plaque
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /plæk/
ipa: /plɑːk/
ipa: /plak/
ipa: /plæk/
ipa: [pʰl̥æk]
ipa: /plaːk/
rhymes: -æk
rhymes: -ɑːk
Forms: form: plaques
Etymology: Unadapted borrowing from French plaque (“plate, sheet (of metal); slab (of marble); bacteria on teeth”), from French plaquer, Middle French plaquer (“to plate”), from Middle Dutch placken (“to patch, beat metal into a thin plate”), from placke (“disk, patch, stain”), from Old Dutch *plagga (“patch”), from Proto-Germanic *plaggą (“patch”).
The word is cognate with Middle Low German placke, plagge (“small stain, scraps, rags, thin grass”), German Placken (“spot, patch”), Saterland Frisian plak, plakke (“a blow, slap”), Swedish plagg (“clothing, garment”). Compare plack.
Senses: glosses: Any flat, thin piece of clay, ivory, metal, etc., used for ornament, or for painting pictures upon, as a dish, plate, slab, etc., hung upon a wall; also, a smaller decoration worn by a person, such as a brooch.
glosses: A piece of flat metal with writing on it, attached to a building, monument, or other structure to remind people of a person or an event.
examples: text: But on this June evening when Bond walked through the 'kitchen' into the salle privée, it was with a sensation of confidence and cheerful anticipation that he changed a million francs into plaques of fifty mille and took a seat […]
ref: 1953, Ian Fleming, Casino Royale:
glosses: A small card representing an amount of money, used for betting in casinos; a sort of gaming chip.
topics: biology
natural-sciences
glosses: A clearing in a bacterial lawn caused by a virus.
examples: text: blown plaques
text: aconcussion plaques
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system: any flat, thin musical instrument.
topics: medicine
pathology
sciences
glosses: A broad patch of abnormal tissue distinguishable from surrounding tissue, especially a broad papule (“inflamed, irritated patch”) on the skin.
examples: text: amyloid plaque
text: apleural plaque
text: asenile plaque
topics: medicine
pathology
sciences
glosses: An abnormal accumulation of material in or on an organ of the body, often associated with disease.
examples: text: As we age, the major arteries of our bodies frequently become thickened with plaque, a fatty material with an oatmeal-like consistency that builds up along the inner lining of blood vessels. The reason plaque forms isn't entirely known, but it seems to be related to high levels of cholesterol inducing an inflammatory response, which can also attract and trap more cellular debris over time.
ref: 2013 July–August, Stephen P. Lownie, David M. Pelz, “Stents to Prevent Stroke: These Devices can Spring into Shape Automatically to Open Arteries Blocked with Plaque”, in American Scientist, New Haven, Conn.: Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 29 May 2017:
topics: medicine
pathology
sciences
glosses: An abnormal accumulation of material in or on an organ of the body, often associated with disease.
An accumulation in artery walls made up of macrophage cells and debris containing lipids, (cholesterol and fatty acids), calcium, and connective tissue; an atheroma.
topics: dentistry
medicine
pathology
sciences
glosses: An abnormal accumulation of material in or on an organ of the body, often associated with disease.
An accumulation of biofilm, or bacteria, on teeth, which may develop into dental calculus (tartar).
topics: medicine
pathology
sciences
glosses: An abnormal accumulation of material in or on an organ of the body, often associated with disease.
A deposit of beta-amyloid protein occurring in a nerve cell and associated with Alzheimer's disease.
Derived terms: antiplaque
blue plaque
immunoplaque
intraplaque
megaplaque
microplaque
mucoid plaque
nonplaque
periplaque
plaqueless
plaquelike
plaquette
plaquing
uroplaque
Related terms: placard
placula
plaquet