plot

The story

1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*plataz
2. Old English · inherited fromplot“a plot of ground”
3. Middle English · inherited fromplot
4. English todayplot

From Middle English plot, plotte, from late Old English plot (“a plot of ground”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Proto-Germanic *plataz, *platjaz (“a patch”); or alternatively, perhaps from a rebracketing of Old English land-splott (“small portion, or plot, of ground”) taken as landes-plot (“plot of land”). Compare Middle Low German plet (“patch, strip of cloth, rags”), German Bletz (“rags, bits, strip of land”), and possibly Gothic 𐍀𐌻𐌰𐍄 (plat, “a patch, rags”). See also plat. See also complot for an influence and reinforcement of noun sense 8. Noun sense 12 is a back-formation from for the plot.

First known use, by meaning

• from 1640s The course of a story, comprising a series of incidents which are gradually unfolded, sometimes by unexpected means.
• from 1550s An area or land used for building on or planting on.
• from 1580s A secret plan to achieve an end, the end or means usually being illegal or otherwise questionable.