Emily Dickinson Lexicon

PLAINT'IVE-NESS, n.

The quality or state of expressing grief.

PLAINT'LESS, a.

Without complaint; unrepining.

PLAIN'-WORK, n.

Plain needlework, as distinguished from embroidery. – Pope.

PLAIT, n. [W. pleth, a plait or fold; plethu, to plait or braid, from lleth; Sw. fläta, Dan. fletter, to plait, braid, twist, Russ. pletu; opletayu, Fr. plisser, with a dialectical change of t to s. Qu. Gr. κλωθω, to twist.]

1. A fold; a doubling; as of cloth. It is very difficult to trace out the figure of a vest through all the plaits and folding of the drapery. – Addison.
2. A braid of hair; a tress.

PLAIT, v.t.

1. To fold; to double in narrow streaks; as, to plait a gown or a sleeve. – Gay.
2. To braid; to interweave strands; as, to plait the hair.
3. To entangle; to involve. – Shak.

PLAIT'ED, pp.

Folded; braided; interwoven.

PLAIT'ER, n.

One that plaits or braids.

PLAIT'ING, ppr.

Folding; doubling; braiding.

PLAN, n. [Fr. G. D. Dan. Sw. and Russ. plan. The Italian has pianta, a plant, and a plan, and in Welsh, plan is a shoot, cion, plantation or planting, and a plane. Hence plan, plain, plane and plant are from one root. The primary sense of the verb is to extend.]

1. A draught or form; properly, the representation of any thing drawn on a plane, as a map or chart, which is a representation of some portion of land or water. But the word is applied particularly to the model of a building, showing the form, extent and divisions in miniature, and it may be applied to the draught or representation of any projected work on paper or on a plain surface; as, the plan of a town or city, or of a harbor or fort. The form of a machine in miniature, is called a model.
2. A scheme devised; a project; the form of something to be done existing in the mind, with the several parts adjusted in idea, expressed in words or committed to writing; as, the plan of a constitution of government; the plan of a treaty; the plan of an expedition.

PLAN, v.t.

1. To form a draught or representation of any intended work.
2. To scheme; to devise; to form in design; as, to plan the conquest of a country; to plan a reduction of taxes or of the national debt.

PLA'NA-RY, a.

Pertaining to a plane. – Dict.

PLANCH, v.t. [Fr. planche, a plank. See Plank.]

To plank; to cover with planks or boards. – Gorges.

PLANCH'ED, pp.

Covered or made of planks or boards.

PLANCH'ER, n.

A floor. – Bacon.

PLANCH'ET, n. [Fr. planchette. See Plank.]

A flat piece of metal or coin. Encyc.

PLANCH'ING, n.

The laying of floors in a building; also, a floor of boards or planks. – Carew.

PLANE, n. [from L. planus. See Plain.]

1. In geometry, an even or level surface, like plain in popular language.
2. In astronomy, an imaginary surface supposed to pass through any of the curves described on the celestial sphere; as, the plane of the ecliptic; the plane of a planet's orbit; the plane of a great circle.
3. In mechanics. [See Plain figure.]
4. In joinery and cabinet work, an instrument consisting of a smooth piece of wood, with an aperture, through which passes obliquely a piece of edged steel or chisel, used in paring or smoothing boards or wood of any kind.

PLANE, v.t.

1. To make smooth; to pare off the inequalities of the surface of a board or other piece of wood by the use of a plane.
2. To free from inequalities of surface. – Arbuthnot.

PLAN'ED, pp.

Made smooth with a plane; leveled.

PLAN'ET, n. [Fr. planete; It. pianeta; L. Sp. and Port. planeta; W. planed; Gr. πλανητης, wandering, from πλαναω, to wander, allied to L. planus, Fr. loin. See Plant.]

A celestial body which revolves about the sun or other center, or a body revolving about another planet as its center. The planets which revolve about the sun as their center, are called primary planets; those which revolve about other planets as their center, and with them revolve about the sun, are called secondary planets, satellites or moons. The primary planets are named Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus. Four smaller planets, denominated by some, asteroids, namely, Ceres, Pallas, Juno and Vesta, have recently been discovered between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Mars, Jupiter; Saturn and Uranus, being without the earth's orbit, are sometimes called the superior planets; Venus and Mercury, being within the earth's orbit, are called inferior planets. The planets are opake bodies which receive their light from the sun. They are so named from their motion or revolution, in distinction from the fixed stars, and are distinguished from the latter by their not twinkling.

PLAN-ET-A'RI-UM, n.

An astronomical machine which, by the movement of its parts, represents the motions and orbits of the planets, agreeable to the Copernican system. – Encyc.

PLAN'ET-A-RY, a. [Fr. planetaire.]

1. Pertaining to the planets; as, planetary inhabitants; planetary motions.
2. Consisting of planets; as, a planetary system.
3. Under the dominion or influence of a planet; as, a planetary hour. [Astrology.] – Dryden.
4. Produced by planets; as, planetary plague or influence. – Shak.
5. Having the nature of a planet; erratic or revolving. – Blackmore. Planetary days, the days of the week as shared among the planets, each having its day, as we name the days of the week after the planets.

PLAN'ET-ED, a.

Belonging to planets. – Young.

PLAN-ET'IC-AL, a.

Pertaining to planets. [Not used.] – Brown.

PLANE'-TREE, n. [L. platanus; Fr. plane, platane.]

A tree of the genus Platanus. The oriental plane-tree is a native of Asia; it rises with a straight smooth branching stem to a great highth, with palmated leaves and long pendulous Peduncles, sustaining several heads of small close-sitting flowers. The seeds are downy, and collected into round, rough, hard balls. The occidental plane-tree, which grows to a great highth, is a native of North America; it is called also button-wood and button-tree.