A plate is a flat dish you eat from, or a flat sheet of metal, glass, or rock.
From Old French 'plate' meaning 'flat piece', from Medieval Latin 'platta', from Greek 'platys' meaning 'broad, flat'. The idea of flatness is central across all senses.
When geologists talk about tectonic plates, they’re really imagining giant rocky dinner plates sliding slowly under our feet. That same word covers what you eat from, what your car’s license is on, and the metal sheets that once printed books.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.