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Definition of Plate - 13 dictionary results
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plate

1  [pleyt] noun, verb, plat⋅ed, plat⋅ing.
Use Plate in a Sentence
–noun
1. a shallow, usually circular dish, often of earthenware or porcelain, from which food is eaten.
2. the contents of such a dish; plateful.
3. an entire course of a meal served on such a dish: I had the vegetable plate for lunch.
4. the food and service for one person, as at a banquet, fund-raising dinner, or the like: The wedding breakfast cost $20 a plate.
5. household dishes, utensils, etc., of metal plated with gold or silver.
6. household dishes, utensils, etc., made of gold or silver.
7. a dish, as of metal or wood, used for collecting offerings, as in a church.
8. a thin, flat sheet or piece of metal or other material, esp. of uniform thickness.
9. metal in such sheets.
10. a flat, polished piece of metal on which something may be or is engraved.
11. license plate.
12. a flat or curved sheet of metal, plastic, glass, or similar hard material, on which a picture or text has been engraved, etched, molded, photographically developed, or drawn, that is inked, as in a press, for printing impressions on other surfaces.
13. a printed impression from such a piece or from some similar piece, as a woodcut.
14. a full-page illustration in a book, esp. an insert on paper different from the text pages.
15. a piece of armor made from a thin, flat piece or several such pieces of tough material, esp. wrought iron or steel.
16. armor composed of thin, flat pieces; plate armor.
17. Dentistry.
a. the part of a denture that conforms to the mouth and contains the teeth.
b. the entire denture.
18. Baseball.
a. the plate. home plate.
b. rubber 1 (def. 14).
19. plate glass.
20. Photography. a sheet of glass, metal, etc., coated with a sensitized emulsion, used for taking a photograph.
21. Anatomy, Zoology. a platelike part, structure, or organ.
22. a thin piece or cut of beef from the lower end of the ribs.
23. Geology. crustal plate.
24. Electronics. one of the interior elements of a vacuum tube, toward which electrons are attracted by virtue of its positive charge; anode. Abbreviation: P
25. Carpentry. any of various horizontal timbers or boards laid flat across the heads of studding, upon floors, etc., to support joists, rafters, or studs at or near their ends.
26. a gold or silver cup or the like awarded as the prize in a horse race or some other contest.
27. a horse race or some other contest for such a prize.
28. Heraldry. a rounded argent.
–verb (used with object)
29. to coat (metal) with a thin film of gold, silver, nickel, etc., by mechanical or chemical means.
30. to cover or overlay with metal plates for protection.
31. Metalworking.
a. to forge (a bloom or the like) into a broad piece.
b. to hammer (cutlery) gently to produce an even surface.
32. Printing. to make a stereotype or electrotype plate from (type).
33. Papermaking. to give a high gloss to (paper), as on supercalendered paper.
—Idiom
34. have on one's plate, Informal. to have as an immediate task, obligation, or prospect: I had too much on my plate already to take on another task.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME < OF: lit., something flat, n. use of fem. of plat flat 1 < VL *plattus, akin to Gk platýs broad, flat

Related forms:
plateless, adjective
platelike, adjective
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plate

2  [pleyt]
–noun Obsolete.
a coin, esp. of silver.
Origin:
1200–50; ME < OF; special use of plate plate 1

crustal plate

 
–noun Geology.
a large block or tabular section of the lithosphere that reacts to tectonic forces as a unit and moves as such.
Also called plate.

home plate

 
–noun Baseball.
the base at which the batter stands and which a base runner must reach safely in order to score a run, typically a five-sided slab of whitened rubber set at ground level at the front corner of the diamond.
Also called home, the plate, home base.

Origin:
1870–75, Americanism
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Plate
plate   (plāt)   
n.  
  1. A smooth, flat, relatively thin, rigid body of uniform thickness.
    1. A sheet of hammered, rolled, or cast metal.
    2. A very thin applied or deposited coat of metal.
    3. A flat piece of metal forming part of a machine: a boiler plate.
    4. A flat piece of metal on which something is engraved.
    5. A license plate.
    6. A thin piece of metal used for armor.
    7. Armor made of such pieces.
    8. A sheet of metal, plastic, rubber, paperboard, or other material prepared for use as a printing surface, such as an electrotype or a stereotype.
    9. A print of a woodcut, lithograph, or other engraved material, especially when reproduced in a book.
    10. A full-page book illustration, often in color and printed on paper different from that used on the text pages.
    11. A shallow dish in which food is served or from which it is eaten.
    12. The contents of such a dish: ate a plate of spaghetti.
    13. A whole course served on such a dish.
    14. A dish, cup, or other article of silver or gold offered as a prize.
    15. A contest, especially a horserace, offering such a prize.
    16. A thin flat layer or scale, as that of a fish.
    17. A platelike part, organ, or structure, such as that covering some reptiles.
    18. An electrode, as in a storage battery or capacitor.
    19. The anode in an electron tube.
    1. A flat piece of metal forming part of a machine: a boiler plate.
    2. A flat piece of metal on which something is engraved.
    3. A license plate.
    4. A thin piece of metal used for armor.
    5. Armor made of such pieces.
    6. A sheet of metal, plastic, rubber, paperboard, or other material prepared for use as a printing surface, such as an electrotype or a stereotype.
    7. A print of a woodcut, lithograph, or other engraved material, especially when reproduced in a book.
    8. A full-page book illustration, often in color and printed on paper different from that used on the text pages.
    9. A shallow dish in which food is served or from which it is eaten.
    10. The contents of such a dish: ate a plate of spaghetti.
    11. A whole course served on such a dish.
    12. A dish, cup, or other article of silver or gold offered as a prize.
    13. A contest, especially a horserace, offering such a prize.
    14. A thin flat layer or scale, as that of a fish.
    15. A platelike part, organ, or structure, such as that covering some reptiles.
    16. An electrode, as in a storage battery or capacitor.
    17. The anode in an electron tube.
    1. A thin piece of metal used for armor.
    2. Armor made of such pieces.
    3. A sheet of metal, plastic, rubber, paperboard, or other material prepared for use as a printing surface, such as an electrotype or a stereotype.
    4. A print of a woodcut, lithograph, or other engraved material, especially when reproduced in a book.
    5. A full-page book illustration, often in color and printed on paper different from that used on the text pages.
    6. A shallow dish in which food is served or from which it is eaten.
    7. The contents of such a dish: ate a plate of spaghetti.
    8. A whole course served on such a dish.
    9. A dish, cup, or other article of silver or gold offered as a prize.
    10. A contest, especially a horserace, offering such a prize.
    11. A thin flat layer or scale, as that of a fish.
    12. A platelike part, organ, or structure, such as that covering some reptiles.
    13. An electrode, as in a storage battery or capacitor.
    14. The anode in an electron tube.
  5. Printing
    1. A sheet of metal, plastic, rubber, paperboard, or other material prepared for use as a printing surface, such as an electrotype or a stereotype.
    2. A print of a woodcut, lithograph, or other engraved material, especially when reproduced in a book.
    3. A full-page book illustration, often in color and printed on paper different from that used on the text pages.
    4. A shallow dish in which food is served or from which it is eaten.
    5. The contents of such a dish: ate a plate of spaghetti.
    6. A whole course served on such a dish.
    7. A dish, cup, or other article of silver or gold offered as a prize.
    8. A contest, especially a horserace, offering such a prize.
    9. A thin flat layer or scale, as that of a fish.
    10. A platelike part, organ, or structure, such as that covering some reptiles.
    11. An electrode, as in a storage battery or capacitor.
    12. The anode in an electron tube.
  6. Photography A light-sensitive sheet of glass or metal on which a photographic image can be recorded.
  7. Dentistry A thin metallic or plastic support fitted to the gums to anchor artificial teeth.
  8. Architecture In wood-frame construction, a horizontal member, capping the exterior wall studs, upon which the roof rafters rest.
  9. Baseball Home plate.
    1. A shallow dish in which food is served or from which it is eaten.
    2. The contents of such a dish: ate a plate of spaghetti.
    3. A whole course served on such a dish.
    4. A dish, cup, or other article of silver or gold offered as a prize.
    5. A contest, especially a horserace, offering such a prize.
    6. A thin flat layer or scale, as that of a fish.
    7. A platelike part, organ, or structure, such as that covering some reptiles.
    8. An electrode, as in a storage battery or capacitor.
    9. The anode in an electron tube.
  11. Service and food for one person at a meal: dinner at a set price per plate.
  12. Household articles, such as hollowware, covered with a precious metal, such as silver or gold.
  13. A dish passed among the members of a group or congregation for the collection of offerings.
  14. Sports
    1. A dish, cup, or other article of silver or gold offered as a prize.
    2. A contest, especially a horserace, offering such a prize.
    3. A thin flat layer or scale, as that of a fish.
    4. A platelike part, organ, or structure, such as that covering some reptiles.
    5. An electrode, as in a storage battery or capacitor.
    6. The anode in an electron tube.
  15. A thin cut of beef from the brisket.
  16. Biology
    1. A thin flat layer or scale, as that of a fish.
    2. A platelike part, organ, or structure, such as that covering some reptiles.
    3. An electrode, as in a storage battery or capacitor.
    4. The anode in an electron tube.
  17. Electricity
    1. An electrode, as in a storage battery or capacitor.
    2. The anode in an electron tube.
  18. Geology In the theory of plate tectonics, one of the sections of the earth's lithosphere, constantly moving in relation to the other sections.
  19. Informal A schedule of matters to be dealt with: had a lot on my plate at work after vacation.
tr.v.   plat·ed, plat·ing, plates
  1. To coat or cover with a thin layer of metal.
  2. To cover with armor plate: plate a warship.
  3. Printing To make a stereotype or electrotype from.
  4. To give a glossy finish to (paper) by pressing between metal sheets or rollers.
  5. To arrange (food) on a plate, as for serving: "a choice of starters, entrées, and desserts plated just as they will appear when ordered" (John Edward Young).

[Middle English, from Old French, from feminine of plat, flat, from Vulgar Latin *plattus, from Greek platus; see plat- in Indo-European roots.]
plat'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Plate

Plate\, n. [OF. plate a plate of metal, a cuirsas, F. plat a plate, a shallow vessel of silver, other metal, or earth, fr. plat flat, Gr. ?. See Place, n.]

1. A flat, or nearly flat, piece of metal, the thickness of which is small in comparison with the other dimensions; a thick sheet of metal; as, a steel plate.

2. Metallic armor composed of broad pieces.

Mangled . . . through plate and mail. --Milton.

3. Domestic vessels and utensils, as flagons, dishes, cups, etc., wrought in gold or silver.

4. Metallic ware which is plated, in distinction from that which is genuine silver or gold.

5. A small, shallow, and usually circular, vessel of metal or wood, or of earth glazed and baked, from which food is eaten at table.

6. [Cf. Sp. plata silver.] A piece of money, usually silver money. [Obs.] "Realms and islands were as plates dropp'd from his pocket." --Shak.

7. A piece of metal on which anything is engraved for the purpose of being printed; hence, an impression from the engraved metal; as, a book illustrated with plates; a fashion plate.

8. A page of stereotype, electrotype, or the like, for printing from; as, publisher's plates.

9. That part of an artificial set of teeth which fits to the mouth, and holds the teeth in place. It may be of gold, platinum, silver, rubber, celluloid, etc.

10. (Arch.) A horizontal timber laid upon a wall, or upon corbels projecting from a wall, and supporting the ends of other timbers; also used specifically of the roof plate which supports the ends of the roof trusses or, in simple work, the feet of the rafters.

11. (Her.) A roundel of silver or tinctured argent.

12. (Photog.) A sheet of glass, porcelain, metal, etc., with a coating that is sensitive to light.

13. A prize giving to the winner in a contest.

Note: Plate is sometimes used in an adjectival sense or in combination, the phrase or compound being in most cases of obvious signification; as, plate basket or plate-basket, plate rack or plate-rack.

Home plate. (Baseball) See Home base, under Home.

Plate armor. (a) See Plate, n., 2. (b) Strong metal plates for protecting war vessels, fortifications, and the like.

Plate bone, the shoulder blade, or scapula.

Plate girder, a girder, the web of which is formed of a single vertical plate, or of a series of such plates riveted together.

Plate glass. See under Glass.

Plate iron, wrought iron plates.

Plate layer, a workman who lays down the rails of a railway and fixes them to the sleepers or ties.

Plate mark, a special mark or emblematic figure stamped upon gold or silver plate, to indicate the place of manufacture, the degree of purity, and the like; thus, the local mark for London is a lion.

Plate paper, a heavy spongy paper, for printing from engraved plates. --Fairholt.

Plate press, a press with a flat carriage and a roller, -- used for printing from engraved steel or copper plates.

Plate printer, one who prints from engraved plates.

Plate printing, the act or process of printing from an engraved plate or plates.

Plate tracery. (Arch.) See under Tracery.

Plate wheel (Mech.), a wheel, the rim and hub of which are connected by a continuous plate of metal, instead of by arms or spokes.

Plate

Plate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plated; p. pr. & vb. n. Plating.]

1. To cover or overlay with gold, silver, or other metals, either by a mechanical process, as hammering, or by a chemical process, as electrotyping.

2. To cover or overlay with plates of metal; to arm with metal for defense.

Thus plated in habiliments of war. --Shak.

3. To adorn with plated metal; as, a plated harness.

4. To beat into thin, flat pieces, or lamin[ae].

5. To calender; as, to plate paper.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : Plate
Spanish: plato,
German: die Platte,
Japanese: 皿
More Translations »

plate  (n.)
c.1250, "flat sheet of gold or silver," also "flat, round coin," from O.Fr. plate "thin piece of metal" (c.1175), from M.L. plata "plate, piece of metal," perhaps via V.L. *plattus from Gk. platys "flat, broad" (see place (n.)). The cognate in Sp. (plata) and Port. (prata) has become the usual word for "silver," superseding argento via shortening of *plata d'argento "plate of silver, coin." Meaning "table utensils" (originally of silver or gold only) is from M.E. Meaning "shallow dish for food," now usually of china or earthenware, originally of metal or wood, is from c.1450. Baseball sense is from 1857. Geological sense is first attested 1904; plate tectonics first recorded 1969. Plate-glass first recorded 1727.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: 1plate
Pronunciation: 'plAt
Function: noun
1 : a thin relatively flat piece or lamina (as of bone) that is part of the body
2 a : a flat glass dish used chiefly for culturing microorganisms; especially : PETRIDISH b : a culture or culture medium contained in such a dish
3 : a supporting or reinforcing element: as a : the part of a denturethat fits in the mouth; broadly : DENTURE b : a thin flat narrow piece of metal (as stainlesssteel) that is used to repair a bone defect or fracture

Main Entry: 2plate
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: plat·ed; plat·ing
1 : to inoculate and culture(microorganisms or cells) on a plate; also : to distribute (an inoculum) on a plate or plates for cultivation
2 : to repair (as a fractured bone) with metal plates
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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plate (plāt)
n.

  1. A smooth, flat, relatively thin, rigid body of uniform thickness.
  2. A thin flat layer, part, or structure.
  3. A thin metallic or plastic support fitted to the gums to anchor artificial teeth.
  4. A metal bar applied to a fractured bone in order to maintain the ends in apposition.
  5. The agar layer within a Petri dish or similar vessel.
  6. A sheet of glass or metal that is light-sensitive and on which a photographic image can be recorded.
v. plat·ed, plat·ing, plates
To form a very thin layer of a bacterial culture by streaking it on the surface of agar to isolate individual organisms from which a colonial clone will develop.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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plate   (plāt)  Pronunciation Key 
Noun  
  1. A thin, flat sheet of metal or other material, especially one used as an electrode in a storage battery or capacitor, or as the anode of an electron tube.
  2. In plate tectonics, one of the sections of the Earth's lithosphere (crust and upper mantle) that is in constant motion along with other sections. It is the interaction of the plates that causes mountains, volcanos, and other land features to form and that causes earthquakes to occur. Six major plates and numerous smaller ones are recognized. See more at tectonic boundary.

Verb   To coat or cover with a thin layer of metal.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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plate

see hand to on a silver platter (serve up on a plate); have a lot on one's plate.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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