English

Verb

lain

1. past participle of lie ‎(“to be oriented in a horizontal position, situated”)

   He had lain there for many hours.

   The book had lain on the attic floor until it was found decades later.

Usage notes

• The past participle of lie ‎(“deceive”) is lied.
• The past participle of lay ‎(“put down”) is laid.

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English lainen, leynen, from Old Norse løyna ‎(“to conceal”) and Old English lēġnian, līeġnan ‎(“to deny; conceal”); both from Proto-Germanic *laugnijaną, from Proto-Germanic *laugnō ‎(“secrecy”).

Alternative forms

• lean, len (dialectal)

Verb

lain ‎(third-person singular simple present lains, present participle laining, simple past and past participle lained)

1. (obsolete) To conceal, keep quiet about. [14^th-19^thc.]
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter j, in Le Morte Darthur, book XX:

     Also broder sir Agrauayne and sir mordred in lyke wyse sir Launcelot rescowed yow bothe and thre score and two from sir Turquyn / Me thynketh broder suche kynde dedes and kyndenes shold be remembryd / doo as ye lyst sayd syr Agrauayne for I wylle layne it no lenger

Anagrams

• anil
• INLA
• Lani
• Lina
• nail

Basque

Noun

lain

1. part

Cebuano

Adjective

lain

1. distinct, different
2. other

Determiner

lain

1. another, other

Finnish

Noun

lain

1. Instructive plural form of laki.
2. Genitive singular form of laki.

Anagrams

• alin, lian, nila

Indonesian

Adjective

lain

1. other, another
2. different, distinct
3. next, second

Synonyms

• beda

Adverb

lain

1. else
2. otherwise

Romansch

Alternative forms

• (Sutsilvan) len
• (Sursilvan, Surmiran) lenn

Etymology

From Latin lignum.

Noun

lain m

1. (Rumantsch Grischun, Puter, Vallader) wood

Tok Pisin

Etymology

From English line.

Noun

lain

1. line; row; queue
2. group; family; clan; tribe; cohort
   • 1989, Buk Baibel long Tok Pisin, Bible Society of Papua New Guinea, Genesis 3:15 (translation here):

     Na bai mi mekim yu i stap birua bilong meri, na meri i stap birua bilong yu. Na bai mi mekim ol lain bilong yu i birua long lain bilong meri. Bai ol i krungutim het bilong yu, na bai yu kaikaim lek bilong ol.”