platy

[ pley-tee ]

/ ˈpleɪ ti /

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adjective, plat·i·er, plat·i·est.

(of an igneous rock) split into thin, flat sheets, often resembling strata, as a result of uneven cooling.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of platy

First recorded in 1525–35; plate¹ + -y¹

Words nearby platy

Platte, platteland, Plattensee, platter, Plattsburgh, platy, platycephalic, platycnemia, platyfish, platyhelminth, Platyhelminthes

Other definitions for platy (2 of 3)

platy²

[ plat-ee ]

/ ˈplæt i /

noun, plural (especially collectively) plat·y, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) plat·ys, plat·ies.

platyfish.

Origin of platy

1930–35; by shortening of New Latin Platypoecilus genus name, equivalent to platy-platy- + -poecilus<Greek poikílos mottled

Other definitions for platy (3 of 3)

platy-

a combining form meaning “flat,” “broad,” used in the formation of compound words: platyhelminth.

Also plat- .

Origin of platy-

Combining form representing Greek platýs;see flat¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use platy in a sentence

The platy parting is the more common, but the columnar or prismatic parting is well exhibited at several localities.
Mount Rainier|Various
Strawberry Falls mark the front of a glacial step over a massive flow of platy andesite.
The Geologic Setting of the John Day Country|Thomas Prence Thayer
It weathers readily to platy-pseudomorphs of bastite which are soft and yield low polarization colours.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 4|Various

British Dictionary definitions for platy (1 of 3)

platy¹

/ (ˈpleɪtɪ) /

adjective platier or platiest

of, relating to, or designating rocks the constituents of which occur in flaky layersplaty fracture

Word Origin for platy

C19: from plate + -y 1

British Dictionary definitions for platy (2 of 3)

platy²

/ (ˈplætɪ) /

noun plural platy, platys or platies

any of various small brightly coloured freshwater cyprinodont fishes of the Central American genus Xiphophorus, esp X. maculatus

Word Origin for platy

C20: shortened from New Latin Platypoecilus former genus name, from platy- + -poecilus, from Greek poikilos spotted

British Dictionary definitions for platy (3 of 3)

platy-

combining form

indicating something flatplatyhelminth

Word Origin for platy-

from Greek platus flat

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