plaice

noun, plural plaice.

1. a European flatfish, Pleuronectes platessa, used for food.
2. any of various American flatfishes or flounders.

noun plural plaice or plaices

1. a European flatfish, Pleuronectes platessa, having an oval brown body marked with red or orange spots and valued as a food fish: family Pleuronectidae
2. US and Canadian any of various other fishes of the family Pleuronectidae, esp Hippoglossoides platessoides

n.type of European edible flatfish, late 13c., from Old French plaise (12c., Modern French plie), from Late Latin platessa “plaice, flatfish,” perhaps related to or from Greek platys “broad, flat,” from PIE *plat- “to spread” (cf. Sanskrit prathati “spreads out;” Hittite palhi “broad;” Lithuanian platus “broad;” German Fladen “flat cake;” Old Norse flatr “flat;” Old English flet “floor, dwelling;” Old Irish lethan “broad”); extended variant form of root *pele- (2) “flat; to spread” (see plane (n.1)).