Everyday LifeGreek → English
Place
/pleɪs/noun
A particular position, area or spot.
The Greek roots
πλατεῖα
plateîa
broad street
Literally: “the broad way”
Follow a root:πλατεῖα2 words
The story of the word
Greek called a wide street ἡ πλατεῖα ὁδός, the broad way, then dropped the noun and kept the adjective. Latin borrowed it as platea, a courtyard or open space; Italian piazza, Spanish plaza, French place and English place are all that same word with the sounds worn down by use. One of the commonest words in English turns out to be a Greek adjective meaning wide.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → Old French → English
- First recorded
- 13th century
The same roots elsewhere
Other languages reached for exactly the same Greek pieces.
Same family
plazapiazzaplateauplatypus
In a sentence
Put it back in the place you found it.
This is a good place to stop for lunch.