civilian
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civilian
A person who is not a member of the military, the police, or other armed organizations; a civilian person.
Bei dem Konflikt kamen leider auch viele Zivilisten ums Leben.
Unfortunately, many civilians also lost their lives in the conflict.
layperson
Colloquially, a person who does not belong to a particular field or professional group and is therefore considered a layperson.
Für einen Zivilisten hat er erstaunlich viel Ahnung von Programmierung.
For a layperson, he knows a surprising amount about programming.
'Der Zivilist' (civilian) belongs to the word family of 'zivil' (civilian/civil). The adjective 'zivil' means 'bürgerlich' (civilian/civic) or 'nicht-militärisch' (non-military) and forms the basis for understanding the noun.
Zivilisten haben ein Recht auf Schutz in Konfliktgebieten.
Civilians have a right to protection in conflict zones.
The phrase 'in Zivil' (in civilian clothes/plainclothes) is very common. It means that a person who normally wears a uniform (e.g. a police officer or soldier) is wearing their private clothes.
Der Polizist war nicht in Uniform, sondern in Zivil unterwegs.
The police officer was not in uniform, but out in plainclothes.
This meaning is used almost exclusively in the context of the military, police, conflicts, or security forces. It serves to clearly distinguish such people from persons in uniform.
Die Soldaten halfen den Zivilisten nach der Naturkatastrophe.
The soldiers helped the civilians after the natural disaster.
In this meaning, 'Zivilist' (layperson/civilian) is colloquial. It is often used somewhat ironically by members of a professional group (e.g. doctors, programmers) for outsiders without specialist knowledge.
Aus der Sicht eines Arztes sind wir Laien alle nur Zivilisten.
From a doctor's point of view, we laypeople are all just civilians.
layperson
Both words can refer to a person without specialist knowledge. Laie is the neutral term for someone with little specialist knowledge, while in this sense Zivilist is more colloquial and refers to an outsider in relation to a professional group. Laie is usually the better choice in an objective explanation; Zivilist can also be used in informal speech.
Als Zivilist verstand ich bei der Fachbesprechung nur wenig.
As a civilian, I understood very little during the technical meeting.
Als Laie verstand ich bei der Fachbesprechung nur wenig.
As a layperson, I understood very little during the technical meeting.
