1.
A smooth, flat, relatively thin, rigid body of uniform thickness.
2.
a. A sheet of hammered, rolled, or cast metal. b. A very thin applied or deposited coat of metal.
3. a. A flat piece of metal forming part of a machine: a boiler plate. b. A flat piece of metal on which something is engraved.
4. a. A thin piece of metal used for armor. b. Armor made of such pieces.
5. Abbr. pl. Printing. a. A sheet of metal, plastic, rubber, paperboard, or other material prepared for use as a printing surface, such as an electrotype or a stereotype. b. A print of a woodcut, lithograph, or other engraved material, especially when reproduced in a book. c. A full-page book illustration, often in color and printed on paper different from that used on the text pages.
6. Abbr. pl. Photography. A light-sensitive sheet of glass or metal on which a photographic image can be recorded.
7. Dentistry. A thin metallic or plastic support fitted to the gums to anchor artificial teeth.
8. Architecture. In wood-frame construction, a horizontal member, capping the exterior wall studs, upon which the roof rafters rest.
9. Baseball. Home plate.
10. a. A shallow dish in which food is served or from which it is eaten. b. The contents of such a dish: ate a plate of spaghetti. c. A whole course served on such a dish.
11. Service and food for one person at a meal: dinner at a set price per plate.
12. Household articles, such as hollowware, covered with a precious metal, such as silver or gold.
13. A dish passed among the members of a group or congregation for the collection of offerings.
14. Sports. a. A dish, cup, or other article of silver or gold offered as a prize. b. A contest, especially a horserace, offering such a prize.
15. A thin cut of beef from the brisket.
16. Anatomy & Zoology. a. A thin, flat layer or scale, as that of a fish. b. A platelike part, organ, or structure, such as that covering some reptiles.
17. Electricity. a. An electrode, as in a storage battery or capacitor. b. The anode in an electron tube.
18. Geology. In the theory of plate tectonics, one of the sections into which the earth's crust is divided and that is in constant motion relative to other plates, which are also in motion.