plaque

Plaque is sticky white stuff on your teeth in which bacteria live, a wood or metal object that is often used to commemorate or memorialize.

(noun)

Sticky white stuff on your teeth with bacteria in it is an example of plaque.
A little brass plate with the name of a donor on it that is attached to a bench the donor paid for is an example of a plaque.

See plaque in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

1. any thin, flat piece of metal, wood, etc., with a picture, design in relief, etc., hung as on a wall for ornamentation
2. a wall tablet inscribed to commemorate an event, identify a building, etc.
a platelike brooch worn as a badge or ornament
1. an abnormal patch on the skin, mucous membrane, etc.
2. a thin, transparent film on a tooth surface, containing mucin, bacteria, etc.: if not removed it forms tartar and promotes tooth decay
3. a deposit of fatty or fibrous material in a blood vessel wall

Origin: Fr < MDu placke, disk, spot, patch

See plaque in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

A flat plate, slab, or disk that is ornamented or engraved for mounting, as on a wall for decoration or on a monument for information.
A small pin or brooch worn as an ornament or a badge of membership.
a. Pathology A small disk-shaped formation or growth; a patch.
b. A deposit of fatty material on the inner lining of an arterial wall, characteristic of atherosclerosis.
c. A scaly patch formed on the skin by psoriasis.
d. A film of mucus and bacteria on a tooth surface.
e. A clear, often round patch of lysed cells in an otherwise opaque layer of a bacteria or cell culture.

Origin:

Origin: French

Origin: , from Old French, metal plate

Origin: , perhaps from Middle Dutch placke, disk, patch

Learn more about plaque

plaque synonyms

plaque Culture

plaque medical definition

plaque science

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