I. ˈplāt, usu -ād.+V noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French, from plate, feminine of plat, adjective, flat, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin plattus, probably from Greek platys flat, broad — more at place
1.
a.
(1) : a smooth usually nearly flat and relatively thin piece of metal or other material : a substantial slice or lamina
(2) : a perfectly flat sheet of material of uniform thickness throughout ; especially : a sheet of rolled iron or steel usually a quarter of an inch or more thick
(3) : a flat circular piece usually of metal that is either perforated or provided with bubble caps and that is set horizontally as one of a series at specified distances one above another especially in a fractioning column or tower for effecting intimate contact between rising vapors and condensed liquid falling from plate to plate — called also tray
b.
(1) : forged, rolled, or cast metal in sheets usually thicker than 1/4 inch
(2) : a very thin layer of usually precious metal deposited on a surface of base metal by plating (as electroplating)
the plate has worn off these spoons
quadruple plate silverware
c.
(1) : one of the broad pieces of metal often on a backing (as of leather) that were used to reinforce and complete armor of linked mail
(2) : one of the thin pieces making up plate armor ; also : armor of such plates : plate armor
d.
(1) : a lamina or plaque that forms part of an animal body
a carapace of bony plates
especially : an enlarged scale (as on the belly of a snake)
(2) : the thin under portion of the forequarter of beef ; especially : the back half of this cut as distinguished from the brisket — see beef illustration
e. : slaty rock or shale (as in a mine)
f. chiefly Britain : plate rail 1 ; broadly : any railroad rail
g. : a very light horseshoe without calks that is used especially for racing
h.
(1) : home plate
(2) : a rectangular slab of whitened rubber 6 inches by 24 inches in size that is anchored flush with the ground at the spot where a softball or baseball pitcher must stand when delivering the ball to the batter — called also box, pitcher's plate, rubber, slab ; see baseball illustration
i. : the belly or the back of a violin
j. : a square or oblong piece of fur composed usually of waste fur and small inferior pieces that are matched and sewn together and used for inexpensive garments or linings
2.
[Middle English; partly from Old French plate piece of silver, piece of metal; partly from Old Spanish plata silver, money, metal plate, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin plattus flat]
a.
(1) obsolete : a piece of money ; especially : a coin of silver
(2) : Spanish silver money
(3) : a piece of plate money
b. : precious metal ; especially : silver bullion
the Spanish plate ships
melting coin into plate
c. : a heraldic roundel of silver
3.
[Middle English, from Middle French, from feminine of Old French plat, adjective, flat]
a.
(1) : domestic hollow ware (as dishes, flagons, cups) of gold or silver
(2) : such vessels of base metals or of plated ware
(3) chiefly Britain : silver 4
b.
(1) : a shallow usually circular vessel (as of china, wood, or plastic) from which food is eaten
(2) : an often larger vessel (as a platter or vegetable dish) from which food is served
pass the meat plate
a cake plate
c.
(1) : an individual serving on a plate : plateful
have a plate of spaghetti
(2) : a main course of a meal served in individual portions on the plate from which it is to be eaten
the special plate includes liver and onions, potatoes, with gravy, and green salad
(3) : the food and service supplied to one person at a particular meal or social affair
a fund-raising dinner at $100 a plate
d.
(1) : a prize (as a cup or other piece of plate) given to the winner in an athletic or other contest
(2) : a sports competition for a prize ; especially : a horse race in which the contestants compete for a prize rather than for personally wagered stakes
e.
(1) : a dish or pouch passed (as in a church) in taking collections
(2) : a collection taken for a specific purpose or particular organization
the plate was a generous one
f.
(1) : a flat glass dish used chiefly for culturing microorganisms ; especially : petri dish
(2) : a film of more or less solid culture medium or a culture contained in such a dish
4.
a. : a flat thin smooth piece (as of metal) on or from which something is or is to be embossed, molded, engraved, grained, deposited, or written
a plate for etching
b. : a surface from which printing is done: as
(1) : a stereotype, electrotype, or plastic plate molded from a page of letterpress matter
(2) : a metal or plastic sheet from which an inked image is transferred to a blanket (as in photo-offset) or direct to the paper (as in lithography)
(3) : a flat and comparatively thin piece of copper or steel engraved in intaglio (as for banknotes or calling cards) — compare die 6h
(4) : photoengraving
c. : a sheet of glass, metal, porcelain, or other material coated with a light-sensitive photographic emulsion ; usually : dry plate
d. : a copper plate coated with silver amalgam that is used in the amalgam process of extracting metals
e.
(1) : the usually flat or grid-formed anode of an electron tube at which electrons collect
(2) : a metallic grid with its interstices filled with active material that forms one of the structural units of a storage cell or battery
5. : a supporting or reinforcing element (as of a building): as
a.
(1) : a horizontal timber laid on a wall or supported on posts or corbels to carry the trusses of a roof or the rafters directly
(2) : either of the horizontal members at the top and bottom of a stud partition between which the studs are placed
(3) : a supporting sill (as one over or under an opening)
window plates
b. : a heavy framed mine timber
c. : the part of an artificial set of teeth that fits to the mouth and holds the teeth in place ; broadly : denture
d. : a metal tab attached to the sole or heel of a shoe as a reinforcement intended especially to minimize wear — compare cleat , heel plate , toeplate
e. : the flat metal framework of a timepiece containing the bearing holes and jewels into which its wheel-pivots fit
f. : the metal structure that supports the strings of a piano
g. : a flat metal surface of or attached to a machine by which work is held fast (as for locating, indexing, leveling, turning, or machining)
h. : a thin flat narrow piece of metal (as stainless steel) that is used to repair bone defects or fractures
6. : a relatively large illustration
prepared the plates on bristol board
especially : a full-page illustration printed on different paper from accompanying text pages
a book with color plates
7.
[by shortening]
a. : bookplate
b. : fashion plate
c. : plate glass
8. : a small cooking stove that is usually heated with gas or electricity, has one or more heating units, and lacks an oven : hot plate 2
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English platen, from plate, n.
transitive verb
1. : to cover or equip with plate or plates: as
a. : to overlay with metal plates
the first ironclads were wooden ships plated with iron
especially : to arm with armor plate
b. : to cover with an adherent layer (as of metal) mechanically, chemically, or electrically ; also : to deposit (as a layer of metal) on the surface of something by such means
c. : to shoe (a horse) with plates
d. : to adorn or cover with metal plate
plate a harness
e. : to fit with a specified kind of plate
plated the books with her new bookplate
2. : to form into or prepare as a plate: as
a. : to beat (as metal) into thin flat sheets
b. printing
(1) : to make a plate from
for long press runs type forms are often plated — R.R.Karch
: make plates for
plate a book
(2) : to equip (as a printing press) with a plate or plates — sometimes used with up
c. : to impart a finish to (a sheet of paper) by subjecting to very high pressure between sheets of the material whose surface is to be duplicated
d. : to inoculate and culture (microorganisms) upon a plate ; also : to distribute (an inoculum) upon a plate or plates for cultivation — often used with out
e. : to collect (a particular stamp) in all of the positions that were on the original sheet, indentifying the positions by a philatelic study of matching characteristics (as perforations, plate numbers, printing defects)
3.
a. : to fix or secure with a plate or plates
b. : to repair (as a fractured bone) with metal plates
4.
a. : to knit or weave (fabric) with a face and back of different colors or fibers
b. : to spin (yarn) with a core and outside wrapping of different fibers
intransitive verb
: to perform the action of plating or undergo the process of being plated
a very pure silver that plates out well
learned to plate expertly while still a boy
III. noun
1. : license plate
2. : a schedule of matters to deal with
have a lot on my plate now
3. : any of the large movable segments into which the earth's crust is divided according to the theory of plate tectonics
IV. transitive verb
Etymology: from the crossing of home plate by the scoring runner
1. : to cause (as a run) to score in baseball
2. : to arrange (food) on a plate