| plain | To lament; to bewail; to complain. "We with piteous heart unto you pleyne." (Chaucer) Origin: OE. Playne, pleyne, fr. F. Plaindre. See Plaint. 1. Without elevations or depressions; flat; level; smooth; even. See Plane. "The crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain." (Isa. Xl. 4) 2. Open; clear; unencumbered; equal; fair. "Our troops beat an army in plain fight." (Felton) 3. Not intricate or difficult; evident; manifest; obvious; clear; unmistakable. "'T is a plain case." 4. Void of extraneous beauty or ornament; without conspicious embellishment; not rich; simple. Not highly cultivated; unsophisticated; free from show or pretension; simple; natural; homely; common. "Plain yet pious Christians." . "The plain people." . Free from affectation or disguise; candid; sincere; artless; honest; frank. "An honest mind, and plain." Not luxurious; not highly seasoned; simple; as, plain food. Without beauty; not handsome; homely; as, a plain woman. Not variegated, dyed, or figured; as, plain muslin. Not much varied by modulations; as, a plain tune. Plain battle, open battle; pitched battle. Plain chant, molding of which the surfaces are plain figures. Plain sewing, sewing of seams by simple and common stitches, in distinct from fancy work, embroidery, etc.; distinguished also from designing and fitting garments. Plain song. The Gregorian chant, or canto fermo; the prescribed melody of the Roman Catholic service, sung in unison, in tones of equal length, and rarely extending beyond the compass of an octave. A simple melody. Plain speaking, plainness or bluntness of speech. Synonym: Level, flat, smooth, open, artless, unaffected, undisguised, frank, sincere, honest, candid, ingenuous, unembellished, downright, blunt, clear, simple, distinct, manifest, obvious, apparent. See Manifest. Origin: F, level, flat, fr. L. Planus, perhaps akin to E. Floor. Cf. Llano, Piano, Plan, Plane level, a level surface. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| plain film | A radiograph made without use of a contrast medium. (05 Mar 2000) |
| plain-hearted | Frank; sincere; artless. Plain"-heartedness. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| automatic plugger | A mechanically or electrically activated device used to provide condensing pressure in the placement of amalgam or gold foil in a cavity preparation. Synonym: automatic condenser. (05 Mar 2000) |
| back-action plugger | An instrument for condensing gold foil or amalgam in areas that cannot be reached directly. (05 Mar 2000) |
| root canal plugger | Fine-tapered root canal instrument, blunt at the tip, used for pressing or forcing a gutta percha cone into a root canal. (05 Mar 2000) |
| plugger | A dental instrument used for condensing gold (foil), amalgam, or any plastic material in a cavity, and which is operated by hand or by mechanical means. Synonym: packer, plugging instrument. (05 Mar 2000) |
| foot plugger | A plugger the shape of which resembles a foot, used for condensing gold foil; the working surface may be flat or curved in the heel-toe direction. (05 Mar 2000) |