English

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Etymology 1

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From Scots plaid, of uncertain origin; perhaps from a past participle form of ply. Scottish Gaelic plaide (blanket) is probably a borrowing from Scots.[1]

Also compare Scottish Gaelic peall (covering, veil, blanket) << Latin pellis (hide, covering), but the OED finds the sound changes problematic.[2]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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plaid (countable and uncountable, plural plaids)

 
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  1. (textiles) A type of twilled woollen cloth, often with a tartan or chequered pattern. [from 16thc.]
    • 1906, Stanley J[ohn] Weyman, chapter I, in Chippinge Borough, New York, N.Y.: McClure, Phillips & Co., →OCLC, page 01:
      It was April 22, 1831, and a young man was walking down Whitehall in the direction of Parliament Street. He wore shepherd's plaid trousers and the swallow-tail coat of the day, with a figured muslin cravat wound about his wide-spread collar.
  2. A length of such material used as a piece of clothing, formerly worn in the Scottish Highlands and other parts of northern Britain and remaining as an item of ceremonial dress worn by members of Scottish pipe bands. [from 16thc.]
    • 2009, John Sadler, Glencoe, Amberley, published 2009, page 47:
      In battle, the plaid was customarily shrugged off before the charge bit home, and the warrior came into contact with only his long, saffron shirt (‘leine chrochach’) to preserve modesty.
  3. The typical chequered pattern of a plaid; tartan. [from 19thc.]
Derived terms
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Translations
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Adjective

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plaid (comparative more plaid, superlative most plaid)

  1. Having a pattern or colors which resemble a Scottish tartan; checkered or marked with bars or stripes at right angles to one another.

Etymology 2

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Alternative forms.

Verb

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plaid

  1. (archaic) simple past and past participle of play
    • 1774, Dr Samuel Johnson, Preface to the Works of the English Poets, J. Nichols, Volume II, Page 134,
      "...then plaid on the organ, and sung..."

References

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  1. ^ Dictionary of the Scots Language
  2. ^ Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933.

French

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Etymology 1

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From Old French plait, from Latin placitum.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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plaid m (plural plaids)

  1. (history) placitum (kind of medieval council)

Etymology 2

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From English plaid.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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plaid m (plural plaids)

  1. plaid

Further reading

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Italian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English plaid.

Noun

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plaid m (invariable)

  1. tartan rug (especially one used when travelling/traveling)

Middle English

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Etymology

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From Old French plait, plaid.

Noun

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plaid

  1. Alternative form of ple

Old French

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Noun

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plaid oblique singularm (oblique plural plaiz or plaitz, nominative singular plaiz or plaitz, nominative plural plaid)

  1. Alternative form of plait

Romansch

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Alternative forms

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Noun

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plaid m (plural plaids)

  1. (Sursilvan) word
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Scots

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Etymology

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Uncertain; perhaps from a past participle form of ply.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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plaid (plural plaids)

  1. plaid

Welsh

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Etymology

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The original meaning was "row," "rank," later "partition,"[1] possibly related to Irish pluid/Scottish Gaelic plaide (blanket); as Proto-Celtic had no p, the term was likely a borrowing, such as English/Scots plaid.[2]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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plaid f (plural pleidiau)

  1. (politics) a (political) party

Derived terms

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Mutation

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Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal aspirate
plaid blaid mhlaid phlaid
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

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  1. ^ R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “plaid”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
  2. ^ Ebenezer Cobham Brewer (1882) Etymological and Pronouncing Dictionary of Difficult Words[1], New York: Ward, Lock, & Co., page 862