Lay people, a layman. This word "lay" is an adjective, and has nothing to do with the verb "to lay" (položiť, klásť, znášať vajcia). This "lay" comes from the old
Greek word for people, so there's a link with the German "Leute" and the Slovak "ľud" and "ľudia".
First of all it meant ordinary people who did not belong in the Church, as priests, or a religious order, as monks or nuns. Ordinary people did not have authority to
conduct marriage ceremonies, hear confession (spoveď) or give absolution (rozhrešenie), because they were not ordained (vysvätení), qualified or initiated in theology. Later the idea became wider,
to include people who are not experts or professionals with some specialist training, knowledge or experience, including medical education. But it doesn't mean that lay people are ignorant or
stupid - only that they don't have doctor's qualifications. We can all learn to give first aid.
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