Platonic bodies, the five regular geometrical solids; namely, the
tetrahedron, hexahedron or cube, octahedron, dodecahedron, and
icosahedron. -- Platonic love, a pure, spiritual affection, subsisting
between persons of opposite sex, unmixed with carnal desires, and
regarding the mind only and its excellences; -- a species of love for
which Plato was a warm advocate. -- Platonic year (Astron.), a period
of time determined by the revolution of the equinoxes, or the space of
time in which the stars and constellations return to their former
places in respect to the equinoxes; -- called also great year. This
revolution, which is caused by the precession of the equinoxes, is
accomplished in about 26,000 years. Barlow.
Pla*ton"ic, n. A follower of Plato; a Platonist.
Pla*ton"ic*al*ly, adv. In a Platonic manner.
Pla"to*nism (?), n. [Cf. F. Platonisme.] 1. The doctrines or philosophy
by Plato or of his followers.
Plato believed God to be an infinitely wise, just, and powerful Spirit;
and also that he formed the visible universe out of preÎxistent
amorphous matter, according to perfect patterns of ideas eternally
existent in his own mind. Philosophy he considered as being a knowledge
of the true nature of things, as discoverable in those eternal ideas
after which all things were fashioned. In other words, it is the
knowledge of what is eternal, exists necessarily, and is unchangeable;
not of the temporary, the dependent, and changeable; and of course it
is not obtained through the senses; neither is it the product of the
understanding, which concerns itself only with the variable and
transitory; nor is it the result of experience and observation; but it
is the product of our reason, which, as partaking of the divine nature,
has innate ideas resembling the eternal ideas of God. By contemplating
these innate ideas, reasoning about them, and comparing them with their
copies in the visible universe, reason can attain that true knowledge
of things which is called philosophy. Plato's professed followers, the
Academics, and the New Platonists, differed considerably from him, yet
are called Platonists. Murdock.
2. An elevated rational and ethical conception of the laws and forces
of the universe; sometimes, imaginative or fantastic philosophical
notions.
Pla"to*nist (?), n. One who adheres to the philosophy of Plato; a
follower of Plato. Hammond.
Pla"to*nize (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Platonized (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Platonizing.] To adopt the opinion of Plato or his followers. Milner.
Pla"to*nize, v. t. To explain by, or accomodate to, the Platonic
philosophy. Enfield.
Pla"to*ni`zer (?), n. One who Platonizes.
Pla*toon" (?), n. [F. peloton a ball of thread, a knot or group of men,
a platoon, from pelote a ball formed of things wound round. See
Pellet.] (Mil.) (a) Formerly, a body of men who fired together; also, a
small square body of soldiers to strengthen the angles of a hollow
square. (b) Now, in the United States service, half of a company.
Platt (?), n. (Mining) See Lodge, n. Raymond.
Platt"deutsch` (?), n. The modern dialects spoken in the north of
Germany, taken collectively; modern Low German. See Low German, under
German.
Plat"ten (?), v. t. [See Plat, a.] (Glass Making) To flatten and make
into sheets or plates; as, to platten cylinder glass.
Plat"ter (?), n. [From Plat to braid.] One who plats or braids.
Plat"ter, n. [Probably fr. OF. platel, F. plateau. See Plateau.] A
large plate or shallow dish on which meat or other food is brought to
the table.
The attendants . . . speedly brought in several large, smoking
platters, filled with huge pieces of beef.
Sir W. Scott.
Plat"ter-faced` (?), a. Having a broad, flat face.
Plat"ting (?), n. Plaited strips or bark, cane, straw, etc., used for
making hats or the like.
Plat"y (?), a. Like a plate; consisting of plates.
Plat"y- (?). A combining form from Gr. platy`s broad, wide, flat; as,
platypus, platycephalous.
{ Plat`y*ce*phal"ic (?), Plat`y*ceph"a*lous (?), } a. [Platy + Gr. &?;
head.] (Anat.) Broad-headed.
Plat`yc*ne"mic (?), a. [Platy + Gr. &?; leg: cf. F. platycnÈmique.]
(Anat.) Of, relating to, or characterized by, platycnemism.
Pla*tyc"ne*mism (?), n. (Anat.) Lateral flattening of the tibia.
Plat`y*cú"li*an (?), a. [Platy + Gr. &?; hollow.] (Anat.) Flat at the
anterior and concave at the posterior end; -- said of the centra of the
vertebrÊ of some extinct dinouaurs.
||Plat`y*el*min"thes (?), n. pl. [NL. See Platy-, and Helminthes.]
||(Zoˆl.) A class of helminthes including the cestodes, or tapeworms,
||the trematodes, and the turbellarians. Called also flatworms.
||Plat`y*hel"mi*a (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zoˆl.) Same as Platyelminthes.
||[Written also Platyelmia.]
Pla*tym"e*ter (?), n. [Platy + -meter.] (Elec.) An apparatus for
measuring the capacity of condensers, or the inductive capacity of
dielectrics.
Plat"y*pod (?), n. [Platy + - pod.] (Zoˆl.) An animal having broad
feet, or a broad foot.
||Pla*typ"o*da (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zoˆl.) Same as Prosobranchiata.
||Pla*typ"te*ra (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; broad + &?; a wing.]
||(Zoˆl.) A division of Pseudoneuroptera including the species which
||have four broad, flat wings, as the termites, or white-ants, and the
||stone flies (Perla).
Plat"y*pus (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; + &?; foot.] (Zoˆl.) The duck
mole. See under Duck.
Plat"y*rhine (?), a. [Platy + Gr. &?;, &?;, nose.] (Anat.) Having the
nose broad; -- opposed to leptorhine. -- n. (Zoˆl.) One of the
Platyrhini.
||Plat`y*rhi"ni (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; broad + &?;, &?;, nose.]
||(Zoˆl.) A division of monkeys, including the American species, which
||have a broad nasal septum, thirty-six teeth, and usually a prehensile
||tail. See Monkey. [Written also Platyrrhini.]
Plaud (?), v. t. To applaud. [Obs.] Chapman.
Plau"dit (?), n. [From L. plaudite do ye praise (which was said by
players at the end of a performance), 2d pers. pl. imperative of
plaudere. Cf. Plausible.] A mark or expression of applause; praise
bestowed.
Not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng.
Longfellow.
Syn. -- Acclamation; applause; encomium; commendation; approbation;
approval.
Plau"di*to*ry (?), a. Applauding; commending.
Plau`si*bil"i*ty (?), n. [Cf. F. plausibilitÈ.] 1. Something worthy of
praise. [Obs.]
Integrity, fidelity, and other gracious plausibilities.
E. Vaughan.