layer

[ley-er] /ˈleɪ ər/
noun
1.
a thickness of some material laid on or spread over a surface:
a layer of soot on the window sill; two layers of paint.
2.
bed; stratum:
alternating layers of basalt and sandstone.
3.
a person or thing that lays:
a carpet layer.
4.
a hen kept for egg production.
5.
one of several items of clothing worn one on top of the other.
6.
Horticulture.
  1. a shoot or twig that is induced to root while still attached to the living stock, as by bending and covering with soil.
  2. a plant so propagated.
7.
Ropemaking. a machine for laying rope or cable.
verb (used with object)
8.
to make a layer of.
9.
to form or arrange in layers.
10.
to arrange or wear (clothing) in layers:
You can layer this vest over a blouse or sweater.
11.
Horticulture. to propagate by layering.
verb (used without object)
12.
to separate into or form layers.
13.
(of a garment) to permit of wearing in layers; be used in layering:
Frilly blouses don't layer well.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English leyer, legger. See lay1, -er1
Related forms
layerable, adjective
interlayer, noun
interlayer, verb (used with object)
nonlayered, adjective
Examples from the web for layers
  • It also peels away layers of spending that aren't directly related to student learning.
  • There are always new layers of knowledge to be uncovered, deceptions to be overcome, and coherencies to grasp.
  • The outrageous and unjustified salaries of administrators and the addition of layers of administration are the main reasons.
  • Eyes are a specialty-he has illustrated eye surgery with detailed examinations of the layers of cells in the retina.
  • They also wanted to please their supporters politically rather than face this problem and its layers.
  • Yet when you start to peel off the layers of that argument, it seems to have numerous flaws.
  • The nadir, he further explained, had involved an extended metaphor about peeling back the layers of an onion.
  • The indictments in the show trials, and the defendants' coerced statements, have added ever more fanciful layers.
  • Living abroad adds layers of financial complexity to life.
  • Regard the museum as a palimpsest, or exposed layers of sediment.
British Dictionary definitions for layers

layer

/ˈleɪə/
noun
1.
a thickness of some homogeneous substance, such as a stratum or a coating on a surface
2.
one of four or more levels of vegetation defined in ecological studies: the ground or moss layer, the field or herb layer, the shrub layer, and one or more tree layers
3.
a laying hen
4.
(horticulture)
  1. a shoot or branch rooted during layering
  2. a plant produced as a result of layering
verb
5.
to form or make a layer of (something)
6.
to take root or cause to take root by layering
Word Origin
C14 leyer, legger, from lay1 + -er1
Word Origin and History for layers

layer

n.

late 14c., "one who or that lays" (especially stones, "a mason"), agent noun from lay (v.). Passive sense of "that which is laid over a surface" first recorded 1610s, but because earliest English use was in cookery, this is perhaps from French liue "binding," used of a thickened sauce. Layer cake attested from 1881.

v.

1832, from layer (n.). Related: Layered; layering.

layers in Medicine

layer lay·er (lā'ər)
n.
A single thickness of a material covering a surface or forming an overlying part or segment. v. lay·ered, lay·er·ing, lay·ers
To divide or form into layers.