plot

9 ENTRIES FOUND:

1plot

noun \ˈplät\

Definition of PLOT

1
a : a small area of planted ground <a vegetable plot> b : a small piece of land in a cemetery c : a measured piece of land : lot
3
: the plan or main story (as of a movie or literary work)
4
[perhaps back-formation from complot] : a secret plan for accomplishing a usually evil or unlawful end : intrigue
5
: a graphic representation (as a chart)
plot·less \-ləs\ adjective
plot·less·ness noun

Examples of PLOT

  1. The plots are selling for $15,000 per acre.
  2. They just bought a 12-acre plot of land.
  3. The book's plot revolves around a woman who is searching for her missing sister.
  4. The movie has a weak plot.
  5. Police uncovered a plot to assassinate the prime minister.
  6. The prime minister was the target of an assassination plot.
  7. Her books are page-turners, and yet there is more going on in them than just the mechanics of a clever plot… —Robin McKinley New York Times Book Review, 17 May 1987

Origin of PLOT

Middle English, from Old English
First Known Use: before 12th century

Synonym Discussion of PLOT

plot, intrigue, machination, conspiracy, cabal mean a plan secretly devised to accomplish an evil or treacherous end. plot implies careful foresight in planning a complex scheme <an assassination plot>. intrigue suggests secret underhanded maneuvering in an atmosphere of duplicity <backstairs intrigue>. machination implies a contriving of annoyances, injuries, or evils by indirect means <the machinations of a party boss>. conspiracy implies a secret agreement among several people usually involving treason or great treachery <a conspiracy to fix prices>. cabal typically applies to political intrigue involving persons of some eminence <a cabal among powerful senators>.

Other Literature Terms

apophasis, bathos, bildungsroman, bowdlerize, caesura, coda, doggerel, euphemism, poesy, prosody

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