Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

flat

/ˈflæt/ noun

In Latin: plānus Coined: 1956 Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about flat at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A level tract of land.
the salt flats of Utah
A shallow box in which seedlings are started.
A musical notation indicating one half step lower than the note named.

adjective

Having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another.
a flat desk
Having a relatively broad surface in relation to depth or thickness.
flat computer monitors
Not modified or restricted by reservations.
a categorical denial

adverb

With flat sails.
sail flat against the wind
In a forthright manner; candidly or frankly.
he didn't answer directly

Origin

From Middle English flat, a borrowing from Old Norse flatr (compare Norwegian and Swedish flat, Danish flad), from Proto-Germanic *flataz, from Proto-Indo-European *pleth₂- (“flat”); akin to Saterland Frisian flot (“smooth”), German Flöz (“a geological layer”), Ancient Greek πλατύς (platús), Latvian plats, Sanskrit प्रथस् (prathas, “extension”). Doublet of plat and pleyt. The noun is from Middle English flat (“level piece of ground, flat edge of a weapon”), from the adjective. The algebraic sense was coined by Serre in a 1956 paper, originally as French plat.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word