{
    "term": "layer",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "academic": true,
    "ox3000": true,
    "cefr": "b1",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "a quantity or sheet of something that lies over a surface or between surfaces",
            "sensetop": "layer (of something)in layers",
            "cefr": "b1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "A **thin layer** of dust covered everything.",
                    "contextForm": "layer (of something)"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Ducks have a **thick layer** of fat to keep them warm."
                },
                {
                    "text": "How many layers of clothing are you wearing?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Sunlight thickens the **outer layer** of the skin."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The paint is applied in layers.",
                    "contextForm": "in layers"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Beneath the surface layer of the skin are several further layers."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Everything was covered with a fine layer of dust."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He paints a base coat, allows it to dry, and then adds layers of paint."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Mulch with a generous layer of peat or compost."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The body had been covered with a thin layer of soil."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The building is constructed in layers."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The product is made from a single layer of plastic."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The recipe calls for alternating layers of meat sauce and pasta."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The remains lay buried under layer upon layer of black earth."
                },
                {
                    "text": "They put on thick hats and extra layers of clothing."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Use enough gravel to form a layer about 50mm thick."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We're flying just below a cloud layer at 33 000 feet."
                },
                {
                    "text": "a protective layer of black plastic"
                },
                {
                    "text": "the upper layers of the earth's atmosphere"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Brush each layer of filo pastry with melted butter."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The channel became silted up with layer upon layer of sludge."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The dessert is chocolate mousse between layers of coffee and chocolate sponge."
                },
                {
                    "text": "This provides the waterproof top layer of the roof."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["fine", "thin", "deep"],
                "verb + layer": ["form", "add", "apply"],
                "layer + noun": ["cake"],
                "preposition": [
                    "beneath a/​the layer",
                    "under a/​the layer",
                    "in layers"
                ],
                "phrases": ["layer after layer", "layer upon layer"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "a level or part within a system or set of ideas",
            "sensetop": "layer (of something)",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "There were too many layers of management in the company."
                },
                {
                    "text": "the layers of meaning in the poem"
                },
                {
                    "text": "You've got to fight your way through layer upon layer of bureaucracy."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It was claimed that the reforms would **add layers** to the EU's political structure."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I decided to peel back the layers of this story."
                },
                {
                    "text": "a layer of bureaucracy"
                },
                {
                    "text": "multiple layers of meaning"
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈleɪə(r)//leə(r)/",
                "audio": "la/layer/layer__gb_3.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈleɪər/",
                "audio": "la/layer/layer__us_4.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Middle English (denoting a mason): from lay (verb) + -er. The sense ‘stratum of material covering a surface’ (early 17th cent.) may represent a different spelling of an obsolete agricultural use of lair denoting quality of soil."
}