noun
- a secret plan or scheme to accomplish some purpose, especially a hostile, unlawful, or evil purpose: a plot to overthrow the government.
- Also called storyline. the plan, scheme, or main story of a literary or dramatic work, as a play, novel, or short story.
- a small piece or area of ground: a garden plot; burial plot.
- a measured piece or parcel of land: a house on a two-acre plot.
- a plan, map, diagram, or other graphic representation, as of land, a building, etc.
- a list, timetable, or scheme dealing with any of the various arrangements for the production of a play, motion picture, etc.: According to the property plot, there should be a lamp stage left.
- a chart showing the course of a craft, as a ship or airplane.
- Artillery. a point or points located on a map or chart: target plot.
verb (used with object), plot·ted, plot·ting.
- to plan secretly, especially something hostile or evil: to plot mutiny.
- to mark on a plan, map, or chart, as the course of a ship or aircraft.
- to draw a plan or map of, as a tract of land or a building.
- to divide (land) into plots.
- to determine and mark (points), as on plotting paper, by means of measurements or coordinates.
- to draw (a curve) by means of points so marked.
- to represent by means of such a curve.
- to devise or construct the plot of (a play, novel, etc.).
- to prepare a list, timetable, or scheme of (production arrangements), as for a play or motion picture: The stage manager hadn’t plotted the set changes until one day before the dress rehearsal.
- to make (a calculation) by graph.
verb (used without object), plot·ted, plot·ting.
- to plan or scheme secretly; form a plot; conspire.
- to devise or develop a literary or dramatic plot.
- to be marked or located by means of measurements or coordinates, as on plotting paper.
noun
- a secret plan to achieve some purpose, esp one that is illegal or underhanda plot to overthrow the government
- the story or plan of a play, novel, etc
- military a graphic representation of an individual or tactical setting that pinpoints an artillery target
- mainly US a diagram or plan, esp a surveyor’s map
- lose the plot informal to lose one’s ability or judgment in a given situation
verb plots, plotting or plotted
- to plan secretly (something illegal, revolutionary, etc); conspire
- (tr) to mark (a course, as of a ship or aircraft) on a map
- (tr) to make a plan or map of
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- to locate and mark (one or more points) on a graph by means of coordinates
- to draw (a curve) through these points
- (tr) to construct the plot of (a literary work)
noun
- a small piece of landa vegetable plot
verb plots, plotting or plotted
- (tr) to arrange or divide (land) into plots
Old English plot “small piece of ground,” of unknown origin. Sense of “ground plan,” and thus “map, chart” is 1550s; that of “a secret, plan, scheme” is 1580s, probably by accidental similarity to complot, from Old French complot “combined plan,” of unknown origin, perhaps a back-formation from compeloter “to roll into a ball,” from pelote “ball.” Meaning “set of events in a story” is from 1640s. Plot-line (n.) attested from 1957.
1580s, “to lay plans for” (usually with evil intent); 1590s in the literal sense of “to make a map or diagram,” from plot (n.). Related: Plotted; plotter; plotting.
The organization of events in a work of fiction.