The Collaborative International Dictionary
Plate \Plate\, n. [OF. plate a plate of metal, a cuirsas, F. plat a plate, a shallow vessel of silver, other metal, or earth, fr. plat flat, Gr. ?. See Place, n.]
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.
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Metallic armor composed of broad pieces.
Mangled . . . through plate and mail.
--Milton. 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 silver or gold throughout.
A small, shallow, and usually circular, vessel of metal or wood, or of earth glazed and baked, from which food is eaten at table.
[Cf. Sp. plata silver.] A piece of money, usually silver money. [Obs.] ``Realms and islands were as plates dropp'd from his pocket.''
--Shak.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.
(Arch.) 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.
(Her.) A roundel of silver or tinctured argent.
(Photog.) A sheet of glass, porcelain, metal, etc., with a coating that is sensitive to light.
A prize giving to the winner in a contest.
(Baseball) A small five-sided area (enveloping a diamond-shaped area one foot square) beside which the batter stands and which must be touched by some part of a player on completing a run; -- called also home base, or home plate.
One of the thin parts of the bricket of an animal.
A very light steel racing horsehoe.
Loosely, a sporting contest for a prize; specif., in horse racing, a race for a prize, the contestants not making a stake.
Skins for fur linings of garments, sewed together and roughly shaped, but not finally cut or fitted. [Furrier's Cant]
(Hat Making) The fine nap (as of beaver, hare's wool, musquash, nutria, or English black wool) on a hat the body of which is of an inferior substance.
a quantity sufficient to fill a plate; a plateful; a dish containing that quantity; a plate of spaghetti.
the food and service supplied to a customer at a restaurant; as, the turkey dinner is $9 a plate; I'll have a plate of spaghetti.
a flat dish of glass or plastic with a fitted cover, used for culturing microorganisms in a laboratory.
the identification tag required to be displayed on the outside of a vehicle; same as license plate; -- often used in the plural.
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an agenda or schedule of tasks to be performed; I have a lot on my plate today. [colloq.] Note: Plate is sometimes used in an adjectival sense or in combination, the phrase or compound being in most cases of obvious signification; as, plate basket or plate-basket, plate rack or plate-rack. Home plate. (Baseball) See Home base, under Home. Plate armor.
See Plate, n., 2.
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Strong metal plates for protecting war vessels, fortifications, and the like.
Plate bone, the shoulder blade, or scapula.
Plate girder, a girder, the web of which is formed of a single vertical plate, or of a series of such plates riveted together.
Plate glass. See under Glass.
Plate iron, wrought iron plates.
Plate layer, a workman who lays down the rails of a railway and fixes them to the sleepers or ties.
Plate mark, a special mark or emblematic figure stamped upon gold or silver plate, to indicate the place of manufacture, the degree of purity, and the like; thus, the local mark for London is a lion.
Plate paper, a heavy spongy paper, for printing from engraved plates.
--Fairholt.Plate press, a press with a flat carriage and a roller, -- used for printing from engraved steel or copper plates.
Plate printer, one who prints from engraved plates.
Plate printing, the act or process of printing from an engraved plate or plates.
Plate tracery. (Arch.) See under Tracery.
Plate wheel (Mech.), a wheel, the rim and hub of which are connected by a continuous plate of metal, instead of by arms or spokes.
WordNet
n. specially hardened steel plate used to protect fortifications or vehicles from enemy fire [syn: armor plate, armour plate, armor plating, plate armour]
Usage examples of "plate armor".
Ser Vardis Egen was steel from head to heel, encased in heavy plate armor over mail and padded surcoat.
Renly had chosen a woman to carry his banner as well, though Brienne hid face and form behind plate armor that gave no hint of her sex.
Men and mounts wore plate armor, and one in every ten carried a torch.
Beside him pulled Robbie Dun Dhoone, the Thorn King, fair as Duglas was dark, graceful as his companion was barbaric, his plate armor and great helm black and dripping, his braids whipping around him like golden chains.
The uniform of the Queen's Guard include a red undercoat, gleaming mail and plate armor, a brilliant red cloak and a conical helmet with a barred faceguard.
He stood as quietly as he could, enduring Theoluf fastening the pieces of plate armor around his legs and arms and body.
I started pumping his heart, to be on the safe side, a thing that would have been impossible in my plate armor, but was easy enough with the baron's gold-washed chain mail.
The king, who was already wearing the padded doublet and chain mail coif that went under his plate armor, decided it was time to fully arm himself.
They went on through chambers and down another flight of stairs into a long, narrow hall whose walls were broken by many niches, each home to a silent, unmoving suit of dark plate armor.