lay system

proper noun

The system of remuneration in which fishermen or merchant mariners are paid a lay (a share of the vessel's profit) plus the value of room and board derived from being shipboard and eating in the mess.

“He preferred the lay system because there was a chance that he could really clean up if the luck held out.”

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Meanings

lay system1

proper noun
  1. maritimeThe system of remuneration in which fishermen or merchant mariners are paid a lay (a share of the vessel's profit) plus the value of room and board derived from being shipboard and eating in the mess.

    He preferred the lay system because there was a chance that he could really clean up if the luck held out.

lay system2

proper noun
  1. UKarchaicespeciallyagricultureA certain system of fallow farming with a certain crop rotation and rotation of arable and pasturage.

    They farmed this whole valley on the lay system back then, and the lord kept the horses and ploughmen busy.

Origin

lay system · proper noun

lay + system

Full word history & related roots →

lay system · proper noun

lay + system

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

lay system. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lay%20system

MLA

“lay system.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lay%20system. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lay system,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lay%20system.

Source: lay system on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.