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plasticizer any of various substances added to plastics, paints, or the like to modify viscosity, flexibility, strength, or other characteristics.
plastic surgery surgery to repair, restore, or remodel injured or malformed parts of the body, esp. by transferring tissue from other parts of the body or from another individual.
plastid any of several small protoplasmic structures found in the cytoplasm of some plant cells, in which substances such as starch, protein, and pigment are stored.
plastique see "plastic bomb." [2 definitions]
plastisol dispersed particles of resin suspended in a liquid organic substance that gels and then fuses when processed by heat, used to create thermoplastic coatings or molds.
plastron a piece of protective padding or armor worn over the chest by swordsmen. [3 definitions]
-plasty formation, esp. with regard to plastic surgery.
plat1 a plot of ground. [3 definitions]
plat2 a braid or plait. [2 definitions]
plat du jour the special or featured dish being offered on a particular day in a restaurant.
plate a flat, round dish from which food is served or eaten, or the food on such a dish. [10 definitions]
plateau an elevated, relatively level area of land. [3 definitions]
plated coated with a thin layer of metal so as to give the appearance of greater value (sometimes used in combination). [2 definitions]
plateful the quantity that a plate can hold.
plate glass clear, ground, and polished glass in large sheets, used for mirrors and large windows.
platelet any of numerous small disk-shaped bodies found in the blood of vertebrates and associated with clotting.
platen in a printing press, the flat plate or rotating cylinder that presses the paper against the inked surface. [2 definitions]
plater a person or machine that plates. [2 definitions]
plate rail a narrow, shelflike strip or molding attached to the upper part of a wall, on which plates or other flat objects can be displayed.
plate tectonics (used with a sing. verb) the geologic theory that the earth's crust consists of several independent plates floating on semiliquid magma, whose constant motion is the cause of continental drift, volcanic eruption, and the like.
platform a level, raised surface used as a place to work, perform, or speak to an audience. [6 definitions]