"lay a foundation" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "Figurative senses from the idea of laying a foundation as the first step in constructing a building.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "lays a foundation",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "laying a foundation",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "laid a foundation",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "laid a foundation",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "lay<,,laid> a foundation"
      },
      "expansion": "lay a foundation (third-person singular simple present lays a foundation, present participle laying a foundation, simple past and past participle laid a foundation)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see lay, foundation."
      ],
      "id": "en-lay_a_foundation-en-verb-DccvCGV7",
      "links": [
        [
          "lay",
          "lay#English"
        ],
        [
          "foundation",
          "foundation#English"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Law",
          "orig": "en:Law",
          "parents": [
            "Justice",
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "16 73 11",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "In order to lay a foundation for the witness to describe the murder, the prosecutor first had to show that the witness was present when the murder occurred."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To elicit information from a witness to show that the witness has knowledge of a matter before the witness testifies to the matter itself."
      ],
      "id": "en-lay_a_foundation-en-verb-0laRXJpI",
      "links": [
        [
          "law",
          "law#English"
        ],
        [
          "elicit",
          "elicit"
        ],
        [
          "information",
          "information"
        ],
        [
          "witness",
          "witness"
        ],
        [
          "knowledge",
          "knowledge"
        ],
        [
          "testifies",
          "testifies"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(law) To elicit information from a witness to show that the witness has knowledge of a matter before the witness testifies to the matter itself."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "law"
      ]
    },
    {
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "You should lay a foundation, even if you can't finish the project."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To make a start."
      ],
      "id": "en-lay_a_foundation-en-verb-K0vcT2NZ",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figurative) To make a start."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "lay a foundation"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Figurative senses from the idea of laying a foundation as the first step in constructing a building.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "lays a foundation",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "laying a foundation",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "laid a foundation",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "laid a foundation",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "lay<,,laid> a foundation"
      },
      "expansion": "lay a foundation (third-person singular simple present lays a foundation, present participle laying a foundation, simple past and past participle laid a foundation)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see lay, foundation."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "lay",
          "lay#English"
        ],
        [
          "foundation",
          "foundation#English"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Law"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "In order to lay a foundation for the witness to describe the murder, the prosecutor first had to show that the witness was present when the murder occurred."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To elicit information from a witness to show that the witness has knowledge of a matter before the witness testifies to the matter itself."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "law",
          "law#English"
        ],
        [
          "elicit",
          "elicit"
        ],
        [
          "information",
          "information"
        ],
        [
          "witness",
          "witness"
        ],
        [
          "knowledge",
          "knowledge"
        ],
        [
          "testifies",
          "testifies"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(law) To elicit information from a witness to show that the witness has knowledge of a matter before the witness testifies to the matter itself."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "law"
      ]
    },
    {
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "You should lay a foundation, even if you can't finish the project."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To make a start."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figurative) To make a start."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "lay a foundation"
}