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Definition of Plateau - 6 dictionary results

pla⋅teau

  [pla-toh or, especially Brit., plat-oh] noun, plural -teaus, -teaux  [-tohz, -tohz] , verb, -teaued, -teau⋅ing.
Use Plateau in a Sentence
–noun
1. a land area having a relatively level surface considerably raised above adjoining land on at least one side, and often cut by deep canyons.
2. a period or state of little or no growth or decline: to reach a plateau in one's career.
3. Psychology. a period of little or no apparent progress in an individual's learning, marked by an inability to increase speed, reduce number of errors, etc., and indicated by a horizontal stretch in a learning curve or graph.
4. a flat stand, as for a centerpiece, sometimes extending the full length of a table.
–verb (used without object)
5. to reach a state or level of little or no growth or decline, esp. to stop increasing or progressing; remain at a stable level of achievement; level off: After a period of uninterrupted growth, sales began to plateau.
–verb (used with object)
6. to cause to remain at a stable level, esp. to prevent from rising or progressing: Rising inflation plateaued sales income.
Origin:
1785–95; < F; OF platel flat object, dim. of plat plate 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pla·teau   (plā-tō')   
n.   pl. pla·teaus or pla·teaux (-tōz')
  1. An elevated, comparatively level expanse of land; a tableland.
  2. A relatively stable level, period, or state: Mortgage rates declined, then reached a plateau.
intr.v.   pla·teaued, pla·teau·ing, pla·teaus
To reach a stable level; level off: "The tension seemed to grow by degrees, then it plateaued" (Tom Clancy).

[French, from Old French platel, platter, from plat, flat; see plate.]
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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Plateau

Pla*teau"\, n.; pl. F. Plateaux (F. ?; E. ?), E. Plateaus. [F., fr. OF. platel, properly a little plate. See Plate.]

1. A flat surface; especially, a broad, level, elevated area of land; a table-land.

2. An ornamental dish for the table; a tray or salver.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : Plateau
Spanish: meseta, altiplano,
German: das Plateau,
Japanese: 高原
More Translations »

plateau 
1796, "elevated tract of relatively level land," from Fr. plateau, from O.Fr. platel (12c.) "flat piece of metal, wood, etc.," dim. of plat "flat surface or thing," noun use of adj. plat (see plat). Meaning "stage at which no progress is apparent" is attested from 1897, originally in psychology of learning. The verb is attested from 1952, from the noun.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: pla·teau
Pronunciation: pla-'tO, 'pla-"
Function: noun
Inflected Forms: plural plateaus or pla·teaux /-'tOz, -"tOz/
: a relatively flat elevated area —see TIBIAL PLATEAU
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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plateau   (plā-tō')  Pronunciation Key 
An elevated, comparatively level expanse of land. Plateaus make up about 45 percent of the Earth's land surface.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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