laity

/ˈleɪəti/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈleɪəti/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈlā-ə-tē/ (ame, mw)

laity — noun

1. the ordinary people who belong to a faith community and take part in its service

1.名詞B2
釋義

the ordinary people who belong to a faith community and take part in its services and activities without having been officially trained or ordained as priests, ministers, or other religious leaders.

例句

Bishop Torres met with representatives of the laity to discuss changes to Sunday services.

the laity as a collective group with representatives

The course on Bible studies offered by Reverend Okafor was opened to both clergy and laity.

contrasting structure: clergy and laity

同義詞
  • laypeople

    the most common everyday equivalent; refers to the same group without the collective-noun formality

  • congregation

    focuses on people who attend a particular church rather than the clergy–non-clergy divide

  • parishioners

    specific to members of a local church district (a parish)

反義詞
  • clergy

    the ordained religious leaders whom the laity are distinct from

  • priesthood

    the body of ordained priests as a whole

文法句型

the laity

members of the laity

用法筆記

The laity functions as a collective noun and can take either a singular verb (the laity plays...) when thought of as a single group, or a plural verb (the laity take...) when the focus is on individual members. It is almost always used with the definite article the.

常見錯誤

❌The laity are going to vote on the new policy next Sunday.' (If the group acts as a single body)
✅The laity is going to vote on the new policy next Sunday.
💡When emphasising the group as one unit, prefer a singular verb in formal writing.
❌Many laities attended the conference.
✅Many members of the laity attended the conference.
💡The laity is uncountable; do not pluralise it. Use members of the laity to refer to individuals.