō, collocō; also sternō, sēdō, contendō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.