lair

¹

[lair]

noun

1. a den or resting place of a wild animal.

   The cougar retired to its lair.

2. a secluded or hidden place, especially a secret retreat or base of operations; a hideout or hideaway.

   a pirate's lair.

3. British.,  a place in which to lie or rest; a bed.

verb (used with object)

1. to place in a lair.

2. to serve as a lair for.

verb (used without object)

1. to go to, lie in, or have a lair.

lair

²

[lair]

noun

1. British Dialect.,  mud; mire.

verb (used without object)

1. Scot.,  to sink or stick in mud or mire.

lair

³

[lair]

noun

Chiefly Scot.

1. lore; learning.

lair

⁴

[lair]

noun

Australian Informal.

1. a man who dresses garishly and is crude or vulgar; show-off.

lair

¹

/ lɛə /

noun

1. the resting place of a wild animal

2. informal,  a place of seclusion or hiding

3. an enclosure or shed for farm animals

4. the ground for a grave in a cemetery

verb

1. (intr) (esp of a wild animal) to retreat to or rest in a lair

2. (tr) to drive or place (an animal) in a lair

lair

²

/ lɛə /

noun

1. a flashy man who shows off

verb

1. (intr; foll by up or around) to behave or dress like a lair

lair

³

/ ler /

noun

1. a Scot word for mire

Word History and Origins

Origin of lair¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English leir(e), lair, lare, Old English leger; cognate with Dutch, Old High German leger “bed, camp,” Afrkaans laager “defensive circle of wagons,” German Lager “storehouse”; akin to lie ²

Origin of lair²

First recorded in 1300–50; verb use of Middle English lair “clay, mire,” from Old Norse leir ”clay, mud”

Origin of lair³

Middle English lōre, laire (north and Scots lare, lere ), Old English lār “teaching, instruction”; lore ¹

Origin of lair⁴

First recorded in 1930–35; back formation from lairy

Word History and Origins

Origin of lair¹

Old English leger; related to _lie ² and Old High German leger bed

Origin of lair²

perhaps from _leer

Origin of lair³

from Old Norse leir mud

Example Sentences

L.A. descended into the steamy lair of Spa Palace’s pool room for Substack’s sold-out bathhouse literary reading last week, aptly titled “A Night of Desire.”

From Los Angeles Times

Osbourne invited everyone into his dark lair — and was grateful to his very last day for the community.

From Salon

Yes, my audience giggled dutifully at the jiggling Jell-O salads and drooled over the groovy conversation pits in the Richards’ living room, the only super lair I’d ever live in.

From Los Angeles Times

A stream of cars and taxis filed into the grounds as families arrived to check whether their lair was one of those damaged.

From BBC

There’s not just one secret lair — there are three! — and each has its own playful reveal.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• hideaway