plaiding 
I could discern a partiality for white stuffs with apricot- 
yellow stripes, for maiding* of bine and violet, and vari- 
ous patterns of pink and mauve. 
Harper's Mag., LXXIX. 844. 
plain 1 (pliin), n. and M. [I. a. < ME. plain, plnijn, 
lili-i/ii. i>lniiie, playne, pleyne, < OF. plain, F. plain 
mfr.plan = Sp. /ilano, Uano=Pg. piano. lhano = 
It. /iinnii,<. L. planitx, flat, even, level, plain: see 
/, In nc l , a later form of the same word. II. M. < 
ME. plaine, playne, pleyne = MD.pfeine, D.plein 
= G. plane = Dan. plane (< F.) : cf. MLG. plan 
= MHG. plan, plane, Or. plan = Sw. plan (< L.) ; 
< OF. ]>lain, in., plaint, plaigne, F. plaine, 1, = 
l'i . II/HIHI. /linn/in, plaigna=Bp. llano, ra.,phina, 
/i/iiiinin, level ground, a plain, ne'ut. of pianut, 
level, plane: see I.] I. a. 1. Flat; level: smooth; 
even; free from elevations and depressions: 
as, a plain surface or country. 
This Contrec is gode and pleun and fulle of peple. 
Maiulfrillr, Travels, p. 258. 
It [Lombardy] Is wholly plaine, and beautified with . . . 
abundance of goodly rivers, pleasant meadowes, <6c. 
Coryat, Crudities, I. 109. 
Three Townes situated vpon high white clay clifts ; the 
other side all a low playne marlsh, and the river there 
but narrow. Quoted In Capt. John Smith's Works, I. 185. 
Nor does the plain country In that land (the East) offer 
the refuge and rest of our own soft green. 
Mrs. Uaskcll, Sylvia's Lovers, xxxvili. 
2. Open ; unobstructed by intervening barriers 
or defenses. 
Ffaire yche furde folowand on other, 
And past furth prudly into the plaine feld. 
Destruction 0} Troy (E. E. T. S.), 1. 7215. 
The xj kyngeswere departed and desenered. and yeden 
oute in to the playn feldes with-out* the tentes, and made 
blowe a trompe high and clere. 
Merlin(E. E. T. S.), Ii. 154. 
3. Easy; free from intricacies or difficulties: 
as, plain exercises in shorthand. 4. Undis- 
guised ; frank ; sincere ; unreserved. 
He cannot flatter, he. 
An honest mind and plain he must speak truth! 
Shak., Lear, ii. 2. 105. 
There is at this time a friend of mine upon the seas to 
be plain with you, he is a pirate that hath wrote to me 
to work his freedom. 
Beau, and Fl., Honest Man's Fortune, ii. 2. 
If I cannot serve you, I will at once be plain, and tell 
you so. Stede, Conscious Lovers, i. 2. 
5. Clear ; evident ; manifest ; easily perceived 
or understood: as, to make ones meaning 
filniit ; it was plain he was offended. 
It was very plain that the Russian commanders were 
not provided with instructions. 
Bruce, Source of the Nile, I. 29. 
We h&ve plain evidence of crystals being embedded In 
many lavas whilst the past* or basis has continued fluid. 
Darwin, Geol. Observations, I. 6. 
6. Unqualified; undisguised; unmistakable; 
sheer; downright; absolute. 
This ispfat/i confederacy to disgrace us. 
B. Jonson, Cynthia's Revels, v. 2. 
Others fell to plaine stealing, both night & day, from 
y Indeans, of which they greevosly complained. 
Bradford, Plymouth Plantation, p. 130. 
Through the multitude of them that were to suffer, it 
could no more be call'd a Persecution, but a ]>lain Warr. 
Milton, Eikouoklastes, xi. 
They suspected some malicious dealing, if not plain 
treachery. N. Morton, New England's Memorial, p. 107. 
7. Without a figured pattern; uuornamented 
with decorative patterns or designs ; also, when 
applied to fabrics, untwilled or uncolored : as, 
l>lnin black cloth; plain muslin. 8. Void of 
ornament or bright color: without embellish- 
ment; simple; unadorned. 
Hailing obteyned my long expected wish, I doe in all 
hnmblenesse prostrate my selfe and Ms plaine discourse 
of my trauels to your most excellent Maiestie. 
Webbe, Travels (ed. Arber), Ded., p. 15. 
The women's dress [In Switzerlandl is verypfain, those 
of the best quality wearing nothing on their heads gener- 
ally but furs which are to be met with in their own coun- 
try. Addition, Remarks on Italy (ed. Bohn), I. 527. 
I took a plain but clean and light summer dress from 
my drawer and put it on ; it seemed no attire had ever so 
well become me. Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre, xxiv. 
9. Without beauty; homely: as, she is plain, 
but clever. 
Jer. By this light, she 's as handsome a girl as any in 
Seville. 
/. Then, by these eyes, I think her as plain a woman 
as ever I beheld. Sheridan, The Duenna, ii. 3. 
1 looked nt my face in the glass, and felt it was no longer 
plain; there was hope in its aspect, and life in its colour. 
Chaiintte Urontf, Jane Eyre, xxiv. 
Suppose her fair, her name suppose 
Is Car, or Kitty ; 
She might be Jane she might be plain 
For must the subject of my strain 
Be always pretty? /'. Lacker, The Housemaid. 
10. Artless; simple; unlearned; without ar- 
tifice or affectation ; unsophisticated. 
I am ... as you know me all, n plain blunt man, 
lhat love my friend. Shot., J. C., 111. 2. 222. 
Of many plain yet pious Christians this cannot be al- 
firmed. Hammond, Fundamentals. 
You must take what he sayes patiently, because he Is a 
plaine man. 
Bp. Earle, Micro-cosmographie, A Blunt Man. 
Those (Friends) who entered the army Illustrated In 
their plain speech and quiet courage the virtues of their 
plainly 
3. To make plain or clear; explain. 
His bretheren and his sustern gonne hjmi freyne 
w hi he so sorwful was In al his cheere, 
And what thyng was the cause of al his peyneT 
But al for might, he nolde his cause pUynt. 
Chaueer, Trullut, T. 1210. 
By Aeronisncy to discover doubts, 
To plain out i|Uestlons as Apollo did. 
Orient, Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay. 
What 's dumb In show, 111 plain In speech. 
, r ^ m _ vip m >MMI Shot., Perlcle*, IlL, Prol. 
lineage. TheCentury, XXXVni.'sei plain- (plan), V. [< ME. plaint n, pleinen, pley- 
11. Not highly seasoned; not rich; not luiu- " e "> < "*" l>l<*ff*er, P. plaindre = Pr. planner, 
riously dressed : as, & plain diet. 12. Incom- plaffxer, planger, plainer, planer = 8\>.plaSHr = 
plex; simple. It. piangere, piagnrre, < L. plangere, lament, 
.Wain sounds = simpltces sonos. beat *be breast or head as a sign of grief, lit. 
Uoolt, tr. of The Visible World, beat, strike, = Or. irM/oociv, strike: see plague. 
13. In card-playing, not trumps; lay: as,a;>toi Cf - >'"J>'<""-] I. intrant. 1. To lament; wail ; 
card; a plain suit. 14. Whole-colored; not *"""" 
variegated: &H, plain whiteeggs. 18. Smooth; 
unstnate, as muscular fiber. in plaint plainly 
In plain terms. 
He tolde him point for point, in short and playn. 
Chaucer, Clerk's Tale, 1. 521. 
Plain as a packstaff or pikestaff, perfectly plain ; quite 
clear. See quotations under pacMnff. Plain bonlto 
See bnnilo. Plain cloth, any untwilled fabric. Plain 
clothes, the ordinary dress of civil life; non-official 
dress : opposed to uniform : as, a policeman or soldier in 
plain clothes. 
They met his Royal Highness In plain clothes. 
Thackeray, Virginians, ixl. 
Plain compass, a simple form of surveyors' Instrument, 
including a compass, a graduated circle, a main plate, 
sights, and levels. It Is supported for use upon the haul 
of the Jacob's-staff. Plain COUChinK. See couchingl, 5. 
Plain descant. See counterpoint*, s. Plain dress, 
dress without ornament, as wont by members of the So-' 
i-iety of Friends. Plain drill. See drilli. Plain em- 
broidery, (a) Embroider)' which Is without raised work, 
or padding, or couching of elaborate character that Is, 
simple needlework on a flat foundation. (6) Embroidery 
In the same color as the ground. Plain harmony. See 
harmony, 2 (dX Plain muscles or muscle-fibers, un- 
striated muscles or muscle-fibers. Plain paper satl< 
Ing, stitch, titmouse, etc. See the nouns. The 
language, the manner of speech adopted by the S 
Friend's. It disallows all merely ceremonious usages. 
mourn. 
But man after his deth moot wepe and pleyue, 
Though In this world he have care and wo. 
Chaucer, Knight's Tale, 1. 402. 
Tereu, Tereu, and thus she gaii to plaint 
Most piteously, which made my hart to greene. 
Oatcoigne, Phllomene (ed. Arber), p. 89. 
Though he plain, he doth not complain ; for It Is a harm, 
but no wrong, which he hath received. 
Sir P. Sidney, Arcadia, II. 
Tin' air was sad ; but sadder still 
It fell on Marmion's ear, 
It plnin'd as If disgrace and ill, 
And shameful death, were near. 
Scott, Marmlon, lit 12. 
2t. To whinny : said of a horse. 
Right as an hors that can both byte and pleyne. 
Chaucer, AnelMa and Arcile, 1. 157. 
II. trans. To lament; bewail; bemoan; mourn 
over. 
Adam playning his case, Ood sent three Angels after her. 
Purchas, Pilgrimage, p. 187. 
Who can give tears enough to plain 
The loss and lack we have? 
Sir J. Uarington, state of the Church of Eng. 
'plain plainant (pla'uant), n. [< F. plaignant, plain- 
tiff, prop. ppr. oif/(fanrfre, complain: seepTain 2 . 
as the plural you addressed to an individual, all titles of * -J I" '" lr - a plaintiff. 
compliment or rank, etc. = 8yn. 4. I'liafteeted, honest, plainbaCK8(plan baks),H. Bombazet. [Tradr- 
can.fii 1 - - J '-" ......' J 
lid, ingenuous, downright 8. Clear, Krident, etc. (see name among weavers. J 
'<^**X distinct, patent, unmistakable, unequivocal, 1111- nlain-p riant i i.l-inVli-'mM 
ambiguous, explicit, Intelligible,- 8. Vuvarnished, unem- P " tllftllt), n. 
bcllished. ' *'"'.'/. 
II. n. I. An extent of level, or nearly level, plain-clay (plan'kla), i. 
land ; a region not noticeably diversified with "">th, Xortua tlepuncta. 
mountains, hills, or valleys. The Plains in North Plain-dealer (plan'de'ler). w. 
Same as plain. 
A British noctuid 
One who ex- 
presses his opinions with plainness; one who 
is frank, honest, and open in speaking and act- 
ing. 
I the Plain Dealer am to act to-day, . . . 
An honest man who, like you. never winks 
At faults ; but, unlike you, speaks what he thinks. 
Wycherley, Plain Dealer, Prol. 
Every man Is more ready to trust the poor plain-dealer 
than the glittering false-tongued gallant. 
ACT. T. Adam*. Works, I. 2. 
Dealing with 
i thens a man may se all Arahye. and the Mownte sincerity and frankness; honest; open; speak- 
rn, and Nebo, and Phasga, the playnes of Jordan, : n _ __, .ptinir withniit OTiilo 
rico, and the Dede see vntu the ston of Uescrte. IQ acnn K Wltnout guile. 
It must not be denied but I am a plain-dealing villain 
Shale., Much Ado, I. 8. 3S. 
It becomes us well 
To get plain dealing men about ourselves. 
Such as you all are here. 
Beau, and Fl., Maid's Tragedy, Iv. 2. 
, , plain-dealing (p)an'de'ling),M. Sincere, frank, 
3. An open space surrounded by houses: as, and honest speech or conduct ; conduct or deal- 
St. Mary's Plain; the Theater Plain, in Nor- ing that is without guile, stratagem, or disguise: 
wich. Hallitcell. [Local, Eng.]-Cock of the sincerity and honesty in thought and act. 
plains. See coc*', and cut under Ccntroerreus. Plain 
Of Mars, in palmistry, the space in the middle of the palm To " Me wlt nd too much vtain-dealing for a states 
of the hand between the line of the heart and the line of man - ar ' Denham, The Sophy, III. 1. 
life and surrounded by the mounts -The Plain, in the plain-edge (plan'ej), a. In luce-making, not 
legislatures of the first French revolut on, the floor of the *TZ '_i _j * n 
House, occupied by the more moderate party ; hence, that having a pearl-edge, especially in the case of 
party itself, as distinguished from the Mountain. pillow-lac.- , winch is usually so decorated. 
plain 1 (plan), adr. [< ME.playn,pleyn; <. plain*, plain-hearted (plan'har'ted), a. Having a 
a.] In a plain manner; plainly; clearly; open- sincere heart; without guile or duplicity; of a 
ly; frankly; bluntly. frank disposition. 
America, are the lands lying between the KHth meridian 
and the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains. This region 
has a gradual slope from the mountains to the Missouri 
and .Mississippi rivers, but Is nowhere broken by any con- 
spicuous ranges of liilK It is a region of small precipita- 
tion, wooded only along the banks of the streams, and not 
always there. The Plaint and thc prairies are not prop- 
erly the same, from either a geographical or a climato- 
logical point of view. See prairie. 
Aftre gon men l>e the hllle, besyde the Pleyne* of Oaly- 
lee. unto Nazarethe, where was wont to ben a gret Cytee 
and a fair. Mandenlle, Travels, p. 112. plain-dealing (plan'de'lillg), a. 
Ffrom thens a man may se all Arahye, and the Mownte 
of Abaryn, 
and Jhertc 
Torkington, Diarie of Eng. Travell, p. 37. 
This City of Lyons . . . is situate under very high rocks 
and hils on one side, and hath a very ample and spacious 
plaine on the other. Coryat. Crudities, I. 59. 
2. A field ; especially, a field of battle. 
Pour forth Britannia's legions on the plain. Arbuthnat. 
Free-spoken and jtain-hearted men. that are the eyes of 
their country. Milton, On Def. of Ilumb. Kemonst., { 1. 
plain-heartedness (plan 'bar' ted -nes), . 
Frankness of disposition ; sincerity. 
A religion that owns the greatest simplicity and open- 
ness and freedom and ptainhearted- 
J l>iscoorses( 
HaUvtceU, Moral I 
This is the poynt, to speken short and pletin. 
Chaucer, Gen. Prol. to C. T., 1. 790. 
Sir, to tell you plain, 
111 find a fairer face not wash d to-day. 
Shak., L. L. L., Iv. S. 272. 
In them Is plainest taught, and easiest learnt, 
What makes a nation happy, and keeps it so. 
Milton, P. R., Iv. 361. 
[< MK. iilnyii< u. t-t.-. : < plain*, plaining (pla'ning), n. [Verbal n. of pl<i 
a. Ci.'plane*,v.] 1. To make plain, level, or Mourning; lamenting. 
And In your clefts her plaittings doe not smother 
But let that echo teach It to anotht r I 
W. Browne, Britannia's Pastorals, ii. 1. 
plainly (plan'li), adr. [< ME. plainlii. ;'/.y'//. 
1,/niiJii-lii. ct<-.; < pliiin* + -lit-.] In a plain 
inaimi-r. m smoothly ; ( v,i,]y. <6) clearly: with.mt 
obstruction or deception ; In a way ! 
or understood; unmistakably, (r) Without disti 
even; smooth; clear. 
Discreete demeanour . . . playneth the path to felicitie. 
/.///.. Euphues, Anat of Wit, p. 134. 
The plot is also plained at the cities charges. 
Hrifirood, If yon Know not Me (Works, ed. Pearson, 1. 289). 
The streets of their cities and townes Instead of paulng 
are planked with fir trees, plained * layd euen close the 
one to the other. UaUuyts Voyages, I. 480. 
I (1692), p. 40. (Latham.) 
