Chapter 43

Plain, adv. In a plain manner; plainly. "To speak short and pleyn." Chaucer. "To tell you plain." Shak.

Plain, n. [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, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plained (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Plaining.] [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.

Plain"ant (?), n. [See 1st Plain.] (Law) One who makes complaint; the plaintiff. [Obs.]

Plain"-deal`ing (?), a. Practicing plain dealing; artless. See Plain dealing, under Dealing. Shak.

Plain"-heart`ed (?), a. Frank; sincere; artless. Milton. -- Plain"- heart`ed*ness, n.

Plain"ing, n. Complaint. [Poetic] Shak.

Plain"ing, a. Complaining. [Poetic] Bryant.

Plain"-laid` (?), a. (Naut.) Consisting of strands twisted together in the ordinary way; as, a plain-laid rope. See Illust. of Cordage.

Plain"ly, adv. In a plain manner; clearly.

Plain"ness, n. The quality or state of being plain.

Plains"man (?), n.; pl. - men (&?;). One who lives in the plains.

Plain"-spo`ken (?), a. Speaking with plain, unreserved sincerity; also, spoken sincerely; as, plain-spoken words. Dryden.

Plaint (?), n. [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) 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.

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Plaint"ful (?), a. Containing a plaint; complaining; expressing sorrow with an audible voice. "My plaintful tongue." Sir P. Sidney.

Plain"tiff (?), n. [F. plaintif making complaint, plaintive; in Old French equiv. to plaignant complainant, prosecutor, fr. plaindre. See Plaint, and cf. Plaintive.] (Law) One who commences a personal action or suit to obtain a remedy for an injury to his rights; -- opposed to defendant.

Plain"tiff, a. See Plaintive. [Obs.] Prior.

Plain"tive (?), a. [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.

Plaint"less (?), a. Without complaint; unrepining. "Plaintless patience." Savage.

Plai`sance" (?), n. [F.] See Pleasance.

Plaise (?), n. (Zoˆl.) See Plaice. [Obs.]

Plais"ter (?), n. [Obs.] See Plaster.

Plait (?), n. [OE. playte, OF. pleit, L. plicatum, plicitum, p. p. of plicare to fold, akin to plectere to plait. See Ply, and cf. Plat to weave, Pleat, Plight fold.] 1. A flat fold; a doubling, as of cloth; a pleat; as, a box plait.

The plaits and foldings of the drapery.

Addison.

2. A braid, as of hair or straw; a plat.

Polish plait. (Med.) Same as Plica.

Plait, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plaited; p. pr. & vb. n. Plaiting.] 1. To fold; to double in narrow folds; to pleat; as, to plait a ruffle.

2. To interweave the strands or locks of; to braid; to plat; as, to plait hair; to plait rope.

Plait"ed, a. Folded; doubled over; braided; figuratively, involved; intricate; artful.

Time shall unfold what plaited cunning hides.

Shak.

Plait"er (?), n. One who, or that which, plaits.

Plan (?), n. [F., fr. L. planus flat, level. See Plain, a.] 1. A draught or form; properly, a representation drawn on a plane, as a map or a chart; especially, a top view, as of a machine, or the representation or delineation of a horizontal section of anything, as of a building; a graphic representation; a diagram.

2. A scheme devised; a method of action or procedure expressed or described in language; a project; as, the plan of a constitution; the plan of an expedition.

God's plans like lines pure and white unfold.

M. R. Smith.

3. A method; a way of procedure; a custom.

The simple plan, That they should take who have the power, And they should keep who can.

Wordsworth.

Body plan, Floor plan, etc. See under Body, Floor, etc.

Syn. -- Scheme; draught; delineation; plot; sketch; project; design; contrivance; device. See Scheme.

Plan, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Planned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Planning.] 1. To form a delineation of; to draught; to represent, as by a diagram.

2. To scheme; to devise; to contrive; to form in design; as, to plan the conquest of a country.

Even in penance, planning sins anew.

Goldsmith.

||Pla*na"ri*a (?), n.; pl. L. PlanariÊ (#), E. -rias (#). [NL. See ||Planary.] (Zoˆl.) Any species of turbellarian worms belonging to ||Planaria, and many allied genera. The body is usually flat, thin, and ||smooth. Some species, in warm countries, are terrestrial.

Pla*na"ri*an (?), n. (Zoˆl.) One of the Planarida, or Dendrocúla; any turbellarian worm. -- Pla*na"ri*an, a.

||Pla*nar"i*da (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zoˆl.) A division of Turbellaria; the ||Dendrocúla.

Pla*na"ri*oid (?), a. [Planaria + -oid.] (Zoˆl.) Like the planarians.

Pla"na*ry (?), a. [L. planarius level. See Plane, a.] Of or pertaining to a plane. [R.]

Planch (?), n. [F. planche.] A plank. [Obs.] Ld. Berners.

Planch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Planched (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Planching.] [F. planche a board, plank. See Plank.] To make or cover with planks or boards; to plank. [Obs.] "To that vineyard is a planched gate." Shak.

Planch"er (?), n. [F., planche. See Planch.] 1. A floor of wood; also, a plank. [Obs.] Bacon.

2. (Arch.) The under side of a cornice; a soffit.

Planch"er, v. t. To form of planks. [Obs.] Golding.

Planch"et (?), n. [F. planchette a small board, dim. of planche. See Planch.] A flat piece of metal; especially, a disk of metal ready to be stamped as a coin.

Plan`chette" (?), n. [F. See Planchet.] 1. A circumferentor. See Circumferentor.

2. A small tablet of wood supported on casters and having a pencil attached. The characters produced by the pencil on paper, while the hand rests on the instrument and it is allowed to move, are sometimes translated as of oracular or supernatural import.

Planch"ing (?), n. The laying of floors in a building; also, a floor of boards or planks.

Plane (?), n. [F., fr. L. platanus, Gr. &?;, fr. &?; broad; -- so called on account of its broad leaves and spreading form. See Place, and cf. Platane, Plantain the tree.] (Bot.) Any tree of the genus Platanus.

The Oriental plane (Platanus orientalis) is a native of Asia. It rises with a straight, smooth, branching stem to a great height, with palmated leaves, and long pendulous peduncles, sustaining several heads of small close-sitting flowers. The seeds are downy, and collected into round, rough, hard balls. The Occidental plane (Platanus occidentalis), which grows to a great height, is a native of North America, where it is popularly called sycamore, buttonwood, and buttonball, names also applied to the California species (Platanus racemosa).

Plane (?), a. [L. planus: cf. F. plan. See Plan, a.] Without elevations or depressions; even; level; flat; lying in, or constituting, a plane; as, a plane surface.

In science, this word (instead of plain) is almost exclusively used to designate a flat or level surface.

Plane angle, the angle included between two straight lines in a plane. -- Plane chart, Plane curve. See under Chart and Curve. -- Plane figure, a figure all points of which lie in the same plane. If bounded by straight lines it is a rectilinear plane figure, if by curved lines it is a curvilinear plane figure. -- Plane geometry, that part of geometry which treats of the relations and properties of plane figures. -- Plane problem, a problem which can be solved geometrically by the aid of the right line and circle only. -- Plane sailing (Naut.), the method of computing a ship's place and course on the supposition that the earth's surface is a plane. -- Plane scale (Naut.), a scale for the use of navigators, on which are graduated chords, sines, tangents, secants, rhumbs, geographical miles, etc. -- Plane surveying, surveying in which the curvature of the earth is disregarded; ordinary field and topographical surveying of tracts of moderate extent. -- Plane table, an instrument used for plotting the lines of a survey on paper in the field. -- Plane trigonometry, the branch of trigonometry in which its principles are applied to plane triangles.

Plane, n. [F. plane, L. plana. See Plane, v. & a.] 1. (Geom.) A surface, real or imaginary, in which, if any two points are taken, the straight line which joins them lies wholly in that surface; or a surface, any section of which by a like surface is a straight line; a surface without curvature.

2. (Astron.) An ideal surface, conceived as coinciding with, or containing, some designated astronomical line, circle, or other curve; as, the plane of an orbit; the plane of the ecliptic, or of the equator.

3. (Mech.) A block or plate having a perfectly flat surface, used as a standard of flatness; a surface plate.

4. (Joinery) A tool for smoothing boards or other surfaces of wood, for forming moldings, etc. It consists of a smooth-soled stock, usually of wood, from the under side or face of which projects slightly the steel cutting edge of a chisel, called the iron, which inclines backward, with an apperture in front for the escape of shavings; as, the jack plane; the smoothing plane; the molding plane, etc.

Objective plane (Surv.), the horizontal plane upon which the object which is to be delineated, or whose place is to be determined, is supposed to stand. -- Perspective plane. See Perspective. -- Plane at infinity (Geom.), a plane in which points infinitely distant are conceived as situated. -- Plane iron, the cutting chisel of a joiner's plane. -- Plane of polarization. (Opt.) See Polarization. -- Plane of projection. (a) The plane on which the projection is made, corresponding to the perspective plane in perspective; -- called also principal plane. (b) (Descriptive Geom.) One of the planes to which points are referred for the purpose of determining their relative position in space. -- Plane of refraction or reflection (Opt.), the plane in which lie both the incident ray and the refracted or reflected ray.

Plane, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Planed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Planing.] [Cf. F. planer, L. planare, fr. planus. See Plane, a., Plain, a., and cf. Planish.] 1. To make smooth; to level; to pare off the inequalities of the surface of, as of a board or other piece of wood, by the use of a plane; as, to plane a plank.

2. To efface or remove.

He planed away the names . . . written on his tables.

Chaucer.

3. Figuratively, to make plain or smooth. [R.]

What student came but that you planed her path.

Tennyson.

Plane`-par"al*lel (?), a. (Optics) Having opposite surfaces exactly plane and parallel, as a piece of glass.

Plan"er (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, planes; a planing machine; esp., a machine for planing wood or metals.

2. (Print.) A wooden block used for forcing down the type in a form, and making the surface even. Hansard.

Planer centers. See under Center.

Plan"er tree` (?). [From J. S. Planer, a German botanist.] (Bot.) A small-leaved North American tree (Planera aquatica) related to the elm, but having a wingless, nutlike fruit.

Plan"et (?), n. [OE. planete, F. planËte, L. planeta, fr. Gr. &?;, and &?; a planet; prop. wandering, fr. &?; to wander, fr. &?; a wandering.] 1. (Astron.) A celestial body which revolves about the sun in an orbit of a moderate degree of eccentricity. It is distinguished from a comet by the absence of a coma, and by having a less eccentric orbit. See Solar system.

The term planet was first used to distinguish those stars which have an apparent motion through the constellations from the fixed stars, which retain their relative places unchanged. The inferior planets are Mercury and Venus, which are nearer to the sun than is the earth; the superior planets are Mars, the asteroids, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, which are farther from the sun than is the earth. Primary planets are those which revolve about the sun; secondary planets, or moons, are those which revolve around the primary planets as satellites, and at the same time revolve with them about the sun.

2. A star, as influencing the fate of a men.

There's some ill planet reigns.

Shak.

Planet gear. (Mach.) See Epicyclic train, under Epicyclic. -- Planet wheel, a gear wheel which revolves around the wheel with which it meshes, in an epicyclic train.

Plane" ta`ble (?). See under Plane, a.

Plan`e*ta"ri*um (?), n. [NL.: cf. F. planÈtaire. See Planetary.] An orrery. See Orrery.

Plan"et*a*ry (?), a. [Cf. L. planetarius an astrologer, F. planÈtaire planetary. See Planet.] 1. Of or pertaining to the planets; as, planetary inhabitants; planetary motions; planetary year.

2. Consisting of planets; as, a planetary system.

3. (Astrol.) Under the dominion or influence of a planet. "Skilled in the planetary hours." Drayton.

4. Caused by planets. "A planetary plague." Shak.

5. Having the nature of a planet; erratic; revolving; wandering. "Erratical and planetary life." Fuller.

Planetary days, the days of the week as shared among the planets known to the ancients, each having its day. Hutton. -- Planetary nebula, a nebula exhibiting a uniform disk, like that of a planet.

Plan"et*ed, a. Belonging to planets. [R.] Young.

{ Pla*net"ic (?), Pla*net"ic*al (?), } a. [L. planeticus, Gr. &?;.] Of or pertaining to planets. Sir T. Browne.

Plan"et*oid (?), n. [Planet + -oid.] (Astron.) A body resembling a planet; an asteroid.

Plan"et*oid*al (?), a. Pertaining to a planetoid.

Plane" tree` (?). (Bot.) Same as 1st Plane.

{ Plan"et-strick`en (?), Plan"et-struck` (?), } a. Affected by the influence of planets; blasted. Milton.

Like planet-stricken men of yore He trembles, smitten to the core By strong compunction and remorse.

Wordsworth.

Plan"et*ule (?), n. A little planet. [R.] Conybeare.

Plan"gen*cy (?), n. The quality or state of being plangent; a beating sound. [R.]

Plan"gent (?), a. [L. plangens, -entis, fr. plangere to beat. See Plaint.] Beating; dashing, as a wave. [R.] "The plangent wave." H. Taylor.

{ Plan"i- (?), Plan"o- (?) }. [L. planus. See Plane, a.] Combining forms signifying flat, level, plane; as planifolious, planimetry, plano- concave.

Plan`i*fo"li*ous (?), a. [Plani- + L. folium leaf.] (Bot.) Flat-leaved.

Plan"i*form (?), a. (Anat.) Having a plane surface; as, a planiform, gliding, or arthrodial articulation.

Pla*nim"e*ter (?), n. [Plani- + -meter. Cf. Planometer.] An instrument for measuring the area of any plane figure, however irregular, by passing a tracer around the bounding line; a platometer.

{ Plan`i*met"ric (?; 277), Plan`i*met"ric*al (?), } a. [Cf. F. planimÈtrique.] Of or pertaining to planimetry.

Pla*nim"e*try (?), n. [Cf. F. planimÈtrie.] The mensuration of plane surfaces; -- distinguished from stereometry, or the mensuration of volumes.

Plan"ing (?), a. & vb. n. fr. Plane, v. t.

Planing machine. (a) See Planer. (b) A complex machine for planing wood, especially boards, containing usually a rapidly revolving cutter, which chips off the surface in small shavings as the piece to be planed is passed under it by feeding apparatus.

Pla`ni*pen"nate (?), a. Of or pertaining to Planipennia.

||Pla`ni*pen"ni*a (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. L. planus plane + penna wing.] ||(Zoˆl.) A suborder of Neuroptera, including those that have broad, ||flat wings, as the ant-lion, lacewing, etc. Called also Planipennes.

Plan`i*pet"al*ous (?), a. [Plani- + petal.] (Bot.) Having flat petals.

Plan"ish (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Planished (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Planishing.] [OF. planir, F. planer. See Plane, v., and -ish.] To make smooth or plane, as a metallic surface; to condense, toughen, and polish by light blows with a hammer.

Plan"ish*er (?), n. One who, or that which, planishes. Weale.

Plan"ish*ing, a. & vb. n. from Planish, v. t.

Planishing rolls (Coining), rolls between which metal strips are passed while cold, to bring them to exactly the required thickness.

Plan"i*sphere (?), n. [Plani- + sphere: cf. F. planisphËre. See Plain, and Sphere.] The representation of the circles of the sphere upon a plane; especially, a representation of the celestial sphere upon a plane with adjustable circles, or other appendages, for showing the position of the heavens, the time of rising and setting of stars, etc., for any given date or hour.

Plan`i*spher"ic (?), a. Of or pertaining to a planisphere.

Plank (?), n. [OE. planke, OF. planque, planche, F. planche, fr. L. planca; cf. Gr. &?;, &?;, anything flat and broad. Cf. Planch.] 1. A broad piece of sawed timber, differing from a board only in being thicker. See Board.

2. Fig.: That which supports or upholds, as a board does a swimmer.

His charity is a better plank than the faith of an intolerant and bitter-minded bigot.

Southey.

3. One of the separate articles in a declaration of the principles of a party or cause; as, a plank in the national platform. [Cant]

Plank road, or Plank way, a road surface formed of planks. [U.S.] -- To walk the plank, to walk along a plank laid across the bulwark of a ship, until one overbalances it and falls into the sea; -- a method of disposing of captives practiced by pirates.

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Plank (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Planked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Planking.] 1. To cover or lay with planks; as, to plank a floor or a ship. "Planked with pine." Dryden.

2. To lay down, as on a plank or table; to stake or pay cash; as, to plank money in a wager. [Colloq. U.S.]

3. To harden, as hat bodies, by felting.

4. (Wooden Manuf.) To splice together the ends of slivers of wool, for subsequent drawing.

Planked shad, shad split open, fastened to a plank, and roasted before a wood fire.

Plank"ing, n. 1. The act of laying planks; also, planks, collectively; a series of planks in place, as the wooden covering of the frame of a vessel.

2. The act of splicing slivers. See Plank, v. t., 4.

Plank"-sheer` (?), n. (Shipbuilding) The course of plank laid horizontally over the timberheads of a vessel's frame.

Plan"less (?), a. Having no plan.

Plan"ner (?), n. One who plans; a projector.

Pla"no- (?). See Plani-.

Plan"o*blast (?), n. [Gr. &?; to wander + -blast.] (Zoˆl.) Any free-swimming gonophore of a hydroid; a hydroid medusa.

Pla"no-con"cave (?), a. [Plano- + concave.] Plane or flat on one side, and concave on the other; as, a plano-concave lens. See Lens.

Pla"no-con"ic*al (?), a. [Plano- + conical.] Plane or flat on one side, and conical on the other. Grew.

Pla"no-con"vex (?), a. [Plano- + convex.] Plane or flat on one side, and convex on the other; as, a plano-convex lens. See Convex, and Lens.

Pla"no-hor`i*zon"tal (?), a. [Plano- + horizontal.] Having a level horizontal surface or position. Lee.

Pla*nom"e*ter (?), n. [Plano- + -meter. Cf. Planimeter.] An instrument for gauging or testing a plane surface. See Surface gauge, under Surface.

Pla*nom"e*try (?), n. (Mech.) The art or process of producing or gauging a plane surface.

Pla"no-or*bic"u*lar (?), a. [Plano- + orbicular.] Plane or flat on one side, and spherical on the other.

||Pla*nor"bis (?), n. [NL., fr. L. planus flat + orbis a circle.] ||(Zoˆl.) Any fresh-water air-breathing mollusk belonging to Planorbis ||and other allied genera, having shells of a discoidal form.

Pla"no-su"bu*late (?), a. [Plano- + subulate.] Smooth and awl-shaped. See Subulate.

Plant (?), n. [AS. plante, L. planta.] 1. A vegetable; an organized living being, generally without feeling and voluntary motion, and having, when complete, a root, stem, and leaves, though consisting sometimes only of a single leafy expansion, or a series of cellules, or even a single cellule.

Plants are divided by their structure and methods of reproduction into two series, phÊnogamous or flowering plants, which have true flowers and seeds, and cryptogamous or flowerless plants, which have no flowers, and reproduce by minute one-celled spores. In both series are minute and simple forms and others of great size and complexity.

As to their mode of nutrition, plants may be considered as self-supporting and dependent. Self-supporting plants always contain chlorophyll, and subsist on air and moisture and the matter dissolved in moisture, and as a general rule they excrete oxygen, and use the carbonic acid to combine with water and form the material for their tissues. Dependent plants comprise all fungi and many flowering plants of a parasitic or saprophytic nature. As a rule, they have no chlorophyll, and subsist mainly or wholly on matter already organized, thus utilizing carbon compounds already existing, and not excreting oxygen. But there are plants which are partly dependent and partly self-supporting.

The movements of climbing plants, of some insectivorous plants, of leaves, stamens, or pistils in certain plants, and the ciliary motion of zoˆspores, etc., may be considered a kind of voluntary motion.

2. A bush, or young tree; a sapling; hence, a stick or staff. "A plant of stubborn oak." Dryden.

3. The sole of the foot. [R.] "Knotty legs and plants of clay." B. Jonson.

4. (Com.) The whole machinery and apparatus employed in carrying on a trade or mechanical business; also, sometimes including real estate, and whatever represents investment of capital in the means of carrying on a business, but not including material worked upon or finished products; as, the plant of a foundry, a mill, or a railroad.

5. A plan; an artifice; a swindle; a trick. [Slang]

It was n't a bad plant, that of mine, on Fikey.

Dickens.

6. (Zoˆl.) (a) An oyster which has been bedded, in distinction from one of natural growth. (b) A young oyster suitable for transplanting. [Local, U.S.]

Plant bug (Zoˆl.), any one of numerous hemipterous insects which injure the foliage of plants, as Lygus lineolaris, which damages wheat and trees. -- Plant cutter (Zoˆl.), a South American passerine bird of the genus Phytotoma, family PhytotomidÊ. It has a serrated bill with which it cuts off the young shoots and buds of plants, often doing much injury. -- Plant louse (Zoˆl.), any small hemipterous insect which infests plants, especially those of the families AphidÊ and PsyllidÊ; an aphid.

Plant (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Planted; p. pr. & vb. n. Planting.] [AS. plantian, L. plantare. See Plant, n.] 1. To put in the ground and cover, as seed for growth; as, to plant maize.

2. To set in the ground for growth, as a young tree, or a vegetable with roots.

Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees.

Deut. xvi. 21.

3. To furnish, or fit out, with plants; as, to plant a garden, an orchard, or a forest.

4. To engender; to generate; to set the germ of.

It engenders choler, planteth anger.

Shak.

5. To furnish with a fixed and organized population; to settle; to establish; as, to plant a colony.

Planting of countries like planting of woods.

Bacon.

6. To introduce and establish the principles or seeds of; as, to plant Christianity among the heathen.

7. To set firmly; to fix; to set and direct, or point; as, to plant cannon against a fort; to plant a standard in any place; to plant one's feet on solid ground; to plant one's fist in another's face.

8. To set up; to install; to instate.

We will plant some other in the throne.

Shak.