What is "plot"

Plot \Plot\, n. [AS. plot; cf. Goth. plats a patch. Cf. Plat a piece of ground.]

1. A small extent of ground; a plat; as, a garden plot.
   --Shak.

2. A plantation laid out. [Obs.]
   --Sir P. Sidney.

3. (Surv.) A plan or draught of a field, farm, estate, etc., drawn to a scale.

Plot \Plot\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plotted; p. pr. & vb. n. Plotting.] To make a plot, map, pr plan, of; to mark the position of on a plan; to delineate.

This treatise plotteth down Cornwall as it now standeth.
--Carew.

Plot \Plot\, n. [Abbrev. from complot.]

1. Any scheme, stratagem, secret design, or plan, of a complicated nature, adapted to the accomplishment of some purpose, usually a treacherous and mischievous one; a conspiracy; an intrigue; as, the Rye-house Plot.

   I have overheard a plot of death.
   --Shak.

   O, think what anxious moments pass between The birth of plots and their last fatal periods!
   --Addison.

2. A share in such a plot or scheme; a participation in any stratagem or conspiracy. [Obs.]

   And when Christ saith, Who marries the divorced commits adultery, it is to be understood, if he had any plot in the divorce.
   --Milton.

3. Contrivance; deep reach of thought; ability to plot or intrigue. [Obs.] ``A man of much plot.''
   --Denham.

4. A plan; a purpose. ``No other plot in their religion but serve God and save their souls.''
   --Jer. Taylor.

5. In fiction, the story of a play, novel, romance, or poem, comprising a complication of incidents which are gradually unfolded, sometimes by unexpected means.

   If the plot or intrigue must be natural, and such as springs from the subject, then the winding up of the plot must be a probable consequence of all that went before.
   --Pope.

   Syn: Intrigue; stratagem; conspiracy; cabal; combination; contrivance.

Plot \Plot\ (pl[o^]t), v. i.

1. To form a scheme of mischief against another, especially against a government or those who administer it; to conspire.
   --Shak.

   The wicked plotteth against the just.
   --Ps. xxxvii. 1

2. 2. To contrive a plan or stratagem; to scheme.

   The prince did plot to be secretly gone.
   --Sir H. Wotton.

Plot \Plot\, v. t. To plan; to scheme; to devise; to contrive secretly. ``Plotting an unprofitable crime.''
--Dryden. ``Plotting now the fall of others.''
--Milton

1580s, "to lay plans for" (usually with evil intent); 1590s in the literal sense of "to make a map or diagram," from plot (n.). Related: Plotted; plotter; plotting.

Old English plot "small piece of ground," of unknown origin. Sense of "ground plan," and thus "map, chart" is 1550s; that of "a secret, plan, scheme" is 1580s, probably by accidental similarity to complot, from Old French complot "combined plan," of unknown origin, perhaps a back-formation from compeloter "to roll into a ball," from pelote "ball." Meaning "set of events in a story" is from 1640s. Plot-line (n.) attested from 1957.

n. 1 The course of a story, comprising a series of incidents which are gradually unfolded, sometimes by unexpected means. 2 An area or land used for building on or planting on. 3 A graph or diagram drawn by hand or produced by a mechanical or electronic device. 4 A secret plan to achieve an end, the end or means usually being illegal or otherwise questionable. 5 Contrivance; deep reach thought; ability to plot or intrigue. 6 Participation in any stratagem or conspiracy. 7 A plan; a purpose. vb. 1 (context transitive English) To conceive (a crime, etc). 2 (context transitive English) To trace out (a graph or diagram). 3 (context transitive English) To mark (a point on a graph, chart, etc). 4 (context intransitive English) To conceive a crime, misdeed, etc.

1. n. a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal); "they concocted a plot to discredit the governor"; "I saw through his little game from the start" [syn: secret plan, game]

2. a small area of ground covered by specific vegetation; "a bean plot"; "a cabbage patch"; "a briar patch" [syn: plot of ground, patch]

3. the story that is told in a novel or play or movie etc.; "the characters were well drawn but the plot was banal"

4. a chart or map showing the movements or progress of an object

5. [also: plotting, plotted]

1. v. plan secretly, usually something illegal; "They plotted the overthrow fo the government"

2. make a schematic or technical drawing of that shows how things work or how they are constructed [syn: diagram]

3. make a plat of; "Plat the town" [syn: plat]

4. [also: plotting, plotted]

Plot refers to the sequence of events inside a story which affect other events through the principle of cause and effect. The causal events of a plot can be thought of as a series of sentences linked by "and so." Plots can vary from simple structures such as in a traditional ballad to complex interwoven structures sometimes referred to as an imbroglio. The term plot can serve as a verb and refer to a character planning future actions in the story.

In the narrative sense, the term highlights the important points which have important consequences within the story, according to Ansen Dibell. The term is similar in meaning to the term storyline.

Plot may refer to:

Plot (, released in the US as The French Conspiracy) is a 1972 French-Italian thriller film directed by Yves Boisset, inspired by the assassination of Mehdi Ben Barka in Paris. It was entered into the 8th Moscow International Film Festival where it won the Silver Prize.

A plot is a graphical technique for representing a data set, usually as a graph showing the relationship between two or more variables. The plot can be drawn by hand or by a mechanical or electronic plotter. Graphs are a visual representation of the relationship between variables, very useful for humans who can quickly derive an understanding which would not come from lists of values. Graphs can also be used to read off the value of an unknown variable plotted as a function of a known one. Graphs of functions are used in mathematics, sciences, engineering, technology, finance, and other areas.

In naval terminology a Plot is a graphic display that shows all collated data from a ship's on-board sensors i.e. radar, sonar and EW systems. They also displayed information from external sources i.e. other vessel or aircraft reports. There are four different types of plot, each with varying capabilities i.e. range, depending on their role;

• Air Plot: Used for tracking air contacts i.e. planes and EW information
• Surface Plot: Used for tracking contacts on the surface of the water i.e. other ships. It can also perform a variety of roles such as;
  • Providing a trace of a ship's own course and speed over time
  • Plotting the position of a man overboard
  • Can be used in naval gunfire support missions to plot unidentified contacts and keep track of friendly forces
  • It also plays an important part in anti-submarine warfare operations and using Torpedoes
• Sub-Surface Plot: Used for tracking contacts below the surface of the water i.e. submarines
• General Operations Plot: Used for tracking shipping on a large scale chart. Was also used to display exercise boundaries, airlanes and other significant features of maritime interest. In the Royal Australian Navy, the scale used was generally per .