Oxford Dictionary English

    plateau

    noun
    noun
    BrE BrE//ˈplætəʊ//
    ; NAmE NAmE//plæˈtoʊ//
    (pl. plateaux, plateaus
    BrE BrE//ˈplætəʊz//
    ; NAmE NAmE//plæˈtoʊz//
    )     Trends
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  1. 1an area of flat land that is higher than the land around it Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivehigh, broad, vast, … verb + plateaureach plateau + verboverlook something prepositionacross a/​the plateau See full entry
  2. 2a time of little or no change after a period of growth or progress Inflation has reached a plateau. Wordfindertrendboom, decline, dip, fluctuate, level off/​out, peak, plateau, plummet, slump, trend See related entries: Trends
    3.  Word Originlate 18th cent.: from French, from Old French platel, diminutive of plat ‘level’.Extra examples The children’s standard of reading seems to have reached a plateau. The summit is a windswept plateau of scattered rocks. From a narrow fringe of coastal plain, the main island rises to a central plateau.
See plateau in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic EnglishSee plateau in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
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