waylay

English

Etymology

From way +‎ lay, likely a calque of Middle Dutch wegelagen (“besetting of ways, lying in wait with evil or hostile intent along public ways”). Compare Middle Low German wegelagen, German wegelagern (“to waylay; rob”).

Pronunciation

(UK) IPA^(key): /ˌweɪˈleɪ/, /ˈweɪleɪ/
(US) IPA^(key): /ˈweɪleɪ/
Rhymes: -eɪ

Verb

waylay (third-person singular simple present waylays, present participle waylaying, simple past and past participle waylaid or (nonstandard) waylayed)

(transitive) To lie in wait for and attack from ambush.
(transitive) To accost or intercept unexpectedly.

Translations

to lie in wait for and attack from ambush

Armenian: դարանակալել (hy) (daranakalel)
Bengali: পথে ওত পাতিয়া থাকা (pôthe ot patiya thaka)
Dutch: belagen (nl), opwachten (nl)
Estonian: varitsema
Finnish: väijyä (fi) (to lie in wait); hyökätä väijyksistä (to attack from ambush)

French: comploter (fr)
German: wegelagern, auflauern (de)
Japanese: 待ち伏せする (まちぶせする, machibuse suru)
Maori: whakamoho, tāwhanga
Russian: подстерега́ть (ru) impf (podsteregátʹ), подкарау́ливать (ru) impf (podkaraúlivatʹ)

to accost or intercept unexpectedly

Chinese:
Mandarin: 攔路搶劫, 拦路抢劫 (lánlùqiǎngjié)
Dutch: onderscheppen (nl)
Finnish: yllättää (fi)
German: auflauern (de)