[pleɪt], (Noun)

Definitions:
- a flat dish, typically circular and made of china, from which food is eaten or served
(e.g: he pushed his empty plate to one side and sipped his wine)

- dishes, bowls, cups, and other utensils made of gold, silver, or other metal
(e.g: an exhibition of the plate belonging to the college)

- a thin, flat sheet or strip of metal or other material, typically one used to join or strengthen things or forming part of a machine
(e.g: he underwent surgery to have a steel plate put into his leg)

- a thin, flat organic structure or formation
(e.g: the fused bony plates protect the tortoise's soft parts)

- each of the several rigid pieces of the earth's lithosphere which together make up the earth's surface
(e.g: the Pacific Ocean plate)

- a sheet of metal, plastic, or other material bearing an image of type or illustrations from which multiple copies are printed
(e.g: the correct alignment of the plates in four-colour printing)

- a thin piece of plastic moulded to the shape of a person's mouth and gums, to which artificial teeth or another orthodontic appliance are attached

- a thin piece of metal that acts as an electrode in a capacitor, battery, or cell


Phrases:
- on a plate
- on one's plate
- plates of meat

Origin:
Middle English (denoting a flat, thin sheet, usually of metal): from Old French, from medieval Latin plata ‘plate armour’, based on Greek platus ‘flat’. plate represents Old French plat ‘platter, large dish’, also ‘dish of meat’, noun use of Old French plat ‘flat’

[pleɪt], (Verb)

Definitions:
- cover (a metal object) with a thin coating of a different metal

- serve or arrange (food) on a plate or plates
(e.g: overcooked vegetables won't look appetizing, no matter how they are plated)

- score or cause to score (a run or runs)
(e.g: Matt Wignot plated two of Clarkson's runs)

- inoculate (cells or infective material) on to a culture plate, especially with the object of isolating a particular strain of microorganisms or estimating viable cell numbers


Phrases:
- on a plate
- on one's plate
- plates of meat

Origin:
Middle English (denoting a flat, thin sheet, usually of metal): from Old French, from medieval Latin plata ‘plate armour’, based on Greek platus ‘flat’. plate represents Old French plat ‘platter, large dish’, also ‘dish of meat’, noun use of Old French plat ‘flat’