plage

[plahzh]

noun

a sandy bathing beach at a seashore resort.
Astronomy. a luminous area in the sun's chromosphere that appears in the vicinity of a sunspot.

Origin of plage

1885–90; < French < Italian piaggia < Late Latin plagia shore, noun use of feminine of plagius horizontal < Greek plágios slanting, sideways; see plagio-

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for plage

Historical Examples of plage

We will have a stroll along the plage and see it after our tea.
The White Lie
William Le Queux
There were horses to ride also, and a beautiful "plage" to bathe upon.
A Labrador Doctor
Wilfred Thomason Grenfell
We did not speak as we crossed the plage and began to climb.
The Tower of Oblivion
Oliver Onions
Jean and the Comtesse de Tournelle watched us from the plage.
The Visits of Elizabeth
Elinor Glyn
He tiptoed carefully to the window and had a look at the plage.
Fanny Goes to War
Pat Beauchamp

British Dictionary definitions for plage

plage

noun

astronomy a bright patch in the sun's chromosphere

Word Origin for plage

French, literally: beach, strand

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for plage

"a region," late 14c., from Old French plage (13c.), from Late Latin plagia "a plain, shore," noun use of adjective (plagia regio), from plaga "a region, stretch of country" (see pelagic). Astronomical sense is from 1949.

plage in Science

plage

[pläzh]

A bright and intensely hot area in the Sun's chromosphere, usually associated with a sunspot. It is typically brighter than its surroundings but may be indistinguishable due to lack of contrast. Plages are sources of strong ultraviolet radiation.