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plain

1
[ pleyn ]
/ pleɪn /
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See synonyms for: plain / plains / plainly / plainness on Thesaurus.com

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.
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Idioms about plain

    in plain sight. See entry at in plain sight.

Origin of plain

1
First 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

plain·ly, adverbplain·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH plain

plain , plan, plane

Other definitions for plain (2 of 2)

plain2
[ pleyn ]
/ pleɪn /

verb (used without object) British Dialect.
to complain.

Origin of plain

2
First 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. 2023

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, noun

Word Origin for plain

C13: from Old French: simple, from Latin plānus level, distinct, clear

British Dictionary definitions for plain (2 of 2)

plain2
/ (pleɪn) /

verb
a dialect or poetic word for complain

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.
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