lair

lair
[OE] Etymologically a lair is a place where you ‘lie’ down. For it comes ultimately from the same Germanic base, *leg-, as produced English lie. In Old English it had a range of meanings, from ‘bed’ to ‘grave’, which are now defunct, and the modern sense ‘place where an animal lives’ did not emerge until the 15th century. Related Germanic forms show different patterns of semantic development: Dutch leger, for instance, means ‘bed’ and ‘camp’ (it has given English beleaguer [16] and, via Afrikaans, laager [19]) and German lager (source of English lager) means ‘bed’, ‘camp’, and ‘storeroom’. Layer in the sense ‘stratum’ [17] (which to begin with was a culinary term) may have originated as a variant of lair. => BELEAGUER, LAAGER, LAGER, LAY, LAYER, LIE
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   A lair is a place where an animal lies. The related words derive from an Indo-European source that also gave Latin lectus, 'bed,' and (through German) English lager.

The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins. 2013.

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Synonyms:
(of a beast),


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  • Lair — (l[^a]r), n. [OE. leir, AS. leger; akin to D. leger, G. lager couch, lair, OHG. legar, Goth. ligrs, and to E. lie. See {Lie} to be prostrate, and cf. {Layer}, {Leaguer}.] [1913 Webster] 1. A place in which to lie or rest; especially, the bed or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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  • lair — [leə US ler] n [: Old English; Origin: leger act of lying, bed ] 1.) the place where a wild animal hides and sleeps = ↑den 2.) a place where you go to hide or to be alone = ↑den ▪ a smuggler s lair …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • lair — [ ler ] noun count 1. ) a place where a wild animal lives: a wolf s lair 2. ) a place where you can be alone and feel safe 3. ) INFORMAL the room or home of a frightening or dangerous person …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • lair — O.E. leger bed, couch, grave; act or place of lying down, from P.Gmc. *legraz (Cf. O.N. legr grave, also nuptials ( a lying down ); O.Fris. leger situation, O.S. legar bed, M.Du. legher act or place of lying down, Du. leger bed, ca …   Etymology dictionary

  • lair — [ler] n. [ME lier < OE leger, lit., lying place, hence bed, couch (in Du, a camp) < Gmc base (* leg ) of licgan, to LIE1] 1. a bed or resting place of a wild animal; den 2. any place of refuge or for hiding vi. to go to, rest in, or have a… …   English World dictionary

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  • lair — ► NOUN 1) a wild animal s resting place. 2) a person s hiding place or den. ORIGIN Old English, related to LIE(Cf. ↑lie) …   English terms dictionary

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