Lexic.us

Definition of Plain

1. Noun. Extensive tract of level open land. "He longed for the fields of his youth"

2. Verb. Express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness. "They plain that there was a traffic accident "; "She has a lot to kick about"

3. Adjective. Clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment. "In plain view"

4. Adverb. Unmistakably ('plain' is often used informally for 'plainly'). "He is plain stubborn"

5. Noun. A basic knitting stitch.

6. Adjective. Not elaborate or elaborated; simple. "A plain rectangular brick building"

7. Adjective. Lacking patterns especially in color.

8. Adjective. Not mixed with extraneous elements. "Not an unmixed blessing"

9. Adjective. Free from any effort to soften to disguise. "The unvarnished candor of old people and children"

10. Adjective. Lacking embellishment or ornamentation. "Functional architecture featuring stark unornamented concrete"

11. Adjective. Lacking in physical beauty or proportion. "A plain girl with a freckled face"

Definition of Plain

1. v. i. To lament; to bewail; to complain.

2. v. t. To lament; to mourn over; as, to plain a loss.

3. a. Without elevations or depressions; flat; level; smooth; even. See Plane.

4. adv. In a plain manner; plainly.

5. n. 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.

6. v. t. To plane or level; to make plain or even on the surface.

Definition of Plain

1. Adjective. (context: now rare regional) Flat, level. (defdate from 14th c.) ¹

2. Adjective. Ordinary; lacking adornment or ornamentation; unembellished. (defdate from 14th c.) ¹

3. Adjective. Evident to one's senses or reason; manifest, obvious, clear, unmistakable. (defdate from 14th c.) ¹

4. Adjective. Downright; total, unmistakable (as intensifier). (defdate from 14th c.) ¹

5. Adjective. Honest and without deception; candid, open; blunt. (defdate from 14th c.) ¹

6. Adjective. Simple in habits or qualities; unsophisticated, not exceptional, ordinary. (defdate from 16th c.) ¹

7. Adjective. Not unusually beautiful; unattractive. (defdate from 17th c.) ¹

8. Adjective. (context: of food) Having only few ingredients, or no additional ingredients or seasonings; not elaborate, without toppings or extras. (defdate from 17th c.) ¹

9. Adjective. (computing) Containing no extended or nonprinting characters (especially in (term plain text)). (defdate from 20th c.) ¹

10. Adverb. (colloquial) Simply ¹

11. Verb. (context: now rare poetic) To lament, bewail. ¹

12. Noun. An expanse of land with relatively low relief. ¹

13. Noun. (obsolete) A plane. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Plain

1. evident [v -ED, -ING, -S] - See also: evident

Medical Definition of Plain

1. To lament; to bewail; to complain. "We with piteous heart unto you pleyne." (Chaucer) Origin: OE. Playne, pleyne, fr. F. Plaindre. See Plaint. 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." 4. Void of extraneous beauty or ornament; without conspicious embellishment; not rich; simple. Not highly cultivated; unsophisticated; free from show or pretension; simple; natural; homely; common. "Plain yet pious Christians." . "The plain people." . Free from affectation or disguise; candid; sincere; artless; honest; frank. "An honest mind, and plain." Not luxurious; not highly seasoned; simple; as, plain food. Without beauty; not handsome; homely; as, a plain woman. Not variegated, dyed, or figured; as, plain muslin. Not much varied by modulations; as, a plain tune. Plain battle, open battle; pitched battle. Plain chant, 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. 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. A simple melody. Plain speaking, plainness or bluntness of speech. Synonym: Level, flat, smooth, open, artless, unaffected, undisguised, frank, sincere, honest, candid, ingenuous, unembellished, downright, blunt, clear, simple, distinct, manifest, obvious, apparent. See Manifest. Origin: F, level, flat, fr. L. Planus, perhaps akin to E. Floor. Cf. Llano, Piano, Plan, Plane level, a level surface. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Plain

plaguily plaguing plaguy plaice plaices plaided plaiding plaidings plaidman plaidmen

plaidoyer plaidoyers plaids plaigiarism plain (current term) plain-clothes plain-hearted plain-paper plain-song plain-winged antshrike

plain-winged antshrikes plain-woven plain Jane plain Janes plain and simple plain as a pikestaff plain as the nose on one's face plain clothes plain film

Literary usage of Plain

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The Iliad of Homer by Homer, John Graham Cordery (1871)
"30 And aged Priam's eyes beheld him first Thus speeding, all ablaze, across the plain, Most like the Star that entereth on the sky In autumn, ..."

2. Bulletin by North Carolina Dept. of Conservation and Development, North Carolina Geological Survey (1883-1905), North Carolina Geological and Economic Survey (1894)
"BY WW ASHE. FOREST DIVISIONS. North Carolina can be divided topographically into three well- marked divisions : 1. THE COASTAL plain ..."

3. The Iliad of Homer by Homer, John Graham Cordery (1871)
"30 And aged Priam's eyes beheld him first Thus speeding, all ablaze, across the plain, Most like the Star that entereth on the sky In autumn, ..."

4. Bulletin by North Carolina Dept. of Conservation and Development, North Carolina Geological Survey (1883-1905), North Carolina Geological and Economic Survey (1894)
"BY WW ASHE. FOREST DIVISIONS. North Carolina can be divided topographically into three well- marked divisions : 1. THE COASTAL plain ..."

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