| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| plateau |
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| SYLLABICATION: | pla·teau |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  pl -t  |
| NOUN: | Inflected forms: pl. pla·teaus or pla·teaux (-tz)
1. An elevated, comparatively level expanse of land; a tableland. 2. A relatively stable level, period, or state: Mortgage rates declined, then reached a plateau. | | INTRANSITIVE VERB: | Inflected forms: pla·teaued, pla·teau·ing, pla·teaus
To reach a stable level; level off: “The tension seemed to grow by degrees, then it plateaued” (Tom Clancy). | | ETYMOLOGY: | French, from Old French platel, platter, from plat, flat. See plate.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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