Inside the Universes

Words with a similar base: complain, plain, plain_stitch, plainly

'plain'

[plain.n.01] as in: extensive tract of level open land

Examples:
they emerged from the woods onto a vast open plain
he longed for the fields of his youth

'plain'

[knit.n.02] as in: a basic knitting stitch

'plain'

[complain.v.01] as in: express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness

Examples:
My mother complains all day
She has a lot to kick about

'plain'

[apparent.s.01] as in: clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment

Examples:
the effects of the drought are apparent to anyone who sees the parched fields
evident hostility
manifest disapproval
patent advantages
made his meaning plain
it is plain that he is no reactionary
in plain view

'plain'

[plain.a.02] as in: not elaborate or elaborated; simple

Examples:
plain food
stuck to the plain facts
a plain blue suit
a plain rectangular brick building

'plain'

[plain.a.03] as in: lacking patterns especially in color

'plain'

[plain.s.02] as in: not mixed with extraneous elements

Examples:
plain water
sheer wine
not an unmixed blessing

'plain'

[plain.s.03] as in: free from any effort to soften to disguise

Examples:
the plain and unvarnished truth
the unvarnished candor of old people and children

'plain'

[plain.s.04] as in: lacking embellishment or ornamentation

Examples:
a plain hair style
unembellished white walls
functional architecture featuring stark unornamented concrete

'plain'

[homely.s.01] as in: lacking in physical beauty or proportion

Examples:
a homely child
several of the buildings were downright homely
a plain girl with a freckled face

'plain'

[obviously.r.01] as in: unmistakably (`plain' is often used informally for `plainly')

Examples:
the answer is obviously wrong
she was in bed and evidently in great pain
he was manifestly too important to leave off the guest list
it is all patently nonsense
she has apparently been living here for some time
I thought he owned the property, but apparently not
You are plainly wrong
he is plain stubborn

Origins

					plain (English)
├── plain (Old French (842-ca. 1400))
│   ├── planum (Latin)
│   │   └── planus (Latin)
│   │       └── πλάνος (Ancient Greek (to 1453))
│   └── plenus (Latin)
├── plainer (Anglo-Norman)
└── pleyn (English)