flat

English Online Dictionary. What means flat‎? What does flat mean?

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: flăt, IPA^(key): /flæt/
• Rhymes: -æt

Etymology 1

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.

Adjective

flat (comparative flatter, superlative flattest)

1. Having no variations in height.
   1. In a horizontal line or plane; not sloping.

   2. Smooth; having no protrusions, indentations or other surface irregularities, or relatively so.
   3. (slang) Having small or invisible breasts and/or buttocks.

2. Without variation in level, quantity, value, tone etc.
   1. At a consistently depressed level; consistently lacklustre.

   2. (not comparable, commerce) Of fees, fares etc., fixed; unvarying.

   3. (music, voice) Without variations in pitch.

   4. (phonetics, of a vowel) Not diphthongal; without variation in height or backness.
   5. (of colours) Without variation in tone or hue (uniform), and dull (not glossy).

      Synonym: matte

3. (figurative) Lacking liveliness or action; depressed; uninteresting; dull and boring.
   • February 16, 1833, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Table Talk

     A large part of the work is, to me, very flat.
   1. (authorship, figuratively, especially of a character) Lacking in depth, substance, or believability; underdeveloped; one-dimensional.

      Antonym: round

4. (music, note) Lowered by one semitone.
5. (music) Of a note or voice, lower in pitch than it should be.

6. Absolute; downright; peremptory.
   • 1602, John Marston, Antonio and Mellida, Malone Society Reprint, 1921, Act I, lines 324-326,^[1]

     He is made like a tilting staffe; and lookes

     For all the world like an ore-rosted pigge:

     A great Tobacco taker too, thats flat.

7. (of a tire or other inflated object) Deflated, especially because of a puncture.
9. (of a carbonated drink) With all or most of its carbon dioxide having come out of solution so that the drink no longer fizzes or contains any bubbles.
10. (wine) Lacking acidity without being sweet.
11. (of a battery) Unable to emit power; dead.
12. (juggling, of a throw) Without spin; spinless.
13. (phonetics, dated, of a consonant) Sonant; vocal, as distinguished from a sharp (non-sonant) consonant.
14. (grammar) Not having an inflectional ending or sign, such as a noun used as an adjective, or an adjective as an adverb, without the addition of a formative suffix; or an infinitive without the sign "to".

15. (golf, of a golf club) Having a head at a very obtuse angle to the shaft.
16. (horticulture, of certain fruits) Flattening at the ends.
17. (of measurements of time) Exact.

18. (homological algebra, of a module) Such that the tensor product preserves exact sequences. See Flat module on Wikipedia.Wikipedia .
19. (algebra, ring theory, of a ring homomorphism) Such that its target, regarded as a module over its source, is flat (as above).
20. (algebraic geometry, scheme theory, of a morphism of schemes) Such that the induced map on every stalk is flat (as a map of rings).

    Hyponym: faithfully flat

21. (of coffee) Having little froth and little milk.
22. (UK, slang, obsolete) Foolish; simple-minded.

Alternative forms

• flatt, flatte (obsolete)

Synonyms

• (having no variations in altitude): even, planar, plane, smooth, uniform
• (without variations in pitch): monotone
• (uninteresting): boring, dull, uninteresting; see also Thesaurus:boring
• (deflated): deflated, punctured
• (of a carbonated drink: no longer fizzes): still, unfizzy; see also Thesaurus:noneffervescent
• (of wine: lacking acidity): flabby

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “having no variations in altitude”): bumpy, cratered, hilly (of terrain), rough (of a surface), wrinkled (of a surface)
• (antonym(s) of “music: lowered by one semitone”): sharp
• (antonym(s) of “music: lower in pitch than it should be”): sharp

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Portuguese: flat

Translations

Adverb

flat (comparative more flat, superlative most flat)

1. So as to be flat.

2. Completely, firmly, or unequivocally.
3. (of accurately measured timings) Exactly, precisely.
4. (with units of time, distance, etc) Used to emphasize the smallness of the measurement.
5. (of a sentence) Without parole.
6. Completely.

7. Directly; flatly.
8. (finance, slang) Without allowance for accrued interest.

Synonyms

• (so as to be flat):
• (bluntly): bluntly, curtly
• (not exceeding): tops
• (completely): absolutely, completely, utterly

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

flat (plural flats)

1. An area of level ground (sometimes covered with shallow or tidal water).

   The hovercraft skimmed across the open flats.

   the eastern end of the salt flat; mud flat, tidal flat, flood flat

   1. (in the phrase 'the flat') Level ground in general.

      I can run on the flat but not up hills.

      The going will be easier once we're through these mountains and onto the flat.

   2. (horse racing, with 'the' or attributively, sometimes with capital) Level horse-racing ground, as contrasted with courses incorporating jumps, or the racing done on such ground.

      This horse will do better over the flat.

      flat racing, the flat season

      • 2020, Brian Sheerin, Racing Post, "Gordon Elliott maps out summer Flat campaigns for talented jumpers" (article) [2]

        In light of Horse Racing Ireland's Covid-19 contingency plan announcement, that whenever racing resumes the Flat will be given priority, Elliott has decided to keep a number of talented jumpers on the go during the summer, with a view towards a dual-purpose campaign.

      • 2021 (retrieved), racing365.com, "Flat Racing Explained" [3]

        In British horse racing, the classics are a series of horse races run over the flat (i.e. without jumps).

   3. (Australia, horse racing, with 'the' or attributively, sometimes with capital) the area in the centre of a racecourse.
3. (music) A note played one chromatic semitone lower than a natural, denoted by the symbol ♭ placed after the letter representing the note (e.g., B♭) or in front of the note symbol (e.g. ♭♪).

4. (informal, automotive) A flat tyre/flat tire.
5. (in the plural) A type of ladies' shoe with a very low heel.

6. (in the plural) A type of flat-soled running shoe without spikes.
7. (painting) A thin, broad brush used in oil and watercolour painting.
8. The flat part of something:
   1. (swordfighting) The flat side of a blade, as opposed to the sharp edge.
   2. The palm of the hand, with the adjacent part of the fingers.
9. A wide, shallow container or pallet.

10. (mail) A large mail piece measuring at least 8 1/2 by 11 inches, such as catalogs, magazines, and unfolded paper enclosed in large envelopes.
11. (rail transport, US) A railroad car without a roof, and whose body is a platform without sides; a platform car or flatcar.
12. (rail transport) A flat spot on the wheel of a rail vehicle.
13. A flat-bottomed boat, without keel, and of small draught.
14. (geometry) A subset of n-dimensional space that is congruent to a Euclidean space of lower dimension.
15. A straw hat, broad-brimmed and low-crowned.
16. A flat sheet for use on a bed.
17. (publishing) A flat, glossy children's book with few pages.
18. A platform on a wheel, upon which emblematic designs etc. are carried in processions.
19. (mining) A horizontal vein or ore deposit auxiliary to a main vein; also, any horizontal portion of a vein not elsewhere horizontal.
20. (technical, theatre, stagecraft) A rectangular wooden structure covered with masonite, lauan, or muslin, often produced in standard modules, that is used to build wall surfaces on stage. Flats can be painted and outfitted with doors and/or windows to depict a building or other part of a scene, and are a hard-surfaced alternative to a backcloth or backdrop.
21. (entomology) Any of various hesperiid butterflies that spread their wings open when they land.
22. (historical) An early kind of toy soldier having a flat design.
23. (obsolete) A dull fellow; a simpleton.
24. Short for flat ride (“spinning amusement ride”).
25. (optics) A flat (i.e. plane) mirror
26. (gambling, slang) A cheater's die with the edges shaved to make certain rolls more likely.
27. (Canadian Prairies, British Columbia) A 24-case of beer.

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “note”): sharp
• (antonym(s) of “shoes”): high heels

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

flat (third-person singular simple present flats, present participle flatting, simple past and past participle flatted)

1. (poker slang) To make a flat call; to call without raising.
2. (intransitive) To become flat or flattened; to sink or fall to an even surface.
3. (intransitive, music, colloquial) To fall from the pitch.
4. (transitive, music) To depress in tone, as a musical note; especially, to lower in pitch by half a tone.
5. (transitive, dated) To make flat; to flatten; to level.
6. (transitive, dated) To render dull, insipid, or spiritless; to depress.

Derived terms

• flat down

Etymology 2

From 1795, alteration of Scots flet (“inner part of a house”), from Middle English flet (“dwelling”), from Old English flet, flett (“ground floor, dwelling”), from Proto-Germanic *flatją (“floor”), from Proto-Germanic *flataz (“flat”), from Proto-Indo-European *pleth₂- (“flat”). Akin to Old Frisian flet, flette (“dwelling, house”). More at flet, flat₁.

Noun

flat (plural flats)

2. (chiefly British, New England, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, archaic elsewhere) A complete domicile occupying only part of a building, especially one for rent

   Synonym: (mainly US) apartment

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Portuguese: flate

Translations

Etymology 3

From Middle English flatten, from Old French flatir (“to knock or strike down, dash”), from Frankish *flattjan (“to move the palm of the hand”), from Proto-Germanic *flatjaną (“to make flat, flatten”).

Verb

flat (third-person singular simple present flats, present participle flatting, simple past and past participle flatted)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To beat or strike; pound
2. (transitive) To dash or throw
3. (intransitive) To dash, rush

Derived terms

• flatter (“hammer”)

References

Anagrams

• falt

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English flat (1931) .

Pronunciation

• (Netherlands) IPA^(key): /ˈflɛt/
• (Belgium) IPA^(key): /ˈflɑt/
• Hyphenation: flat
• Rhymes: -ɛt

Noun

flat m (plural flats, diminutive flatje n)

1. flat, apartment
2. tower block

Derived terms

• galerijflat
• flatgebouw
• studentenflat
• torenflat

Indonesian

Noun

flat (plural flat-flat)

1. flat house

Latin

Verb

flat

1. third-person singular present active indicative of flō

Middle English

Alternative forms

• flatt, flatte

Etymology

From Old Norse flatr, from Proto-Germanic *flataz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /flat/

Adjective

flat

1. level, even, smooth

Descendants

• English: flat
• Yola: vlat

References

• “flat, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse flatr.

Adjective

flat (neuter singular flatt, definite singular and plural flate, comparative flatere, indefinite superlative flatest, definite superlative flateste)

1. flat

Derived terms

• flatbrystet

References

• “flat” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse flatr.

Adjective

flat (neuter singular flatt, definite singular and plural flate, comparative flatare, indefinite superlative flatast, definite superlative flataste)

1. flat

References

• “flat” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /flɑːt/

Verb

flāt

1. first/third-person singular preterite of flītan

Portuguese

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Unadapted borrowing from English flat (“having no variations in altitude”).

Adjective

flat (invariable)

1. (surf) flat

   Synonyms: chão, plano

   mar flat ― flat sea

Etymology 2

Unadapted borrowing from English flat (“apartment”).

Noun

flat (Brazil) m or (Mozambique) f (plural flats)

1. (Brazil, Mozambique) flat, apartment

   Synonyms: (Mozambique) flate f, (Mozambique) flete f, apartamento

Scottish Gaelic

Noun

flat m (genitive singular flat, plural flataichean)

1. (Lewis, Tiree, Islay, Arran, Ross-shire, Sutherland, Argyll) saucer

   Synonym: sàsar

2. flat, apartment

Synonyms

• (saucer): sàsar

Mutation

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse flatr, from Proto-Germanic *flataz, from Proto-Indo-European *plat- (“flat”).

Adjective

flat (comparative flatare, superlative flatast)

1. flat (having no variations in altitude)

2. spineless, being a doormat, abstaining from defending one's convictions

Declension

Synonyms

• (flat): platt
• (spineless): eftergiven, mjäkig

References

• flat in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• flat in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• flat in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Anagrams

• -falt, falt