Plate, plāt, n. something flat: a thin piece of metal: wrought gold and silver: household utensils in gold and silver: a shallow dish nearly flat: an engraved piece of metal.—v.t. to overlay with a coating of plate or metal: to arm or defend with metal plates: to adorn with metal: to beat into thin plates.—n. Plate′-arm′our, armour of strong metal plates for protecting ships-of-war, &c.—adj. Plā′ted, covered with plates of metal for strength, as ships: covered with a coating of a more precious metal: (zool.) covered with hard scales.—ns. Plate′-fleet (Milt.), vessels used for carrying precious metals; Plate′ful, as much as a plate will hold; Plate′-glass, a fine kind of glass, cast in thick plates, used for mirrors and large shop-windows; Plate′-lay′er, a workman whose occupation it is to lay the rails of a railway and fix them to the sleepers; Plate′-mark, a mark or stamp on gold or silver plate to indicate its purity and the place where it was made; Plate′-pow′der, a composition of rouge and prepared chalk used for cleaning gold and silver plate and plated articles; Plate′-print′ing, the process of printing from engraved plates; Plā′ter, one who plates articles with a coating of gold or silver; Plate′-rack, a frame for holding plates, &c., when not in use; Plate′-warm′er, an apparatus in which plates are warmed before the fire; Plā′ting, the covering of an inferior metal with one of the precious metals: a thin coating of metal on another.—adj. Plā′ty, like a plate.—Half′-plate, in photography, a size of plate measuring 4¾ by 6½ in. (4¼ by 5½ in U.S.); Quar′ter-plate, 3¼ by 4¼ in.; Whole′-plate, 6½ by 8½ in. [O. Fr. plate, fem. of plat, flat—Gr. platys, broad.]
Plateau, pla-tō′, n. a broad flat space on an elevated position: a tableland:—pl. Plateaus, Plateaux (pla-tōz′). [Fr.,—O. Fr. platel, dim. of plat.]
Platen, plat′en, n. the flat part of a printing-press which comes down upon the form, and by which the impression is made.
Platform, plat′form, n. a raised level surface: a part of a floor raised above the rest to form a standing-place for speakers, workmen, &c.: (mil.) an elevated floor for cannon: a statement of principles to which a body of men declare their adhesion, and on which they act: (Shak.) a scheme, plan.—v.t. (Milt.) to sketch, plan: (Mrs Browning) to support as on a platform.—ns. Plat′form-bridge (Amer.), a movable gangway between the platforms of two railway carriages; Plat′form-car, a railway car open all round and without a roof; Plat′form-crane, a crane used on a railway platform, or one mounted on a movable truck; Plat′form-scale, a weighing-machine with a flat surface for holding the thing to be weighed.—The platform, the function of public oratory. [Fr. plate-forme, 'flat form.']
Platiasmus, plat-i-as′mus, n. imperfect speech.
Platinum, plat′in-um, n. an important metal of a dim silvery appearance, between gold and silver in value, and very difficult to melt—older name Plat′ina.—adjs. Platin′ic; Platinif′erous.—v.t. Plat′inise, to coat with platinum.—ns. Plat′inoid, one of the metals with which platinum is always found associated—palladium iridium, &c.; Plat′inotype, a method of producing photographs by means of paper coated with a preparation of platinum: a picture so produced.—adj. Plat′inous, containing or consisting of platinum. [Sp. platina—plata, plate.]
Platitude, plat′i-tūd, n. flatness: that which exhibits dullness of thought: an empty remark made as if it were important.—n. Platitudinā′rian, one who indulges in platitudes.—adj. Platitū′dinous. [Fr.,—plat, flat.]
Platonic, -al, plā-ton′ik, -al, adj. pertaining to Plato, the Greek philosopher (about 427-347 B.C.), or to his philosophical opinions.—adv. Plāton′ically.—v.t. and v.i. Plā′tonise, to reason like Plato.—ns. Plā′tonism, the philosophical opinions of Plato; Plā′tonist, Plāton′ic, a follower of Plato.—Platonic love, the love of soul for soul, a love into which sensual desire is supposed not to enter at all.
Platoon, pla-tōōn′, n. a number of recruits assembled for exercise—originally a small body of soldiers in a hollow square, to strengthen the angles of a longer formation: a subdivision of a company. [Fr. peloton, a ball, a knot of men—pelote—L. pĭla, a ball.]
Platter, plat′ėr, n. a large flat plate or dish. [M. E. plater—O. Fr. platel—plat, a plate.]