platy

¹ American  

[pley-tee] / ˈpleɪ ti /

adjective

platier, platiest

1. (of an igneous rock) split into thin, flat sheets, often resembling strata, as a result of uneven cooling.

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platy ² American  

[plat-ee] / ˈplæt i /

noun

plural

platy,

plural

platys, platies

1. platyfish.

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platy- ³ American  

Also plat-

1. a combining form meaning “flat,” “broad,” used in the formation of compound words.

   platyhelminth.

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platy ¹ British  

/ ˈpleɪtɪ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or designating rocks the constituents of which occur in flaky layers

   platy fracture

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platy ² British  

/ ˈplætɪ /

noun

1. any of various small brightly coloured freshwater cyprinodont fishes of the Central American genus Xiphophorus, esp X. maculatus

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platy- ³ British  

combining form

1. indicating something flat

   platyhelminth

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Etymology

Origin of platy¹

First recorded in 1525–35; plate ¹ + -y ¹

Origin of platy²

1930–35; by shortening of New Latin Platypoecilus genus name, equivalent to platy- platy- + -poecilus < Greek poikílos mottled

Origin of platy-³

Combining form representing Greek platýs; see flat ¹

Example Sentences

The Blue Jays are scheduled to start July 24 at Tampa Bay and platy their home opener five days later against Washington.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 16, 2020

Slate is a fine-grained metamorphic rock that exhibits a foliation called slaty cleavage that is the flat orientation of the small platy crystals of mica and chlorite forming perpendicular to the direction of stress.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

The “green” part of the name is derived from green minerals like chlorite, serpentine, and epidote, and the “schist” part is applied due to the presence of platy minerals such as muscovite.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

Foliated textures come from platy minerals forming planes in a rock, while non-foliated metamorphic rocks have no internal fabric.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

Owing to the fibrous or platy structure, the floes crack easily, and where the ice is not over thick a ship under steam cuts a passage without much difficulty.

From South: the story of Shackleton's 1914-1917 expedition by Shackleton, Ernest Henry, Sir