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plait

(plāt, plăt)

1. A braid, especially of hair.

2. A pleat.

tr.v. plait·ed, plait·ing, plaits

1. To braid.

2. To pleat.

3. To make by braiding.

[Middle English pleit, fold, braid, possibly from pleiten, to fold, braid, alteration (influenced by Old French pleit, fold) of Old French plier, pleiir, from Latin plicāre, to fold; see plek- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

plaiter n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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