Etymologically
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This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 14:53. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈleɪ.aʊt/[1]

Etymology

It is a noun from the verbal phrase lay out (see lay and out),[2][3] also written lay-out.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Configuration, arrangement, the laying out of land or streets: 1852.[2][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The verbal phrase is from the late 14th century, to cast out, and about 1400 to stretch out or display.[2] A plan or scheme of action is American English from 1867,[4] and a set or party of people from 1869;[4] a collection of things laid out for use in an occupation is by 1869.[2] The rough design of a printing job is attested from 1910,[2] and the design of a page now a common sense.[5][6]

Timeline

  • late 14th century – lay out (verb).[2]
  • 1852 – an arrangement.[2]
  • 1867 – a plan (US).[4]
  • 1910 – a printing design.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The way in which the parts of something, such as a building, town or garden, are arranged.
  2. The arrangement of text and pictures on a page, or the art of arranging them.
  3. A thing laid out in a particular way: a model railway layout.

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
  5. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  6. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press