flat

A1 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /flæt/ See IPA manual

Freq #1750

Meanings

1

adj
Smooth and level, with no part higher than another.

We need a flat surface to set up the tent.
2

adj
Lying stretched out close to a surface.

He lay flat on the floor to rest.
3

adj
Having lost its bubbles or fizz.

The soda went flat after sitting open all night.
4

noun
A wide, level area of land.

We drove across the salt flats of Utah.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · smooth and level, with no... level even

2 adj · lying stretched out close... prostrate

More boring dull noneffervescent planar plane smooth topsunfizzyuniform uninteresting

Opposites

bumpy cratered hilly rough sharp wrinkled

Word family

Forms flatlyflatnessflatsflattestflattish

Derived forms a-flataflatb-flatc-flatd-flatdemiflatdusk-flate-flatf-flatflat-bottomflat-bottomedflat-chested

Etymology

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.

flet Old English *flati Proto-West Germanic *flatją Proto-Germanic *flataz Proto-Germanic *pleth₂- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

External links

# flat

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A1
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** /flæt/
**Frequency rank:** 1750

## Meanings
1. Smooth and level, with no part higher than another.
2. Lying stretched out close to a surface.
3. Having lost its bubbles or fizz.
4. A wide, level area of land.

## Examples
- We need a flat surface to set up the tent.
- He lay flat on the floor to rest.
- The soda went flat after sitting open all night.
- We drove across the salt flats of Utah.

## Synonyms
- boring
- dull
- even
- noneffervescent
- planar
- plane
- smooth
- tops
- unfizzy
- uniform
- uninteresting

## Antonyms
- bumpy
- cratered
- hilly
- rough
- sharp
- wrinkled

## Derived Forms
- a-flat
- aflat
- b-flat
- c-flat
- d-flat
- demiflat
- dusk-flat
- e-flat
- f-flat
- flat-bottom
- flat-bottomed
- flat-chested

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: flet
- Root: *flati
- Root: *flatją
- Root: *flataz
- Root: *pleth₂-

## Etymology
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.

## AI Etymology
Flat comes 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. In current use, the main senses are “Smooth and level, with no part higher than another” and “Lying stretched out close to a surface”.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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