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Where does the word "plateau" come from? It comes from Old French plat, passing through French before entering English (1700s).
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Where does the word "plateau" come from? It comes from Old French plat, passing through French before entering English (1700s).
Plateau’s story begins in Old French: plat meant “flat.” By medieval, the word had taken hold in French as plateau. Came to mean a flat elevated area of land. It reached English by 1700s as plateau. From Old French 'platel', a flat dish. Today, plateau means a flat highland area, or a period during which progress levels off.
- Stage 1 · Old French · medieval plat "flat", meaning "flat".
- Stage 2 · French · medieval plateau "a flat elevated landform", came to mean a flat elevated area of land.
- Stage 3 · English · 1700s plateau "a flat highland, or a period of little change", from Old French 'platel', a flat dish.