plan

Main Entry:: ¹plan
Pronunciation:: \ˈplan\
Function:: noun
Etymology:: French, plane, foundation, ground plan; partly from Latin planum level ground, from neuter of planus level; partly from French planter to plant, fix in place, from Late Latin plantare — more at floor, plant
Date:: 1706

1: a drawing or diagram drawn on a plane: as a: a top or horizontal view of an object b: a large-scale map of a small area 2 a: a method for achieving an end b: an often customary method of doing something : procedure c: a detailed formulation of a program of action d: goal , aim3: an orderly arrangement of parts of an overall design or objective4: a detailed program (as for payment or the provision of some service) <pension plan>

— plan·less

\-ləs\ adjective

— plan·less·ly adverb

— plan·less·ness noun

synonyms plan , design , plot , scheme , project mean a method devised for making or doing something or achieving an end. plan always implies mental formulation and sometimes graphic representation <plans for a house>. design often suggests a particular pattern and some degree of achieved order or harmony <a design for a new dress>. plot implies a laying out in clearly distinguished sections with attention to their relations and proportions <the plot of the play>. scheme stresses calculation of the end in view and may apply to a plan motivated by craftiness and self-interest <a scheme to defraud the government>. project often stresses imaginative scope and vision <a project to develop the waterfront>.

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See a map of "plan" in the Visual Thesaurus

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