Plåt

Plût is an archaic inflected form of the French verb plaire, used in the imperfect subjunctive (subjonctif imparfait). It represents the third-person singular form and is typically found in Old French and Early Modern French texts. In practice, plût appears in subordinate clauses introduced by que or si, where a hypothetical, wishful, or elevated tone is intended. Today it is largely obsolete in everyday speech and writing, surviving mainly in literary or historical contexts.

Linguistic notes and usage conventions distinguish plût from related forms. The standard modern substitute for hypothetical or subordinate contexts is the present subjunctive plaise (que il plaise) or constructions that avoid the imperfect subjunctive altogether. The associated passé simple form il plut belongs to a different mood and tense (the passé simple) and is not interchangeable with plût. The accent circonflex on the u signals historical spelling and pronunciation patterns, and contemporary references typically mark plût as archaic.

Etymologically, plût derives from the verb plaire, itself tracing back to Latin placere, meaning “to please.” The form plût, as a historical subjunctive, reflects older French verb-mood conventions that have since faded from standard modern usage. In modern reference works and grammars, plût is described as obsolete or literary, and it is primarily of interest to scholars studying historical texts, philology, or classical literature.

See also: plaire, subjonctif imparfait, passé simple, French verbs in the subjunctive. References: CNRTL and Academy dictionaries document historical forms such as plût and related subjunctive conjugations.