WAYLAYING

Etymology

Verb

waylaying

present participle of waylay

Noun

waylaying (plural waylayings)

The act by which somebody is waylaid; an ambush.

Source: Wiktionary

WAYLAY

Way"lay`, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Waylaid; p. pr. & vb. n. Waylaying.] Etym: [Way + lay.]

Definition: To lie in wait for; to meet or encounter in the way; especially, to watch for the passing of, with a view to seize, rob, or slay; to beset in ambush. Falstaff, Bardolph, Peto, and Gadshill shall rob those men that we have already waylaid. Shak. She often contrived to waylay him in his walks. Sir W. Scott.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition