layer

Meanings

Plural: layers

Noun

single thickness of usually some homogeneous substance
a relatively thin sheetlike expanse or region lying over or under another
an abstract place usually conceived as having depth
- "a simile has at least two layers of meaning"
a hen that lays eggs
thin structure composed of a single thickness of cells
A single thickness of some material covering a surface.
A single thickness of some material covering a surface.
An item of clothing worn under or over another.
A (usually) horizontal deposit; a stratum.
One of the items in a hierarchy.
One in a stack of (initially transparent) drawing surfaces that comprise an image; used to keep elements of an image separate so that they can be modified independently from one another.
One of the seven network switch pieces in the Open Systems Interconnection model: application, presentation, session, transport, network, data link, and physical.
An alternative keymap accessed through a modifier key or toggle.
A person who lays anything, such as tiles or a wager.
A mature female bird, insect, etc. that is able to lay eggs.
A mature female bird, insect, etc. that is able to lay eggs.
A hen kept to lay eggs; a breed of chicken bred to maximize laying output.
A shoot of a plant, laid underground for growth.

Verb

make or form a layer
- "layer the different colored sands"
To cut or divide into layers.
To arrange in layers.

Origin / Etymology

Appears at first glance to be from Middle English leyer, leyare (“a layer of stones or bricks”), equivalent to lay + -er. In which case, ultimately identical to etymology 2 below. For the pronunciation compare prayer.
However, this word layer (referring to a thickness of a material covering a surface) has also been argued to be from a respelling of an obsolete sense of the word lair that was once used by farmers, which had to do with soil. The connecting sense between the usual meaning of lair and the specialised farming meaning was: an area where cows typically rest, the ground being fertilised by their waste. Related to lie, ledger.

Synonyms

bed, lay, level, stratum

Scrabble Score: 8

layer is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
layer is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
layer is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 8

layer is a valid Words With Friends word