- A smooth, flat, relatively thin, rigid body of uniform thickness.
- A sheet of hammered, rolled, or cast metal.
- A very thin applied or deposited coat of metal.
- A flat piece of metal forming part of a machine: a boiler plate.
- A flat piece of metal on which something is engraved.
- A license plate.
- A thin piece of metal used for armor.
- Armor made of such pieces.
- Printing.
- A sheet of metal, plastic, rubber, paperboard, or other material prepared for use as a printing surface, such as an electrotype or a stereotype.
- A print of a woodcut, lithograph, or other engraved material, especially when reproduced in a book.
- A full-page book illustration, often in color and printed on paper different from that used on the text pages.
- Photography. A light-sensitive sheet of glass or metal on which a photographic image can be recorded.
- Dentistry. A thin metallic or plastic support fitted to the gums to anchor artificial teeth.
- Architecture. In wood-frame construction, a horizontal member, capping the exterior wall studs, upon which the roof rafters rest.
- Baseball. Home plate.
- A shallow dish in which food is served or from which it is eaten.
- The contents of such a dish: ate a plate of spaghetti.
- A whole course served on such a dish.
- Service and food for one person at a meal: dinner at a set price per plate.
- Household articles, such as hollowware, covered with a precious metal, such as silver or gold.
- A dish passed among the members of a group or congregation for the collection of offerings.
- Sports.
- A dish, cup, or other article of silver or gold offered as a prize.
- A contest, especially a horserace, offering such a prize.
- A thin cut of beef from the brisket.
- Biology.
- A thin flat layer or scale, as that of a fish.
- A platelike part, organ, or structure, such as that covering some reptiles.
- Electricity.
- An electrode, as in a storage battery or capacitor.
- The anode in an electron tube.
- Geology. In the theory of plate tectonics, one of the sections of the earth's lithosphere, constantly moving in relation to the other sections.
- Informal. A schedule of matters to be dealt with: had a lot on my plate at work after vacation.
- To coat or cover with a thin layer of metal.
- To cover with armor plate: plate a warship.
- Printing. To make a stereotype or electrotype from.
- To give a glossy finish to (paper) by pressing between metal sheets or rollers.
- To arrange (food) on a plate, as for serving: “a choice of starters, entrées, and desserts plated just as they will appear when ordered” (John Edward Young).
[Middle English, from Old French, from feminine of plat, flat, from Vulgar Latin *plattus, from Greek platus.]
plater plat'er n.



