plateau

[pla-toh, plat-oh]

noun

plural

plateaus, plateaux 

1. a land area having a relatively level surface considerably raised above adjoining land on at least one side, and often cut by deep canyons.

2. a period or state of little or no growth or decline.

   to reach a plateau in one's career.

3. Psychology.,  a period of little or no apparent progress in an individual's learning, marked by an inability to increase speed, reduce number of errors, etc., and indicated by a horizontal stretch in a learning curve or graph.

4. a flat stand, as for a centerpiece, sometimes extending the full length of a table.

verb (used without object)

plateaued, plateauing 

1. to reach a state or level of little or no growth or decline, especially to stop increasing or progressing; remain at a stable level of achievement; level off.

   After a period of uninterrupted growth, sales began to plateau.

verb (used with object)

plateaued, plateauing 

1. to cause to remain at a stable level, especially to prevent from rising or progressing.

   Rising inflation plateaued sales income.

plateau

¹

/ ˈplætəʊ /

noun

1. a wide mainly level area of elevated land

2. a relatively long period of stability; levelling off

   the rising prices reached a plateau

verb

1. to remain at a stable level for a relatively long period

Plateau

²

/ ˈplætəʊ /

noun

1. a state of central Nigeria, formed in 1976 from part of Benue-Plateau State: tin mining. Capital: Jos. Pop: 3 178 712 (2006). Area: 30 913 sq km (11 936 sq miles)

plateau

1. An elevated, comparatively level expanse of land. Plateaus make up about 45 percent of the Earth's land surface.

Word History and Origins

Origin of plateau¹

1785–95; < French; Old French platel flat object, diminutive of plat plate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of plateau¹

C18: from French, from Old French platel something flat, from plat flat; see _plate

Example Sentences

Dr Mousely said this "aligns with a plateau of intelligence and personality" that many of us will have witnessed or experienced.

Read more on BBC

Just like how the Himalayas on Earth form a boundary separating the plains and plateaus, the 10.8 billion-year-old Cosmic Himalayas form a boundary separating distinct cosmic structures in the early Universe.

Read more on Space Scoop

But in recent decades, the rate has plateaued and even started to tick upward again, at the same time that bed-sharing has become more popular among parents.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Ember is confident that emissions from using fossil fuels to generate electricity are now plateauing and could begin a permanent decline in a few years.

Read more on BBC

Meanwhile, the share of electric vehicles in total car sales is expected to plateau after 2035 due to insufficient policy support in some regions, with the exception of China and Europe.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• elevation 
• highland 
• plain