PLAIN
Plain, v. i. Etym: [OE. playne, pleyne, fr. F. plaindre. See Plaint.]
Defn: To lament; to bewail; to complain. [Archaic & Poetic] Milton.
We with piteous heart unto you pleyne. Chaucer.
PLAIN
Plain, v. t.
Defn: To lament; to mourn over; as, to plain a loss. [Archaic &
Poetic] Sir J. Harrington.
PLAIN
Plain, a. [Compar. Plainer; superl. Plainest.] Etym: [F., level,
flat, fr. L. planus, perhaps akin to E. floor. Cf. Llano, Piano,
Plan, Plane level, a level surface.]
1. Without elevations or depressions; flat; level; smooth; even. See Plane. The crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. Isa. xl. 4.
2. Open; clear; unencumbered; equal; fair. Our troops beat an army in plain fight. Felton.
3. Not intricate or difficult; evident; manifest; obvious; clear; unmistakable. "'T is a plain case." Shak.
4. (a) Void of extraneous beauty or ornament; without conspicious embellishment; not rich; simple. (b) Not highly cultivated; unsophisticated; free from show or pretension; simple; natural; homely; common. "Plain yet pious Christians." Hammond. "The plain people." A. Lincoln. (c) Free from affectation or disguise; candid; sincere; artless; honest; frank. "An honest mind, and plain." Shak. (d) Not luxurious; not highly seasoned; simple; as, plain food. (e) Without beauty; not handsome; homely; as, a plain woman. (f) Not variegated, dyed, or figured; as, plain muslin. (g) Not much varied by modulations; as, a plain tune. Plain battle, open battle; pitched battle. [Obs.] Chaucer. — Plain chant (Mus.) Same as Plain song, below. — Plain chart (Naut.), a chart laid down on Mercator's projection. — Plain dealer. (a) One who practices plain dealing. (b) A simpleton. [Obs.] Shak. — Plain dealing. See under Dealing. — Plain molding (Join.), molding of which the surfaces are plain figures. — Plain sewing, sewing of seams by simple and common stitches, in distinct from fancy work, embroidery, etc.; — distinguished also from designing and fitting garments. — Plain song. (a) The Gregorian chant, or canto fermo; the prescribed melody of the Roman Catholic service, sung in unison, in tones of equal length, and rarely extending beyond the compass of an octave. (b) A simple melody. — Plain speaking, plainness or bluntness of speech.
Syn. — Level; flat; smooth; open; artless; unaffected; undisguised; frank; sincere; honest; candid; ingenuous; unembellished; downright; blunt; clear; simple; distinct; manifest; obvious; apparent. See Manifest.