plait
noun/plæt/
/plæt/
(British English) (also braid especially in North American English)
- a long piece of something, especially hair, that is divided into three parts and twisted together
- in plaits She wore her hair in plaits.
- in a plait Her hair was tied back in a long thick plait.
- She fixed her hair into a thick plait.
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French pleit ‘a fold’, based on Latin plicare ‘to fold’. The word was formerly often pronounced like “plate”; since late Middle English there has been an alternative spelling plat, to which the current pronunciation corresponds.Want to learn more?
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plait