plica

[ plahy-kuh ]

/ ˈplaɪ kə /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR plica ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural pli·cae [plahy-see, -kee] /ˈplaɪ si, -ki/.

Zoology, Anatomy. a fold or folding.

Also called pli·ca po·lon·i·ca

[puh-lon-i-kuh] /pəˈlɒn ɪ kə/. Pathology. a matted, filthy condition of the hair, caused by disease, vermin, etc.

(in medieval music) a vertical mark attached to a neume, standing for an interpolated melodic ornament.

Nearby words

plf, plf., pli, pliable, pliant, plica, plicate, plication, plicotomy, plier, pliers

Origin of plica

1675–85; < Medieval Latin: a fold, back formation from Latin plicāre to fold, ply²

Related forms

pli·cal, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for plica

Warburton considers that this superstition may have originated from the disease called Plica Polonica.
Folk-lore of Shakespeare|Thomas Firminger Thiselton-Dyer
It had to be recorded how many of his distinguished ancestors had suffered from Plica polonica.
Somehow Good|William de Morgan
Cleanliness will cure the plica; wisdom alone can extirpate schism.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 9 (of 10)|Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
It might be stricken with dry-rot, elephantiasis and plica polonica for ought I care.
Mr. Incoul's Misadventure|Edgar Saltus

In six minutes, the plica semilunaris so drawn as to cover half the cornea.
An Essay on the Influence of Tobacco upon Life and Health|R. D. Mussey

British Dictionary definitions for plica

plica

/ (ˈplaɪkə) /

noun plural plicae (ˈplaɪsiː)

Also called: fold anatomy a folding over of parts, such as a fold of skin, muscle, peritoneum, etc

pathol a condition of the hair characterized by matting, filth, and the presence of parasites

Derived Forms

plical, adjective

Word Origin for plica

C17: from Medieval Latin: a fold, from Latin plicāre to fold; see ply ²

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

Medicine definitions for plica

plica

[ plī′kə ]

n. pl. pli•cae (-kē)

A fold or ridge, as of skin or membrane.

false membrane

Related forms

pli′cal adj.