plates

Plates commonly refer to flat, typically round dishes used for serving and eating food. Dinner plates are most often made from ceramic materials such as porcelain, stoneware, or earthenware, but can also be crafted from glass, metal, or durable plastics like melamine. Plate sizes vary, with dinner plates around 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm) in diameter and smaller plates used for appetizers or desserts. In dining contexts, plates are organized on a table to hold portions and may be part of place settings that include utensils, glasses, and linens.

Geology uses the term to describe the large, rigid sections of Earth's lithosphere that move atop the semi-fluid asthenosphere. The theory of plate tectonics explains how these plates interact at their boundaries, causing earthquakes, volcanic activity, mountain-building, and ocean trench formation. The major tectonic plates include the Pacific, North American, Eurasian, African, Antarctic, Indo-Australian, and South American plates, along with smaller microplates. Plate movements are driven by convection in the mantle and can be characterized as divergent, convergent, or transform boundaries. Interactions at plate boundaries have shaped Earth's geography over hundreds of millions of years and continue to influence geologic activity today.

In biology and laboratory contexts, the term appears in several senses. A cell plate forms during plant cytokinesis as vesicles coalesce at the center of a dividing cell to separate daughter cells. In laboratory settings, microplates—such as 24-, 96-, or 384-well plates—are used to perform many small-volume assays simultaneously. The word plate can also refer more generally to a flat, decorative, or functional flat object.

Plates thus encompass a range of flat, functional elements in both everyday objects and natural science, reflecting the term's broad applicability.