Past participle of 'lie,' meaning to have rested in a horizontal position or to have existed or remained in a place.
From Old English 'licgan,' a Germanic verb meaning 'to lie down.' This is one of English's oldest verbs, related to 'lie' but distinct from 'lay' (to place something down).
The confusion between 'lay' and 'lie' is one of English's most famous grammar headaches—'lie' means you recline yourself, while 'lay' means you place something down, so you 'lie down' but 'lay an egg.' The verb 'lain' is the past participle of 'lie,' and it's been a source of confusion for centuries, even for famous writers!
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