Plateau

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: plat=eau

CIDE DICTIONARY

Plateau, n. [F., fr. OF. platel, properly a little plate. See Plate.].

•  A flat surface; especially, a broad, level, elevated area of land; a table-land.  [1913 Webster]
•  An ornamental dish for the table; a tray or salver.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Plateau, n. & v.
--n. (pl. plateaux or plateaus)
1 an area of fairly level high ground.
2 a state of little variation after an increase.
--v.intr. (plateaus, plateaued) (often foll. by out) reach a level or stable state after an increase.

Etymology

F f. OF platel dimin. of plat flat surface

THESAURUS

Plateau

alkali flat, alluvial plain, amount, basin, bench, bottomland, break, bushveld, caliber, campo, champaign, champaign country, coastal plain, coffee break, compass, cut, degree, delta, desert, down, downs, downtime, extent, fell, flat, flat country, flatland, flats, grade, grass veld, grassland, half time, half-time intermission, heath, height, highland, holiday, interim, interlude, intermezzo, intermission, intermittence, interregnum, interruption, interval, lande, leap, letup, level, llano, lowland, lowlands, lull, lunar mare, mare, mark, measure, mesa, mesilla, moor, moorland, notch, nuance, off-time, open country, pampa, pampas, pas, pause, peg, peneplain, period, pitch, plain, plains, plane, playa, point, point of repose, prairie, proportion, quiet spell, range, ratio, reach, recess, relief, remove, respite, resting point, round, rung, salt flat, salt marsh, salt pan, savanna, scale, scope, sebkha, shade, shadow, space, stair, standard, step, steppe, stint, table, table mountain, tableland, time off, time out, tread, tree veld, tundra, upland, vacation, vega, veld, weald, wide-open spaces, wold

ROGET THESAURUS

Plateau

Horizontality

N horizontality, flatness, level, plane, stratum, dead level, dead flat, level plane, recumbency, lying down, reclination, decumbence, decumbency, discumbency, proneness, accubation, supination, resupination, prostration, azimuth, plain, floor, platform, bowling green, cricket ground, croquet ground, croquet lawn, billiard table, terrace, estrade, esplanade, parterre, table land, plateau, ledge, butte, mesa (plain), level, spirit level, horizontal, level, even, plane, flat, flat as a billiard table, flat as a bowling green, alluvial, calm, calm as a mill pond, smooth, smooth as glass, recumbent, decumbent, procumbent, accumbent, lying, prone, supine, couchant, jacent, prostrate, recubant, horizontally, on one's back, on all fours, on its beam ends.

Plain

N plain, table-land, face of the country, open country, champaign country, basin, downs, waste, weary waste, desert, wild, steppe, pampas, savanna, prairie, heath, common, wold, veldt, moor, moorland, bush, plateau, campagna, alkali flat, llano, mesa, mesilla, playa, shaking prairie, trembling prairie, vega, meadow, mead, haugh, pasturage, park, field, lawn, green, plat, plot, grassplat, greensward, sward, turf, sod, heather, lea, ley, lay, grounds, maidan, agostadero, champaign, alluvial, campestral, campestrial, campestrian, campestrine.