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Added 9 October 2026

plain

/pleɪn/ noun

In Latin: plānum, plānitiēs Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about plain at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Extensive tract of level open land.
they emerged from the woods onto a vast open plain
A basic knitting stitch made by putting the needle through the front of the stitch from the lefthand side.

verb

Express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness.
My mother complains all day

adjective

Clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment.
the effects of the drought are apparent to anyone who sees the parched fields
Not elaborate or elaborated; simple.
plain food
Lacking patterns especially in color.

adverb

Unmistakably (`plain' is often used informally for `plainly').
the answer is obviously wrong

Origin

From Middle English pleyn, borrowed from Anglo-Norman pleyn, playn, Middle French plain, plein, and Old French plain, from Latin plānus (“flat, even, level, plain”). Doublet of llano, piano, plane, and plan.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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