platter
UK[ˈplætə]US[ˈplætər]
n
A large, shallow dish used for serving food
n
A meal or selection of food served on such a dish
n
A rigid rotating disk on which data is stored in a hard disk drive
Etymology
The journey of 'platter' begins with the Ancient Greek adjective 'platus', meaning broad or flat. This term passed into Vulgar Latin as 'plattus', describing something flat. From there, it entered Anglo-Norman French as 'plat', evolving into 'plater' to denote a flat dish. Adopted into Middle English, the word transformed into 'plater' and later 'platter', solidifying its reference to a broad, shallow serving vessel. The modern meaning extends logically from this core concept of flatness, applying to both physical dishes and, by analogy in computing, the flat, rotating disk of a hard drive.
Analysis
The word 'platter' is a simplex word derived from the Anglo-Norman French 'plater', meaning a flat dish or plate. Its ultimate origin is the Vulgar Latin 'plattus', meaning flat, which is of Greek origin (platus). In English, the '-er' suffix is not a separate morpheme but part of the inherited word form.
Examples
The waiter brought a large platter of assorted cheeses to the table.
For the party, we ordered a seafood platter.
A read/write head moves just above the spinning platter inside the hard drive.