GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Found 2 definitions
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Plate , n. [OF. plate a plate of metal, a cuirsas, F. plat a plate, a shallow vessel of silver, other metal, or earth, fr. plat flat, Gr. >. See Place, n.]
- A flat, or nearly flat, piece of metal, the thickness of which is small in comparison with the other dimensions; a thick sheet of metal; as, a steel plate.1913 Webster
- Metallic armor composed of broad pieces.1913 Webster
Mangled . . . through plate and mail.
Milton.1913 Webster - Domestic vessels and utensils, as flagons, dishes, cups, etc., wrought in gold or silver.1913 Webster
- Metallic ware which is plated, in distinction from that which is silver or gold throughout.1913 Webster
- A small, shallow, and usually circular, vessel of metal or wood, or of earth glazed and baked, from which food is eaten at table.1913 Webster
- [Cf. Sp. plata silver.] A piece of money, usually silver money. [Obs.] “Realms and islands were as plates dropp'd from his pocket.” Shak.1913 Webster
- A piece of metal on which anything is engraved for the purpose of being printed; hence, an impression from the engraved metal; as, a book illustrated with plates; a fashion plate.1913 Webster
- A page of stereotype, electrotype, or the like, for printing from; as, publisher's plates.1913 Webster
- That part of an artificial set of teeth which fits to the mouth, and holds the teeth in place. It may be of gold, platinum, silver, rubber, celluloid, etc.1913 Webster
- (Arch.) A horizontal timber laid upon a wall, or upon corbels projecting from a wall, and supporting the ends of other timbers; also used specifically of the roof plate which supports the ends of the roof trusses or, in simple work, the feet of the rafters.1913 Webster
- (Her.) A roundel of silver or tinctured argent.1913 Webster
- (Photog.) A sheet of glass, porcelain, metal, etc., with a coating that is sensitive to light.1913 Webster
- A prize giving to the winner in a contest.1913 Webster
- (Baseball) A small five-sided area (enveloping a diamond-shaped area one foot square) beside which the batter stands and which must be touched by some part of a player on completing a run; -- called also home base, or home plate.Webster 1913 Suppl.
- One of the thin parts of the bricket of an animal.Webster 1913 Suppl.
- A very light steel racing horsehoe.Webster 1913 Suppl.
- Loosely, a sporting contest for a prize; specif., in horse racing, a race for a prize, the contestants not making a stake.Webster 1913 Suppl.
- Skins for fur linings of garments, sewed together and roughly shaped, but not finally cut or fitted. [Furrier's Cant]Webster 1913 Suppl.
- (Hat Making) The fine nap (as of beaver, hare's wool, musquash, nutria, or English black wool) on a hat the body of which is of an inferior substance.Webster 1913 Suppl.
- a quantity sufficient to fill a plate; a plateful; a dish containing that quantity; a plate of spaghetti.PJC
- the food and service supplied to a customer at a restaurant; as, the turkey dinner is $9 a plate; I'll have a plate of spaghetti.PJC
- a flat dish of glass or plastic with a fitted cover, used for culturing microorganisms in a laboratory.PJC
- the identification tag required to be displayed on the outside of a vehicle; same as license plate; -- often used in the plural.PJC
- an agenda or schedule of tasks to be performed; I have a lot on my plate today. [colloq.] PJC
☞ Plate is sometimes used in an adjectival sense or in combination, the phrase or compound being in most cases of obvious signification; as, plate basket or plate-basket, plate rack or plate-rack.
1913 WebsterHome plate. (Baseball) See Home base, under Home. -- Plate armor. (a) See Plate, n., 2. (b) Strong metal plates for protecting war vessels, fortifications, and the like. -- Plate bone, the shoulder blade, or scapula. -- Plate girder, a girder, the web of which is formed of a single vertical plate, or of a series of such plates riveted together. -- Plate glass. See under Glass. -- Plate iron, wrought iron plates. -- Plate layer, a workman who lays down the rails of a railway and fixes them to the sleepers or ties. -- Plate mark, a special mark or emblematic figure stamped upon gold or silver plate, to indicate the place of manufacture, the degree of purity, and the like; thus, the local mark for London is a lion. -- Plate paper, a heavy spongy paper, for printing from engraved plates. Fairholt. -- Plate press, a press with a flat carriage and a roller, -- used for printing from engraved steel or copper plates. -- Plate printer, one who prints from engraved plates. -- Plate printing, the act or process of printing from an engraved plate or plates. -- Plate tracery. (Arch.) See under Tracery. -- Plate wheel (Mech.), a wheel, the rim and hub of which are connected by a continuous plate of metal, instead of by arms or spokes.
1913 Webster
- A flat, or nearly flat, piece of metal, the thickness of which is small in comparison with the other dimensions; a thick sheet of metal; as, a steel plate.
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Plate , v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plated; p. pr. & vb. n. Plating.]
- To cover or overlay with gold, silver, or other metals, either by a mechanical process, as hammering, or by a chemical process, as electrotyping.1913 Webster
- To cover or overlay with plates of metal; to arm with metal for defense.1913 Webster
Thus plated in habiliments of war.
Shak.1913 Webster - To adorn with plated metal; as, a plated harness.1913 Webster
- To beat into thin, flat pieces, or laminæ.1913 Webster
- To calender; as, to plate paper.1913 Webster
- To cover or overlay with gold, silver, or other metals, either by a mechanical process, as hammering, or by a chemical process, as electrotyping.