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plate

1. A flat, or nearly flat, piece of metal, the thickness of which is small in comparison with the other dimensions; a thick sheet of metal; as, a steel plate.

2. Metallic armor composed of broad pieces. Mangled . . . Through plate and mail. (milton)

3. Domestic vessels and utensils, as flagons, dishes, cups, etc, wrought in gold or silver.

4. Metallic ware which is plated, in distinction from that which is genuine silver or gold.

5. A small, shallow, and usually circular, vessel of metal or wood, or of earth glazed and baked, from which food is eaten at table.

6. [Cf. Sp. Plata silver] A piece of money, usually silver money. Realms and islands were as plates dropp'd from his pocket.

7. A piece of metal on which anything is engraved for the purpose of being printed; hence, an impression from the engraved metal; as, a book illustrated with plates; a fashion plate.

8. A page of stereotype, electrotype, or the like, for printing from; as, publisher's plates.

9. That part of an artificial set of teeth which fits to the mouth, and holds the teeth in place. It may be of gold, platinum, silver, rubber, celluloid, etc.

10. A horizontal timber laid upon a [[wal 1000 l]], or upon corbels projecting from a wall, and supporting the ends of other timbers; also used specifically of the roof plate which supports the ends of the roof trusses or, in simple work, the feet of the rafters.

11. A roundel of silver or tinctured argent.

12. (Science: photography) A sheet of glass, porcelain, metal, etc, with a coating that is sensitive to light.

13. A prize giving to the winner in a contest.

Plate is sometimes used in an adjectival sense or in combination, the phrase or compound being in most cases of obvious signification; as, plate basket or plate-basket, plate rack or plate-rack. Home plate.

(Science: medicine) A wheel, the rim and hub of which are connected by a continuous plate of metal, instead of by arms or spokes.

Origin: OF. Plate a plate of metal, a cuirsas, F. Plat a plate, a shallow vessel of silver, other metal, or earth, fr. Plat flat, Gr. See Place.

1. To cover or overlay with gold, silver, or other metals, either by a mechanical process, as hammering, or by a chemical process, as electrotyping.

2. To cover or overlay with plates of metal; to arm with metal for defense. Thus plated in habiliments of war. (Shak)

3. To adorn with plated metal; as, a plated harness.

4. To beat into thin, flat pieces, or laminae.

5. To calender; as, to plate paper.

Origin: Plated; Plating.