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lay·out (lāout)
Share:
n.
1. The act or an instance of laying out.
2. An arrangement or plan, especially the schematic arrangement of parts or areas: the layout of a factory; the layout of a printed circuit.
3. Printing
a. The art or process of arranging printed or graphic matter on a page.
b. The overall design of a page, spread, or book, including elements such as page and type size, typeface, and the arrangement of titles and page numbers.
c. A page or set of pages marked to indicate this design.
4. Sports The straight position, as in diving.
5. Informal An establishment or property, especially a large residence or estate: "[Her] show horses ... were kept on the couple's one-and-a-half acre Malibu layout" (People).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.