plotzed; plotzing
1
intransitive informal : to burst with or be overcome by strong emotion
He had long, curly hair and dangling earrings … . I knew my friends would plotz if they saw him.Marjorie Ingall
We … plotzed with pleasure over our makeshift breakfast.Jane and Michael Stern
… some old-line patrons of The Cloister plotzed at the idea of change, and indeed have never returned to the resort.Lorraine Cademartori
2
transitive + intransitive informal : to drop down or allow (oneself) to drop down heavily (as from exhaustion) : plop
She plotzed herself in the carriage and took out her gin bottle and took a long swig.Harpo Marx

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Yiddish platsn "to crack, split, burst, fizzle out (of a plan)," going back to Middle High German blatzen, platzen "to strike loudly," probably going back to a West Germanic verbal base *platt- (whence also Old English plættan "to strike, slap," ēarplættan "to box the ears," Middle Dutch platten "to strike"), of onomatopoeic origin

Note: The second sense is perhaps through association with Yiddish plats "place."

First Known Use

circa 1920, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of plotz was circa 1920

Dictionary Entries Near plotz

Cite this Entry

“Plotz.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plotz. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!