plat

Plat is a term with multiple, distinct meanings in English and French. In land surveying and real estate, a plat is a map or plan of a subdivision that shows property boundaries, lot lines, streets, easements, and public areas. It is typically prepared by a licensed surveyor, reviewed by local planning or zoning authorities, and filed with the county recorder or land registry. Subdivision plats may be described as preliminary plats, which outline proposed layouts, and final plats, which authorize individual lots and streets for recording and development.

In culinary usage, plat is the French word for dish or course and has been borrowed into English in a few phrases. For example, plat du jour means dish of the day, and plat principal refers to the main course. Outside of these phrases, the word is uncommon in everyday English and is usually replaced by dish or course.

Etymology and usage notes: plat derives from Old French plat and ultimately from Latin planus, meaning flat or level. In English, the term’s primary senses are geographic (surveying and land development) and as a French culinary loanword, with the latter appearing mainly in specialised phrases rather than general everyday speech.