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plateau

A plateau is a high, flat area of land. The word has also been stretched to include a leveling off of progress––for a while the eighth graders having a sleepover were crazy, then their energy level reached a plateau.

You can see the word plate inside plateau. Think flat like a plate, or think about mountains that look like tables you could set with plates–-so flat the plates won't fall off. If you're a French speaker, this will be easier, as plateau derives from the French plat, "level."

DEFINITIONS OF: plateau

n a relatively flat highland

Synonyms:: tableland

Examples:: show 8 examples...; hide 8 examples...; Laurentian Highlands
a large plateau that occupies more than 40% of the land area of Canada; it extends from the Great Lakes northward to the Arctic Ocean; Ardennes
a wooded plateau in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France; the site of intense fighting in World War I and World War II; Najd
a central plateau region of the Arabian Peninsula; formerly an independent sultanate until 1932 when it united with Hejaz to form the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Guiana Highlands
a mountainous tableland in northern South America; extends from Venezuela into Guyana and northern Brazil; Cambrian Mountains
a rugged plateau that runs north to south through central Wales; Colorado Plateau
a large plateau to the south and west of the Rocky Mountains; abuts mountains on the north and east and ends in an escarpment overlooking lowlands to the south and west; the Grand Canyon is carved out of the southwestern corner; Llano Estacado
a large semiarid plateau forming the southern part of the Great Plains; Massif Central
a mountainous plateau in southern France that covers almost one sixth of the country

Types:: mesa, table
flat tableland with steep edges; bench, terrace
a level shelf of land interrupting a declivity (with steep slopes above and below)

Type of:: highland, upland
elevated (e.g., mountainous) land

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