plateau

See also: Plateau

English

Diagram showing plateaus.

Etymology

Borrowed from French plateau, diminutive of plat (“a plate”); see plate. Doublet of platter.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈplætəʊ/
• (US) IPA^(key): /plæˈtoʊ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophones: plateaux
• Rhymes: -əʊ

Noun

plateau (plural plateaus or plateaux)

1. A largely level expanse of land at a high elevation; tableland.
2. (of a varying quantity) A comparatively stable level after a period of increase.
   • 2008 May 28, Tara Parker-Pope, “Hint of Hope as Child Obesity Rate Hits Plateau”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN:

     Childhood obesity, rising for more than two decades, appears to have hit a plateau, a potentially significant milestone in the battle against excessive weight gain among children.

3. (dated) An ornamental dish for the table; a tray or salver.
4. (sports, broadcasting) A notable level of attainment or achievement.

Derived terms

• Iranian Plateau, Mexican Plateau, Tibetan Plateau

Translations

high, level expanse

• Arabic: هَضْبَة‎ (ar) f (haḍba)

  Gulf Arabic: هَضَبة‎ f (haḏ̣aba)

• Armenian: բարձրավանդակ (hy) (barjravandak), սարահարթ (hy) (sarahartʿ)
• Azerbaijani: yayla
• Bulgarian: плато n (plato)
• Burmese: please add this translation if you can
• Catalan: altiplà (ca) m, planell m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 高原 (zh) (gāoyuán)

• Czech: náhorní plošina f
• Dutch: hoogvlakte (nl) f, plateau (nl) n
• Esperanto: altebenaĵo
• Finnish: ylätasanko, ylänkö (fi)
• French: plateau (fr) m
• Galician: chan (gl) m
• Georgian: ზეგანი (zegani)
• German: Hochebene (de) f, Plateau (de) n
• Greek: οροπέδιο (el) n (oropédio)
• Hebrew: רמה‎ (he) f
• Hindi: स्थिरांक m (sthirāṅk), पठार (hi) m (paṭhār)
• Hungarian: fennsík (hu), felföld (hu)
• Indonesian: plato (id)
• Irish: ardchlár m
• Italian: altopiano (it) m,
• Japanese: 高原 (ja) (こうげん, kōgen)
• Kannada: ಪ್ರಸ್ಥಭೂಮಿ (kn) (prasthabhūmi)
• Khmer: ខ្ពង់រាប (km) (khpŭəngriəp)
• Korean: 고원(高原) (ko) (gowon)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: بان‎ (ckb) (ban)

• Lao: please add this translation if you can
• Latin: planus m, platus m
• Malay: penara, dataran tinggi, plato
• Manx: ard-chlaare m
• Mongolian: өндөрлөг (mn) (öndörlög)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: platå n, høyslette (no) m or f

  Nynorsk: platå n, høgslette f

• Persian: فلات‎ (fa) (falât)
• Polish: plateau (pl) n, płaskowyż (pl) m
• Portuguese: planalto (pt) m, platô (pt) m, altiplano (pt) m
• Romanian: platou (ro) n, podiș (ro) n
• Russian: плато́ (ru) n (plató), плоского́рье (ru) n (ploskogórʹje)
• Serbo-Croatian: visija f, visoravan (sh) f, zaravan (sh) f
• Spanish: meseta (es) f, altiplano (es) m
• Swedish: platå (sv) c
• Tagalog: talampas, pantayanin
• Thai: ที่ราบสูง (th) (tîi-râap-sǔung)
• Tibetan: ས་མཐོའི་ཐང་ཆེན (sa mtho'i thang chen), མཐོ་སྒང (mtho sgang)
• Turkish: plato (tr), yayla (tr)
• Vietnamese: cao nguyên (vi) (高原)
• Welsh: llwyfandir m
• Zazaki: plato

stable, high level

• Bulgarian: плато n (plato)
• Catalan: replà m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} plataĵo
• Finnish: vakiintunut taso
• German: Plateau (de) n
• Hindi: स्थिरांक m (sthirāṅk), सबात (hi) f (sabāt)
• Hungarian: stagnálás, plató (hu), tetőzés
• Irish: léibheann m
• Persian: ثبات‎ (fa) (sabât)
• Russian: please add this translation if you can
• Slovak: plató
• Welsh: man gwastad m, gwastadedd (cy) m
• Zazaki: deşt

ornamental dish

• Catalan: plat (ca) m
• Dutch: schaal (nl) f, plateau (nl) n

Verb

plateau (third-person singular simple present plateaus, present participle plateauing, simple past and past participle plateaued)

1. (intransitive) (of a varying quantity) To reach a stable level after a period of increase; to level off.

Translations

level off

• Catalan: estancar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 持平 (zh) (chípíng)

• Dutch: stagneren (nl), stabiliseren (nl)
• Finnish: tasaantua, tasoittua
• French: stagner (fr), plafonner (fr), se stabiliser (fr), atteindre (fr) un plateau (fr)
• Hungarian: stagnál (hu), platózik
• Portuguese: estagnar (pt)
• Russian: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: estancarse (es)

Further reading

• plateau on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French plateau, diminutive of plat (“a plate”); see English plate.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /plaːˈtoː/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: pla‧teau
• Rhymes: -oː

Noun

plateau n (plural plateaus, diminutive plateautje n)

1. plateau (level expanse of land)

   Synonym: hoogvlakte

2. plateau (comparatively stable level)
3. plateau (tray) (Southern)

Derived terms

• ijsplateau
• plateauzool

French

Etymology

From plat +‎ -eau.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pla.to/

• plateau

  (file)

Noun

plateau m (plural plateaux)

1. flat area
2. tray
3. (geography) plateau
4. stage (in theatre); set (of television broadcast)
5. (cycling) chainring

Derived terms

• camion plateau
• plateau de tournage
• sur un plateau
• sur un plateau d'argent

Descendants

• → Catalan: plató
• → Danish: plateau
• → Dutch: plateau
• → English: plateau
• → German: Plateau
• → Greek: πλατό (plató)
• → Norwegian Bokmål: platå
• → Norwegian Nynorsk: platå
• → Portuguese: platô
• → Romanian: platou
• → Russian: плато́ (plató)
• → Spanish: plató
• → Swedish: platå
• → Turkish: plato

Further reading

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

Anagrams

• épaulât