home plate

Plate Plate, n. [OF. plate a plate of metal, a cuirsas, F. plat a plate, a shallow vessel of silver, other metal, or earth, fr. plat flat, Gr. ?. See {Place}, n.] 1. A flat, or nearly flat, piece of metal, the thickness of which is small in comparison with the other dimensions; a thick sheet of metal; as, a steel plate. [1913 Webster]

2. Metallic armor composed of broad pieces. [1913 Webster]

Mangled . . . through plate and mail. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

3. Domestic vessels and utensils, as flagons, dishes, cups, etc., wrought in gold or silver. [1913 Webster]

4. Metallic ware which is plated, in distinction from that which is silver or gold throughout. [1913 Webster]

5. A small, shallow, and usually circular, vessel of metal or wood, or of earth glazed and baked, from which food is eaten at table. [1913 Webster]

6. [Cf. Sp. plata silver.] A piece of money, usually silver money. [Obs.] ``Realms and islands were as plates dropp'd from his pocket.'' --Shak. [1913 Webster]

7. A piece of metal on which anything is engraved for the purpose of being printed; hence, an impression from the engraved metal; as, a book illustrated with plates; a fashion plate. [1913 Webster]

8. A page of stereotype, electrotype, or the like, for printing from; as, publisher's plates. [1913 Webster]

9. That part of an artificial set of teeth which fits to the mouth, and holds the teeth in place. It may be of gold, platinum, silver, rubber, celluloid, etc. [1913 Webster]

10. (Arch.) A horizontal timber laid upon a wall, or upon corbels projecting from a wall, and supporting the ends of other timbers; also used specifically of the roof plate which supports the ends of the roof trusses or, in simple work, the feet of the rafters. [1913 Webster]

11. (Her.) A roundel of silver or tinctured argent. [1913 Webster]

12. (Photog.) A sheet of glass, porcelain, metal, etc., with a coating that is sensitive to light. [1913 Webster]

13. A prize giving to the winner in a contest. [1913 Webster]

14. (Baseball) A small five-sided area (enveloping a diamond-shaped area one foot square) beside which the batter stands and which must be touched by some part of a player on completing a run; -- called also {home base}, or {home plate}. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

15. One of the thin parts of the bricket of an animal. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

16. A very light steel racing horsehoe. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

17. Loosely, a sporting contest for a prize; specif., in horse racing, a race for a prize, the contestants not making a stake. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

18. Skins for fur linings of garments, sewed together and roughly shaped, but not finally cut or fitted. [Furrier's Cant] [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

19. (Hat Making) The fine nap (as of beaver, hare's wool, musquash, nutria, or English black wool) on a hat the body of which is of an inferior substance. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

20. a quantity sufficient to fill a plate; a {plateful}; a dish containing that quantity; a plate of spaghetti. [PJC]

21. the food and service supplied to a customer at a restaurant; as, the turkey dinner is $9 a plate; I'll have a plate of spaghetti. [PJC]

22. a flat dish of glass or plastic with a fitted cover, used for culturing microorganisms in a laboratory. [PJC]

23. the identification tag required to be displayed on the outside of a vehicle; same as {license plate}; -- often used in the plural. [PJC]

24. an agenda or schedule of tasks to be performed; I have a lot on my plate today. [colloq.] [PJC]

Note: Plate is sometimes used in an adjectival sense or in combination, the phrase or compound being in most cases of obvious signification; as, plate basket or plate-basket, plate rack or plate-rack. [1913 Webster]

{Home plate}. (Baseball) See {Home base}, under {Home}.

{Plate armor}. (a) See {Plate}, n., 2. (b) Strong metal plates for protecting war vessels, fortifications, and the like.

{Plate bone}, the shoulder blade, or scapula.

{Plate girder}, a girder, the web of which is formed of a single vertical plate, or of a series of such plates riveted together.

{Plate glass}. See under {Glass}.

{Plate iron}, wrought iron plates.

{Plate layer}, a workman who lays down the rails of a railway and fixes them to the sleepers or ties.

{Plate mark}, a special mark or emblematic figure stamped upon gold or silver plate, to indicate the place of manufacture, the degree of purity, and the like; thus, the local mark for London is a lion.

{Plate paper}, a heavy spongy paper, for printing from engraved plates. --Fairholt.

{Plate press}, a press with a flat carriage and a roller, -- used for printing from engraved steel or copper plates.

{Plate printer}, one who prints from engraved plates.

{Plate printing}, the act or process of printing from an engraved plate or plates.

{Plate tracery}. (Arch.) See under {Tracery}.

{Plate wheel} (Mech.), a wheel, the rim and hub of which are connected by a continuous plate of metal, instead of by arms or spokes. [1913 Webster]