Words / B1

LAY-uh/ˈleɪə/

A layer is a covering on a surface, or one level in a structure: a layer of ice; layers of management. Coat is a close twin for paint; level is a close twin for hierarchy. Do not mix with lair (an animal’s den). Winter: a layer of ice on the cycle path.

Meaning

A quantity of something that covers a surface, or one level in a structure.

Examples

• “A layer of ice made the cycle path unusable.”
• “Too many layers of management slowed the complaint, which is the organisation sense.”

Good to know

a layer of + noun. Organisation: layers of management. Close (paint): a coat. Mix-up: lair. Weather / bureaucracy.

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