Search results for 'plate':

plate noun 1 a shallow dish, especially one made of earthenware or porcelain, for serving food on. Also in compounds • side plate • dinner plate. 2 a the amount held by this; a plateful; b a portion served on a plate. 3 (also collection plate) a shallow vessel in which to take the collection in church. 4 a sheet of metal, glass or other rigid material. 5 a flat piece of metal, plastic, etc inscribed with a name, etc. Often in compounds • nameplate • bookplate. 6 gold and silver vessels or cutlery. 7 a a gold or silver cup as the prize in a horse race, etc; b a race or contest for such a prize. See also selling race. 8 a thin coating of gold, silver or tin applied to a base metal. Also called plating . 9 an illustration on glossy paper in a book. Compare bookplate. 10 photog a sheet of glass prepared with a light-sensitive coating for receiving an image. 11 a a sheet of metal with an image engraved on it; b a print taken from one of these. 12 any of various surfaces set up with type ready for printing. 13 a a rigid plastic fitting to which false teeth are attached; b a denture. 14 geol any of the rigid sections that make up the Earth's crust. See also plate tectonics. 15 anatomy a thin flat piece of bone or horn. 16 baseball a five-sided white slab at the home base. 17 (plates, originally plates of meat) rhyming slang the feet. 18 building a horizontal supporting timber. verb (plated, plating) 1 to coat (a base metal) with a thin layer of a precious one. 2 to cover something with metal plates. have a lot or much on one's plate colloq to have a great deal of work, commitments, etc. hand or give someone something on a plate colloq to present them with it without their having to make the least effort.
ETYMOLOGY: 13c: from French plate (feminine) something flat and plat (masculine) dish.