PLATE


Meaning of PLATE in English

I. ˈplāt noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from plate, feminine of plat flat, from Vulgar Latin * plattus, probably from Greek platys broad, flat — more at place

Date: 14th century

1.

a. : a smooth flat thin piece of material

b.

(1) : forged, rolled, or cast metal in sheets usually thicker than 1/4 inch (6 millimeters)

(2) : a very thin layer of metal deposited on a surface of base metal by plating

c. : one of the broad metal pieces used in armor ; also : armor of such plates

d.

(1) : a thin relatively flat anatomical part (as a lamina of bone) of an animal body ; especially : scute

(2) : the thin under portion of the forequarter of beef ; especially : the fatty back part — see beef illustration

e. : home plate

f. : any of the large movable segments into which the earth's lithosphere is divided according to the theory of plate tectonics

2.

[Middle English; partly from Anglo-French plate plate, bullion; partly from Old Spanish plata silver, from Vulgar Latin *platta metal plate, from feminine of plattus flat]

a. obsolete : a silver coin

b. : precious metal ; especially : silver bullion

3.

[Middle English, from Anglo-French plat, plate dish, plate, from plat flat]

a. : domestic hollowware made of or plated with gold, silver, or base metals

b. : a shallow usually circular vessel from which food is eaten or served

c.

(1) : a quantity to fill a plate : plateful

(2) : a main course served on a plate

(3) : food and service supplied to one person

a dinner at $10 a plate

d.

(1) : a prize given to the winner in a contest

(2) British : a horse race in which the contestants compete for a prize of fixed value rather than stakes

e. : a dish or pouch passed during collections

f. : a flat glass or plastic dish used chiefly for culturing microorganisms

4.

a. : a prepared surface from which printing is done

b. : a sheet of material (as glass or plastic) coated with a light-sensitive photographic emulsion

c. : a metallic grid with its interstices filled with active material that forms one of the structural units of a battery

d. : license plate

5. : a horizontal structural member that provides bearing and anchorage especially for the trusses of a roof or the rafters

6. : the part of a denture that fits to the mouth ; broadly : denture

7. : a full-page illustration often on different paper from the text pages

8. : a schedule of matters to deal with

have a lot on my plate now

• plate·like -ˌlīk adjective

- on a plate

II. transitive verb

( plat·ed ; plat·ing )

Date: 14th century

1. : to cover or equip with plate: as

a. : to provide with armor plate

b. : to cover with an adherent layer mechanically, chemically, or electrically ; also : to deposit (as a layer) on a surface

2. : to make a printing surface from or for

3. : to fix or secure with a plate

4. : to cause (as a runner) to score in baseball

5. : to arrange (food) on a plate

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.