English-Thai Dictionary
plain
ADJ ชัดแจ้ง กระจ่าง แน่ชัด เข้าใจง่าย ง่าย ซึ่ง เห็นได้ชัด clear understandable unclear chad-jang
plain
ADJ ซึ่ง ไม่มี การ ปรุงแต่ง ซึ่ง ไม่ ผสม ปนเป บริสุทธิ์ pure sueng-mai-me-kan-prung-tang
plain
ADJ ตรงไปตรงมา ตรง เปิดเผย จริงใจ ซื่อสัตย์ frank honest trong-pai-trong-ma
plain
ADJ ที่ เป็น น้ำเปล่า ti-pen-nam-pao
plain
ADJ ธรรมดา ซึ่ง ไม่ ซับซ้อน เรียบง่าย เรียบๆ ง่ายๆ พื้นๆ ordinary simple fancy tam-ma-da
plain
ADJ ราบเรียบ smooth rab-riab
plain
ADJ ไม่ รวย mai-ruea
plain
ADJ ไม่ สวย homely unattractive beautiful handsome mai-sue
plain
N ที่ราบ ที่ราบลุ่ม ที่ต่ำ ทุ่ง กว้าง flat level land open land ti-rab
plain
VI บ่น ร้องเรียน ร้องทุกข์ complain bon
plain dealing
N การกระทำ ที่ ตรงไปตรงมา พฤติกรรม ที่ ซื่อสัตย์ และ ตรงไปตรงมา kan-kra-tam-ti-trong-pai-trong-ma
plain sailing
IDM ขั้นตอน ที่ ไม่ ยากลำบาก เรื่อง ง่ายๆ kan-ton-ti-mai-yak-lam-bak
plain-clothes
ADJ ที่ ไม่ได้ อยู่ ใน เครื่องแบบ ti-mai-dai-yu-nai-krueng-beab
plain-spoken
ADJ ขวานผ่าซาก kwan-pa-sak
plaindealing
A การกระทำ ที่ ตรงไปตรงมา
plainsman
N ผู้อาศัย อยู่ ใน บริเวณ ที่ราบ
plainspoken
A แน่ชัด พูด เปิดอก ขวานผ่าซาก
plaint
N คำ บ่น การ บ่น kam-bon
plaintiff
N โจทก์ เจ้าทุกข์ ผู้ร้องทุกข์ complainant jod
plaintive
ADJ ที่ ดู เศร้าโศก mournful sad sorrowful happy joyful ti-du-sao-sok
Webster's 1828 Dictionary
PLAIN
a.[L. planus; splendor. Gr. to wander. ] 1. Smooth; even; level; flat; without elevations and depressions; not rough; as plain ground or land; a plain surface. In this sense, in philosophical writings, it is written plane.
2. Open; clear.
Our troops beat an army in plain fight and open field.
3. Void of ornament; simple; as a plain dress.
Plain without pomp, and rich without a show.
4. Artless; simple; unlearned; without disguise, cunning or affectation; without refinement; as men of the plainer sort. Genesis 25:27.
Plain but pious christians--
5. Artless; simple; unaffected; unembellished; as a plain tale or narration.
6. Honestly undisguised; open; frank; sincere; unreserved. I will tell you the plain truth.
Give me leave to be plain with you.
7. Mere; bare; as a plain knave or fool.
8. Evident to the understanding; clear; manifest; not obscure; as plain words or language; a plain difference; a plain argument.
It is plain in the history, that Esau was never subject to Jacob.
9. Not much varied by modulations; as a plain song or tune.
1 . Not high seasoned; not rich; not luxuriously dressed; as a plain diet.
11. Not ornamented with figures; as plain muslin.
12. Not dyed.
13. Not difficult; not embarrassing; as a plain case in law.
14. Easily seen or discovered; not obscure or difficult to be found; as a plain road or path. Our coarse is very plain. Psalm 27:11.
A plain or plane figure, in geometry, is a uniform surface, from every point of whose perimeter right lines may be drawn to every other point in the same.
A plain figure, in geometry, is a surface in which, if any two points are taken, the straight line which joins them lies wholly in that surface.
A plain angle, is one contained under two lines or surfaces, in contradistinction to a solid angle.
PLAIN
adv. Not obscurely; in a manner to be easily understood. 1. Distinctly; articulately; as, to speak plain. Mark 7:35.
2. With simplicity; artlessly; bluntly.
PLAIN
n. 1. Level land; usually, an open field with an even surface, or a surface little varied by inequalities; as all the plain of Jordan. Genesis 13:1 -11.
2. Field of battle.
PLAIN
v.t.To level; to make plain or even on the surface.
PLAIN
v.i.[L. plango.] To lament or wail. [Not used. ] [See Complain. ]
PLAIN-DEALING
a.[plain and deal. ] Dealing or communicating with frankness and sincerity; honest; open; speaking and acting without art; as a plain-dealing man.
PLAIN-DEALING
n.A speaking or communicating with openness and sincerity; management without art, stratagem or disguise; sincerity.
PLAIN-HEARTED
a.Having a sincere heart; communicating without art, reserve or hypocrisy; of a frank disposition.
PLAIN-HEARTEDNESS
n.Frankness of disposition; sincerity.
PLAINLY
adv. With a level surface. [Little used. ] 1. Without cunning or disguise.
2. Without ornament or artificial embellishment; as, to be plainly clad.
3. Frankly; honestly; sincerely; as, deal plainly with me.
4. In earnest; fairly.
5. In a manner to be easily seen or comprehended.
Thou shalt write on the stones all the words of this law very plainly. Deuteronomy 27:8.
6. Evidently; clearly; not obscurely. The doctrines of grace are plainly taught in the Scriptures.
PLAINNESS
n.Levelness; evenness or surface. 1. Want of ornament; want of artificial show.
So modest plainness sets off sprightly wit.
2. Openness; rough, blunt or unrefined frankness.
Your plainness and your shortness please me well.
3. Artlessness; simplicity; candor; as unthinking plainness.
4. Clearness; openness; sincerity.
Seeing then we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech. 2 Corinthians 3:12.
PLAIN-SONG
n.The plain unvaried chant of churches; so called in contradistinction from the prick-song, or variegated music sung by note.
PLAIN-SPOKEN
a.Speaking with plain, unreserved sincerity.
PLAINT
n.[L. plango, to strike, to beat, to lament, whence complaint; Gr. to strike, from the root disused, whence, a stroke; L. plaga, Eng. plague. ] 1. Lamentation; complaint; audible expression of sorrow.
From inward grief
His bursting passion into plaints thus pour'd.
2. Complaint; representation made of injury or wrong done.
There are three just grounds of war with Spain; one of plaints; two upon defense.
3. In law, a private memorial tendered to a court, in which the person sets forth his cause of action.
4. In law, a complaint; a formal accusation exhibited by a private person against an offender for a breach of law or a public offense.
PLAINTFUL
a.Complaining; expressing sorrow with an audible voice; as my plaintful tongue.
PLAINTIF
n.In law, the person who commences a suit before a tribunal, for the recovery of a claim; opposed to defendant. [Prior uses this word as an adjective, in the French sense, for plaintive, but the use is not authorized. ]
PLAINTIVE
a.Lamenting; complaining; expressive of sorrow; as a plaintive sound or song. 1. Complaining; expressing sorrow or grief; repining.
To sooth the sorrows of her plaintive son.
PLAINTIVELY,adv. In a manner expressive of grief.
PLAINTIVENESS
n.The quality or state of expressing grief.
PLAINTLESS
a.Without complaint; unrepining.
PLAIN-WORK
n.Plain needlework, as distinguished from embroidery.
Webster's 1913 Dictionary
PLAIN
Plain, v. i. Etym: [OE. playne, pleyne, fr. F. plaindre. See Plaint. ]
Defn: To lament; to bewail; to complain. [Archaic & Poetic ] Milton. We with piteous heart unto you pleyne. Chaucer.
PLAIN
PLAIN Plain, v. t.
Defn: To lament; to mourn over; as, to plain a loss. [Archaic & Poetic ] Sir J. Harrington.
PLAIN
Plain, a. [Compar. Plainer; superl. Plainest.] Etym: [F., level, flat, fr. L. planus, perhaps akin to E. floor. Cf. Llano, Piano, Plan, Plane level, a level surface. ]
1. Without elevations or depressions; flat; level; smooth; even. See Plane. The crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. Isa. xl. 4.
2. Open; clear; unencumbered; equal; fair. Our troops beat an army in plain fight. Felton.
3. Not intricate or difficult; evident; manifest; obvious; clear; unmistakable. "'T is a plain case. " Shak.
4. (a ) Void of extraneous beauty or ornament; without conspicious embellishment; not rich; simple. (b ) Not highly cultivated; unsophisticated; free from show or pretension; simple; natural; homely; common. "Plain yet pious Christians." Hammond. "The plain people. " A. Lincoln. (c ) Free from affectation or disguise; candid; sincere; artless; honest; frank. "An honest mind, and plain. " Shak. (d ) Not luxurious; not highly seasoned; simple; as, plain food. (e ) Without beauty; not handsome; homely; as, a plain woman. (f ) Not variegated, dyed, or figured; as, plain muslin. (g ) Not much varied by modulations; as, a plain tune. Plain battle, open battle; pitched battle. [Obs. ] Chaucer. -- Plain chant (Mus. ) Same as Plain song, below. -- Plain chart (Naut. ), a chart laid down on Mercator's projection. -- Plain dealer. (a ) One who practices plain dealing. (b ) A simpleton. [Obs. ] Shak. -- Plain dealing. See under Dealing. -- Plain molding (Join. ), molding of which the surfaces are plain figures. -- Plain sewing, sewing of seams by simple and common stitches, in distinct from fancy work, embroidery, etc. ; -- distinguished also from designing and fitting garments. -- Plain song. (a ) The Gregorian chant, or canto fermo; the prescribed melody of the Roman Catholic service, sung in unison, in tones of equal length, and rarely extending beyond the compass of an octave. (b ) A simple melody. -- Plain speaking, plainness or bluntness of speech.
Syn. -- Level; flat; smooth; open; artless; unaffected; undisguised; frank; sincere; honest; candid; ingenuous; unembellished; downright; blunt; clear; simple; distinct; manifest; obvious; apparent. See Manifest.
PLAIN
PLAIN Plain, adv.
Defn: In a plain manner; plainly. "To speak short and pleyn." Chaucer. "To tell you plain. " Shak.
PLAIN
Plain, n. Etym: [Cf. OF. plaigne, F. plaine. See Plain, a.]
1. Level land; usually, an open field or a broad stretch of land with an even surface, or a surface little varied by inequalities; as, the plain of Jordan; the American plains, or prairies. Descending fro the mountain into playn. Chaucer. Him the Ammonite Worshiped in Rabba and her watery plain. Milton.
2. A field of battle. [Obs. ] Arbuthnot. Lead forth my soldiers to the plain. Shak.
PLAIN
Plain, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plained (; p. pr. & vb. n. Plaining. ]Etym: [Cf. Plane, v.]
1. To plane or level; to make plain or even on the surface. [R.] We would rake Europe rather, plain the East. Wither.
2. To make plain or manifest; to explain. What's dumb in show, I'll plain in speech. Shak.
PLAINANT
Plain "ant, n. Etym: [See 1st Plain. ] (Law )
Defn: One who makes complaint; the plaintiff. [Obs. ]
PLAIN-DEALING
PLAIN-DEALING Plain "-deal `ing, a.
Defn: Practicing plain dealing; artless. See Plain dealing, under Dealing. Shak.
PLAIN-HEARTED
PLAIN-HEARTED Plain "-heart `ed, a.
Defn: Frank; sincere; artless. Milton. -- Plain "-heart `ed *ness, n.
PLAINING
PLAINING Plain "ing, n.
Defn: Complaint. [Poetic ] Shak.
PLAINING
PLAINING Plain "ing, a.
Defn: Complaining. [Poetic ] Bryant.
PLAIN-LAID
PLAIN-LAID Plain "-laid `, a. (Naut. )
Defn: Consisting of strands twisted together in the ordinary way; as, a plain-laid rope. See Illust. of Cordage.
PLAINLY
PLAINLY Plain "ly, adv.
Defn: In a plain manner; clearly.
PLAINNESS
PLAINNESS Plain "ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being plain.
PLAINSMAN
PLAINSMAN Plains "man, n.; pl. -men (.
Defn: One who lives in the plains.
PLAIN-SPOKEN
PLAIN-SPOKEN Plain "-spo `ken, a.
Defn: Speaking with plain, unreserved sincerity; also, spoken sincerely; as, plain-spoken words. Dryden.
PLAINT
Plaint, n. Etym: [OE. plainte, pleynte, F. plainte, fr. L. plangere,planctum (plancta, fem. p.p.), to beat, beat the breast, lament. Cf. Complain, Plague, Plangent. ]
1. Audible expression of sorrow; lamentation; complaint; hence, a mournful song; a lament. Chaucer. "The Psalmist's mournful plaint. " Wordsworth.
2. An accusation or protest on account of an injury. There are three just grounds of war with Spain: one of plaint, two upon defense. Bacon.
3. (Law )
Defn: A private memorial tendered to a court, in which a person sets forth his cause of action; the exhibiting of an action in writing. Blackstone.
PLAINTFUL
PLAINTFUL Plaint "ful, a.
Defn: Containing a plaint; complaining; expressing sorrow with an audible voice. "My plaintful tongue. " Sir P. Sidney.
PLAINTIFF
Plain "tiff, n. Etym: [F. plaintif making complaint, plaintive; in Old French equiv. to plaignant complainant, prosecutor, fr. plaindre. See Plaint, and cf. Plaintive. ] (Law )
Defn: One who commences a personal action or suit to obtain a remedy for an injury to his rights; -- opposed to Ant: defendant.
PLAINTIFF
PLAINTIFF Plain "tiff, a.
Defn: See Plaintive. [Obs. ] Prior.
PLAINTIVE
Plain "tive, a. Etym: [F. plaintif. See Plaintiff, n.]
1. Repining; complaining; lamenting. Dryden.
2. Expressive of sorrow or melancholy; mournful; sad. "The most plaintive ditty. " Landor. -- Plain "tive *ly, adv. -- Plain "tive *ness, n.
PLAINTLESS
PLAINTLESS Plaint "less, a.
Defn: Without complaint; unrepining. "Plaintless patience. " Savage.
New American Oxford Dictionary
plain
plain 1 |plān pleɪn | ▶adjective 1 not decorated or elaborate; simple or ordinary in character: good plain food | everyone dined at a plain wooden table. • without a pattern; in only one color: a plain fabric. • bearing no indication as to source, contents, or affiliation: donations can be put in a plain envelope. • (of a person ) having no pretensions; not remarkable or special: a plain, honest man with no nonsense about him. • [ attrib. ] (of a person ) without a special title or status: for years he was just plain Bill. 2 easy to perceive or understand; clear: the advantages were plain to see | it was plain that something was very wrong. • [ attrib. ] (of written or spoken usage ) clearly expressed, without the use of technical or abstruse terms: written in plain English . • not using concealment or deception; frank: he recalled her plain speaking. 3 (of a person ) not beautiful or attractive: the dark-haired, rather plain woman. 4 [ attrib. ] sheer; simple (used for emphasis ): the main problem is just plain exhaustion. 5 (of a knitting stitch ) made using a knit rather than a purl stitch. ▶adverb [ as submodifier ] informal clearly; unequivocally (used for emphasis ): perhaps the youth was just plain stupid. ▶noun a large area of flat land with few trees. Compare with prairie. • (the Plains ) another term for Great Plains. PHRASES as plain as the nose on one's face informal very obvious. plain and simple informal used to emphasize the statement preceding or following: she was a genius, plain and simple. plain as day informal very clearly. DERIVATIVES plain ness noun ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French plain, from Latin planus, from a base meaning ‘flat. ’
plain
plain 2 |pleɪn plān | ▶verb [ no obj. ] archaic mourn; lament. • complain. • emit a mournful or plaintive sound. ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French plaindre, from Latin plangere ‘to lament. ’
plain card
plain card ▶noun a playing card that is neither a trump nor a court card.
plainchant
plain chant |ˈplānˌCHant ˈpleɪnˌtʃænt | ▶noun another term for plainsong.
plain chocolate
plain choc |olate ▶noun [ mass noun ] Brit. dark, slightly bitter, chocolate without added milk.
plain clothes
plain clothes |ˌpleɪn ˈkloʊ (ð )z | ▶plural noun ordinary clothes rather than uniform, esp. when worn as a disguise by police officers: a detective in plain clothes . ▶adjective [ attrib. ] (plainclothes ) (esp. of a police officer ) wearing such clothes: plainclothes troopers.
plain cook
plain cook ▶noun Brit. a person who specializes in or typically prepares simple dishes.
plain dealing
plain deal ing ▶noun honest and straightforward behavior toward others.
Plainfield
Plain field |ˈplānˌfēld ˈpleɪnfild | an industrial city in northeastern New Jersey; pop. 46,126 (est. 2008 ).
plain flour
plain flour ▶noun [ mass noun ] Brit. flour that does not contain a raising agent.
plain-laid
plain-laid ▶adjective denoting a rope consisting of three strands twisted to the right.
plainly
plain ly |ˈplānlē ˈpleɪnli | ▶adverb 1 [ as submodifier ] able to be perceived easily: the lake was plainly visible. • [ sentence adverb ] used to state one's belief that something is obviously or undeniably true: her mother was plainly anxious to leave. • in a frank and direct way; unequivocally: let me speak plainly. 2 in a style that is simple and without decoration: the restaurant was plainly furnished.
plain-paper
plain-pa per ▶adjective denoting a fax machine or other device that does not require special paper to print on.
Plain People
Plain Peo ple ▶plural noun the Amish, the Mennonites, and the Dunkers, three strict Christian sects emphasizing a simple way of life.
plain sailing
plain sail ing ▶noun used to describe a process or activity that goes well and is easy and uncomplicated: he is pleased to report that the tour has been plain sailing. ORIGIN mid 18th cent.: probably a popular use of plane sailing, denoting the practice of determining a ship's position on the theory that it is moving on a plane.
plain-saw
plain-saw ▶verb ( past participle plain-sawed |-sôd | or plain-sawn |-sôn | ) [ with obj. ] saw (timber ) tangential to the growth rings, so that the rings make angles of less than 45 ° with the faces of the boards produced: [ as adj., in combination ] (-sawn ) : plain-sawn logs. DERIVATIVES plain saw ing noun
plain service
plain ser |vice ▶noun a church service without music.
Plains Indian
Plains In di an ▶noun a member of any of various North American Indian peoples who formerly inhabited the Great Plains. Although a few of the Plains Indian peoples were sedentary farmers, most, including the Blackfoot, Cheyenne, and Comanche, were nomadic buffalo hunters, who gathered in tribes during the summer and dispersed into family groups in the winter. They hunted on foot until they acquired horses from the Spanish in the early 18th century. The introduction of the horse also led other peoples, such as the Sioux and the Cree, to move into the Plains area.
plainsman
plains man |ˈplānzmən ˈpleɪnzmən | ▶noun ( pl. plainsmen ) a person who lives on a plain, esp. a frontiersman who lived on the Great Plains of North America.
Plains of Abraham
Plains of A bra ham a plateau beside the city of Quebec, overlooking the St. Lawrence River. In 1759 it was the scene of a battle in which the British army under General Wolfe, having scaled the heights above the city under cover of darkness, surprised and defeated the French.
plainsong
plain song |ˈplānˌsôNG, -säNG ˈpleɪnˌsɔŋ | ▶noun unaccompanied church music sung in unison in medieval modes and in free rhythm corresponding to the accentuation of the words, which are taken from the liturgy. Compare with Gregorian chant. ORIGIN late Middle English: translating Latin cantus planus.
plain-spoken
plain-spo ken (also plainspoken ) ▶adjective outspoken; blunt. DERIVATIVES plain-spok en ness noun
Plains States
Plains States the US states dominated by the Great Plains, generally including North and South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas and sometimes Iowa and Missouri.
plain suit
plain suit ▶noun (in bridge and whist ) a suit that is not trumps.
plains-wanderer
plains-wander ¦er ▶noun a short-tailed quail-like bird found in the sparse grasslands of SE Australia. ●Pedionomus torquatus, the only member of the family Pedionomidae.
plaint
plaint |plānt pleɪnt | ▶noun Brit. Law an accusation; a charge. • chiefly literary a complaint; a lamentation. ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French plainte, feminine past participle of plaindre ‘complain, ’ or from Old French plaint, from Latin planctus ‘beating of the breast. ’
plaintext
plain text |ˈplānˌtekst ˈpleɪntɛkst | ▶noun Computing an original readable text, as opposed to a coded version.
plaintiff
plain tiff |ˈplāntif ˈpleɪn (t )ɪf | ▶noun Law a person who brings a case against another in a court of law. Compare with defendant. ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French plaintif ‘plaintive ’ (used as a noun ). The -f ending has come down through Law French; the word was originally the same as plaintive .
plain tiger
plain tiger ▶noun a migratory African butterfly related to the monarch, with orange, white, and black wing markings. ●Danaus chrysippus, subfamily Danainae, family Nymphalidae.
plain tile
plain tile ▶noun a kind of flat tile used in roofing.
plaintive
plain tive |ˈplāntiv ˈpleɪn (t )ɪv | ▶adjective sounding sad and mournful: a plaintive cry. DERIVATIVES plain tive ly adverb, plain tive ness noun ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French plaintif, -ive, from plainte ‘lamentation ’ (see plaint ).
plain weave
plain weave ▶noun a common and basic style of weave in which the weft alternates over and under the warp.
Oxford Dictionary
plain
plain 1 |pleɪn | ▶adjective 1 not decorated or elaborate; simple or basic in character: good plain food | everyone dined at a plain wooden table. • without a pattern; in only one colour: a plain fabric. • bearing no indication as to contents or affiliation: donations can be put in a plain envelope. • (of paper ) without lines. 2 easy to perceive or understand; clear: the advantages were plain to see | it was plain that something was wrong. • [ attrib. ] (of written or spoken usage ) clearly expressed, without the use of technical or abstruse terms: an insurance policy written in plain English. • not using concealment or deception; frank: there were indrawn breaths at such plain speaking. 3 not distinguished by any particular beauty; ordinary looking: a plain, round-faced woman. • having no pretensions; not remarkable or special: a plain, honest man with no nonsense about him. 4 [ attrib. ] sheer; simple (used for emphasis ): the main problem is just plain exhaustion. 5 (of a knitting stitch ) made by putting the needle through the front of the stitch from left to right. Compare with purl 1. ▶adverb informal 1 [ as submodifier ] used for emphasis: perhaps the youth was just plain stupid. 2 clearly or unequivocally: I'm finished with you, I'll tell you plain . ▶noun a large area of flat land with few trees. PHRASES as plain as the nose on someone's face informal very obvious. plain and simple informal used to emphasize the statement preceding or following: she was a nuisance, plain and simple. plain as day informal very clearly. DERIVATIVES plainly adverb [ as sentence adverb ] : her mother was plainly anxious to leave, plainness |ˈpleɪnnɪs |noun ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French plain, from Latin planus, from a base meaning ‘flat ’.
plain
plain 2 |pleɪn | ▶verb [ no obj. ] archaic mourn or lament. • complain. • emit a mournful or plaintive sound. ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French plaindre, from Latin plangere ‘to lament ’.
plain card
plain card ▶noun a playing card that is neither a trump nor a court card.
plainchant
plain |chant |ˈpleɪntʃɑːnt | ▶noun another term for plainsong.
plain chocolate
plain choc |olate ▶noun [ mass noun ] Brit. dark, slightly bitter, chocolate without added milk.
plain clothes
plain clothes ▶plural noun ordinary clothes rather than uniform, especially when worn by police officers. DERIVATIVES plain-clothed adjective
plain cook
plain cook ▶noun Brit. a person who specializes in or typically prepares simple dishes.
plain dealing
plain deal |ing ▶noun [ mass noun ] honest and straightforward behaviour towards others.
Plainfield
Plain field |ˈplānˌfēld ˈpleɪnfild | an industrial city in northeastern New Jersey; pop. 46,126 (est. 2008 ).
plain flour
plain flour ▶noun [ mass noun ] Brit. flour that does not contain a raising agent.
plain hunting
plain hunt |ing ▶noun another term for hunting ( sense 3 ).
plain-laid
plain-laid ▶adjective denoting a rope consisting of three strands twisted to the right.
plain-paper
plain-pa per ▶adjective denoting a fax machine or other device that does not require special paper to print on.
Plain People
Plain People ▶plural noun US the Amish, the Mennonites, and the Dunkers, three strict Christian sects emphasizing a simple way of life.
plain sailing
plain sail |ing ▶noun [ mass noun ] [ often with negative ] smooth and easy progress in a process or activity: team-building was not all plain sailing. ORIGIN mid 18th cent.: probably a popular use of plane sailing, denoting the practice of determining a ship's position on the theory that it is moving on a plane.
plain sawing
plain saw ¦ing ▶noun [ mass noun ] the method or action of sawing timber tangential to the growth rings, so that the rings make angles of less than 45 ° with the faces of the boards produced.
plain service
plain ser |vice ▶noun a church service without music.
Plains Indian
Plains In ¦dian |pleɪnzˈɪndɪən | ▶noun a member of any of various North American Indian peoples who formerly inhabited the Great Plains area. Although a few of the Plains Indian peoples were sedentary farmers, most, including the Blackfoot, Cheyenne, and Comanche, were nomadic buffalo hunters, who gathered in tribes during the summer and dispersed into family groups in the winter.
plainsman
plains |man |ˈpleɪnzmən | ▶noun ( pl. plainsmen ) a person who lives on a plain, especially a frontiersman who lived on the Great Plains of North America.
Plains of Abraham
Plains of Abra |ham a plateau beside the city of Quebec, overlooking the St Lawrence River. It was the scene in 1759 of a battle in which the British army under General Wolfe, having scaled the heights above the city under cover of darkness, surprised and defeated the French. The battle led to British control over Canada.
plainsong
plainsong |ˈpleɪnsɒŋ | ▶noun [ mass noun ] unaccompanied church music sung in unison in medieval modes and in free rhythm corresponding to the accentuation of the words, which are taken from the liturgy. Compare with Gregorian chant. ORIGIN late Middle English: translating Latin cantus planus.
plain-spoken
plain-spoken ▶adjective outspoken or blunt.
Plains States
Plains States the US states dominated by the Great Plains, generally including North and South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas and sometimes Iowa and Missouri.
plain suit
plain suit ▶noun (in bridge and whist ) a suit that is not trumps.
plains-wanderer
plains-wander ¦er ▶noun a short-tailed quail-like bird found in the sparse grasslands of SE Australia. ●Pedionomus torquatus, the only member of the family Pedionomidae.
plaint
plaint |pleɪnt | ▶noun 1 Law, Brit. an accusation or charge. 2 chiefly literary a complaint or lamentation. ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French plainte, feminine past participle of plaindre ‘complain ’, or from Old French plaint, from Latin planctus ‘beating of the breast ’.
plaintext
plain text |ˈplānˌtekst ˈpleɪntɛkst | ▶noun Computing an original readable text, as opposed to a coded version.
plain text
plain text ▶noun [ mass noun ] text that is not written in code.
plaintiff
plain |tiff |ˈpleɪntɪf | ▶noun Law a person who brings a case against another in a court of law. Compare with defendant. ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French plaintif ‘plaintive ’ (used as a noun ). The -f ending has come down through Law French; the word was originally the same as plaintive . usage: In England and Wales the term plaintiff was officially replaced by claimant in 1999.
plain tiger
plain tiger ▶noun a migratory African butterfly related to the monarch, with orange, white, and black wing markings. ●Danaus chrysippus, subfamily Danainae, family Nymphalidae.
plain tile
plain tile ▶noun a kind of flat tile used in roofing.
plaintive
plain |tive |ˈpleɪntɪv | ▶adjective sounding sad and mournful: a plaintive cry. DERIVATIVES plaintively adverb, plaintiveness noun ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French plaintif, -ive, from plainte ‘lamentation ’ (see plaint ).
plain weave
plain weave ▶noun [ mass noun ] a style of weave in which the weft alternates over and under the warp.
American Oxford Thesaurus
plain
plain adjective 1 it was plain that something was wrong: obvious, clear, crystal clear, evident, apparent, manifest, patent; discernible, perceptible, noticeable, recognizable, unmistakable, transparent; pronounced, marked, striking, conspicuous, self-evident, indisputable; writ large; informal standing /sticking out like a sore thumb. 2 plain English: intelligible, comprehensible, clear, understandable, coherent, uncomplicated, lucid, unambiguous, simple, straightforward, user-friendly; formal perspicuous. ANTONYMS obscure, unclear. 3 plain speaking: candid, frank, outspoken, forthright, direct, honest, truthful, blunt, bald, explicit, unequivocal; informal upfront. 4 a plain dress: simple, ordinary, unadorned, unembellished, unornamented, unostentatious, unfussy, basic, modest, unsophisticated, without frills, homespun; restrained, muted; everyday, workaday. ANTONYMS elaborate, fancy. 5 a plain girl: homely, unattractive, unprepossessing, ugly, ill-favored, unlovely, ordinary; informal not much to look at. ANTONYMS attractive. 6 it was plain bad luck: sheer, pure, downright, out-and-out, unmitigated. ▶adverb this is just plain stupid: downright, utterly, absolutely, completely, totally, really, thoroughly, positively, simply, unquestionably, undeniably; informal plumb. ▶noun the endless grassy plains: grassland, prairie, flatland, lowland, pasture, meadowland, savanna, steppe; tableland, tundra, pampas, veld. WORD SPECTRUM: plain / fancy Word Spectrums show shades of meaning between two polar opposites.
plain-spoken
plain-spoken adjective he's not being rude, he's just plain-spoken: candid, frank, outspoken, forthright, direct, honest, truthful, open, blunt, straightforward, explicit, unequivocal, unambiguous, not afraid to call a spade a spade, tell-it-like-it-is; informal upfront. ANTONYMS evasive.
plaintive
plaintive adjective a plaintive cry: mournful, sad, wistful, doleful, pathetic, pitiful, piteous, melancholy, sorrowful, unhappy, wretched, woeful, forlorn, woebegone; literary dolorous. WORD TOOLKIT See wistful . Word Toolkits illustrate the difference between close synonyms by means of words typically used with them.
Oxford Thesaurus
plain
plain adjective 1 it was plain that something was very wrong: obvious, clear, crystal clear, as clear as crystal, evident, apparent, manifest, patent, visible, discernible, perceptible, perceivable, noticeable, detectable, recognizable, observable, unmistakable, transparent, palpable, distinct, pronounced, marked, striking, conspicuous, overt, self-evident, indisputable; as plain as a pikestaff, staring someone in the face, writ large, written all over someone, as plain as day, plain to see, beyond (a ) doubt, beyond question; informal as plain as the nose on one's face, standing /sticking out like a sore thumb, standing /sticking out a mile. 2 put it in plain English: intelligible, comprehensible, understandable, coherent, accessible, uncomplicated, lucid, perspicuous, unambiguous, clear, simple, straightforward, clearly expressed, clear-cut, direct, digestible, user-friendly. ANTONYMS unclear, obscure. 3 there were indrawn breaths at such plain speaking: candid, frank, outspoken, forthright, plain-spoken, direct, honest, truthful, blunt, downright, unvarnished, bald, straight from the shoulder, explicit, unequivocal; informal upfront; archaic round, free-spoken. 4 her plain black dress: simple, ordinary, unadorned, undecorated, unembellished, unornamented, unpretentious, unostentatious, unfussy, homely, homespun, basic, modest, unsophisticated, penny plain, without frills; stark, severe, spartan, austere, chaste, bare, uncluttered, restrained, muted, unpatterned, patternless, everyday, workaday. ANTONYMS fancy, elaborate. 5 a rather plain girl: unattractive, unprepossessing, as plain as a pikestaff, ugly, ill-favoured, unlovely, ordinary-looking; N. Amer. homely; informal not much to look at; Brit. informal no oil painting. ANTONYMS attractive, beautiful, good-looking. 6 a plain, honest man with no nonsense about him: straightforward, unpretentious, simple, ordinary, average, unassuming, unaffected, honest-to-goodness, ingenuous, artless, guileless, sincere; N. Amer. cracker-barrel. ANTONYMS pretentious, affected. 7 it was plain bad luck: sheer, pure, downright, out-and-out, unmitigated, rank, nothing other than. PHRASES plain sailing getting their products onto the market has not been plain sailing: uncomplicated, straightforward, simple, easy, effortless, painless, undemanding, unexacting; elementary, a five-finger exercise, child's play; routine; informal as easy as falling off a log, as easy as pie, as easy as ABC, a piece of cake, a cinch, a snip, easy-peasy, no sweat, a doddle, money for old rope, money for jam, kids' stuff, a breeze, a doss, a cakewalk; N. Amer. informal duck soup, a snap; Austral. /NZ informal a bludge, a snack; S. African informal a piece of old tackle. ▶adverb this is just plain stupid: downright, utterly, absolutely, completely, totally, really, thoroughly, positively, profoundly, categorically, simply, incontrovertibly, unquestionably, undeniably; informal plumb. ▶noun the vast treeless plains of North America: grassland, flatland, lowland, pasture, meadowland, open country, prairie, savannah, steppe; in S. America tableland, tundra, pampas, campo, llano, vega; in southern Africa veld; Geology pediplain; literary champaign.
plain-spoken
plain-spoken adjective he was well known for being plain-spoken. See frank 1 (sense 1 ).
plaintive
plaintive adjective a plaintive cry: mournful, sad, wistful, doleful, pathetic, pitiful, piteous, melancholy, melancholic, sorrowful, unhappy, wretched, woeful, grief-stricken, broken-hearted, heartbroken, desolate, heart-rending, forlorn, woebegone, disconsolate; literary plangent, heartsick, dolorous. WORD TOOLKIT plaintive See wistful . Word Toolkits illustrate the difference between close synonyms by means of words typically used with them.
French Dictionary
plaindre
plaindre v. tr. , pronom. verbe transitif Avoir de la pitié pour quelqu ’un. : Elle plaint ces enfants malades. SYNONYME compatir . verbe pronominal 1 Se lamenter, exprimer une douleur physique ou morale. : Papi ne se plaint jamais malgré ses maux de dos. Elle se plaint d ’être allergique à la fumée. SYNONYME geindre ; gémir . 2 Exprimer son mécontentement. : Ils se sont plaints de discrimination. Il se plaint qu ’on ne puisse aérer la pièce. SYNONYME maugréer ; protester . Note Syntaxique Le verbe se construit avec la préposition de suivie d ’un nom, d ’un infinitif ou avec la conjonction que suivie généralement du subjonctif. Elle se plaint qu ’on l ’ait ignorée. Note Grammaticale À la forme pronominale, le participe passé de ce verbe s ’accorde toujours en genre et en nombre avec son sujet. Ils s ’étaient plaints du retard. craindre INDICATIF PRÉSENT Je plains, tu plains, il plaint, nous plaignons, vous plaignez, ils plaignent. IMPARFAIT Je plaignais, tu plaignais, il plaignait, nous plaignions, vous plaigniez, ils plaignaient. PASSÉ SIMPLE Je plaignis. FUTUR Je plaindrai. CONDITIONNEL PRÉSENT Je plaindrais. IMPÉRATIF PRÉSENT Plains, plaignons, plaignez. SUBJONCTIF PRÉSENT Que je plaigne, que tu plaignes, qu ’il plaigne, que nous plaignions, que vous plaigniez, qu ’ils plaignent. IMPARFAIT Que je plaignisse. PARTICIPE PRÉSENT Plaignant. PASSÉ Plaint, plainte. Conjugaison Les lettres gn sont suivies d ’un i à la première et à la deuxième personne du pluriel de l ’indicatif imparfait et du subjonctif présent. (Que ) nous plaignions, (que ) vous plaigniez.
plaine
plaine n. f. nom féminin Surface étendue, généralement de basse altitude, peu accidentée et de faible dénivellation (Recomm. off. ). : Les plaines de l ’Ouest s ’étendent à perte de vue. « Un autre genre de plaine s ’offrait à notre vue, roulant à l ’infini en larges et souples ondulations » (Gabrielle Roy , La Détresse et l ’Enchantement ).
plain-pied (de)
plain-pied (de ) loc. adv. locution adverbiale 1 Au même niveau. : La terrasse est de plain-pied avec la salle à manger. 2 figuré Sur le même plan. : Chacun dans leur domaine, ils travaillent de plain-pied. SYNONYME au diapason ; en harmonie ; sur la même longueur d ’onde . 3 figuré Facile d ’accès, sans discontinuité. : « Il tâche d ’établir un texte de plain-pied, où l ’on entre sans effort » (André Gide , Journal , cité dans le TLF ). Note Orthographique pl a in -pied.
plainte
plainte n. f. nom féminin 1 Lamentation. : Les plaintes d ’un chat affamé. SYNONYME cri ; gémissement . 2 Expression du mécontentement d ’une personne, d ’un groupe. : Faire une plainte au propriétaire d ’un immeuble. SYNONYME protestation ; reproche . LOCUTION Porter plainte. Déposer une plainte contre quelqu ’un auprès d ’une autorité. : Ils ont porté plainte (et non *logé une plainte ).
plaintif
plaintif , ive adj. adjectif Gémissant. : Un ton plaintif. SYNONYME geignard ; pleurnichard .
plaintivement
plaintivement adv. adverbe Avec un ton plaintif.
Sanseido Wisdom Dictionary
plain
plain /pleɪn / (! planeと同音 ) 〖語源は 「(地面が )平らな 」〗(副 )plainly 形容詞 ～er ; ～est 1 〈内容などが 〉明白な , はっきりとした, (だれが見ても )わかる ; 〖it is ～ that節 〗…ということは明らかだ (obvious )▸ It's as plain as can be .それは実に明白である ▸ The plain fact is that they are to blame .明白なのは彼らに責任があるということだ ▸ It is plain that you should have done it earlier .君がそれをもっと早くすべきだったことは明らかだ .2 〈物 構造 生活ぶりなどが 〉単純な , 質素な , 飾り気のない , 地味な ; 〈料理が 〉薄味の , あっさりした ; (何も混ぜずに )素材のままの ▸ The inside is plain and simple .内側は簡素な作りになっている ▸ “Fizzy water? ” “No, plain water, please. ”「ソーダ水ですか 」「いや, 普通の水でいいです 」▸ plain yogurt プレーンヨーグルト .3 比較なし 〖通例 名詞 の前で 〗(表面に )模様のない ; 無地の , 彩色していない 〈服 〉; 罫線 （けいせん ）のない , 白紙の 〈紙 〉▸ a plain brown wrapper 茶色い無地の包装紙 ▸ a plain shirt 無地のシャツ ▸ plain -colored clothes 単色の服 ▸ plain paper 白い紙 .4 比較なし 〈発言などが 〉率直な , 本音の , ざっくばらんな (frank ); 〖名詞 の前で 〗あからさまな 〈事実など 〉▸ plain speaking about AIDS エイズについての率直な物言い ▸ plain stupidity [greedy ]｟くだけて ｠ばか丸出し [貪欲 （どんよく ）そのもの ].5 比較なし ｟否定的に ｠〈主に女性が 〉ごく普通の , あまり魅力のない , ｟遠回しに ｠器量の悪い (!｟米 ｠homelyともいう ) ▸ a plain girl どこにでもいる並みの女の子 ▸ a plain -looking woman 人並みの器量の女性 .6 比較なし 〖人名の前で 〗肩書きのない , 平凡な , ただの ▸ He's just plain old Smith .彼は (今は )ただのスミスじいさんだ .7 〈言葉が 〉凝っていない , 平易な , わかりやすい ▸ in plain English やさしいわかりやすい英語で .副詞 比較なし 1 ｟くだけて ｠〖形容詞 の前で 〗まさに , まったく ▸ He's just plain boring .あいつは本当に退屈なやつだ .2 はっきりと , わかりやすく 〈言うなど 〉▸ I'll tell you plain .はっきり申し上げよう .名詞 複 ～s /-z /1 C 〖時に ～s 〗平原, 平野 ▸ the plain of Olympia オリンピア平原 .2 U (編み物の )表編み (plain stitch ).～̀ ch ó colate ｟英 ｠(ミルクの入っていない )ブラックチョコレート (｟米 ｠dark chocolate ).～̀ cl ó thes 〖複数扱い 〗(警官 刑事の )私服, 平服 ▸ in plain clothes 平服で .～̀ d é aling (取引上での )公正な方法, 率直な行動 .～́ J à ne ｟くだけて けなして ｠どうということのない女 .～̀ s á iling 1 平穏な航海 .2 ｟くだけて ｠順調 (な進行 ); 簡単であること .3 ＝plane 1 sailing .～̀ t é xt 〘コンピュ 〙プレーンテキスト 〘文字飾りなどのないテキストデータ 〙.
plain-clothes
pl á in-cl ò thes 形容詞 〈刑事などが 〉私服の .
plain-clothesman
pl à in-cl ó thes man 名詞 複 -men C 私服警官 [刑事 ](｟男女共用 ｠plain-clothes officer [detective ]).
plain-Jane
pl á in-J à ne 形容詞 ｟くだけて ｠〖名詞 の前で 〗飾り気のない, 質素な, 平凡な .
plainly
plain ly /pléɪnli /→plain 副詞 more ～; most ～1 はっきりと , 明瞭 （めいりょう ）に , 明確に (clearly ); 〖文修飾 〗明らかに , …は明らかである (evidently ) (!話し手の主張を強調する; →actually 読解のポイント ) ▸ The house was plainly visible in the moonlight .月あかりでその家ははっきりと見えた ▸ Plainly he was not well-trained .彼が十分な訓練を受けていないことは明らかだった .2 率直に , 包み隠さずに ▸ I told him plainly what I thought .私は思った事をありのままに彼に話した .3 質素に , 地味に ▸ dress plainly 地味な服装をする .
plainness
pl á in ness 名詞 U 1 明白さ .2 率直さ .3 質素, 簡素 .4 不器量 .
plainsong
pl á in s ò ng 名詞 U (古くから教会で歌われてきた )単旋律聖歌 ; 典礼歌, グレゴリオ聖歌 .
plainspoken
pl à in sp ó ken 形容詞 ｟ほめて ｠率直に言う ; 遠慮のない ; 隠し立てしない .～ness 名詞
plaint
plaint /pleɪnt /名詞 1 U C 苦情, 不平 ; 抗議 .2 C 〘法 〙告訴 (状 ).3 C ｟詩 ｠悲しみ, 嘆き .
plaintiff
plain tiff /pléɪntəf /名詞 複 ～s C 〘法 〙原告, 告訴人 (complainant )(↔defendant ).
plaintive
plain tive /pléɪntɪv /形容詞 もの悲しい, 哀調を帯びた ; 訴えるような ▸ a plaintive melody 悲しい曲 .～ly 副詞 悲しそうに, もの悲しく .～ness 名詞
The Wordsmith Dictionary