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