plot
/plɑt/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.58 in modern English
6
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The course of a story, comprising a series of incidents which are gradually unfolded, sometimes by unexpected means.
noun
An area or land used for building on or planting on.
noun
A grave.
noun
A ground plan, map; a nautical chart.
noun
A synopsis of a literary work.
noun
A graph or diagram drawn by hand or produced by a mechanical or electronic device.
noun
A secret plan to achieve an end, the end or means usually being illegal or otherwise questionable.
Example Sentences
- "If the plot or intrigue must be natural, and such as springs from the subject, then the winding up of the plot must be a probable consequence of all that went before."
- "He's buried in the family plot."
- "I was told to fly out on a vector of 100 degrees to meet a strong plot of aircraft 30 miles from the coast."
- "The plot would have enabled them to get a majority on the board."
- "The assassination of Lincoln was part of a larger plot."
- "I have o'erheard a plot of death."
Etymology
From Middle English plot, plotte, from late Old English plot (“a plot of ground”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Proto-Germanic *plataz, *platjaz (“a patch”); or alternatively, perhaps from a rebracketing of Old English land-splott (“small portion, or plot, of ground”) taken as landes-plot (“plot of land”). Compare Middle Low German plet (“patch, strip of cloth, rags”), German Bletz (“rags, bits, strip of land”), and possibly Gothic 𐍀𐌻𐌰𐍄 (plat, “a patch, rags”). See also plat. See also complot for an influence and reinforcement of noun sense 8. Noun sense 12 is a back-formation from for the plot.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: plot, *plataz
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /plɑt/
- British English: /plɒt/