Plaque

Pronunciation

• Aus IPA: /plaːk/
• Rhymes: -aːk
• RP IPA: /plɑːk/
• Rhymes: -ɑːk
• GA IPA: /plæk/
• Rhymes: -æk
• Northern England, Scotland IPA: /plak/
• Rhymes: -ak

Origin

Borrowing from fr plaque, derivative of plaquer ("to plate"), from Middle Dutch placken ("to patch, beat metal into a thin plate"), from placke ("disk, patch, stain"), from Old Dutch *plagga ("patch"), from Proto-Germanic *plaggÄ… ("patch"). Cognate with Middle Low German placke, plagge ("small stain, scraps, rags, thin grass"), German Placken ("spot, patch"), Eastern Frisian plak, plakke ("a blow, slap"), Swedish plagg ("clothing, garment"). See plack.

Full definition of plaque

Noun

1. Any flat, thin piece of metal, clay, ivory, or the like, used for ornament, or for painting pictures upon, as a slab, plate, dish, or the like, hung upon a wall; also, a smaller decoration worn on the person, as a brooch.
2. A piece of flat metal with a writing on it, attached to a building to remind people of a person ar an event
3. (uncountable) An accumulation of biofilm, or bacteria on teeth.
4. (uncountable, medicine) Atheroma, an accumulation in artery walls made up of macrophage cells and debris containing lipids, (cholesterol and fatty acids), calcium, and connective tissue.
• 2013, Stephen P. Lownie, David M. Pelz, Stents to Prevent Stroke, As we age, the major arteries of our bodies frequently become thickened with plaque, a fatty material with an oatmeal-like consistency that builds up along the inner lining of blood vessels. The reason plaque forms isn’t entirely known, but it seems to be related to high levels of cholesterol inducing an inflammatory response, which can also attract and trap more cellular debris over time.
5. (biology) A clearing in a bacterial lawn caused by a virus.