plait

See also: plaît

English

A box plait with a piped edge at the top.
A person's hair in a long plait.

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.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /pleɪt/, /plæt/
    • (file)
  • Homophones: plate, plat
  • Rhymes: -æt
  • Rhymes: -eɪt

Noun

plait (plural plaits)

  1. A flat fold; a doubling, as of cloth; a pleat.
    a box plait
    • 1705, J[oseph] Addison, Remarks on Several Parts of Italy, &c. in the Years 1701, 1702, 1703, London: [] Jacob Tonson, [], →OCLC:
      the plaits and foldings of the drapery
  2. A braid, as of hair or straw; a plat.

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

Verb

plait (third-person singular simple present plaits, present participle plaiting, simple past and past participle plaited)

  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
    • 1900, Charles W. Chesnutt, chapter I, in The House Behind the Cedars:
      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.

Derived terms

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Anagrams

French

Pronunciation

  • (file)

Verb

plait

  1. post-1990 spelling of plaît (third-person singular present indicative of plaire)

Anagrams

Middle English

Etymology

From Old French plait, plet.

Noun

plait (plural plaits)

  1. Alternative form of ple

Old French

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Latin placitum (decree).

Noun

plait oblique singular, m (oblique plural plaiz or plaitz, nominative singular plaiz or plaitz, nominative plural plait)

  1. agreement
  2. argument; dispute
  3. court (of law)
  4. plea; ask; demand

Descendants

  • French: plaid
  • Middle English: plait

References

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