plain
Part of speech: adj
adv
Morphological type: simple
Topics: card-games
computing
engineering
games
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
Etymology: From Middle English pleyn, borrowed from Anglo-Norman pleyn, playn, Middle French plain, plein, and Old French plain, from Latin plānus (“flat, even, level, plain”). Doublet of llano, piano, and plane.
Inflected forms:
form: plainer
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: plainest
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: plaine
pos: adj
tags: alternative
obsolete
form: plaine
pos: adv
tags: alternative
obsolete
Senses:
gloss: Flat, level.
pos: adj
tags: archaic
regional
examples: The crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain.
gloss: Simple, unaltered.
pos: adj
examples: He was dressed simply in plain black clothes.
a plain tune
The ability of a segment of a glass sphere to magnify whatever is placed before it was known around the year 1000, when the spherical segment was called a reading stone, essentially what today we might term a frameless magnifying glass or plain glass paperweight.
gloss: Simple, unaltered.
pos: adj
examples: a plain pink polycotton skirt
gloss: Simple, unaltered.
pos: adj
examples: They're just plain people like you or me.
plain yet pious Christians
the plain people
gloss: Simple, unaltered.
pos: adj
examples: Would you like a poppy bagel or a plain bagel?
gloss: Simple, unaltered.
pos: adj
gloss: Obvious.
pos: adj
examples: In fact, by excommunication or persuasion, by impetuosity of driving or adroitness in leading, this Abbot, it is now becoming plain everywhere, is a man that generally remains master at last.
gloss: Obvious.
pos: adj
examples: His answer was just plain nonsense.
gloss: Open.
pos: adj
examples: Let me be plain with you: I don't like her.
[VV]e are able with playne demonſtration to proue, and vvith reaſon to perſvvade that in tymes paſt our fayth vvas alike, that then vve preached thinges correſpondent vnto the forme of faith already published of vs, ſo that none in this behalfe can repyne or gaynesay vs.
an honest mind, and plain, he must speak truth
The Quaker was no sooner assured by this fellow of the birth and low fortune of Jones, than all compassion for him vanished; and the honest plain man went home fired with no less indignation than a duke would have felt at receiving an affront from such a person.
gloss: Open.
pos: adj
examples: Our troops beat an army in plain fight.
gloss: Not unusually beautiful; unattractive.
pos: adj
examples: Throughout high school she worried that she had a rather plain face.
Up to that time the girl had never really done her hair, and she regarded boots merely as things to protect the feet. Suddenly it dawned on her that she was considered plain and that she diffused an atmosphere of intellectual frost.
gloss: Not a trump.
pos: adj
gloss: Simply.
pos: adv
tags: colloquial
not-comparable
examples: It was just plain stupid.
I plain forgot.
One trouble, he explained, is that dope pushers flock to neighborhoods where two gangs are at war, knowing they will find buyers among members of the gangs who are so keyed up that they welcome any kind of relaxation or who are just plain afraid.
gloss: Plainly; distinctly.
pos: adv
tags: archaic
not-comparable
examples: Tell me plain: do you love me or no?
Derived words: Chianan Plain
in plain sight
in plain view
just plain folks
overplain
palaeoplain
paleoplain
plain and simple
plain as a haystack
plain as a pikestaff
plain as day
plain as Dunstable highway
plain as porridge
plain as print
plain as Salisbury
plain as the nose on one's face
plain ball
plain bearing
plain bread
plain-breasted hawk
plain brown wrapper
plainchant
plain chocolate
plainclothed
plain-clothed
plain clothes
plain-clothes
plain cook
plain dealer
plain-dealing
plain dealing
plain dress
plain Dunstable
plain English
plain film
plainfin
plain flour
plainhead
plain-hearted
plainish
plain Jane
plain-laid
plain leaf warbler
plain line
plain loaf
plain-looking
plainly
plain meaning rule
plainness
plain old
plain old data
plain old telephone service
plain paper
plain people
plain point
plain pug
plain radiography
plain-sailing
plain sailing
plain saw
plain-saw
plainsawn
plainsies
plainsong
plain song
plain-song
plain-speaking
plain speech
plain-spoken
plainspoken
plain tall
plain text
plain to see
plain truth
plain-vanilla
plain vanilla
plain view doctrine
plainware
plain water
plain weave
plain-winged
plain-winged antshrike
plain work
plain-woven
plain wrapper
unplain
Welsh plain
Jamaica Plain
plainful
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