plait

American  

[pleyt, plat] / pleɪt, plæt /

noun

1. a braid, especially of hair or straw.

2. a pleat or fold, as of cloth.

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verb (used with object)

1. to braid, as hair or straw.

2. to make, as a mat, by braiding.

3. to pleat.

plait British  

/ plæt /

noun

1. a length of hair, ribbon, etc, that has been plaited

2. (in Britain) a loaf of bread of several twisting or intertwining parts

3. a rare spelling of pleat

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verb

1. (tr) to intertwine (strands or strips) in a pattern

Other Word Forms

• interplait verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of plait

1350–1400; Middle English pleyt < Middle French pleit < Latin plicitum, neuter of plicitus, past participle of plicāre to fold; ply ²

Example Sentences

For the unaware, that classic acronym comes from the French phrase Répondez s'il vous plait.

From Salon • Nov. 22, 2023

"When we saw the photo and she's sitting there with her plait and her doll she would say, 'I wonder who the other two girls are?',"

From BBC • Jul. 2, 2023

Assembling a loaf of challah, the briochelike Jewish bread coated with a soft brown egg wash and braided in a classic plait, is another undertaking entirely.

From New York Times • Dec. 1, 2021

I would sooner plait my lower back hair than care enough about my natural brow bridge to remove it.

From The Guardian • May 3, 2017

When they were fully dressed, Mal fished in her pocket for her gold thread, to plait it back into her hair.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell