| Words | Parts of Speech | Meaning/Definition/Similar Words |
|---|---|---|
| place | noun | Any portion of space regarded as measured off or distinct from all other space, or appropriated to some definite object or use; position; ground; site; spot; rarely, unbounded space., A broad way in a city; an open space; an area; a court or short part of a street open only at one end., A position which is occupied and held; a dwelling; a mansion; a village, town, or city; a fortified town or post; a stronghold; a region or country., Rank; degree; grade; order of priority, advancement, dignity, or importance; especially, social rank or position; condition; also, official station; occupation; calling., Vacated or relinquished space; room; stead (the departure or removal of another being or thing being implied)., A definite position or passage of a document., Ordinal relation; position in the order of proceeding; as, he said in the first place., Reception; effect; — implying the making room for., Position in the heavens, as of a heavenly body; — usually defined by its right ascension and declination, or by its latitude and longitude., To assign a place to; to put in a particular spot or place, or in a certain relative position; to direct to a particular place; to fix; to settle; to locate; as, to place a book on a shelf; to place balls in tennis., To put or set in a particular rank, office, or position; to surround with particular circumstances or relations in life; to appoint to certain station or condition of life; as, in whatever sphere one is placed., To put out at interest; to invest; to loan; as, to place money in a bank., To set; to fix; to repose; as, to place confidence in a friend., To attribute; to ascribe; to set down. |
| plack | noun | A small copper coin formerly current in Scotland, worth less than a cent. |
| plaga | noun | A stripe of color. |
| plage | noun | A region; country. |
| plaid | noun | 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., Goods of any quality or material of the pattern of a plaid or tartan; a checkered cloth or pattern., 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. |
| plain | verb i. | To lament; to bewail; to complain., To lament; to mourn over; as, to plain a loss., Without elevations or depressions; flat; level; smooth; even. See Plane., Open; clear; unencumbered; equal; fair., Not intricate or difficult; evident; manifest; obvious; clear; unmistakable., Void of extraneous beauty or ornament; without conspicious embellishment; not rich; simple., Not highly cultivated; unsophisticated; free from show or pretension; simple; natural; homely; common., Free from affectation or disguise; candid; sincere; artless; honest; frank., Not luxurious; not highly seasoned; simple; as, plain food., Without beauty; not handsome; homely; as, a plain woman., Not variegated, dyed, or figured; as, plain muslin., Not much varied by modulations; as, a plain tune., In a plain manner; plainly., 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., A field of battle., To plane or level; to make plain or even on the surface., To make plain or manifest; to explain. |
| plait | noun | A flat fold; a doubling, as of cloth; a pleat; as, a box plait., A braid, as of hair or straw; a plat., To fold; to double in narrow folds; to pleat; as, to plait a ruffle., To interweave the strands or locks of; to braid; to plat; as, to plait hair; to plait rope. |
| plane | noun | Any tree of the genus Platanus., Without elevations or depressions; even; level; flat; lying in, or constituting, a plane; as, a plane surface., A surface, real or imaginary, in which, if any two points are taken, the straight line which joins them lies wholly in that surface; or a surface, any section of which by a like surface is a straight line; a surface without curvature., An ideal surface, conceived as coinciding with, or containing, some designated astronomical line, circle, or other curve; as, the plane of an orbit; the plane of the ecliptic, or of the equator., A block or plate having a perfectly flat surface, used as a standard of flatness; a surface plate., A tool for smoothing boards or other surfaces of wood, for forming moldings, etc. It consists of a smooth-soled stock, usually of wood, from the under side or face of which projects slightly the steel cutting edge of a chisel, called the iron, which inclines backward, with an apperture in front for the escape of shavings; as, the jack plane; the smoothing plane; the molding plane, etc., To make smooth; to level; to pare off the inequalities of the surface of, as of a board or other piece of wood, by the use of a plane; as, to plane a plank., To efface or remove., Figuratively, to make plain or smooth. |
| plank | noun | A broad piece of sawed timber, differing from a board only in being thicker. See Board., Fig.: That which supports or upholds, as a board does a swimmer., One of the separate articles in a declaration of the principles of a party or cause; as, a plank in the national platform., To cover or lay with planks; as, to plank a floor or a ship., To lay down, as on a plank or table; to stake or pay cash; as, to plank money in a wager., To harden, as hat bodies, by felting., To splice together the ends of slivers of wool, for subsequent drawing. |
| plant | noun | A vegetable; an organized living being, generally without feeling and voluntary motion, and having, when complete, a root, stem, and leaves, though consisting sometimes only of a single leafy expansion, or a series of cellules, or even a single cellule., A bush, or young tree; a sapling; hence, a stick or staff., The sole of the foot., The whole machinery and apparatus employed in carrying on a trade or mechanical business; also, sometimes including real estate, and whatever represents investment of capital in the means of carrying on a business, but not including material worked upon or finished products; as, the plant of a foundry, a mill, or a railroad., A plan; an artifice; a swindle; a trick., An oyster which has been bedded, in distinction from one of natural growth., A young oyster suitable for transplanting., To put in the ground and cover, as seed for growth; as, to plant maize., To set in the ground for growth, as a young tree, or a vegetable with roots., To furnish, or fit out, with plants; as, to plant a garden, an orchard, or a forest., To engender; to generate; to set the germ of., To furnish with a fixed and organized population; to settle; to establish; as, to plant a colony., To introduce and establish the principles or seeds of; as, to plant Christianity among the heathen., To set firmly; to fix; to set and direct, or point; as, to plant cannon against a fort; to plant a standard in any place; to plant one’s feet on solid ground; to plant one’s fist in another’s face., To set up; to install; to instate., To perform the act of planting. |
| plash | verb | A small pool of standing water; a puddle., A dash of water; a splash., To dabble in water; to splash., To splash, as water., To splash or sprinkle with coloring matter; as, to plash a wall in imitation of granite., To cut partly, or to bend and intertwine the branches of; as, to plash a hedge., The branch of a tree partly cut or bent, and bound to, or intertwined with, other branches. |
| plasm | noun | A mold or matrix in which anything is cast or formed to a particular shape., Same as Plasma. |
| plate | noun | A flat, or nearly flat, piece of metal, the thickness of which is small in comparison with the other dimensions; a thick sheet of metal; as, a steel plate., Metallic armor composed of broad pieces., Domestic vessels and utensils, as flagons, dishes, cups, etc., wrought in gold or silver., Metallic ware which is plated, in distinction from that which is genuine silver or gold., A small, shallow, and usually circular, vessel of metal or wood, or of earth glazed and baked, from which food is eaten at table., A piece of money, usually silver money., A piece of metal on which anything is engraved for the purpose of being printed; hence, an impression from the engraved metal; as, a book illustrated with plates; a fashion plate., A page of stereotype, electrotype, or the like, for printing from; as, publisher’s plates., That part of an artificial set of teeth which fits to the mouth, and holds the teeth in place. It may be of gold, platinum, silver, rubber, celluloid, etc., A horizontal timber laid upon a wall, or upon corbels projecting from a wall, and supporting the ends of other timbers; also used specifically of the roof plate which supports the ends of the roof trusses or, in simple work, the feet of the rafters., A roundel of silver or tinctured argent., A sheet of glass, porcelain, metal, etc., with a coating that is sensitive to light., A prize giving to the winner in a contest., To cover or overlay with gold, silver, or other metals, either by a mechanical process, as hammering, or by a chemical process, as electrotyping., To cover or overlay with plates of metal; to arm with metal for defense., To adorn with plated metal; as, a plated harness., To beat into thin, flat pieces, or laminae., To calender; as, to plate paper. |
| platt | noun | See Lodge, n. |
| platy | adjective | Like a plate; consisting of plates. |
| plaud | verb t. | To applaud. |
| playa | noun | A beach; a strand; in the plains and deserts of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, a broad, level spot, on which subsequently becomes dry by evaporation. |
| plaza | noun | A public square in a city or town. |
| plead | of Plead, To argue in support of a claim, or in defense against the claim of another; to urge reasons for or against a thing; to attempt to persuade one by argument or supplication; to speak by way of persuasion; as, to plead for the life of a criminal; to plead with a judge or with a father., To present an answer, by allegation of fact, to the declaration of a plaintiff; to deny the plaintiff’s declaration and demand, or to allege facts which show that ought not to recover in the suit; in a less strict sense, to make an allegation of fact in a cause; to carry on the allegations of the respective parties in a cause; to carry on a suit or plea., To contend; to struggle., To discuss, defend, and attempt to maintain by arguments or reasons presented to a tribunal or person having uthority to determine; to argue at the bar; as, to plead a cause before a court or jury., To allege or cite in a legal plea or defense, or for repelling a demand in law; to answer to an indictment; as, to plead usury; to plead statute of limitations; to plead not guilty., To allege or adduce in proof, support, or vendication; to offer in excuse; as, the law of nations may be pleaded in favor of the rights of ambassadors. | |
| pleat | noun & verb t. | See Plait. |
| plebe | noun | The common people; the mob., A member of the lowest class in the military academy at West Point. |
| plein | adjective | Plan., To complain. See Plain., Full; complete. |
| plene | ae. | Full; complete; plenary. |
| plesh | noun | A pool; a plash. |
| plete | verb t. & i. | To plead. |
| pleyt | noun | An old term for a river boat. |
| plica | verb | A disease of the hair (Plica polonica), in which it becomes twisted and matted together. The disease is of Polish origin, and is hence called also Polish plait., A diseased state in plants in which there is an excessive development of small entangled twigs, instead of ordinary branches., The bend of the wing of a bird. |
| plied | imp. & p. p. of Ply., of Ply | |
| plitt | noun | An instrument of punishment or torture resembling the knout, used in Russia. |
| ploce | noun | A figure in which a word is separated or repeated by way of emphasis, so as not only to signify the individual thing denoted by it, but also its peculiar attribute or quality; as, “His wife’s a wife indeed.” |
| pluck | verb t. | To pull; to draw., Especially, to pull with sudden force or effort, or to pull off or out from something, with a twitch; to twitch; also, to gather, to pick; as, to pluck feathers from a fowl; to pluck hair or wool from a skin; to pluck grapes., To strip of, or as of, feathers; as, to pluck a fowl., To reject at an examination for degrees., To make a motion of pulling or twitching; — usually with at; as, to pluck at one’s gown., The act of plucking; a pull; a twitch., The heart, liver, and lights of an animal., Spirit; courage; indomitable resolution; fortitude., The act of plucking, or the state of being plucked, at college. See Pluck, v. t., 4., The lyrie. |
| pluff | verb t. | To throw out, as smoke, dust, etc., in puffs., A puff, as of smoke from a pipe, or of dust from a puffball; a slight explosion, as of a small quantity of gunpowder., A hairdresser’s powder puff; also, the act of using it. |
| pluma | noun | A feather. |
| plumb | noun | A little mass or weight of lead, or the like, attached to a line, and used by builders, etc., to indicate a vertical direction; a plummet; a plumb bob. See Plumb line, below., Perpendicular; vertical; conforming the direction of a line attached to a plumb; as, the wall is plumb., In a plumb direction; perpendicularly., To adjust by a plumb line; to cause to be perpendicular; as, to plumb a building or a wall., To sound with a plumb or plummet, as the depth of water; hence, to examine by test; to ascertain the depth, quality, dimension, etc.; to sound; to fathom; to test., To seal with lead; as, to plumb a drainpipe., To supply, as a building, with a system of plumbing. |
| plume | verb | A feather; esp., a soft, downy feather, or a long, conspicuous, or handsome feather., An ornamental tuft of feathers., A feather, or group of feathers, worn as an ornament; a waving ornament of hair, or other material resembling feathers., A token of honor or prowess; that on which one prides himself; a prize or reward., A large and flexible panicle of inflorescence resembling a feather, such as is seen in certain large ornamental grasses., To pick and adjust the plumes or feathers of; to dress or prink., To strip of feathers; to pluck; to strip; to pillage; also, to peel., To adorn with feathers or plumes., To pride; to vaunt; to boast; — used reflexively; as, he plumes himself on his skill. |
| plump | adverb | Well rounded or filled out; full; fleshy; fat; as, a plump baby; plump cheeks., A knot; a cluster; a group; a crowd; a flock; as, a plump of trees, fowls, or spears., To grow plump; to swell out; as, her cheeks have plumped., To drop or fall suddenly or heavily, all at once., To give a plumper. See Plumper, 2., To make plump; to fill (out) or support; — often with up., To cast or let drop all at once, suddenly and heavily; as, to plump a stone into water., To give (a vote), as a plumper. See Plumper, 2., Directly; suddenly; perpendicularly. |
| plumy | adjective | Covered or adorned with plumes, or as with plumes; feathery. |
| plush | noun | A textile fabric with a nap or shag on one side, longer and softer than the nap of velvet. |
| pluto | noun | The son of Saturn and Rhea, brother of Jupiter and Neptune; the dark and gloomy god of the Lower World. |
| plyer | noun | One who, or that which, plies, A kind of balance used in raising and letting down a drawbridge. It consists of timbers joined in the form of a St. Andrew’s cross., See Pliers. |