layman

UK: /ˈleɪmən/ US: /ˈleɪmən/ ,(lā′mən)

Inflections of 'layman' (n): npl: laymen

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

lay•man /ˈleɪmən/   n. [countable] , pl. -men. 

1. a person who is not a member of the clergy;
   one of the laity.
2. a person who is not a member of a given profession, as law or medicine.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

lay•man  (lā′mən), n., pl. -men. 

1. a person who is not a member of the clergy;
   one of the laity.
2. a person who is not a member of a given profession, as law or medicine.

• 1150–1200; Middle English; see lay³, man¹

Usage

See -man. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

layman / ˈleɪmən/ noun ( -men)

1. a man who is not a member of the clergy
2. a person who does not have specialized or professional knowledge of a subject: science for the layman