Pelat

Pelat is an Indonesian word that generally refers to a flat, thin piece of material, or to an object that has the shape of a plate. The term covers a broad range of meanings, from everyday serving ware to engineering components, and is used across various contexts in Indonesian and Malay.

In technical and industrial contexts, pelat commonly denotes metal sheets or plates, such as pelat logam or pelat baja, which are used as structural elements, enclosures, or protective coverings. In construction and manufacturing, these plates may vary in thickness, material, and finish depending on the application. The term can also apply to nonmetallic plates, including ceramic or plastic plates used as components or substrates.

In everyday life, pelat appears in phrases referring to plate-like objects used for serving food, as in pelat saji, or in signage and nameplates. A well-known use is pelat nomor, the vehicle license plate issued by authorities to identify a vehicle. This sense highlights how pelat can denote both functional and identification plates.

Linguistically, pelat derives from the root plat and is formed with the Indonesian prefix pe-, which creates a noun describing an object or material. The word is also found in Malay with similar meanings. Context typically clarifies whether pelat refers to a metal sheet, a dishware plate, a license plate, or another plate-like item.