# lie

> English word · Verb · IPA /laɪ̯/ · frequency rank #1,530

## Definitions
1. To rest in a horizontal position on a surface.
2. To be placed or situated.
3. To abide; to remain for a longer or shorter time; to be in a certain state or condition.
4. Used with in: to be or exist; to belong or pertain; to have an abiding place; to consist.
5. Used with with: to have sexual relations with.
6. Used with on/upon: to be incumbent (on); to be the responsibility of a person.
7. To lodge; to sleep.
8. To be still or quiet, like one lying down to rest.
9. To be sustainable; to be capable of being maintained.

## Etymology
From Middle English lien, liggen, from Old English liċġan, from Proto-West Germanic *liggjan, from Proto-Germanic *ligjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ-.
Cognates
Cognate with Yola lee, lidge (“to lie”), leigh, leiough (“to idle”), North Frisian lade, lai, laie, lei, lii, läde, läie (“to lie; to lay”), Saterland Frisian lääse (“to lie; to lay”), West Frisian lizze (“to lie”), Alemannic German ligge (“to lie”), Central Franconian lijje (“to lie”), Dutch and Dutch Low Saxon liggen (“to lie”), German liegen (“to lie”), German Low German ligge, liggen (“to lie”), Luxembourgish leien (“to lie”), Yiddish ליגן (lign, “to lie”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål ligge (“to lie”), Faroese and Icelandic liggja (“to lie”), Norwegian Nynorsk ligge, liggja, liggje (“to lie”), Swedish ligga (“to lie”), Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌲𐌰𐌽 (ligan, “to lie, to rest”); and with Irish laigh, luigh (“to lie”), Manx lhie (“lie; lay”), Scottish Gaelic laigh (“lie; lay”), Faliscan 𐌋𐌄𐌂𐌄𐌕 (lecet, “he lies down”), Latin lectus (“bed”), South Picene 𐌅𐌄𐌉𐌀𐌕 (veiat, “to lie”), Ancient Greek λέχομαι (lékhomai, “to lie down”), Albanian lag (“band, encampment, troop”), Belarusian ляжа́ць (ljažácʹ, “to lie”), Bulgarian лежа́ (ležá, “to lie”), Czech ležet (“to lie”), Macedonian лежи (leži, “to lie”), Polish leżeć (“to lie”), Russian лежа́ть (ležátʹ, “to lie”), Serbo-Croatian лѐжати, lèžati (“to lie”), Slovene ležáti (“to lie”), Ukrainian лежа́ти (ležáty, “to lie”), Tocharian B lyäk- (“to lie”).
As a noun for position, the noun has the same etymology above as the verb.

## Easily confused with
- **Lt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lie-vs-lt)
- **lo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lie-vs-lo)
- **LP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lie-vs-lp)
- **LN** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lie-vs-ln)
- **Ls** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lie-vs-ls)
- **lu** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lie-vs-lu)
- **LV** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lie-vs-lv)
- **LR** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lie-vs-lr)
- **LM** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lie-vs-lm)
- **LJ** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lie-vs-lj)
- **lx** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lie-vs-lx)
- **LZ** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lie-vs-lz)
- **lot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lie-vs-lot)
- **low** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lie-vs-low)
- **lol** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lie-vs-lol)
- **los** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lie-vs-los)
- **log** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lie-vs-log)
- **lit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lie-vs-lit)
- **lip** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lie-vs-lip)
- **Lou** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lie-vs-lou)

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/lie