free from ambiguity or evasion; candid; outspoken: the plain truth of the matter.
without special pretensions, superiority, elegance, etc.; ordinary: plain people.
not beautiful; physically unattractive or undistinguished: a plain face.
without intricacies or difficulties.
ordinary, simple, or unostentatious: Although she was a duchess, her manners were attractively plain.
with little or no embellishment, decoration, or enhancing elaboration: a plain blue suit.
without a pattern, figure, or device: a plain fabric.
not rich, highly seasoned, or elaborately prepared, as food: a plain diet.
flat or level: plain country.
unobstructed, clear, or open, as ground, a space, etc.
Cards. being other than a face card or a trump.
adverb
clearly and simply: He's just plain stupid.
noun
an area of land not significantly higher than adjacent areas and with relatively minor differences in elevation, commonly less than 500 feet (150 meters), within the area.
The Plains.Great Plains.
Origin of plain
1
1250–1300; Middle English (adj., adv., and noun) <Old French (adj. and noun) <Latin plānus flat, level, plānum flat country
plaguy, plaice, plaid, Plaid Cymru, plaided, plain, plain as day, plain bearing, plainchant, plain chocolate, plain clothes
Definition for plain (2 of 2)
plain2
[ pleyn ]
/ pleɪn /
verb (used without object)BritishDialect.
to complain.
Origin of plain
2
1250–1300; Middle English plei(g)nen<Old French plaign-, stem of plaindre<Latin plangere to beat (the breast, etc.), lament; akin to Greek plḗssein to strike
These microbes had been living beneath a vast, flat, sediment-covered plain.
Some deep-seafloor microbes still alive after 100 million years!|Carolyn Gramling|September 1, 2020|Science News For Students
If I’m rolling into a Starbucks, in plain sight of lots of foot traffic, and the rack’s right out front, my odds are decent this is enough deterrent to ward off the baddies.
The most secure ways to lock up your bike|By Michael Frank/Cycle Volta|August 26, 2020|Popular Science
One of the main challenges in curing cancer is that unlike foreign invaders, tumor cells are part of the body and so able to hide in plain sight.
Scientists Used Protein Switches to Turn T-Cells Into Cancer-Fighting Guided Missiles|Edd Gent|August 24, 2020|Singularity Hub
In the US, for instance, the Food and Drug Administration approved chloroquine for treating covid-19, only to reverse itself weeks later after it became plain the drug didn’t work.
Every country wants a covid-19 vaccine. Who will get it first?|Katie McLean|August 13, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Researchers, led by microbiologist Yuki Morono of the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology in Kochi, examined sediments collected in 2010 from part of the abyssal plain beneath the South Pacific Gyre.
These ancient seafloor microbes woke up after over 100 million years|Carolyn Gramling|July 28, 2020|Science News
Yet, much like the fate that fell the first season, ratings just plain weren't good.
‘The Comeback’ Finale: Give Lisa Kudrow All of the Awards|Kevin Fallon|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Thanks to the Atlanta case, they can now see another in plain sight.
A Gift to the Jihadis: The Unseen Airport Security Threat|Clive Irving|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Because holy hell was that bland, unfunny, uncomfortable, and just plain confusing.
The Biggest Bombs of 2014: ‘Sex Tape,’ Mariah Carey’s Vocals, ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and More|Kevin Fallon|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is already well known that there are oilrigs disguised in plain sight all over the city.
The results of that rash decision, the most dire of which has been the rise of ISIS, are now plain for us to see.
‘America in Retreat’: Why Neo-Isolationism Exploded Under Obama and What We Can Do About It|James Kirchick|December 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Crossing the river Lykus into the plain, Mithridates offered the Romans battle.
Plutarch's Lives, Volume II|Aubrey Stewart & George Long
It was a plain, comfortable place, wainscoted about, with shelves and lockers in the whimsical copy of a vessel's cabin.
McClure's Magazine, Vol 31, No 2, June 1908|Various
In the centre of this plain was another large koppie of which the river Ukufa, or Death, washed one side.
Smith and the Pharaohs, and Other Tales|Henry Rider Haggard
As usual the ride over the plain is very tedious and tiring to the limbs—a hilly country in moderation is much more comfortable.
Byeways in Palestine|James Finn
She thought it was because she was so plain and awkward—and in part it was.
Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1909 to 1922|Lucy Maud Montgomery
British Dictionary definitions for plain (1 of 2)
plain1
/ (pleɪn) /
adjective
flat or smooth; level
not complicated; clearthe plain truth
not difficult; simple or easya plain task
honest or straightforward
lowly, esp in social rank or education
without adornment or showa plain coat
(of fabric) without pattern or of simple untwilled weave
not attractive
not mixed; simpleplain vodka
knittingof or done in plain
noun
a level or almost level tract of country, esp an extensive treeless region
a simple stitch in knitting made by putting the right needle into a loop on the left needle, passing the wool round the right needle, and pulling it through the loop, thus forming a new loop
(in billiards)
the unmarked white ball, as distinguished from the spot balls
the player using this ball
(in Ireland) short for plain porter, a light portertwo pints of plain, please
adverb
(intensifier)just plain tired
See also plains
Derived forms of plain
plainly, adverbplainness, noun
Word Origin for plain
C13: from Old French: simple, from Latin plānus level, distinct, clear
British Dictionary definitions for plain (2 of 2)
plain2
/ (pleɪn) /
verb
a dialect or poetic word for complain
Word Origin for plain
C14 pleignen, from Old French plaindre to lament, from Latin plangere to beat
An extensive, relatively level area of land. Plains are present on all continents except Antarctica and are most often located in the interior regions. Because they can occur at almost any altitude or latitude, plains can be humid and forested, semiarid and grass-covered, or arid.
A broad, level expanse, such as an area of the sea floor or a lunar mare.