A braid or pigtail: Bonita's plait of hair was dark, heavy, and it was hanging down her back.

To braid: Sallie decided to plait her hair with colored ribbons.

1. A flat and usually round dish which is used for eating or serving food: Mark had a full plate of meat and vegetables so he didn't need to have any second servings.
2. A table setting or cutlery that is made by the process of chemically or electronically bonding a thin layer of a valuable metal onto a less valuable base metal: The host set the table with the old family plate.
3. Any of large movable segments of the earth's surface that shift during an earthquake: The seismologist studied the plate in the temblor-prone area of the desert.
4. The dish which is passed among people for collections, often in a religious context: The ushers passed the plate for contributions to support the church fund.

A fold in a piece of material, often cloth, made by doubling the material over itself: The seamstress made a pleat in the belt on the coat so it would hang in an attractive style.

To create a fold: Mrs. Smart wanted to pleat the curtains carefully before hanging them up again.