plaque
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from French plaque (“plate, sheet (of metal); slab (of marble); bacteria on teeth”), from French plaquer, Middle French plaquer (“to plate”),[1] from Middle Dutch placken (“to patch, beat metal into a thin plate”), from placke (“disk, patch, stain”), from Old Dutch *plagga (“patch”), from Proto-Germanic *plaggą (“patch”).
The word is cognate with Middle Low German placke, plagge (“small stain, scraps, rags, thin grass”), German Placken (“spot, patch”), Saterland Frisian plak, plakke (“a blow, slap”), Swedish plagg (“clothing, garment”). Compare plack.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /plæk/, /plɑːk/
- (Northern England, Scotland) IPA(key): /plak/
- (General American) IPA(key): /plæk/, [pʰl̥æk]
Audio (General American): (file) - (General Australian) IPA(key): /plaːk/
Audio (General Australian): (file) - Rhymes: -æk, -ɑːk
Noun
plaque (countable and uncountable, plural plaques)
- (countable) Any flat, thin piece of clay, ivory, metal, etc., used for ornament, or for painting pictures upon, as a dish, plate, slab, etc., hung upon a wall; also, a smaller decoration worn by a person, such as a brooch.
- (countable) A piece of flat metal with writing on it, attached to a building, monument, or other structure to remind people of a person or an event.
- (countable) A small card representing an amount of money, used for betting in casinos; a sort of gaming chip.
- 1953, Ian Fleming, Casino Royale:
- But on this June evening when Bond walked through the 'kitchen' into the salle privée, it was with a sensation of confidence and cheerful anticipation that he changed a million francs into plaques of fifty mille and took a seat […]
- (countable, biology) A clearing in a bacterial lawn caused by a virus.
- (countable, music) In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system: any flat, thin musical instrument.
- blown plaques
- aconcussion plaques
- (countable, pathology) A broad patch of abnormal tissue distinguishable from surrounding tissue, especially a broad papule (“inflamed, irritated patch”) on the skin.
- (countable, uncountable, pathology) An abnormal accumulation of material in or on an organ of the body, often associated with disease.
- amyloid plaque
- apleural plaque
- asenile plaque
- (countable, uncountable, pathology) An accumulation in artery walls made up of macrophage cells and debris containing lipids, (cholesterol and fatty acids), calcium, and connective tissue; an atheroma.
- 2013 July–August, Stephen P. Lownie, David M. Pelz, “Stents to Prevent Stroke: These Devices can Spring into Shape Automatically to Open Arteries Blocked with Plaque”, in American Scientist, New Haven, Conn.: Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 29 May 2017:
- As we age, the major arteries of our bodies frequently become thickened with plaque, a fatty material with an oatmeal-like consistency that builds up along the inner lining of blood vessels. The reason plaque forms isn't entirely known, but it seems to be related to high levels of cholesterol inducing an inflammatory response, which can also attract and trap more cellular debris over time.
- (uncountable, dentistry) An accumulation of biofilm, or bacteria, on teeth, which may develop into dental calculus (tartar).
- (countable, medicine) A deposit of beta-amyloid protein occurring in a nerve cell and associated with Alzheimer's disease.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
flat, thin piece of clay, ivory, metal, etc., used for ornament
piece of flat metal with writing on it to remind people of a person or event
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broad patch of abnormal tissue distinguishable from surrounding tissue, especially a broad papule on the skin
abnormal accumulation of material in or on an organ of the body, often associated with disease
accumulation in artery walls — see atheroma
accumulation of biofilm, or bacteria, on teeth
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
References
- “plaque, n.”, in OED Online
, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, June 2006.
Further reading
commemorative plaque on Wikipedia.Wikipedia - dental plaque on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- plaque (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
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