plat

1 of 5

verb (1)

ˈplat 

platted; platting

transitive verb

: plait

plat

2 of 5

noun (1)

: plait

plat

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noun (2)

1

: a small piece of ground (such as a lot or quadrat) : plot

2

: a plan, map, or chart of a piece of land with actual or proposed features (such as lots)

also : the land represented

plat

4 of 5

verb (2)

platted; platting

transitive verb

: to make a plat of

plat

5 of 5

abbreviation

1

plateau

2

platoon

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• braid
• lace
• lacing
• plait

Noun (2)

• clearing
• field
• ground
• lot
• parcel
• plot
• tract

Examples of plat in a Sentence

Noun (1)

a plat of lace

Noun (2)

each settler was granted a plat to farm

plans to build a shopping center on the last undeveloped plat in town

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The plan commission, in addition to granting secondary plat approval, also approved a $1.5 million performance bond for Phase 3. —Deborah Laverty, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2025

The second amendment would delete a subsection of the charter allowing the city staff to have the ability to approve, conditionally approve or disapprove a plat, aligning with the Texas Local Government Code. —Fernanda Figueroa, Austin American-Statesman, 13 Apr. 2024

Verb

Over 100 years ago, the land in the Shingle Creek watershed was platted and sold to people sight unseen. —Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 June 2025

As Mendez suggested, the platting process was avoided. —Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English platten, probably variant of pleiten "to fold, pleat entry 1," by generalization of the past tense and past participle forms platte, plattid, formed by analogy with thratte, past of threten "to make a threat, threaten"

Note: This etymology is suggested by Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, following E. J. Dobson, English Pronunciation, 1500-1700, vol. 2, p. 782. Middle English Dictionary lists platten as a separate verb, taken to be a verbal derivative of plat "flat, smooth," with "meaning influenced by pleiten."

Noun (1)

noun derivative of plat entry 1

Noun (2)

Middle English, probably alteration of plot

First Known Use

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1589, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing plat

• plat du jour

Kids Definition

plat

noun

ˈplat

1

: a small plot of ground

2

: a plan or map of an area with lots marked out

Legal Definition

plat

noun

ˈplat

: a plan, map, or chart of a piece of land with present or proposed features (as lots)

also : the land represented

Etymology

Noun

probably alteration of plot