different between plaid vs checkered

English

Etymology 1

From Scots plaid, of uncertain origin; perhaps from a past participle form of ply. Scottish Gaelic plaide (“blanket”) is probably a borrowing from Scots.

Also compare Scottish Gaelic peall (“covering, veil, blanket”) << Latin pellis (“hide, covering”), but the OED finds the sound changes problematic.

Pronunciation

• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /pled/, /plad/
• (Received Pronunciation, UK) IPA^(key): /plæd/
• (General American, US) IPA^(key): /plæd/
• Rhymes: -æd

Noun

plaid (countable and uncountable, plural plaids)

1. (textiles) A type of twilled woollen cloth, often with a tartan or chequered pattern. [from 16^thc.]

   • It was April 22, 1831, and a young man was walking down Whitehall in the direction of Parliament Street. He wore shepherd's plaid trousers and the swallow-tail coat of the day, with a figured muslin cravat wound about his wide-spread collar.

2. A length of such material used as a piece of clothing, formerly worn in the Scottish Highlands and other parts of northern Britain and remaining as an item of ceremonial dress worn by members of Scottish pipe bands. [from 16^thc.]
   • 2009, John Sadler, Glencoe, Amberley 2009, p.47:

     In battle, the plaid was customarily shrugged off before the charge bit home, and the warrior came into contact with only his long, saffron shirt (‘leine chrochach’) to preserve modesty.

3. The typical chequered pattern of a plaid; tartan. [from 19^thc.]

Translations

Adjective

plaid (comparative more plaid, superlative most plaid)

1. Having a pattern or colors which resemble a Scottish tartan; checkered or marked with bars or stripes at right angles to one another.

Etymology 2

Alternative forms.

Verb

plaid

1. (archaic) simple past tense and past participle of play
   • 1774, Dr Samuel Johnson, Preface to the Works of the English Poets, J. Nichols, Volume II, Page 134,

     "...then plaid on the organ, and sung..."

References

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English plaid.

Noun

plaid m (invariable)

1. tartan rug (especially one used when travelling)

Middle English

Etymology

From Old French plait, plaid.

Noun

plaid

1. Alternative form of ple

Old French

Noun

plaid m (oblique plural plaiz or plaitz, nominative singular plaiz or plaitz, nominative plural plaid)

1. Alternative form of plait

Romansch

Alternative forms

• (Rumantsch Grischun, Sutsilvan, Surmiran, Puter, Vallader) pled

Noun

plaid m (plural plaids)

1. (Sursilvan) word

Related terms

• pledari

Scots

Etymology

Origin uncertain; perhaps from a past participle form of ply.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pled/

Noun

plaid (plural plaids)

1. plaid

Welsh

Etymology

The original meaning was "row," "rank," later "partition," possibly related to Irish pluid/Scottish Gaelic plaide (“blanket”); as Proto-Celtic had no p, the term was likely a borrowing, such as English/Scots plaid.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /plai?d/

Noun

plaid f (plural pleidiau)

1. (politics) (political) party

Derived terms

• o blaid (“in favour (of)”)
• pleidiol (“partial, partisan”)
• pleidiwr (“party member”)

Mutation

References

English

Alternative forms

• chequered (British)

Adjective

checkered (comparative more checkered, superlative most checkered)

1. Divided into squares, or into light and dark patches.

2. (figuratively) Changeable; inconsistent; having variations or uncertainty.

Translations

See also

• checked
• chequered

Verb

checkered

1. simple past tense and past participle of checker

Anagrams

• rechecked