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plain

Pronunciation: /pleɪn/

The English word “plain” has 20 meanings listed here.

adjective

  1. Flat, level.
  2. Ordinary; lacking adornment or ornamentation; unembellished.
  3. Of just one colour; lacking a pattern.
  4. Simple in habits or qualities; unsophisticated, not exceptional, ordinary.
  5. Having only few ingredients, or no additional ingredients or seasonings; not elaborate, without toppings or extras.
  6. Containing no extended or nonprinting characters (especially in plain text).
  7. Evident to one's senses or reason; manifest, clear, unmistakable.
  8. Downright; total, unmistakable (as intensifier).
  9. Honest and without deception; candid, open; blunt.
  10. Clear; unencumbered; equal; fair.
  11. Not unusually beautiful; unattractive.
  12. Not a trump.

adverb

  1. Simply.
  2. Plainly; distinctly.

noun

  1. An expanse of land with relatively low relief and few trees, especially a grassy expanse.
  2. A broad, flat expanse in general, as of water.
  3. Synonym of field in reference to a battlefield.
  4. A lamentation.

verb

  1. To level; to raze; to make plain or even on the surface.
  2. To make plain or manifest; to explain.

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, plane, and plan.

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.