Word
playa
US/ˈpɫaɪə/
UK/plˈeɪɐ/
Definitions
01a dry lake bed
n. a flat area in a desert that sometimes fills with water but is usually dry and covered in salt.
n. a level, endorheic basin in an arid region that periodically fills with water which then evaporates, leaving behind silt and evaporites.
“The desert playa was so flat and white that it looked like a frozen sea.”
“Geologists studied the sediment layers of the playa to understand the historical rainfall patterns of the surrounding mountain range.”
Technical
Synonyms
02a successful person
n. a person, usually a man, who is very confident and successful at dating many people.
n. a person who is highly successful in social or romantic pursuits, often involving multiple simultaneous partners.
“He thinks he is a real playa because he has three dates this weekend.”
“The lyrics often celebrate the lifestyle of a playa, focusing on wealth, expensive cars, and romantic conquests.”
Slang · Informal
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Since 1990, Burning Man has been held on Nevada’s Black Rock playa, a gorgeous, barren stretch of dusty land that was once a prehistoric lake.” “Higher lake levels cover exposed playa, reduce dust-generating surfaces and can reduce the amount of water needed for some peripheral mitigation measures.” Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish playa (“beach”). Doublet of plage.
From a non-rhotic pronunciation of player
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/playa