platter

[plat-er]

noun

1. a large, shallow dish, usually elliptical in shape, for holding and serving food, especially meat or fish.

2. a course of a meal, usually consisting of a variety of foods served on the same plate.

3. Slang.,  a phonograph record.

4. Computers.,  a hard disk, the rigid circular plate that rotates on a spindle within a hard disk drive, for data encoding and retrieval.

5. Movie Slang.,  a part of a motion-picture projector, consisting of a large, horizontally rotating disk that houses a feature film.

platter

/ ˈplætə /

noun

1. a large shallow usually oval dish or plate, used for serving food

2. a course of a meal, usually consisting of several different foods served on the same plate

   a seafood platter

Word History and Origins

Origin of platter¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English plater, from Anglo-French, derivative of plat “dish”; plate ¹, -er ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of platter¹

C14: from Anglo-Norman plater, from plat dish, from Old French plat flat; see _plate

Idioms and Phrases

see under hand to on a silver platter.

Example Sentences

She had stacks of silver serving platters and mountains of spoons, some of which dated back to my grandparents’ catering business.

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Unpack once, still get a Europe sampler platter.

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The ground has just served Woo up to me like a main course on a platter of sand and diamond.

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He maneuvered nimbly through the nursery door, with a large covered platter balanced on one hand like a professional waiter.

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Mrs. Apple ran to get a fresh platter of biscuits and milk, while Miss Mortimer sat on the carpet next to Penelope and stroked her hair.

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Related Words

• disc 
• dish 
• disk 
• tray