Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. An elevated, comparatively level expanse of land; a tableland.
- n. A relatively stable level, period, or state: Mortgage rates declined, then reached a plateau.
- v. To reach a stable level; level off: "The tension seemed to grow by degrees, then it plateaued” ( Tom Clancy).
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In pnys.geog., an elevated region of considerable extent, often traversed by mountain-ranges. The word is nearly synonymous with table-land as that word is used by many geographers. Thus, the Alps are characterized by the absence of plateaus; the Asiatic ranges, from Asia Minor eastward to China, by the presence of table-lands and high, broad, plateau-like valleys.
- n. A tray for table service.
- n. A decorative plaque.
Wiktionary
- n. A largely level expanse of land at a high elevation; tableland.
- n. A comparatively stable level in something that varies.
- n. dated An ornamental dish for the table; a tray or salver.
- n. sports, broadcasting A notable level of attainment or achievement.
- v. intransitive Reach a stable level; level off.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A flat surface; especially, a broad, level, elevated area of land; a table-land.
- n. An ornamental dish for the table; a tray or salver.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a relatively flat highland
Etymologies
- From French plateau, diminutive of plat ("a plate"); see plate. (Wiktionary)
- French, from Old French platel, platter, from plat, flat; see plate. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“I said this befofre and nobody paid attention, This economy plateau is the result: - NOT FROM REPUBLICAN ENTERPRISE - no-no, but by the DEMOCRAT NARROW VISION AND NOT-TO-CARE-FOR-THE - PEOPLE PRACTICES!!”
The Sunday Word: Axelrod on the Auto Bailout - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com
“This part of the plateau is the southern side of the rim of the Congo basin; and it is at the bottom of the basin (a basin open to the west where the Congo River flows into the Atlantic Ocean) that one finds the lands which are steamy, unhealthy and unsuited to permanent white settlement.”
“And if you actually look today at their Hype Cycle for early 2009 to late 2008, the Hype Cycle shows SOA on what they call the plateau of enlightenment.”
“- quick answer: by eating even less and moving even more - not that I recommend that - perhaps your plateau is as good as this is going to get.”
“It was incredible to stand on top of that peak and think that Birkeland had spent a winter (often braving atrocious weather conditions) with this breath-taking view stretching north to the Arctic Sea and south to the mountain plateau that is the winter home of the Sabme (Lapp) reindeer herders.”
A Conversation with Lucy Jago, author of The Northern Lights
“This high plateau is favored by Mut locals who come here to stay during summer.”
“The plateau is 1300 meters above sea level and attracts people for its natural beauties, clean weather, and cold spring water.”
“The plateau is about 60 miles from north to south and approximately 45 miles wide.”
“The Yunnan-Guizhou plateau is indeed an extension of Tibetan Plateau so that northwestern Yunnan naturally connects to Tibet.”
Between Winds and Clouds: The Making of Yunnan (Second Century BCE to Twentieth Century CE)
“Perhaps the most congenial wintering spot on the plateau is San Miguel de Allende.”
Treasure of the Sierra Madre -- wintering in San Miguel de Allende
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘plateau’.
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important
shamanism, consol, sanguine, iffy, affinity, concatenation, honed, innumberable, aiden, inexorable, vet, suss and 176 more...
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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Landforms
A Cyclopedia of Landforms.
plain, mountain, canyon, cliff, hill, arch, cave, plateau, mesa, butte, chimney, peneplain and 169 more...
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UK Usage - Find US Equivalent
All these terms have a (different) American English equivalent. Wonder if you can identify them?
abridgement (abri..., accoutrement, accoutre, acknowledgement (..., opposite, advert, adaptor, adapter, sticking plaster, advertise, adviser (advisor ..., adze, aesthete and 1196 more...
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Nature and Environment
north, east, west, mountain, sea, beach, river, northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest, island and 205 more...
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MY COLLECTION
COLLECT FROM DIFFERENT PAPERS,WEBSITES,BOOKS AND MOVIES.
VAUDEVILLE, herbivores, BANDWAGON, PREY, squander, squabbling, Concierge, persuade, dethrone, cacophony, maize, ubiquitous and 98 more...
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spread out, spacious words of spe
words pertaining to the root spe- (hope) with some allegorical liberties.
paten, pan, pass, patent, petal, expand, repand, passacaglia, passe, paseo, paella, spawn and 150 more...
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the earth
Planetary chaos: terrain, landscape and geology excluding rocks. (See "the geologist" list for the latter.)
butte, karst, caldera, mesa, laccolith, cwm, crater, alp, precipice, sierra, badlands, prairie and 122 more...
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Landscape
riparian, littoral, talus, fen, ambit, savanna, remnant prairie, shortgrass prairie, tallgrass prairie, marsh, swamp, marshy and 199 more...
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Reading Random
Got unknown words randomly
delinquency, modicum, dissuade, incendiary, destitute, lachrymose, plight, ruse, empirical, pedantic, demography, giggle and 444 more...
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my dictionary
able, abnormally, abroad, absent, abstract, acceptable, acceptance, access, accessible, accession, according to, account and 4551 more...
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aozuas's Words
sense data, hyperreality, brouhaha, ibid, apophenia, fnord, lackadaisical, schadenfreude, bildungsroman, ready-made, readymade, tergiversar and 654 more...
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Words of the Day
glabella, chirotony, nook-shotten, crapehanger, filemot, swirlie, egosurf, lexiphanicism, Ruritanian, stichometry, chrononaut, faldstool and 2050 more...
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the name of the rose
pleasing words I encounter whilst reading umberto eco's novel of the same name.
matins, lauds, prime, terce, sext, nones, vespers, compline, usurper, simoniac, heresiarch, malefactor and 230 more...
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Words!
quixotic, lugubrious, laconic, terse, diaphanous, truculent, solipsism, meretricious, recondite, salacious, avuncular, obdurate and 229 more...
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jmjarmstrong's list
Words that I used to know.
geloscopy, hunker, willy nilly, harum scarum, whacko, meh, nork, misunderestimate, atrabiliousness, luftmensch, auxanometer, hyperhedonia and 1948 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for plateau.
jmjarmstrong JM wonders if a plateau is a higher form of flattery. Aug 12, 2011