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.

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Origin of platy

First recorded in 1525–35; plate¹ + -y¹

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. 2022

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

Medical definitions for platy

platy-

pref.

Flat:platyhelminth.