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plateau
plateau elevated, level or nearly level portion of the earth's surface, larger in summit area than a mountain and bounded on at least one side by steep slopes, occurring on land or in oceans. Some plateaus, such as the Deccan of India and the Columbia Plateau of the NW United States, are basaltic and were formed as the result of a succession of lava flows covering hundreds of thousands of square miles that built up the land surface. Others are the result of upward folding; still others have been left elevated by the erosion of adjacent lands. Plateaus, like all elevated regions, are subject to dissection by erosion, which removes greater amounts of the upland surface. Low plateaus are often agricultural regions, while high plateaus are usually fit chiefly for stock grazing. Many of the world's high plateaus are deserts. Other notable plateaus are the Colorado Plateau of the W United States, the Bolivian plateau in South America, and the plateaus of Anatolia, Arabia, Iran, and the Tibet region of China. |
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"plateau." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "plateau." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-plateau.html "plateau." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-plateau.html |
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plateau
pla·teau / plaˈtō/ • n. (pl. -teaus or -teaux / -ˈtōz/ ) an area of relatively level high ground. ∎ fig. a state of little or no change following a period of activity or progress: the peace process had reached a plateau. ∎ [as adj.] denoting a group of American Indian peoples of the plateau country of western Canada and the U.S., including the Nez Percé. • v. (-teaus, -teaued, -teau·ing) [intr.] reach a state of little or no change after a time of activity or progress: the industry's problems have plateaued out. |
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"plateau." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "plateau." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-plateau.html "plateau." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-plateau.html |
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plateau
plateau XVIII. — F. plateau, OF. platel, f. plat; see prec., -EL2.
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T. F. HOAD. "plateau." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "plateau." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-plateau.html T. F. HOAD. "plateau." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-plateau.html |
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plateau
plateau •bateau, chateau, gateau, gelato, mulatto, plateau
•de facto, ipso facto
•alto
•canto, Esperanto, manteau, panto, portmanteau
•antipasto, impasto -
•agitato, Ambato, castrato, esparto, inamorato, legato, moderato, obbligato (US obligato), ostinato, pizzicato, rubato, staccato, tomato, vibrato, Waikato
•contralto
•allegretto, amaretto, amoretto, Canaletto, cornetto, falsetto, ghetto, larghetto, libretto, Loreto, Orvieto, Soweto, stiletto, Tintoretto, vaporetto, zucchetto
•perfecto, recto
•cento, cinquecento, divertimento, lento, memento, pimiento, portamento, Risorgimento, Sacramento, Sorrento, Trento
•manifesto, pesto, presto
•concerto
•Cato, Plato, potato
•Benito, bonito, burrito, coquito, graffito, Hirohito, incognito, Ito, magneto, Miskito, mosquito, Quito, Tito, veto
•ditto • in flagrante delicto • mistletoe
•pinto, Shinto
•tiptoe
•Callisto, fritto misto
•cogito • Felixstowe • Sillitoe
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Cite this article
"plateau." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "plateau." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-plateau.html "plateau." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-plateau.html |
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