layman

/ˈleɪmən/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈleɪmən/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈlā-mən/ (ame, mw)

layman — noun

  • laymansingular
  • laymenplural

1. a person who belongs to a church or other religious community but does not work

1.名詞B2
釋義

a person who belongs to a church or other religious community but does not work as a priest, minister, or other religious leader

例句

The parish council included both the priest and several laymen.

contrasted with priest/clergy member

Tara volunteered as a layman to help organise the church fundraising event.

同義詞
  • parishioner

    specifically a member of a particular church or parish, whereas 'layman' contrasts with clergy across denominations

  • congregant

    more neutral and commonly used in modern American English

  • laity

    collective noun for all laypeople as a group; 'layman' is an individual member

反義詞
  • clergyman

    a person who is ordained for religious duties

  • priest

    a specifically Catholic, Orthodox, or Anglican ordained minister

文法句型

layman + from + [congregation/parish]

layman + in + [church/religious group]

用法筆記

The plural 'laymen' is standard. For gender-neutral alternatives some writers use 'layperson' (singular) or 'laypeople' (plural).

常見錯誤

❌The layman has taken a vow of silence at the abbey.
✅The layman visited the abbey to attend Mass.
💡a layperson is not a member of a religious order who has taken vows; use 'monk' or 'nun' for those.

2. someone whose understanding of a particular area comes from general life experie

2.名詞B2
釋義

someone whose understanding of a particular area comes from general life experience rather than from formal training or study in that field — for instance, a person without a legal background trying to make sense of a court ruling

例句

The chemist explained her research in terms a layman could easily follow.

pattern: in terms a layman could [follow/understand]

As a layman in finance, Baraka asked his accountant to review the monthly statements.

pattern: a layman in + [field]

同義詞
  • non-specialist

    more formal and neutral, avoids the gendered ending of 'layman'

  • amateur

    implies the person engages in the activity for pleasure, not necessarily lacking knowledge

  • outsider

    focuses on not being part of the professional group, rather than lacking knowledge

反義詞
  • expert

    someone with deep specialist knowledge and training

  • professional

    someone who works in the field and is paid for their expertise

文法句型

a layman + in + [field/subject]

for the layman

to a layman

用法筆記

Commonly appears in the fixed phrase 'in layman's terms', meaning in plain everyday language without technical jargon. The preposition that follows 'layman' to indicate the field is 'in' (a layman in law, a layman in medicine), not 'of'.

常見錯誤

❌He is a layman of physics.
✅He is a layman in physics.
💡use 'in' to specify the area the person knows nothing about.
❌She is a layman on computers.
✅She is a layman in computers.
💡'in' is the standard preposition for the field.