Word: place Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English place, conflation of Old English plæċe (“place, an open space, street”) and Old French place (“place, an open space”), both from Latin platēa (“plaza, wide street”), from Ancient Greek πλατεῖα (plateîa), shortening of πλατεῖα ὁδός (plateîa hodós, “broad way”), from Proto-Indo-European *pleth₂- (“to spread”), extended form of *pleh₂- (“flat”). Displaced native Old English stōw, stede (partially), and -ern. Compare also English pleck (“plot of ground”), West Frisian plak (“place, spot, location”), Dutch plek (“place, spot, patch”). Doublet of piatza, piazza, and plaza. In the etymological chain from Latin platēa, note Old French place, which has multiple descendants — including German Platz, itself with many descendants (e.g., Russian плац (plac)). Also note a more distant chain node Ancient Greek πλατύς (platús), whence English Plato and English plate (via Latin). Pronunciation: /ˈpleɪ̯s/, [ˈpʰl̥eɪ̯s], /ˈpleːs/, [ˈpʰl̥eːs], /ˈplæ̝ɪ̯s/ 1. An area; somewhere within an area. Labels: countable, physical, uncountable Example: Ay, sir, the other squirrel was stolen from me by the hangman's boys in the market-place 2. An area; somewhere within an area. Labels: countable, often, physical, uncountable Example: They live at Westminster Place. 3. An area; somewhere within an area. Labels: countable, physical, uncountable 4. An area; somewhere within an area. Labels: countable, physical, uncountable Example: He is going back to his native place on vacation. Example: From another point of view, it was a place without a soul. The well-to-do had hearts of stone; the rich were brutally bumptious; the Press, the Municipality, all the public men, were ridiculously, vaingloriously self-satisfied. 5. An area; somewhere within an area. Labels: countable, physical, uncountable Example: We asked the restaurant to give us a table with three places. 6. An area; somewhere within an area. Labels: countable, physical, uncountable Example: My Lady Dedlock has been down at what she calls, in familiar conversation, her "place" in Lincolnshire. Example: Do you want to come over to my place later? 7. An area; somewhere within an area. Labels: countable, physical, uncountable Example: Which place hurts the most? 8. An area; somewhere within an area. Labels: countable, euphemistic, physical, slang, uncountable Example: Place,... (2) a jakes, or house of ease. Example: ‘I guess I'll take this opportunity to go to the place’... ‘She means the little girls room.’ 9. An area; somewhere within an area. Labels: countable, obsolete, physical, uncountable 10. A location or position in space. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: I'll check places I think she might be. Example: In that same place thou hast appointed me, To-morrow truly will I meete with thee. 11. Proper or usual position. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: A place for everything, and everything in its place. 12. A particular location in a book or document, particularly the current location of a reader Labels: countable, uncountable Example: I lost my place when you interrupted me. 13. A passage or extract from a book or document. Labels: countable, obsolete, uncountable 14. A topic. Labels: countable, obsolete, rhetoric, uncountable 15. A state of mind. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: I'm in a strange place at the moment. 16. A chess position; a square of the chessboard. Labels: countable, obsolete, uncountable 17. A responsibility or position in an organization. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: It is really not my place to say what is right and wrong in this case. Example: I know my place as I would they should do theirs. 18. A responsibility or position in an organization. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: We thought we would win but only ended up in fourth place. 19. A responsibility or position in an organization. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: to win a bet on a horse for place 20. A responsibility or position in an organization. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: He lost his place in the national team. 21. A fortified position: a fortress, citadel, or walled town. Labels: countable, obsolete, uncountable 22. Numerically, the column counting a certain quantity. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: three decimal places; the hundreds place 23. Ordinal relation; position in the order of proceeding. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: That's what I said in the first place! Example: a. 1788, Mather Byles, quoted in The Life of James Otis by William Tudor In the first place, I do not understand politics; in the second place, you all do, every man and mother's son of you; in the third place, you have politics all the week, pray let one day in the seven be devoted to religion […] 24. Reception; effect, implying the making room for. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: My word hath no place in you.