Added 9 October 2026
flat
/ˈflæt/ noun
In Latin: plānus Coined: 1956 Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about flat at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
adjective
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Having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another.
a flat desk
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Having a relatively broad surface in relation to depth or thickness.
flat computer monitors
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Not modified or restricted by reservations.
a categorical denial
adverb
Origin
From Middle English flat, a borrowing from Old Norse flatr (compare Norwegian and Swedish flat, Danish flad), from Proto-Germanic *flataz, from Proto-Indo-European *pleth₂- (“flat”); akin to Saterland Frisian flot (“smooth”), German Flöz (“a geological layer”), Ancient Greek πλατύς (platús), Latvian plats, Sanskrit प्रथस् (prathas, “extension”). Doublet of plat and pleyt. The noun is from Middle English flat (“level piece of ground, flat edge of a weapon”), from the adjective. The algebraic sense was coined by Serre in a 1956 paper, originally as French plat.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)