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plain
1[ pleyn ]
/ pleɪn /
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adjective, plain·er, plain·est.
adverb
clearly and simply: He's just plain stupid.
noun
an area of land not significantly higher than adjacent areas and with relatively minor differences in elevation, commonly less than 500 feet (150 meters), within the area.
The Plains. Great Plains.
OTHER WORDS FOR plain
10 unadorned.
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Origin of plain
1First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English adjective, adverb, and noun plain(e), plein(e), from Old French adjective and noun plain(e), pleine, from Latin plānus “flat, level,” plānum “flat country”
synonym study for plain
10. See homely.
OTHER WORDS FROM plain
plainly, adverbplainness, nounWords nearby plain
plaguy, plaice, plaid, Plaid Cymru, plaided, plain, plain as day, plain bearing, plainchant, plain chocolate, plain clothes
Other definitions for plain (2 of 2)
plain2
[ pleyn ]
/ pleɪn /
verb (used without object) British Dialect.
to complain.
Origin of plain
2First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English plei(g)nen, plene(n), from Anglo-French plainer, pleiner, Old French plaign-, stem of plaindre, pleindre, from Latin plangere “to strike, beat (the breast, etc.), lament”
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use plain in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for plain (1 of 2)
plain1
/ (pleɪn) /
adjective
noun
adverb
(intensifier)just plain tired
See also plains
Derived forms of plain
plainly, adverbplainness, nounWord Origin for plain
C13: from Old French: simple, from Latin plānus level, distinct, clear
British Dictionary definitions for plain (2 of 2)
Word Origin for plain
C14 pleignen, from Old French plaindre to lament, from Latin plangere to beat
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
Scientific definitions for plain
plain
[ plān ]
An extensive, relatively level area of land. Plains are present on all continents except Antarctica and are most often located in the interior regions. Because they can occur at almost any altitude or latitude, plains can be humid and forested, semiarid and grass-covered, or arid.
A broad, level expanse, such as an area of the sea floor or a lunar mare.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with plain
plain
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.