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plainly

 [pleyn]   Origin

plain

1   [pleyn] adjective, -er, -est, adverb, noun
adjective
1.
clear or distinct to the eye or ear: a plain trail to the river; to stand in plain view.
2.
clear to the mind; evident, manifest, or obvious: to make one's meaning plain.
3.
conveying the meaning clearly and simply; easily understood: plain talk.
4.
downright; sheer; utter; self-evident: plain folly; plain stupidity.
5.
free from ambiguity or evasion; candid; outspoken: the plain truth of the matter.
EXPAND
6.
without special pretensions, superiority, elegance, etc.; ordinary: plain people.
7.
not beautiful; physically unattractive or undistinguished: a plain face.
8.
without intricacies or difficulties.
9.
ordinary, simple, or unostentatious: Although she was a duchess, her manners were attractively plain.
10.
with little or no embellishment, decoration, or enhancing elaboration: a plain blue suit.
11.
without a pattern, figure, or device: a plain fabric.
12.
not rich, highly seasoned, or elaborately prepared, as food: a plain diet.
13.
flat or level: plain country.
14.
unobstructed, clear, or open, as ground, a space, etc.
15.
Cards. being other than a face card or a trump.
COLLAPSE
adverb
16.
clearly and simply: He's just plain stupid.

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Plainly is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
noun
17.
an area of land not significantly higher than adjacent areas and with relatively minor differences in elevation, commonly less than 500 feet (150 meters), within the area.
18.
The Plains. Great Plains.
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English (adj., adv., and noun) < Old French (adj. and noun) < Latin plānus flat, level, plānum flat country

Related forms
plain·ly, adverb
plain·ness, noun

Synonyms
1, 2. lucid, understandable, intelligible, unmistakable, apparent, perspicuous. 2, 3. unambiguous, unequivocal, patent, transparent; direct. 5. unreserved, straightforward, blunt, frank, ingenuous, open, sincere. 6. unpretentious. 10. unadorned. See homely.

Antonyms
1. indistinct. 2. obscure. 13. hilly.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To plainly
Collins
World English Dictionary
plain1 (pleɪn)
 
—adj
1.  flat or smooth; level
2.  not complicated; clear: the plain truth
3.  not difficult; simple or easy: a plain task
4.  honest or straightforward
5.  lowly, esp in social rank or education
6.  without adornment or show: a plain coat
7.  (of fabric) without pattern or of simple untwilled weave
8.  not attractive
9.  not mixed; simple: plain vodka
10.  knitting of or done in plain
 
—n
11.  a level or almost level tract of country, esp an extensive treeless region
12.  a simple stitch in knitting made by putting the right needle into a loop on the left needle, passing the wool round the right needle, and pulling it through the loop, thus forming a new loop
13.  in billiards
 a.  the unmarked white ball, as distinguished from the spot balls
 b.  the player using this ball
14.  (in Ireland) short for plain porter, a light porter: two pints of plain, please
 
—adv
15.  (intensifier): just plain tired
 
[C13: from Old French: simple, from Latin plānus level, distinct, clear]
 
'plainly1
 
—adv
 
'plainness1
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

plain
"level country," c.1300 (originally in ref. to Salisbury Plain), from O.Fr. plain, from L. planum "level ground, plain," properly neut. of adj. planus "flat, even, level" ((see plane (1)). L. planum was used for "level ground" but much more common was campus. Plains of the
EXPAND
American Midwest first so called 1684.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
plain   (plān)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. An extensive, relatively level area of land. Plains are present on all continents except Antarctica and are most often located in the interior regions. Because they can occur at almost any altitude or latitude, plains can be humid and forested, semiarid and grass-covered, or arid.

  2. A broad, level expanse, such as an area of the sea floor or a lunar mare.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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