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The term "layman" originated from the use of the term laity
Laity

In religious organizations, the laity comprises all persons who are not clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not Holy Orders clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order ....
, but over the centuries, changed definition to mean a person who is a non-expert in a given field of knowledge.

The concept of describing something in layman’s terms has come into wide use in the English speaking world. To put something in layman’s terms is to describe a complex or technical issue using words and terms that the average individual (someone without professional training in the subject area) can understand, so that they may comprehend the issue to some degree.






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The term "layman" originated from the use of the term laity
Laity

In religious organizations, the laity comprises all persons who are not clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not Holy Orders clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order ....
, but over the centuries, changed definition to mean a person who is a non-expert in a given field of knowledge.

The concept of describing something in layman’s terms has come into wide use in the English speaking world. To put something in layman’s terms is to describe a complex or technical issue using words and terms that the average individual (someone without professional training in the subject area) can understand, so that they may comprehend the issue to some degree. An explicitly gender-neutral
Gender-neutral language

Gender-neutral language, gender-inclusive language, or gender neutrality is Word usage that aims at minimizing assumptions regarding the gender of human reference....
 version of the word is layperson.

In the computing sciences, an environment includes easy to use desktop environments and interactive tools and software. These address the concepts of HCI (Human-Computer Interaction); accessibility, feedback, learnability, visibility, affordance, efficiency, and effectivity. These concepts and subsequent tools are incorporated into everything from calculators, to personal computers, to GIS systems, to even a space shuttle.

See also

  • Expert
    Expert

    An "expert" is someone widely recognized as a reliabilism source of wikt:technique or skill whose faculty for judging or deciding rightly, justly, or wisely is accorded authority and status by their Peer groups or the public in a specific well distinguished domain....
  • General-audience description
    General-audience description

    A general-audience description of a mathematical or scientific concept is one that can be understood by the average educated person. Such descriptions are given in these magazines:...
  • Public
    Public

    Public, adj, is of or pertaining to the people; relating to, or affecting, a nation, state, or community; opposed to Private sector; as, the public treasury, a road or lake....
  • Usability
    Usability

    Usability is a term used to denote the ease with which people can employ a particular tool or other human-made object in order to achieve a particular goal....
  • Jargon
    Jargon

    Jargon is terminology which has been especially defined in relationship to a specific activity, profession, or group. In other words, the term covers the language used by people who work in a particular area or who have a common interest....