plaid
plaid Lexical Profile
plaid Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Having a pattern of differently colored stripes crossing each other at right angles.
"She wore a pleated plaid skirt as part of her school uniform."
• noun
Checkered or tartan twilled cloth, typically made of wool, or the pattern of crisscrossing horizontal and vertical bands of color itself.
"He wore a warm flannel shirt patterned in red and black plaid."
Scottish A long piece of twilled woolen cloth, usually with a tartan pattern, worn over the shoulder as part of traditional Scottish Highland dress.
"The piper adjusted the heavy woolen plaid fastened at his shoulder with a silver brooch."
Word Nuance & Usage
In North American English, 'plaid' commonly refers to any checkered or tartan pattern, whereas in Scotland it strictly denotes a heavy woolen cloak or shawl worn over the shoulder as part of traditional Highland dress.
• Rhymes for plaid
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 16th century from Scots, from Scottish Gaelic 'plaide' meaning 'blanket' or 'mantle', of uncertain further origin.