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flat
- Main Entry:
- 1flat
- Pronunciation:
-
\ˈflat\
- Function:
- adjective
- Inflected Form(s):
- flat·ter; flat·test
- Etymology:
- Middle English, from Old Norse flatr; akin to Old High German flaz flat, and probably to Greek platys broad — more at place
- Date:
- 14th century
1 a: lying at full length or spread out upon the ground : prostrate b: utterly ruined or destroyed c: resting with a surface against something2 a: having a continuous horizontal surface b: being or characterized by a horizontal line or tracing without peaks or depressions <a flat EEG>3: having a relatively smooth or even surface4: arranged or laid out so as to be level or even5 a: having the major surfaces essentially parallel and distinctly greater than the minor surfaces <a flat piece of wood> bof a shoe heel : very low and broad6 a: clearly unmistakable : downright <a flat denial> b (1): not varying : fixed <a flat rate> (2): having no fraction either lacking or in excess : exact <in a flat 10 seconds> (3)of a frequency response : not varying significantly throughout its range7 a: lacking in animation, zest, or vigor : dull <life seemed flat without her> b: lacking flavor : tasteless c: lacking effervescence or sparkle <flat ginger ale> d: commercially inactive; also : characterized by no significant rise or decline from one period to another <sales were flat> eof a tire : lacking air : deflated fchiefly British of a battery : dead 3c, discharged8 a (1)of a tone : lowered a half step in pitch (2): lower than the proper pitch bof the vowel a : pronounced as in bad or bat9 a: having a low trajectory bof a tennis stroke : made so as to give little or no spin to the ball10of a sail : taut11 a: uniform in hue or shade b: having little or no illusion of depth cof a photograph or negative : lacking contrast dof lighting conditions : lacking shadows or contours e: free from gloss <a flat paint> f: two-dimensional 3 <flat characters>12: of, relating to, or used in competition on the flat <a flat horse>13of a universe : having a mass such that expansion halts only after infinite time and collapse never occurs
— flat·ly adverb
— flat·ness noun
— flat·tish \ˈfla-tish\ adjective
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