Platinocyanic Plat`i·no·cy·an"ic adjective (Chemistry) Pertaining to, derived from, or designating, an acid compound of platinous cyanide and hydrocyanic acid. It is obtained as a cinnaber-red crystalline substance.

Platinocyanide Plat`i·no·cy"a·nide noun (Chemistry) A double cyanide of platinum and some other metal or radical; a salt of platinocyanic acid.

Platinode Plat"i·node noun [ Platinum + Greek ... a way.] (Physics) A cathode. [ R.]

Platinoid Plat"i·noid adjective [ Platinum + -oid .] Resembling platinum.

Platinoid Plat"i·noid noun (Chemistry) An alloy of German silver containing tungsten; -- used for forming electrical resistance coils and standards.

Platinotype Plat"i·no·type noun [ Platinum + -type .] (Photog.) 1. A permanent photographic picture or print in platinum black.

2. The process by which such pictures are produced.

Platinous Plat"i·nous adjective (Chemistry) Of, pertaining to, or containing, platinum; -- used specifically to designate those compounds in which the element has a lower valence, as contrasted with the platinic compounds; as, platinous chloride (PtCl ₂ ).

Platinum Plat"i·num noun [ New Latin , from Spanish platina , from plata silver, Late Latin plata a thin plate of metal. See Plate , and confer Platina .] (Chemistry) A metallic element, intermediate in value between silver and gold, occurring native or alloyed with other metals, also as the platinum arsenide (sperrylite). It is heavy tin-white metal which is ductile and malleable, but very infusible, and characterized by its resistance to strong chemical reagents. It is used for crucibles, for stills for sulphuric acid, rarely for coin, and in the form of foil and wire for many purposes. Specific gravity 21.5. Atomic weight 194.3. Symbol Pt. Formerly called platina .

Platinum black (Chemistry) , a soft, dull black powder, consisting of finely divided metallic platinum obtained by reduction and precipitation from its solutions. It absorbs oxygen to a high degree, and is employed as an oxidizer. -- Platinum lamp (Electricity) , a kind of incandescent lamp of which the luminous medium is platinum. See under Incandescent . -- Platinum metals (Chemistry) , the group of metallic elements which in their chemical and physical properties resemble platinum. These consist of the light platinum group , viz., rhodium, ruthenium, and palladium, whose specific gravities are about 12; and the heavy platinum group , viz., osmium, iridium, and platinum, whose specific gravities are over 21. -- Platinum sponge (Chemistry) , metallic platinum in a gray, porous, spongy form, obtained by reducing the double chloride of platinum and ammonium. It absorbs oxygen, hydrogen, and certain other gases, to a high degree, and is employed as an agent in oxidizing.

Platitude Plat"i·tude noun [ French, from plat flat. See Plate .] 1. The quality or state of being flat, thin, or insipid; flat commonness; triteness; staleness of ideas of language.

To hammer one golden grain of wit into a sheet of infinite platitude .

Motley.

2. A thought or remark which is flat, dull, trite, or weak; a truism; a commonplace.

Platitudinarian Plat`i·tu`di·na"ri·an noun One addicted to uttering platitudes, or stale and insipid truisms. "A political platitudinarian ." G. Eliot.

Platitudinize Plat`i·tu"di·nize intransitive verb To utter platitudes or truisms.

Platitudinous Plat`i·tu"di·nous adjective Abounding in platitudes; of the nature of platitudes; uttering platitudes. -- Plat`i*tu"di*nous*ness , noun

Platly Plat"ly adjective Flatly. See Plat , adjective [ Obsolete]

Platness Plat"ness noun Flatness. [ Obsolete] Palsgrave.

Platometer Pla·tom"e·ter noun [ Greek ... flat + -meter .] See Planimeter .

Platonic Pla·ton"ic noun A follower of Plato; a Platonist.

Platonic, Platonical Pla·ton"ic, Pla·ton"ic·al adjective [ Latin Platonicus , Greek ...: confer French platonique .] 1. Of or pertaining to Plato, or his philosophy, school, or opinions.

2. Pure, passionless; nonsexual; philosophical.

Platonic bodies , the five regular geometrical solids; namely, the tetrahedron, hexahedron or cube, octahedron, dodecahedron, and icosahedron. -- Platonic love , a pure, spiritual affection, subsisting between persons of opposite sex, unmixed with carnal desires, and regarding the mind only and its excellences; -- a species of love for which Plato was a warm advocate. -- Platonic year (Astron.) , a period of time determined by the revolution of the equinoxes, or the space of time in which the stars and constellations return to their former places in respect to the equinoxes; -- called also great year . This revolution, which is caused by the precession of the equinoxes, is accomplished in about 26,000 years. Barlow.

Platonically Pla·ton"ic·al·ly adverb In a Platonic manner.

Platonism Pla"to·nism noun [ Confer French Platonisme .] 1. The doctrines or philosophy by Plato or of his followers.

» Plato believed God to be an infinitely wise, just, and powerful Spirit; and also that he formed the visible universe out of preëxistent amorphous matter, according to perfect patterns of ideas eternally existent in his own mind. Philosophy he considered as being a knowledge of the true nature of things, as discoverable in those eternal ideas after which all things were fashioned. In other words, it is the knowledge of what is eternal, exists necessarily, and is unchangeable; not of the temporary, the dependent, and changeable; and of course it is not obtained through the senses; neither is it the product of the understanding, which concerns itself only with the variable and transitory; nor is it the result of experience and observation; but it is the product of our reason , which, as partaking of the divine nature, has innate ideas resembling the eternal ideas of God. By contemplating these innate ideas, reasoning about them, and comparing them with their copies in the visible universe, reason can attain that true knowledge of things which is called philosophy . Plato's professed followers, the Academics, and the New Platonists, differed considerably from him, yet are called Platonists . Murdock.

2. An elevated rational and ethical conception of the laws and forces of the universe; sometimes, imaginative or fantastic philosophical notions.

Platonist Pla"to·nist noun One who adheres to the philosophy of Plato; a follower of Plato. Hammond.

Platonize Pla"to·nize intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Platonized ; present participle & verbal noun Platonizing .] To adopt the opinion of Plato or his followers. Milner.

Platonize Pla"to·nize transitive verb To explain by, or accomodate to, the Platonic philosophy. Enfield.

Platonizer Pla"to·ni`zer noun One who Platonizes.

Platoon Pla·toon" noun [ French peloton a ball of thread, a knot or group of men, a platoon, from pelote a ball formed of things wound round. See Pellet .] (Mil.) (a) Formerly, a body of men who fired together; also, a small square body of soldiers to strengthen the angles of a hollow square. (b) Now, in the United States service, half of a company.

Platt Platt noun (Mining) See Lodge , noun Raymond.

Plattdeutsch Platt"deutsch` noun The modern dialects spoken in the north of Germany, taken collectively; modern Low German. See Low German , under German .

Platten Plat"ten transitive verb [ See Plat , adjective ] (Glass Making) To flatten and make into sheets or plates; as, to platten cylinder glass.

Platter Plat"ter noun [ From Plat to braid.] One who plats or braids.

Platter Plat"ter noun [ Probably from Old French platel , French plateau . See Plateau .] A large plate or shallow dish on which meat or other food is brought to the table.

The attendants . . . speedly brought in several large, smoking platters , filled with huge pieces of beef.

Sir W. Scott.

Platter-faced Plat"ter-faced` adjective Having a broad, flat face.

Platting Plat"ting noun Plaited strips or bark, cane, straw, etc., used for making hats or the like.

Platy Plat"y adjective Like a plate; consisting of plates.

Platy- Plat"y- A combining form from Greek platy`s broad , wide , flat ; as, platy pus, platy cephalous.

Platycœlian Plat`y·cœ"li·an adjective [ Platy + Greek ... hollow.] (Anat.) Flat at the anterior and concave at the posterior end; -- said of the centra of the vertebræ of some extinct dinouaurs.

Platycephalic, Platycephalous Plat`y·ce·phal"ic, Plat`y·ceph"a·lous adjective [ Platy + Greek ... head.] (Anat.) Broad-headed.

Platycnemic Plat`yc·ne"mic adjective [ Platy + Greek ... leg: confer French platycnémique .] (Anat.) Of, relating to, or characterized by, platycnemism.

Platycnemism Pla·tyc"ne·mism noun (Anat.) Lateral flattening of the tibia.

Platyelminthes Plat`y·el·min"thes noun plural [ New Latin See Platy- , and Helminthes .] (Zoology) A class of helminthes including the cestodes, or tapeworms, the trematodes, and the turbellarians. Called also flatworms .

Platyhelmia Plat`y·hel"mi·a noun plural [ New Latin ] (Zoology) Same as Platyelminthes . [ Written also Platyelmia .]

Platymeter Pla·tym"e·ter noun [ Platy + -meter .] (Electricity) An apparatus for measuring the capacity of condensers, or the inductive capacity of dielectrics.

Platypod Plat"y·pod noun [ Platy + - pod .] (Zoology) An animal having broad feet, or a broad foot.

Platypoda Pla·typ"o·da noun plural [ New Latin ] (Zoology) Same as Prosobranchiata .

Platyptera Pla·typ"te·ra noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ... broad + ... a wing.] (Zoology) A division of Pseudoneuroptera including the species which have four broad, flat wings, as the termites, or white-ants, and the stone flies ( Perla ).

Platypus Plat"y·pus noun [ New Latin , from Greek ... + ... foot.] (Zoology) The duck mole. See under Duck .

Platyrhine Plat"y·rhine adjective [ Platy + Greek ..., ..., nose.] (Anat.) Having the nose broad; -- opposed to leptorhine . -- noun (Zoology) One of the Platyrhini.

Platyrhini Plat`y·rhi"ni noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ... broad + ..., ..., nose.] (Zoology) A division of monkeys, including the American species, which have a broad nasal septum, thirty-six teeth, and usually a prehensile tail. See Monkey . [ Written also Platyrrhini .]

Plaud Plaud transitive verb To applaud. [ Obsolete] Chapman.

Plaudit Plau"dit noun [ From Latin plaudite do ye praise (which was said by players at the end of a performance), 2d pers. plural imperative of plaudere . Confer Plausible .] A mark or expression of applause; praise bestowed.

Not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng.

Longfellow.

Syn. -- Acclamation; applause; encomium; commendation; approbation; approval.

Plauditory Plau"di·to·ry adjective Applauding; commending.

Plausibility Plau`si·bil"i·ty noun [ Confer French plausibilité .] 1. Something worthy of praise. [ Obsolete]

Integrity, fidelity, and other gracious plausibilities .

E. Vaughan.

2. The quality of being plausible; speciousness.

To give any plausibility to a scheme.

De Quincey.

3. Anything plausible or specious. R. Browning.

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