plait

American  

[pleyt, plat] / pleɪt, plæt /

noun

1. a braid, especially of hair or straw.

2. a pleat or fold, as of cloth.

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verb (used with object)

1. to braid, as hair or straw.

2. to make, as a mat, by braiding.

3. to pleat.

plait British  

/ plæt /

noun

1. a length of hair, ribbon, etc, that has been plaited

2. (in Britain) a loaf of bread of several twisting or intertwining parts

3. a rare spelling of pleat

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verb

1. (tr) to intertwine (strands or strips) in a pattern

Other Word Forms

• interplait verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of plait

1350–1400; Middle English pleyt < Middle French pleit < Latin plicitum, neuter of plicitus, past participle of plicāre to fold; ply ²

Example Sentences

For the unaware, that classic acronym comes from the French phrase Répondez s'il vous plait.

From Salon • Nov. 22, 2023

The male representative of this species proudly sports a pork pie straw hat, half Panama and half boater, so obviously transatlantic that every plait in it gives forth a twang.

From Washington Post • May 2, 2023

Yes, the woman with the curled blonde plait.

From BBC • Feb. 23, 2019

Sisters from El Salvador plait one another’s hair; men from Cameroon await an asylum hearing on the far side.

From The Guardian • Feb. 12, 2019

Parvati scowled and removed a large ornamental butterfly from the end of her plait.

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling