Plack Plack noun [ French
plaque a plate of metal. Confer
Plaque .]
A small copper coin formerly current in Scotland, worth less than a cent. With not a plack in the pocket of the poet.
Prof. Wilson.
Placket Plack"et noun [ French
plaquer to lay or clap on. See
Placard .]
1. A petticoat, esp. an under petticoat; hence, a cant term for a woman. [ Obsolete]
Beau. & Fl. 2. The opening or slit left in a petticoat or skirt for convenience in putting it on; -- called also placket hole . 3. A woman's pocket.
Placoderm Plac"o·derm noun [ Greek ..., ..., tablet + ... skin.]
(Paleon.) One of the Placodermi.
Placodermal Plac`o·der"mal adjective (Paleon.) Of or pertaining to the placoderms; like the placoderms.
Placodermata Plac`o·der"ma·ta noun plural [ New Latin ]
(Paleon.) Same as Placodermi .
Placodermi Plac`o·der"mi noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ..., ..., a tablet + ... skin.]
(Paleon.) An extinct group of fishes, supposed to be ganoids. The body and head were covered with large bony plates. See Illust. under Pterichthys , and Coccosteus .
Placoganoid Plac`o·ga"noid adjective (Zoology) Pertaining to the Placoganoidei.
Placoganoidei Plac`o·ga·noi"de·i noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ..., ..., a tablet + New Latin
ganoidei . See
Ganoidei .]
(Zoology) A division of ganoid fishes including those that have large external bony plates and a cartilaginous skeleton.
Placoid Plac"oid adjective [ Greek ..., ..., a tablet +
-oid .]
(Zoology) Platelike; having irregular, platelike, bony scales, often bearing spines; pertaining to the placoids.
Placoid Plac"oid noun (Zoology) (a) Any fish having placoid scales, as the sharks. (b) One of the Placoides.
Placoides Pla·coi"des noun plural [ New Latin ]
(Zoology) A group of fishes including the sharks and rays; the Elasmobranchii; -- called also Placoidei .
Placoidian Pla·coid"i·an noun (Zoology) One of the placoids.
Placophora Pla·coph"o·ra noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ..., ..., tablet + ... to bear.]
(Zoology) A division of gastropod Mollusca, including the chitons. The back is covered by eight shelly plates. Called also Polyplacophora . See Illust. under Chiton , and Isopleura .
Plaga Pla"ga noun ;
plural Plagæ . [ Latin
plāga a blow, a welt, a stripe.]
(Zoology) A stripe of color.
Plagal Pla"gal adjective [ French, from Greek ... sidewise, slanting.]
(Mus.) Having a scale running from the dominant to its octave; -- said of certain old church modes or tunes, as opposed to those called authentic , which ran from the tonic to its octave. Plagal cadence ,
a cadence in which the final chord on the tonic is preceded by the chord on the subdominant.
Plagate Pla"gate adjective (Zoology) Having plagæ, or irregular enlongated color spots.
Plage Plage noun [ French, from Latin
plaga .]
A region; country. [ Obsolete] "The
plages of the north."
Chaucer.
Plagiarism Pla"gia·rism noun [ Confer French
plagiarisme .]
1. The act or practice of plagiarizing. 2. That which plagiarized.
Plagiarist Pla"gia·rist noun One who plagiarizes; or purloins the words, writings, or ideas of another, and passes them off as his own; a literary thief; a plagiary.
Plagiarize Pla"gia·rize transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Plagiarized ;
present participle & verbal noun Plagiarizing .]
To steal or purloin from the writings of another; to appropriate without due acknowledgement (the ideas or expressions of another).
Plagiary Pla"gia·ry intransitive verb To commit plagiarism.
Plagiary Pla"gia·ry noun ;
plural Plagiaries . [ Latin
plagiarius a kidnaper, a literary thief, from
plagium kidnaping; confer
plaga a net, perhaps akin to English
plait : confer French
plagiaire .]
1. A manstealer; a kidnaper. [ Obsolete]
2. One who purloins another's expressions or ideas, and offers them as his own; a plagiarist. Dryden. 3. Plagiarism; literary thief. Milton.
Plagiary Pla"gia·ry adjective 1. Kidnaping. [ Obsolete]
E. Browne. 2. Practicing plagiarism. Bp. Hall.
Plagihedral Pla`gi·he"dral adjective [ Greek ... oblique + ... base, seat.]
(Crystallog.) Having an oblique spiral arrangement of planes, as levogyrate and dextrogyrate crystals.
Plagiocephalic Pla`gi·o·ce·phal"ic adjective [ Greek ... oblique + ... the head.]
(Anat.) Having an oblique lateral deformity of the skull.
Plagiocephaly Pla`gi·o·ceph"a·ly noun (Anat.) Oblique lateral deformity of the skull.
Plagioclase Pla"gi·o·clase noun [ Greek ... oblique + ... to break.]
(Min.) A general term used of any triclinic feldspar. See the Note under Feldspar .
Plagionite Pla"gi·o·nite noun [ Greek ... oblique. So called in allusion to its usually oblique crystallization.]
(Min.) A sulphide of lead and antimony, of a blackish lead-gray color and metallic luster.
Plagiostomatous Pla`gi·o·stom"a·tous adjective (Zoology) Same as Plagiostomous .
Plagiostome Pla"gi·o·stome noun (Zoology) One of the Plagiostomi.
Plagiostomi Pla`gi·os"to·mi noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ... slanting + ..., ..., mouth.]
(Zoology) An order of fishes including the sharks and rays; -- called also Plagiostomata .
Plagiostomous Pla`gi·os"to·mous adjective (Zoology) Of or pertaining to the Plagiostomi.
Plagiotremata Pla`gi·o·trem"a·ta noun plural ; [ New Latin , from Greek ... slanting + ..., ..., a hole.]
(Zoology) Same as Lepidosauria .
Plagiotropic Pla`gi·o·trop"ic adjective [ Greek ... aslant + ... to turn.]
(Botany) Having the longer axis inclined away from the vertical line.
Plagium Pla"gi·um noun [ Latin ]
(Civil Law) Manstealing; kidnaping.
Plagose Pla·gose" adjective [ Latin
plagosus . See
Plague .]
Fond of flogging; as, a plagose master. [ R.]
Plague Plague noun [ Latin
plaga a blow, stroke, plague; akin to Greek ..., from ... to strike; confer Latin
plangere to strike, beat. Confer
Plaint .]
1. That which smites, wounds, or troubles; a blow; a calamity; any afflictive evil or torment; a great trail or vexation. Shak. And men blasphemed God for the plague of hail.
Wyclif. The different plague of each calamity.
Shak. 2. (Medicine) An acute malignant contagious fever, that often prevails in Egypt, Syria, and Turkey, and has at times visited the large cities of Europe with frightful mortality; hence, any pestilence; as, the great London plague . "A
plague upon the people fell."
Tennyson. Cattle plague .
See Rinderpest . --
Plague mark ,
Plague spot ,
a spot or mark of the plague; hence, a token of something incurable.
Plague Plague transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Plagued ;
present participle & verbal noun Plaguing .]
1. To infest or afflict with disease, calamity, or natural evil of any kind. Thus were they plagued
And worn with famine.
Milton. 2. Fig.: To vex; to tease; to harass. She will plague the man that loves her most.
Spenser. Syn. -- To vex; torment; distress; afflict; harass; annoy; tease; tantalize; trouble; molest; embarrass; perplex.
Plagueful Plague"ful adjective Abounding, or infecting, with plagues; pestilential; as, plagueful exhalations.
Plagueless Plague"less adjective Free from plagues or the plague.
Plaguer Pla"guer noun One who plagues or annoys.
Plaguily Pla"gui·ly adverb In a plaguing manner; vexatiously; extremely. [ Colloq.] "Ronsard is so
plaguily stiff and stately."
Landor.
Plaguy Pla"guy adjective Vexatious; troublesome; tormenting; as, a plaguy horse. [ Colloq.] Also used adverbially; as, "He is so plaguy proud." Shak.
Plaice Plaice noun [ French
plaise ,
plais , probably from Latin
platessa flatish, plaice. See
Place .]
(Zoology) (a) A European food fish ( Pleuronectes platessa ), allied to the flounder, and growing to the weight of eight or ten pounds or more. (b) A large American flounder ( Paralichthys dentatus ; called also brail , puckermouth , and summer flounder . The name is sometimes applied to other allied species. [ Written also
plaise .]
Plaice mouth ,
a mouth like that of a plaice; a small or wry mouth. [ R.]
B. Jonson.
Plaid Plaid noun [ Gael.
plaide a blanket or plaid, contr. from
peallaid a sheepskin, from
peall a skin or hide. CF.
Pillion .]
1. A rectangular garment or piece of cloth, usually made of the checkered material called tartan, but sometimes of plain gray, or gray with black stripes. It is worn by both sexes in Scotland. 2. Goods of any quality or material of the pattern of a plaid or tartan; a checkered cloth or pattern.
Plaid Plaid adjective Having a pattern or colors which resemble a Scotch plaid; checkered or marked with bars or stripes at right angles to one another; as, plaid muslin.
Plaided Plaid"ed adjective 1. Of the material of which plaids are made; tartan. "In
plaided vest."
Wordsworth. 2. Wearing a plaid. Campbell.
Plaiding Plaid"ing noun Plaid cloth.
Plain Plain intransitive verb [ Middle English
playne ,
pleyne , from French
plaindre . See
Plaint .]
To lament; to bewail; to complain. [ Archaic & Poetic]
Milton. We with piteous heart unto you pleyne .
Chaucer.
Plain Plain transitive verb To lament; to mourn over; as, to plain a loss. [ Archaic & Poetic]
Sir J. Harrington.
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