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

"When we saw the photo and she's sitting there with her plait and her doll she would say, 'I wonder who the other two girls are?',"

From BBC • Jul. 2, 2023

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

Some take up spots by the stage and begin braiding each other’s hair to resemble Kreslina’s trademark plait, which sits high on her head and occasionally tumbles over her face as she performs.

From The Guardian • Dec. 12, 2018

Then she had braided her hair, using her hands to interweave the thick dark strands deftly, tying the end of the heavy plait with a leather strip.

From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry