plait

American  

[pleyt, plat] / pleɪt, plæt /

noun

1. a braid, especially of hair or straw.

2. a pleat or fold, as of cloth.

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verb (used with object)

1. to braid, as hair or straw.

2. to make, as a mat, by braiding.

3. to pleat.

plait British  

/ plæt /

noun

1. a length of hair, ribbon, etc, that has been plaited

2. (in Britain) a loaf of bread of several twisting or intertwining parts

3. a rare spelling of pleat

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verb

1. (tr) to intertwine (strands or strips) in a pattern

Other Word Forms

• interplait verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of plait

1350–1400; Middle English pleyt < Middle French pleit < Latin plicitum, neuter of plicitus, past participle of plicāre to fold; ply ²

Explanation

You might get an odd look if you ask your hairdresser to put your hair in a plait, but she’ll eventually figure out what you want: a braid. Plait, which sounds the same as plate, feels a bit like it’s from a bygone era, though the word is still in use today. A woman wearing a hairstyle with plaits might be on her way to meet Lord Something-or-Other, in the hopes of receiving a marriage proposal. Meanwhile, someone wearing a braided hairdo might be preparing for a night on the town or just a trip to the grocery store.

Example Sentences

For the unaware, that classic acronym comes from the French phrase Répondez s'il vous plait.

From Salon • Nov. 22, 2023

The male representative of this species proudly sports a pork pie straw hat, half Panama and half boater, so obviously transatlantic that every plait in it gives forth a twang.

From Washington Post • May 2, 2023

Yes, the woman with the curled blonde plait.

From BBC • Feb. 23, 2019

She stood about four and a half feet tall and liked to keep her hair shoulder length, in a plait, her grandfather said.

From New York Times • Jan. 11, 2019

“It is a thin one. Why is your hair so beautiful, Jenny? I should have to plait about six of them together, to be as thick as one of mine. Shall I pull?”

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White