plaice

What it means

1. Several similar marine flatfish of the righteye flounder family Pleuronectidae:
   1. Pleuronectes platessa (European plaice), commonly found in the North Sea and Irish Sea, with smooth brown skin and red or orange spots.

      Plaice, and flat fish of all kinds, are taken from the jetties at Yarmouth; and, by taking a boat, good sport may be had chopsticking for marckerel, whiting, and haddock, large quantities of these fish being caught here by this popular method.

      1892, Ernest R. Suffling, The Land of the Broads, Stratford: Benjiman Perry, page 306

      Synonyms: plaice-fluke, Dutch plaice

   2. Hippoglossoides platessoides (American plaice), of the North American Atlantic.
   3. Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus (Alaska plaice), of the eastern North Pacific.

In a sentence

Plaice, and flat fish of all kinds, are taken from the jetties at Yarmouth; and, by taking a boat, good sport may be had chopsticking for marckerel, whiting, and haddock, large quantities of these fish being caught here by this popular method.

1892, Ernest R. Suffling, The Land of the Broads, Stratford: Benjiman Perry, page 306

Where it comes from

1. Ancient Greekπλατύς“broad”
2. Late Latinplatessa
3. Old Frenchplaiz
4. Middle Englishplayce
5. Englishplaice

Inherited from Middle English playce, plays, from Old French plaiz, from Late Latin platessa, from Ancient Greek πλατύς (platús, “broad”). See platy-, plat and flat.