plait
part of speech
noun (a plait, plaits); verb (plait, plaits, plaited, plaiting)
meaning for a pupil
1) A plait is a length of hair divided into three strands that are crossed over each other again and again to make one neat rope-like piece. tree →
2) A plait is any rope, bread or strip of straw or cloth made in the same crossed way. tree →
3) To plait means to cross three or more strands over each other to make this shape. tree →
sense in the lessons
In everyday life plaits are a common school hairstyle, especially for long hair, and stories use them to show a child getting ready or a tease ("he pulled her plaits"). In art and craft lessons children plait wool, paper strips or ribbon. Phrases: «in plaits», «a French plait», «plait your hair», «a plaited loaf». In stories, pulling someone's plait is a classic picture of teasing or bullying.
examples
- Mum plaited my hair before school. tree →
- Chloe wore her hair in two long plaits. tree →
- A boy in the line kept tugging her plait, so she told the teacher. tree →
- We plaited three strips of coloured paper to make a bookmark. tree →
- Can you do a French plait? tree →
- The baker sold a shiny plaited loaf. tree →
- Her plait came undone during PE. tree →
- Grandma taught me how to plait wool for a bracelet. tree →
- Then Rapunzel let down her plaits, and the Witch climbed up by them. tree →
note
Countable noun: a plait, two plaits. Past: plaited. Mainly British, Irish, Australian and New Zealand English; in American and Canadian English the usual word is «braid» (noun and verb). Pronounced to rhyme with «flat» in the UK (some say «plate»). Do not confuse with «plate» or «pleat» (a fold sewn into a skirt).
In the corpora
- Next night the Woman dries sweet grass, plaits a halter and makes the Second Singing Magic.
- And Sam, braver now, tells Maddie she should not have pulled Chloe's plaits.
- Lily stays with Chloe in the nurse's room after Chloe's plaits are pulled so hard she cries.
- Her nanny, Gabi, picks her up every day, plaits her hair and knows her favourite biscuit.
- And thou shalt make upon the breastplate plaited chains of wreathen work of pure gold.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «plait» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.