plaque

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See also: Plaque and plaqué

English

WOTD – 13 December 2018

Etymology

A plaque (sense 2) marking the house in Redondela, Galicia, Spain, where composer Reveriano Soutullo lived
A reddish plaque (sense 6) on the face caused by Bowen’s disease
An illustration of artery walls narrowed by plaques (sense 7.1)
A severe build-up of plaque (sense 7.2) on teeth

Unadapted borrowing from French plaque (“plate, sheet (of metal); slab (of marble); bacteria on teeth”), from French plaquer, Middle French plaquer (“to plate”), 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

Noun

plaque (countable and uncountable, plural plaques)

  1. (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.
  2. (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.
  3. (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 […]
  4. (countable, biology) A clearing in a bacterial lawn caused by a virus.
  5. (countable, music) In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system: any flat, thin musical instrument.
    blown plaques
    aconcussion plaques
  6. (countable, pathology) A broad patch of abnormal tissue distinguishable from surrounding tissue, especially a broad papule (“inflamed, irritated patch”) on the skin.
  7. (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
    1. (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.
    2. (uncountable, dentistry) An accumulation of biofilm, or bacteria, on teeth, which may develop into dental calculus (tartar).
    3. (countable, medicine) A deposit of beta-amyloid protein occurring in a nerve cell and associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

accumulation in artery walls — see atheroma
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

References

  1. ^ “plaque, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, June 2006.

Further reading

French

Etymology

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”).

Pronunciation

Noun

plaque f (plural plaques)

  1. sheet, plate (of metal)
  2. slab (of marble)
  3. (medicine) plaque (bacteria on teeth)
    plaque muqueuse, dentaire ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)
  4. plaque, slab (ornamental)
  5. (casino) chip
    Synonym: jeton
  6. (electrics, photography) plate
  7. (geology) plate (especially a tectonic plate)
  8. slab, bar (of e.g. chocolate)
  9. (slang) 10,000 francs
    Synonyms: brique, bâton
  10. burner; ring (element on a kitchen stove that generates localized heat for cooking)

Derived terms

Verb

plaque

  1. inflection of plaquer:
    1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
    2. second-person singular imperative

Descendants

  • → Portuguese: placa

Further reading

Portuguese

Verb

plaque

  1. inflection of placar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative

Spanish

Verb

plaque

  1. inflection of placar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative
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