English

edit
 
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology 1

edit

From Scots plaid, of uncertain origin; perhaps from a past participle form of ply. Scottish Gaelic plaide (blanket) is probably a borrowing from Scots.[1]

Also compare Scottish Gaelic peall (covering, veil, blanket) << Latin pellis (hide, covering), but the OED finds the sound changes problematic.[2]

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

plaid (countable and uncountable, plural plaids)

 
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
  1. (textiles) A type of twilled woollen cloth, often with a tartan or chequered pattern. [from 16thc.]
    • 1906, Stanley J[ohn] Weyman, chapter I, in Chippinge Borough, New York, N.Y.: McClure, Phillips & Co., →OCLC, page 01:
      It was April 22, 1831, and a young man was walking down Whitehall in the direction of Parliament Street. He wore shepherd's plaid trousers and the swallow-tail coat of the day, with a figured muslin cravat wound about his wide-spread collar.
  2. A length of such material used as a piece of clothing, formerly worn in the Scottish Highlands and other parts of northern Britain and remaining as an item of ceremonial dress worn by members of Scottish pipe bands. [from 16thc.]
    • 2009, John Sadler, Glencoe, Amberley, published 2009, page 47:
      In battle, the plaid was customarily shrugged off before the charge bit home, and the warrior came into contact with only his long, saffron shirt (‘leine chrochach’) to preserve modesty.
  3. The typical chequered pattern of a plaid; tartan. [from 19thc.]
Derived terms
edit
Translations
edit

Adjective

edit

plaid (comparative more plaid, superlative most plaid)

  1. Having a pattern or colors which resemble a Scottish tartan; checkered or marked with bars or stripes at right angles to one another.

Etymology 2

edit

Alternative forms.

Verb

edit

plaid

  1. (archaic) simple past and past participle of play
    • 1774, Dr Samuel Johnson, Preface to the Works of the English Poets, J. Nichols, Volume II, Page 134,
      "...then plaid on the organ, and sung..."

References

edit
  1. ^ Dictionary of the Scots Language
  2. ^ Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.

French

edit

Etymology 1

edit

From Old French plait, from Latin placitum.

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

plaid m (plural plaids)

  1. (history) placitum (kind of medieval council)

Etymology 2

edit

From English plaid.

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

plaid m (plural plaids)

  1. plaid

Further reading

edit

Italian

edit

Etymology

edit

Borrowed from English plaid.

Noun

edit

plaid m (invariable)

  1. tartan rug (especially one used when travelling/traveling)

Middle English

edit

Etymology

edit

From Old French plait, plaid.

Noun

edit

plaid

  1. Alternative form of ple

Old French

edit

Noun

edit

plaid oblique singularm (oblique plural plaiz or plaitz, nominative singular plaiz or plaitz, nominative plural plaid)

  1. Alternative form of plait

Romansch

edit

Alternative forms

edit

Noun

edit

plaid m (plural plaids)

  1. (Sursilvan) word
edit

Scots

edit

Etymology

edit

Uncertain; perhaps from a past participle form of ply.

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

plaid (plural plaids)

  1. plaid

Welsh

edit

Etymology

edit

The original meaning was “row”, “rank”, later “partition”,[1] possibly related to Irish pluid and Scottish Gaelic plaide (blanket); as Proto-Celtic had no /p/, the term is likely a borrowing, such as English and Scots plaid.[2] However, the semantic development is unclear.

Pronunciation

edit

Noun

edit

plaid f (plural pleidiau)

  1. (politics) a (political) party

Derived terms

edit

Mutation

edit
Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal aspirate
plaid blaid mhlaid phlaid
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

edit
  1. ^ R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “plaid”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
  2. ^ Ebenezer Cobham Brewer (1882) Etymological and Pronouncing Dictionary of Difficult Words[1], New York: Ward, Lock, & Co., page 862