noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A small metal tablet decorated in bas-relief, usually with a design including figures.
2. 2
   The smallest closed loop, enclosing the region between four lattice sites, in lattice gauge theory.

Synonyms

All synonyms

bas reliefbosscameoembossmentglyphintaglio

Etymology

Borrowed from French plaquette (“small plaque”), allegedly coined in the 1860s.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.