plastron 
plastron lpla'lnin). "- [< F. i>l<ixtn>H ( = It. 
l>ia/>tn>nr), H teeMtpUte, < OF. i>l<i*trt, a pias- 
ter: see platter.] 1. A breastplate; a garment 
or part of a garment covering the breast. _Specln- 
I.-.36 
The author acknowledge* his indebtedness to . . . 
YYharton's " Hydrographlc Surveying," whence he takes 
the method of platting angles by means of chords. 
Science, XV. 78. 
The work 
... --------- _- 
as they were when measured and plattfil. 
Amer. Antiquarian, XII., adv. 
The town was platted in 1872, and named In honor of 
Prince Otto Ton Bismarck. Harper'* Mag., LXXVIIL 300. 
calfy (a) The early breastplate worn under the hauberk 
or brolgne: one of the earliest pieces of plate-armor In- 
troduced In the European middle ages. C. BmittU, Arms 
and Armour In England. (6) A wadded shield of leather 
which masters hang before the right breast when giving 
leasons In fencing, (c) A detachable part of a woman's 
drew made of aome soft material, and suspended In loose 
folds from the throat to the waist and caught In the belt : plat 3 (plat), a. and H. 
aa a ntorfrou of lace, crape, or silk, (rf) An ornamental "- " 
and often Jeweled decorative plaque worn on the breast 
by Hindu women. () A man's shirt-bosom, especially " V-ST ."7-7 f& nlni .n PD- nln'tn - 
one of the form fashionable for evening-drew 1875-90, (and F.) plat = Pr. plat = : Sp. , fg.plato - It. 
without plait*, presenting a smooth surface of lawn. piatto, flat, level (ML. "platns, "plattus, only as 
2. In herpet.: (a) The ventral part of the shell a nO un, after Rom.: see platt), < Gr. ir).ari-c, 
of a chelouian or testudinate ; the lower shell, na t, wide, broad, = Lith. flatus, broad, = Skt. 
or under side of the shell, of a 
Platanistidae 
having transversely laminate molars n<\ the 
fur mixed with flattened spines, p. lariuna is 
u small specie* like a dormouse, with a densely hairy tail, 
inhabiting mountainous parts of western India. 
" Platacidse (pla-tas'i-de), n.pl. fNL., < Plutar 
sea-bats. They have a high compressed body, imbri- 
cated scales, a long high dorsal with the spine* few ami 
crowded In front, a long high anal, well-developed ven- 
trals, setlform teeth In the Jaws, and an edentulous palate. 
Mi' .lit 7 speclea are known as inhabitant! of the Indian 
J , and western Pacific oceans. 
Dan. plat, flat, level, low; < OF. Platalea (pla-ta'le-S), H. [NL., < L. plataln, 
(also pla tea)', the spoonbill, appar. < Gr. trXnrrj-, 
flat: see plat?.] The typical genus of I'lutn- 
leitlee, formerly conterminous with the family, 
. vi-"",, - [< ME - plat,platt,platte 
= D. vial = MLG. plat, LG. platt = G. platt 
i- i . A _ i T 1 !,._ . S f\ 
Sw. platt 
I urtle or tortoise : more or less 
opposed to carapace. The plas- 
tron Is whollyanexoskeletalorintegu- 
mentary structure, In which no bone* 
belonging to the endoskeleton or 
skeleton proper are found. It con- 
sists of a number, typically nine, of 
separate dermal bones, developed In 
membrane, and covered with noniy 
epldermla,ortortolse-shell. Thenlne 
typical pieces are one median and 
four pairs lateral, called entoplaetron, 
epiphutron. hyophutroH, hypoplat- 
Iron, and xiphipUutron. formerly, 
when these were supposed to contain 
or represent sternal element 
Plastron of Tortoise 
< Entys}, ventral stir- 
face (outside ] .showing 
elve horny epider- 
mal scales as indic 
icated 
by the dark lines, one 
of which tra verseseach 
xiphisternal */i and 
each hypostemal < A/) 
bony scute; tc, inter- 
clavicular scute, or en 
toplastron ; c, clavicu- 
lar scute (clavicular! 
um) ; hy, hyosterual 
scute. 
nt ,. they 
were respectively named?n/<MlT?tum, 
epiMermtm, hyosternuin, hypostcr- 
num. and xiphisternum. Thepfastron 
U usually immovable, like the cara- 
pace, but may be variously hinged, 
in some cases so as to shut the animal 
in completely. See also cuts under 
carapace, Pleurotpandylia, and Che- 
Ionia, (b) One of the similar 
exoskeletal plates developed upon the under 
side of the body of certain Amphibia, as the 
Labyrhithodonta'. 3. In mammal., the ventral 
shield or cuirass of the glyptodons or fossil 
armadillos. 4. In atiat., the sternum with the 
costal cartilages attached, as removed in au- 
topsies. 5. In ornitli., a colored area on the 
breast or belly of a bird, like or likened to a 
shield. Coues. 
plastron-de-fer (plas'tron-de-fer' ), u. Same as 
plastron, 1 (a). 
plastrum (plas'trum), H.; pi. plaxtra (-tra). 
[NL., an accom. form olplnstnm; cf. ML. plas- 
trum, plaster (gypsum): see planter, plastron.] 
Same as plastron. 
plat 1 (plat), v. t.; pret. and \>\i. platted, *>pr. plat- 
ting. [< ME. flatten, pletien, < AS. plxttan, 
strike with the hand, slap, = MD.pletten, strike, 
bruise, crush, rub (freq. pletteren), = Sw. dial. 
platta, var. pja'tta, tap, pat. Cf. pat*, prob. a 
reduced form of plat*.] To strike with the 
hand; strike. 
HI* heved of he pletU. Hondo*, I. 2026. 
I'eniel Proud-herte plattr hire to grounde, 
And lay louge ar heo lokcde. 
Pien Plowman (A), v. 45. 
plat 2 (plat), . [Early mod. 'E. platte; a var. 
at plot*. < ME.j>/o. < AS.plot, a plot of ground: 
see plot*. The form plat may be merely dial., 
but is prob. due in part to pla ft.] 1. A plot or 
h. plat 
prithit, wide, broad, < / prath, spread out, 
broaden; prob. ult. connected with E. flaicii 
(OHU.flado, etc.), a flat cake (see flairn), but 
not with E. flat (see flat*-). From the same 
ult. source are plate, pate^, place, plaza, piazza, 
plaice, plttneS, plateau, platina, platitude, plat- 
ter*, etc. : see esp. plate.] I. a. If. Flat; level ; 
plain. 
In another Yle ben folk that han the face all platt, alle 
pleyn, with outen Nese and with outen Mouthe ; but the! 
han 2 smalt holes alle rounde, instede of hire Eyen ; and 
hire Mouthe Is platt also, with outen Lippes. 
MandevOlf, Travels, p. 204. 
He lyeth downe his one eare all plat 
I'nto the grounde, and halt it faste. 
Gower, Conf. Amant., i. 
2. Specifically, in lace-making, flat and of uni- 
form texture: said of the sprigs or flowers; 
hence, in general, noting the sprigs of bobbin- 
lace, which are flat, as compared with those of 
needle-point lace, which may have relief. 
Point plat. See paint* . 
II. H. It. A beam or plank laid horizontally; 
a horizontal timber, ffallitcell. 
Thanewa*thepryncepurvayede,andthelreplacesnomene, PlataleidSB (plat-a-le'i-de), II. pi. 
Pyghte pavyllyons of P*!^^^"^^ L 2478 talea +.-'**>] A' family of larg 
2f. A large flat stone used as the landing-place 
of a stair. 3f. The flat side of a sword. 
And what man that is wounded with the strook 
Shal never be hool til that yow list, of grace, 
To stroke him with the platte in thilke place 
Ther he IB hurt. Chaucer, Squire's Tale, 1. 154. 
The sole of the foot. Compare plan ft. 
, Diet. (1608), p. 284. (Fares.) 6. In plataleiform (pla-ta'le-i-f6rm), a. [< 
mining, an enlargement of a level where it con- talea, a spoonbill, + forma, form.] 
nects'with a shaft used for raising ore, its ob- spoonbill in form ; plataleine in structure and 
ject being to facilitate that operation, espe- affinity. 
cially in mines where the ore is raised in kib- plataleine (pla-ta'le-in), a. [< L. platalea, a 
bles. spoonbill, + -ic a .] Pertaining to the spoon- 
(plat), adr. [WE. plat, platte; < plat*, .] bills ; belonging to the Ptataleidx. 
platan,". Keeplatanr. 
4t. 
Spoonbill (rtntalra ItiiforMtia). 
now restricted to the Old World spoonbills, 
such as P. leucorodia, in, which the intratho- 
racic parts of the trachea are peculiarly con- 
voluted. Also Platea. 
[NL., < Pla- 
u ? grallatorial 
birds of the order Herodiones and suborder 
Ibides, typified by the genus Platalea, having 
the long flat bill dilated at the end like a spoon ; 
the spoonbills, or spoon-billed ibises. There are 
5 or 6 species, of various part* of the world, chiefly In 
tropical latitudes. They were formerly classed with the 
storks, but are more closely related to the Ibises. See cut* 
under Aiaia and Platalta. 
L. pla- 
Like a 
Flatly; plainly; bluntly. 
Thus warned she him fill plat and ful pleyn. 
Chaucer, Monk s Tale, 1. 767. 
Whanne we were in the hyghe see, about .xxx. myle in 
oure waye from Modona, the wynde fell platte ayenste vs. 
Sir K. Quiitforde, Pylgrymage, p. !. 
2. Smoothly; evenly. 
plat 3 t (plat), r. /. [= D. plettcii = G. jtla'ttcii, 
lay flat, flatten; from the adj.: see plat*, a.] 
To lay down flat or evenly ; spread. 
\lc iJntlfili his butter upon his breed w' his thombe as 
it were a lytell claye. Palsgrave. (Hallitcell.) 
Platanace(plat-a-na'se-e), 11. ij 
ley, 1836), < Platanus + -acese.] 
patch of land laid off for or devoted to some pi a t4 (plat), v. ; pret. and pp. platted, ppr. plat- platane, platan (plat'an. plat'an), . 
particular purpose: as, a garden-;<to< ; a plat tin g_ [< ME. platteii ; a var. otplait: see plait.] plataan = G. platane = Sw. Da'ii. platan, < F. 
I. [NL. (Lind- 
An order of 
apetalous trees of the series Unisexuales, con- 
sisting of the genus Platanus, and character- 
ized by havingmouoacious flowers in dense glo- 
bose heads, without calyx, and with but few or 
minute bracts, by the ovary with one cell and 
one ovule, and the fruit a ball of numerous long 
achenes, each narrowed into a slender base 
surrounded with long hairs. See cut under 
plane-tree. 
[=5- 
of ground. 
Now therefore take and cast him Into the plat of ground, 
according to the word of the Lord. 2 Kl. Ix. 2K. 
2. A flat representation of such plots or patches ; 
a map or plan. 
To take by view of eye the platte of any thlnge. 
Bookt of Precedence (E. E. T. S., extra ser.), I. S. 
There was no other pastime nor exercise among the 
youth hut to draw plattn of Slclle, and descril>e the sit- 
uation of Libya and Carthage. 
A'ortA, tr. of Plutarch, p. 2iO B. (Kara.) 
We followed the snoare or land, which lieth Northnorth- 
west, ... u It doth appuaru by the plat. 
UaHuyfi Voyage*, I. 27.'.. 
3t. A plan or design ; scheme ; plot. 
I. trans. To interweave ; make or shape by in- 
terweaving; wattle; plait. See plait. 
When they had platted a crown of thorns, they put It 
upon his head. Mat. xxvil. 29. 
I'pon her head a platted hive of straw, 
Which fortified her visage from the sun. 
Shak., Lover's Complaint, 1. 8. 
.Home plat, like Spiral Shells, their braded Hair. 
Cangnre, tr. of Ovid's Art of Lore, 111. 
II. intraiiti. To embrace. [Rare.] 
And they twa met, and they twa plat. 
And fain they wad be near : 
And a' the warld might ken right weel, 
They were twa lovers dear. 
The Douylai Tragedy (Child's Ballads, II. ])'.. 
'platane =Sp. i>ldtano =Pg- It.platano, <L./>fo- 
tatiug,<. Gr. ir/.dravof, a plane-tree: see plane'* 
and Platanus, and cf. plantain*.] The plane- 
tree. 
I espied thee, fair Indeed and tall, 
Under a platane. Milton, V. L.. Iv. 478. 
Often, where clear-stemm'd platans guard 
The outlet, did I turn away. 
Trnnymn, Arabian Mght*. 
Platanista (plat-a-nis'ta), . [NL., < L. pla- 
tanixta, < Gr. irXafavrrvf. a fish of the Ganges, 
appar. this dolphin.] The typical genus of 
the family Flatanistidie. containing the Gan- 
So shall our plat In this one point be larger and much plat 4 (plat), II. [< pint*, r.] 1. A plaited or 
surmount that which stanlhunt first tooke In hand. braided thing; something produced by plaiting 
Putomham, Arts of Eng. Poele, p. 90. or interweaving: as, straw plat for hats; a 
Here might be made * rare icenc of follv, If the plat ,,^ o f hair. 2. Naut., a braid of foxes. See 
miild bear It. Hurstun, Antonio and Melllda, I., 111. 2. <;, \ 4 Itmia 
To be workman!) wrought, made, and sett up, after the Tiio+o/>oTi+'hnmTHtioa Cnlnf A.Van't hfi-ini-i'np^ 
beat handlyng and forme of good workmanship, accord- riatacantnO 
Ing to a plat thereof made nnd signed ith the hands of 
the lords executor*. 
Vinlpijr, Anecdut. of Tainting, I., App.. Indenture*, I. 
plat 
I'lntafiintlioniyx. 
repIMeB 
] 
liv the genus 
- (pint), r. /.: pr.-t. and pp. pltilti-it, ppr. Platacanthomys (plat-a-kan'tlm-mis), M. 
/,<;/. [<;//(-'.. Cf. ;</</', r.] To make a [NL. (E. Blyth. 1859), prop. Plati/<irtiHtl,<,ii,y*, 
und-plan of ; map or plot; lay down on pa- < Gr. rrXan'r, flat, + anai^a, a spine, + /*, 
ground 
per: n<. !..,,// a lni.-t of laml: to plat a town, 
and obsolete dorsal fin. It attains a length of about s 
feet, and feeds on small fishes and ornstsccans. 
M. Platanistidae (plnt-it-iiis'li-de). a. I'l. [XL.. < 
I'ManM,, + -idx.} A family of delphinoul 
odontocete cetaceans, tnininl to ciuitaiii tM 
mouse.] The only genus of Platarantltnmyiii, geneni l'lnttnii.*i<i. linn, and PmteporM. They 
