Pleyn

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A wide stretch of flat, open land with few trees or hills ; something easy to understand or see, without ornament or complication
2. An expanse of level, treeless ground ; characterized by being clear, direct, and free of decoration or elaboration
3. Flat, open country without significant elevation changes ; obvious to the eye or mind, and simple in form or manner

Etymology: "Pleyn" is the Middle English spelling of modern "plain," and the spelling tells you the word's oldest sense. It came into English from Old French "plain," which descends from the Latin "planus," meaning flat or level. Medieval English used it for flat ground and for anything smooth or unobstructed, and that physical sense is still visible in the modern "plain," meaning an open, level stretch of land. The same idea of flatness carried over into the sense of being clear and open to see, which gave rise to "plain" meaning obvious, and then to meanings about simplicity and honesty. Plainness of speech, dress, or food was a moral quality before it was an aesthetic one. The Latin root also produced "plane," the flat surface and the carpenter's smoothing tool, which is a relative from the same source.

Synonyms: plain, simple, unadorned

Antonyms: ornate, elaborate