Where does “platter” come from?
Platter comes from English plat, derived from Latin plata, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pel-, meaning to spread or flatten.
platter (English): A tray for serving foods; A main dish and side...
Definitions
- A tray for serving foods; A main dish and side...
Ancestry of “platter”, step by step
platter traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English plater
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | plater | platter |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | plater | platter |
| 3 | Old French | platel | — |
| 4 | Old French | plate | a flat metal disk; a flat plate of armor |
| 5 | Medieval Latin | plata | silver |
| 6 | Vulgar Latin | plattus | flattened; flat; smooth |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | πλατύς | wide, broad; flat, level; broad-shouldered |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pléth₂us | flat, broad |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pleth₂- | flat |
via English plat
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | plat | A plot of land; a lot; A map showing the... |
| 2 | English | platform | A raised stage from which speeches are made and... |
| 3 | Middle French | plateforme | a flat form |
| 4 | Latin | fōrma | form; figure, shape, appearance |
| 5 | Etruscan | morma | — |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | μορφή | shape, form; appearance; outline |