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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

plait en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /pleɪt/
  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /plæt/

Etymology

From Middle English pleit, from Anglo-Norman pleit (compare Old French ploit), from Latin plectō, which is akin to Old Norse flétta (Danish flette), Russian плести́ (plestí) and also to Old English fleohtan, which it displaced. Doublet of plight (“plait, fold”) and pleat.

Meanings

  1. A flat fold; a doubling, as of cloth; a pleat.
    • the plaits and foldings of the drapery 1705, J[oseph] Addison, Remarks on Several Parts of Italy, &c. in the Years 1701, 1702, 1703, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
    • a box plait
  2. A braid, as of hair or straw; a plat.
    • Only the hair as it arched so beautifully from her temples was mixed with silver, and the two simple plaits that lay on her shoulders were filigree of silver and brown. 1913, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, London: Duckworth & Co. […], →OCLC:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
plaits Number=Plur lexicographic

Deriveds

Polish plait · plaitless · plaitwork · box plait · lemon plait · French plait

Relateds

pleat

Translations (16)

de Falte (flat fold) · pt prega (flat fold) · it piega (flat fold) · fi vekki (flat fold) · it plissettatura (flat fold) · ru скла́дка (flat fold) · fr pli (flat fold) · pl warkocz (flat fold) · ro pliu (flat fold) · ro fald (flat fold) · sq palë (flat fold) · fi taite (flat fold) · es pliegue (flat fold) · it pieghettatura (flat fold) · pt dobra (flat fold) · ca dobleg (flat fold)

plait en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • /pleɪt/
  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /plæt/

Etymology

From Middle English pleit, from Anglo-Norman pleit (compare Old French ploit), from Latin plectō, which is akin to Old Norse flétta (Danish flette), Russian плести́ (plestí) and also to Old English fleohtan, which it displaced. Doublet of plight (“plait, fold”) and pleat.

Meanings

  1. (transitive) To fold; to double in narrow folds; to pleat
    • to plait a ruffle
  2. (transitive) To interweave the strands or locks of; to braid
    • to plait hair
    • plaiting rope
    • Her abundant hair, of a dark and glossy brown, was neatly plaited and coiled above an ivory column that rose straight from a pair of gently sloping shoulders, clearly outlined beneath the light muslin frock that covered them. 1900, Charles W. Chesnutt, chapter I, in The House Behind the Cedars:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
plaited Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
plaited Tense=Past lexicographic
plaiting Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
plaits Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic

Deriveds

plait sawdust · replait · plaiter · unplait · plait fog · interplait