Plaice
/pleɪs/noun
A flat fish of the family Pleuronectidae, especially one valued as food.
Did you know?Plaice ultimately comes from Latin *platessa*, linked to Greek *platys* meaning “broad,” a root that also lives in words for flatness and spread-out forms.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pleth₂-
“to be broad, flat, or spread out”
Ancient Greek
Greek
platys
“broad, flat”
Latin
Latin
platessa
“a flat fish”
Old French
Old French
plais
“plaice”
Middle English
English
plais
“plaice”
Modern English
English
plaice
“the fish plaice”