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 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 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 adjective
1. Of the material of which plaids are made; tartan. "In plaided vest." Wordsworth.

2. Wearing a plaid. Campbell.

Plaiding noun Plaid cloth.

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 transitive verb To lament; to mourn over; as, to plain a loss. [ Archaic & Poetic] Sir J. Harrington.

Plain adjective [ Compar. Plainer ; superl. Plainest .] [ French, level, flat, from Latin planus , perhaps akin to English floor . Confer 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. [ Obsolete] Chaucer. -- Plain chant (Mus.) Same as Plain song , below. -- Plain chart (Nautical) , a chart laid down on Mercator's projection. -- Plain dealer . (a) One who practices plain dealing . (b) A simpleton . [ Obsolete] 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 .

Plain adverb In a plain manner; plainly. "To speak short and pleyn ." Chaucer. "To tell you plain ." Shak.

Plain noun [ Confer Old French plaigne , French plaine . See Plain , adjective ]
1. Level land; usually, an open field or a broad stretch of land with an even surface, or a surface little varied by inequalities; as, the plain of Jordan; the American plains , or prairies.

Descending fro the mountain into playn .

Chaucer.

Him the Ammonite
Worshiped in Rabba and her watery plain .

Milton.

2. A field of battle. [ Obsolete] Arbuthnot.

Lead forth my soldiers to the plain .

Shak.

Plain transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Plained ; present participle & verbal noun Plaining .] [ Confer Plane , v. ]
1. To plane or level; to make plain or even on the surface. [ R.]

We would rake Europe rather, plain the East.

Wither.

2. To make plain or manifest; to explain.

What's dumb in show, I'll plain in speech.

Shak.

Plain-dealing adjective Practicing plain dealing; artless. See Plain dealing , under Dealing . Shak.

Plain-hearted adjective Frank; sincere; artless. Milton. -- Plain"- heart`ed*ness , noun

Plain-laid adjective (Nautical) Consisting of strands twisted together in the ordinary way; as, a plain-laid rope. See Illust. of Cordage .

Plain-spoken adjective Speaking with plain, unreserved sincerity; also, spoken sincerely; as, plain-spoken words. Dryden.

Plainant noun [ See 1st Plain .] (Law) One who makes complaint; the plaintiff. [ Obsolete]

Plaining noun Complaint. [ Poetic] Shak.

Plaining adjective Complaining. [ Poetic] Bryant.

Plainly adverb In a plain manner; clearly.

Plainness noun The quality or state of being plain.

Plainsman noun ; plural - men One who lives in the plains.

Plaint noun [ Middle English plainte , pleynte , French plainte , from Latin plangere , planctum ( plancta , fem. past participle ), to beat, beat the breast, lament. Confer Complain , Plague , Plangent .]
1. Audible expression of sorrow; lamentation; complaint; hence, a mournful song; a lament. Chaucer. "The Psalmist's mournful plaint ." Wordsworth.

2. An accusation or protest on account of an injury.

There are three just grounds of war with Spain: one of plaint , two upon defense.

Bacon.

3. (Law) A private memorial tendered to a court, in which a person sets forth his cause of action; the exhibiting of an action in writing. Blackstone.

Plaintful adjective Containing a plaint; complaining; expressing sorrow with an audible voice. "My plaintful tongue." Sir P. Sidney.

Plaintiff noun [ French plaintif making complaint, plaintive; in Old French equiv. to plaignant complainant, prosecutor, from plaindre . See Plaint , and confer Plaintive .] (Law) One who commences a personal action or suit to obtain a remedy for an injury to his rights; -- opposed to defendant .

Plaintiff adjective See Plaintive . [ Obsolete] Prior.

Plaintive adjective [ French plaintif . See Plaintiff , noun ]
1. Repining; complaining; lamenting. Dryden.

2. Expressive of sorrow or melancholy; mournful; sad. "The most plaintive ditty." Landor.

-- Plain"tive*ly , adverb -- Plain"tive*ness , noun

Plaintless adjective Without complaint; unrepining. " Plaintless patience." Savage.

Plaisance noun [ French] See Pleasance .

Plaise noun (Zoology) See Plaice . [ Obsolete]

Plaister noun [ Obsolete] See Plaster .

Plait noun [ Middle English playte , Old French pleit , Latin plicatum , plicitum , past participle of plicare to fold, akin to plectere to plait. See Ply , and confer Plat to weave, Pleat , Plight fold.]
1. A flat fold; a doubling, as of cloth; a pleat; as, a box plait .

The plaits and foldings of the drapery.

Addison.

2. A braid, as of hair or straw; a plat.

Polish plait . (Medicine) Same as Plica .

Plait transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Plaited ; present participle & verbal noun Plaiting .]
1. To fold; to double in narrow folds; to pleat; as, to plait a ruffle.

2. To interweave the strands or locks of; to braid; to plat; as, to plait hair; to plait rope.

Plaited adjective Folded; doubled over; braided; figuratively, involved; intricate; artful.

Time shall unfold what plaited cunning hides.

Shak.

Plaiter noun One who, or that which, plaits.

Plan noun [ French, from Latin planus flat, level. See Plain , adjective ]
1. A draught or form; properly, a representation drawn on a plane, as a map or a chart; especially, a top view, as of a machine, or the representation or delineation of a horizontal section of anything, as of a building; a graphic representation; a diagram.

2. A scheme devised; a method of action or procedure expressed or described in language; a project; as, the plan of a constitution; the plan of an expedition.

God's plans like lines pure and white unfold.

M. R. Smith.

3. A method; a way of procedure; a custom.

The simple plan ,
That they should take who have the power,
And they should keep who can.

Wordsworth.

Body plan , Floor plan , etc. See under Body , Floor , etc.

Syn. -- Scheme; draught; delineation; plot; sketch; project; design; contrivance; device. See Scheme .

Plan transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Planned ; present participle & verbal noun Planning .]
1. To form a delineation of; to draught; to represent, as by a diagram.

2. To scheme; to devise; to contrive; to form in design; as, to plan the conquest of a country.

Even in penance, planning sins anew.

Goldsmith.

Planaria noun ; plural Latin Planariæ , English -rias . [ New Latin See Planary .] (Zoology) Any species of turbellarian worms belonging to Planaria , and many allied genera. The body is usually flat, thin, and smooth. Some species, in warm countries, are terrestrial.

Planarian noun (Zoology) One of the Planarida, or Dendrocœla; any turbellarian worm. -- Pla*na"ri*an , adjective

Planarida noun plural [ New Latin ] (Zoology) A division of Turbellaria; the Dendrocœla.

Planarioid adjective [ Planaria + -oid .] (Zoology) Like the planarians.

Planary adjective [ Latin planarius level. See Plane , adjective ] Of or pertaining to a plane. [ R.]

Planch noun [ French planche .] A plank. [ Obsolete] Ld. Berners.

Planch transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Planched ; present participle & verbal noun Planching .] [ French planche a board, plank. See Plank .] To make or cover with planks or boards; to plank. [ Obsolete] "To that vineyard is a planched gate." Shak.

Plancher noun [ French, planche . See Planch .]
1. A floor of wood; also, a plank. [ Obsolete] Bacon.

2. (Architecture) The under side of a cornice; a soffit.

Plancher transitive verb To form of planks. [ Obsolete] Golding.

Planchet noun [ French planchette a small board, dim. of planche . See Planch .] A flat piece of metal; especially, a disk of metal ready to be stamped as a coin.

Planchette noun [ French See Planchet .]
1. A circumferentor. See Circumferentor .

2. A small tablet of wood supported on casters and having a pencil attached. The characters produced by the pencil on paper, while the hand rests on the instrument and it is allowed to move, are sometimes translated as of oracular or supernatural import.

Planching noun The laying of floors in a building; also, a floor of boards or planks.