plaid

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]

• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /pled/, /plad/
• (UK, Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /plæd/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æd

plaid (countable and uncountable, plural plaids)

1. (textiles) A type of twilled woollen cloth, often with a tartan or chequered pattern. [from 16^thc.]
   • 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 16^thc.]
   • 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 19^thc.]

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.

Alternative forms.

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..."

From Old French plait, from Latin placitum.

• IPA^(key): /plɛ/
• Homophones: plaids, plaie, plaies, plais, plaît

plaid m (plural plaids)

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

From English plaid.

• IPA^(key): /plɛd/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophones: plaids, plaide, plaident, plaides

plaid m (plural plaids)

1. plaid

• “plaid”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Borrowed from English plaid.

plaid m (invariable)

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

From Old French plait, plaid.

plaid

1. Alternative form of ple

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

1. Alternative form of plait

• pled (Rumantsch Grischun, Sutsilvan, Surmiran, Puter, Vallader)

plaid m (plural plaids)

1. (Sursilvan) word

• pledari

Uncertain; perhaps from a past participle form of ply.

• IPA^(key): /pled/

plaid (plural plaids)

1. plaid

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

• IPA^(key): /plai̯d/
• Rhymes: -ai̯d

plaid f (plural pleidiau)

1. (politics) a (political) party

   Plaid Cymru

   lit Party of Wales

• o blaid (“in favour (of)”)
• pleidiol (“partial, partisan”)
• pleidiwr (“party member”)