flat
/ˈflæt/ adjective, adverb, noun, verb
Forms flatter flattest flats flatting flatted flatt flatte
- adjective Having no variations in height. “The land around here is flat.”
- adjective In a horizontal line or plane; not sloping. “a flat roof”
- adjective Smooth; having no protrusions, indentations or other surface irregularities, or relatively so. “The surface of the mirror must be completely flat.”
- adjective (slang) Having small or invisible breasts and/or buttocks. “That girl is completely flat on both sides.”
- adjective Without variation in level, quantity, value, tone etc. “The exchange rate has been flat for several weeks.”
- adjective At a consistently depressed level; consistently lacklustre. “Sales have been flat all year, and we've barely broken even.”
- adjective (not comparable, commerce) Of fees, fares etc., fixed; unvarying. “a flat fee”
- adjective (music, voice) Without variations in pitch. “He delivered the speech in a flat tone.”
- adverb So as to be flat. “Spread the tablecloth flat over the table.”
- adverb Completely, firmly, or unequivocally. “I asked him if he wanted to marry me and he turned me down flat.”
- adverb (of accurately measured timings) Exactly; precisely. “In the mile race, Smith's time was 3:58.56, and Brown's was four minutes flat.”
- adverb (with units of time, distance, etc) Used to emphasize the smallness of the measurement. “He can run a mile in four minutes flat.”
- adverb (of a sentence) Without parole.
- adverb Completely. “I am flat broke this month.”
- adverb Directly; flatly.
- adverb (finance) Without allowance for accrued interest. “The bonds are trading flat.”
- noun An area of level ground (sometimes covered with shallow or tidal water). “The hovercraft skimmed across the open flats.”
- noun (in the phrase 'the flat') Level ground in general.
- noun (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.
- noun (Australia, horse racing, with 'the' or attributively, sometimes with capital) the area in the centre of a racecourse.
Synonyms
monotone matte deflated puncture still flabby even planar plane smooth uniform boring dull uninteresting unfizzy absolutely completely utterly bluntly curtly flatcar flatbed flat tire apartment level categoric categorical unconditional prostrate compressed
Antonyms
round bumpy cratered hilly rough wrinkled sharp high heels contrasty natural
Etymology
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 an alteration (due to Scots flatt (“a level part of a structure”)) of Scots flet, flett (“inner part of a house”), from Middle English flet (“dwelling”), from Old English flet, flett (“ground floor, dwelling”), from Proto-West Germanic *flati, 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.
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”).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Having an even and horizontal surface, or nearly so, without prominences or depressions; level without inclination; plane.
- adjective Lying at full length, or spread out, upon the ground; level with the ground or earth; prostrate; as, to lie flat on the ground; hence, fallen; laid low; ruined; destroyed.
- adverb In a flat manner; directly; flatly.
- adverb Without allowance for accrued interest. [Broker's Cant]
Etymology [Akin to Icel. flatr, Sw. flat, Dan. flad, OHG. flaz, and AS. flet floor, G. flötz stratum, layer.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “flat”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details