Word: flat Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *flataz Old Norse flatrbor. Middle English flat English flat From Middle English flat, a borrowing from Old Norse flatr (compare Norwegian and Swedish flat, Danish flad), from Proto-Germanic *flataz, from Proto-Indo-European *pleth₂- (“flat”); akin to Saterland Frisian flot (“smooth”), German Flöz (“a geological layer”), Ancient Greek πλατύς (platús), Latvian plats, Sanskrit प्रथस् (prathas, “extension”). Doublet of plat and pleyt. The noun is from Middle English flat (“level piece of ground, flat edge of a weapon”), from the adjective. The algebraic sense was coined by Serre in a 1956 paper, originally as French plat. Pronunciation: /ˈflæt/, /ˈflat/, /ˈflɛt/ 1. An area of level ground (sometimes covered with shallow or tidal water). Example: The hovercraft skimmed across the open flats. Example: the eastern end of the salt flat; mud flat, tidal flat, flood flat 2. An area of level ground (sometimes covered with shallow or tidal water). Example: I can run on the flat but not up hills. Example: The going will be easier once we're through these mountains and onto the flat. 3. An area of level ground (sometimes covered with shallow or tidal water). Labels: sometimes Example: This horse will do better over the flat. Example: flat racing, the flat season 4. An area of level ground (sometimes covered with shallow or tidal water). Labels: Australia, sometimes Example: As forecast, Joe suspected nothing as he pottered round the flat in the sunshine, absorbed in the task of picking winners. 5. An area of level ground (sometimes covered with shallow or tidal water). 6. A note played one chromatic semitone lower than a natural, denoted by the symbol ♭ placed after the letter representing the note (e.g., B♭) or in front of the note symbol (e.g. ♭♪). Example: The key of E♭ has three flats. 7. A flat tyre/flat tire. Labels: informal Example: The next one surrendered his bike, only for that, too, to give him a second flat as he started the descent. 8. A type of ladies' shoe with a very low heel. Labels: in-plural Example: She liked to walk in her flats more than in her high heels. 9. A type of flat-soled running shoe without spikes. Labels: in-plural 10. A thin, broad brush used in oil and watercolour painting. 11. The most prominent flat part of something. Example: The outboard bales in each tier should be placed on their edges so that their flats will be presented to the sweat battens. This precaution is necessary to lessen the damage in case of chafage. If the bales chafe or become wet on their flats, only one or two layers will be damaged. 12. The most prominent flat part of something. 13. The most prominent flat part of something. 14. A wide, shallow container or pallet. Example: a flat of strawberries 15. Ellipsis of flat water (“nonfizzy drinking water”). Labels: US, abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis Example: Waiter: Would you like sparkling or flat? Guest: Flat, thank you. 16. A large mail piece measuring at least 8 1/2 by 11 inches, such as catalogs, magazines, and unfolded paper enclosed in large envelopes. 17. A railroad car without a roof, and whose body is a platform without sides; a platform car or flatcar. Labels: US Example: For example, when trailers containing new automobiles were first piggybacked two areas of potential damage became evident: (1) diesel locomotive exhaust left a film of oil on the new autos; and (2) auto windshields could be scarred or cracked by the metal-tipped "tell-tales" which warn men atop trains of oncoming bridges or tunnels. Accordingly, automobiles aboard piggyback flats are usually coupled into the train 15 or more cars behind the locomotive; and telltales have been raised. 18. A flat spot on the wheel of a rail vehicle. Example: The tender roared along vibrating vigorously; braking had resulted in "flats" on most of its tyres. 19. A flat-bottomed boat, without keel, and of small draught. 20. A subset of n-dimensional space that is congruent to a Euclidean space of lower dimension. 21. A straw hat, broad-brimmed and low-crowned. 22. A flat sheet for use on a bed. Example: You might think that Americans buy roughly the same number of fitted sheets as flats. Or, considering the market for electric blankets, duvets, and other covers, that consumers buy even more bottom sheets, simply forgoing the tops. 23. A flat, glossy children's book with few pages. Example: This same publisher notes pricing is a crucial factor in the mass market field of $1, $1.95 and $2.95 "flats." 24. A platform on a wheel, upon which emblematic designs etc. are carried in processions. 25. A horizontal vein or ore deposit auxiliary to a main vein; also, any horizontal portion of a vein not elsewhere horizontal. 26. A rectangular wooden structure covered with masonite, lauan, or muslin, often produced in standard modules, that is used to build wall surfaces on stage. Flats can be painted and outfitted with doors and/or windows to depict a building or other part of a scene, and are a hard-surfaced alternative to a backcloth or backdrop. 27. Any of various hesperiid butterflies that spread their wings open when they land. 28. An early kind of toy soldier having a flat design. Labels: historical Example: Among the many US museums hosting flats, we may mention the Toy Soldier Museum in the Pocono Mountains, supervised by the historian, collector and dealer J. Hillestad. 29. A dull fellow; a simpleton. Labels: obsolete Example: […] if you cannot make a speech, Because you are a flat, Go very quietly and drop A button in the hat! Example: "He fancies he can play at billiards," said he. "I won two hundred of him at the Cocoa-Tree. HE play, the young flat! […]" 30. Ellipsis of flat ride (“spinning amusement ride”). Labels: abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis 31. A flat (i.e. plane) mirror Example: "When sampling the aperture of a telescope, using auto-collimating flats (ACFs) is more economical" 32. A cheater's die with the edges shaved to make certain rolls more likely. Labels: slang Example: He would slip in his six-ace flats, shaved dice that were made to bring up sevens. He'd throw them just long enough to get well, and then replace them with legitimate cubes. 33. A 24-case of beer. Labels: British-Columbia, Canadian-Prairies