plaza
PLAH-zuh
/ˈplɑːzə/
A public square or open market area in a city or town.
Usually paved, framed by civic buildings, and acting as a central gathering place.
The story behind the word. Adopted into English from Spanish 'plaza', which derived from Latin 'platea' (broad street), from Greek 'plateia' (broad). Spanish colonial town planning mandated a central square plaza in every settlement.
Word relationships
- square: Traditional English name for an open four-sided urban area.
- piazza: Italian term for an open public space, often carrying historic architectural connotations.
- enclosure: A closed, walled-off space.
Commonly confused with
- concourse: A plaza is typically outdoors and civic; a concourse is usually indoors and transit-oriented.
Word family
- plazas (noun): Plural of plaza.
Collocations
- public plaza
- central plaza
- paved plaza
- town plaza
Example sentences
- "Tourists gathered in the central plaza to listen to street performers and enjoy open-air cafes." City tourism guide
Memory hook
PLAZA is an open PLACE for all people to gather. Plaza = Open urban square.
When not to use
Do not use for dense forest wildland or unpaved rural fields.
Fun facts
- Spanish colonial laws (Laws of the Indies) legally dictated exact geometric dimensions for central plazas across the Americas.
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