laying to

Verb

lay to (third-person singular simple present lays to, present participle laying to, simple past and past participle laid to)

1. To turn towards the wind so that the boat stops; to remain stationary in open water or to lie to.
   • Hoisting our jib, we lay to, and in the morning found ourselves only a few miles from the island, but with such a steady wind blowing from its direction as to render it impossible for us to get back to it.1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago, volume II, London: Macmillan and Co., page 334
2. To try or to expend effort to achieve (something).
   • The rowing team laid to their oars.