laity

The laity refers first to the ordinary members of a religion who are not clergy, such as church members who are not priests or ministers. It is often used when talking about the part regular people play in a religious community, from joining services to helping with charity work. The word can also be used more broadly for people who are not trained experts in a field. In that wider sense, it means the general public as opposed to specialists.

The word laity originally referred to the ordinary members of the Christian church, meaning those who were not part of the clergy, such as priests, ministers, or bishops. You can think of it as the people in the pews rather than the people leading the service. Historically, this distinction mattered because it marked different roles and duties within the church. For example: "The priest called on the laity to volunteer for the annual food drive."

Over time, laity has also taken on a broader meaning. It can describe people who are not specialists or experts in a particular field. You might hear about "the medical laity" when discussing how ordinary people understand health issues, meaning everyone except doctors and other healthcare professionals. In the same way, "the legal laity" means people who are not trained in law.

The context usually makes it clear whether the word refers to religious members in particular or to non-experts more generally. It often suggests a contrast between people with special training and the wider public. For example: "While experts debated the policy changes, the laity remained largely uninformed."

So, although the word comes from religious history, it is now also useful for drawing a line between professionals and ordinary people in a wider sense. It highlights the perspective of people who are involved or affected but do not have official training or expert status.