platy

¹ American  

[pley-tee] / ˈpleɪ ti /

adjective

platier, platiest

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

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platy ² American  

[plat-ee] / ˈplæt i /

noun

plural

platy,

plural

platys, platies

1. platyfish.

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platy- ³ American  

Also plat-

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

   platyhelminth.

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platy ¹ British  

/ ˈpleɪtɪ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or designating rocks the constituents of which occur in flaky layers

   platy fracture

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platy ² British  

/ ˈplætɪ /

noun

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

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platy- ³ British  

combining form

1. indicating something flat

   platyhelminth

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Etymology

Origin of platy¹

First recorded in 1525–35; plate ¹ + -y ¹

Origin of platy²

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

Origin of platy-³

Combining form representing Greek platýs; see flat ¹

Example Sentences

The Blue Jays are scheduled to start July 24 at Tampa Bay and platy their home opener five days later against Washington.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 16, 2020

Schistosity is a textural description of foliation created by the parallel alignment of platy visible grains.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

Foliated textures come from platy minerals forming planes in a rock, while non-foliated metamorphic rocks have no internal fabric.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

Slate is a fine-grained metamorphic rock that exhibits a foliation called slaty cleavage that is the flat orientation of the small platy crystals of mica and chlorite forming perpendicular to the direction of stress.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

Many of the minerals of these rocks are “schillerized,” as they contain minute platy or rod-shaped enclosures, disposed parallel to certain crystallographic planes or axes.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 8 "Chariot" to "Chatelaine" by Various