— plotful , adj. — plotless , adj. — plotlessness , n.
/plot/ , n. , v. , plotted, plotting .
n.
1. a secret plan or scheme to accomplish some purpose, esp. a hostile, unlawful, or evil purpose: a plot to overthrow the government.
2. Also called storyline . the plan, scheme, or main story of a literary or dramatic work, as a play, novel, or short story.
3. a small piece or area of ground: a garden plot; burial plot.
4. a measured piece or parcel of land: a house on a two-acre plot.
5. a plan, map, diagram, or other graphic representation, as of land, a building, etc.
6. a list, timetable, or scheme dealing with any of the various arrangements for the production of a play, motion picture, etc.: According to the property plot, there should be a lamp stage left.
7. a chart showing the course of a craft, as a ship or airplane.
8. Artillery. a point or points located on a map or chart: target plot.
v.t.
9. to plan secretly, esp. something hostile or evil: to plot mutiny.
10. to mark on a plan, map, or chart, as the course of a ship or aircraft.
11. to draw a plan or map of, as a tract of land or a building.
12. to divide (land) into plots.
13. to determine and mark (points), as on plotting paper, by means of measurements or coordinates.
14. to draw (a curve) by means of points so marked.
15. to represent by means of such a curve.
16. to devise or construct the plot of (a play, novel, etc.).
17. to prepare a list, timetable, or scheme of (production arrangements), as for a play or motion picture: The stage manager hadn't plotted the set changes until one day before the dress rehearsal.
18. to make (a calculation) by graph.
v.i.
19. to plan or scheme secretly; form a plot; conspire.
20. to devise or develop a literary or dramatic plot.
21. to be marked or located by means of measurements or coordinates, as on plotting paper.
[ bef. 1100; (n.) of multiple orig.: in sense "piece of ground," ME: small area, patch, stain, piece of ground, OE: piece of ground (orig. obscure); in senses "ground plan, outline, map, scheme," var. (since the 16th century) of PLAT 1 , itself partly a var. of ME, OE plot; sense "secret plan" (from 16th century) by assoc. with COMPLOT, in pejorative sense; (v.) deriv. of the n. ]
Syn. 1. intrigue, cabal. See conspiracy. 9. brew, hatch, frame. 19. PLOT, CONSPIRE, SCHEME imply secret, cunning, and often unscrupulous planning to gain one's own ends. To PLOT is to contrive a secret plan of a selfish and often treasonable kind: to plot against someone's life. To CONSPIRE is to unite with others in an illicit or illegal machination: to conspire to seize a government. To SCHEME is to plan ingeniously, subtly, and often craftily for one's own advantage: to scheme how to gain power.