Definitions for plain
pleɪnplain

Princeton's WordNet(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. plain, field, champaign(noun)

   extensive tract of level open land

   "they emerged from the woods onto a vast open plain"; "he longed for the fields of his youth"

2. knit, knit stitch, plain, plain stitch(adj)

   a basic knitting stitch

3. apparent, evident, manifest, patent, plain, unmistakable(adj)

   clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment

   "the effects of the drought are apparent to anyone who sees the parched fields"; "evident hostility"; "manifest disapproval"; "patent advantages"; "made his meaning plain"; "it is plain that he is no reactionary"; "in plain view"

4. plain(adj)

   not elaborate or elaborated; simple

   "plain food"; "stuck to the plain facts"; "a plain blue suit"; "a plain rectangular brick building"

5. plain, unpatterned(adj)

   lacking patterns especially in color

6. plain, sheer, unmingled, unmixed(adj)

   not mixed with extraneous elements

   "plain water"; "sheer wine"; "not an unmixed blessing"

7. plain, unvarnished(adj)

   free from any effort to soften to disguise

   "the plain and unvarnished truth"; "the unvarnished candor of old people and children"

8. plain, bare, spare, unembellished, unornamented(adj)

   lacking embellishment or ornamentation

   "a plain hair style"; "unembellished white walls"; "functional architecture featuring stark unornamented concrete"

9. homely, plain(verb)

   lacking in physical beauty or proportion

   "a homely child"; "several of the buildings were downright homely"; "a plain girl with a freckled face"

10. complain, kick, plain, sound off, quetch, kvetch(adverb)

    express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness

    "My mother complains all day"; "She has a lot to kick about"

11. obviously, evidently, manifestly, patently, apparently, plainly, plain(adverb)

    unmistakably (`plain' is often used informally for `plainly')

    "the answer is obviously wrong"; "she was in bed and evidently in great pain"; "he was manifestly too important to leave off the guest list"; "it is all patently nonsense"; "she has apparently been living here for some time"; "I thought he owned the property, but apparently not"; "You are plainly wrong"; "he is plain stubborn"

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Plain(verb)

   to lament; to bewail; to complain

2. Plain(verb)

   to lament; to mourn over; as, to plain a loss

3. Plain

   without elevations or depressions; flat; level; smooth; even. See Plane

4. Plain

   open; clear; unencumbered; equal; fair

5. Plain

   not intricate or difficult; evident; manifest; obvious; clear; unmistakable

6. Plain

   void of extraneous beauty or ornament; without conspicious embellishment; not rich; simple

7. Plain

   not highly cultivated; unsophisticated; free from show or pretension; simple; natural; homely; common

8. Plain

   free from affectation or disguise; candid; sincere; artless; honest; frank

9. Plain

   not luxurious; not highly seasoned; simple; as, plain food

10. Plain

    without beauty; not handsome; homely; as, a plain woman

11. Plain

    not variegated, dyed, or figured; as, plain muslin

12. Plain

    not much varied by modulations; as, a plain tune

13. Plain(adverb)

    in a plain manner; plainly

14. Plain(adj)

    level land; usually, an open field or a broad stretch of land with an even surface, or a surface little varied by inequalities; as, the plain of Jordan; the American plains, or prairies

15. Plain(adj)

    a field of battle

16. Plain

    to plane or level; to make plain or even on the surface

17. Plain

    to make plain or manifest; to explain

Origin: [OE. playne, pleyne, fr. F. plaindre. See Plaint.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Plain

   In geography, a plain are fertile regions. They are vast and flat and are very conductive to habitation. For these reasons, the plains of the world have the highest density of population. Some of them have been cradles of famous civilizations. Large rivers and their tributaries that provide enough water for human and animal consumption usually drain plains. Plains occur as lowlands and at the bottoms of valleys but also on plateaus at high elevations. In a valley, a plain is enclosed on two sides but in other cases a plain may be delineated by a complete or partial ring of hills, by mountains or cliffs. Where a geological region contains more than one plain, they may be connected by a pass. Plains may have been formed from flowing lava, deposited by water, ice or wind, or formed by erosion by these agents from hills and mountains. Plains in many areas are important for agriculture because where the soils were deposited as sediments they may be deep and fertile, and the flatness facilitates mechanization of crop production; or because they support grasslands which provide good grazing for livestock.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(5.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Plain

   plān, v.t. and v.i. to complain: to lament.—ns. Plain′ant, one who complains: a plaintiff; Plain′ing (Shak.), complaint. [O. Fr. pleigner (Fr. plaindre)—L. plangĕre, to lament.]

2. Plain

   plān, adj. without elevations, even, flat: level, smooth, without obstructions: free from difficulties, easy, simple: without ornament or beauty, homely: artless: sincere: evident, unmistakable: mere: not coloured, figured, or variegated: not highly seasoned, natural, not cooked or dressed: not trumps at cards.—n. an extent of level land: an open field.—adv. clearly: distinctly.—v.t. (obs.) to make plain.—n.pl. Plain′-clothes, clothes worn by an officer when off duty or not in uniform.—ns. Plain′-cook, one able to cook all ordinary dishes; Plain′-deal′er, one who deals or speaks his mind plainly.—adj. Plain′-deal′ing, speaking or acting plainly, candid.—n. candid speaking or acting, sincerity.—adj. Plain′-heart′ed, having a plain or honest heart: sincere.—n. Plain′-heart′edness.—adv. Plain′ly.—ns. Plain′ness; Plain′-song, the music of a recitative-like character and sung in unison, used in the Christian Church of the West from the earliest times, and still in use in all R.C. churches: a simple air without variations: a plain unvarnished statement; Plain′-speak′ing, straight-forwardness or bluntness of speech.—adj. Plain′-spok′en, speaking with plain, rough sincerity.—n.pl. Plain′stanes (Scot.), flagstones, pavement.—n. Plain′work, plain needlework, as distinguished from embroidery.—Plain as a pikestaff, perfectly plain or clear. [Fr.,—L. plānus, plain.]

Etymology and Origins(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Plain

   The name given to the Girondist party on the floor of the French House of Assembly during the Revolution, as opposed to the “Mountain” party.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'plain' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3492

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'plain' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2790

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'plain' in Nouns Frequency: #2147

4. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'plain' in Adjectives Frequency: #453

Anagrams for plain »

1. Lapin

2. Lipan

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of plain in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of plain in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of plain in a Sentence

1. Nicholas II of Russia:

   I am just a plain, common man.

2. Mike Bloomberg:

   No is the answer. Plain and simple.

3. Nicholas II of Russia:

   “I am just a plain, common man.”

4. Elizabeth Barrett Browning:

   Best be yourself, imperial, plain and true

5. STOOLarts KONCEPT:

   You're no mystery, But just plain MISERY.

Images & Illustrations of plain

Popularity rank by frequency of use