From WordNet (r) 2.0 (August 2003) [wn]:
platform
n 1: a raised horizontal surface; "the speaker mounted the
platform"
2: a document stating the aims and principles of a political
party; "their candidate simply ignored the party
platform"; "they won the election even though they offered
no positive program" [syn: political platform,
political program, program]
3: the combination of a particular computer and a particular
operating system
4: any military structure or vehicle bearing weapons [syn:
weapons platform]
5: a woman's shoe with a very high thick sole [syn: chopine,
chopines, platforms]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Halfpace \Half"pace`\ (-p[=a]s`), n. (Arch.)
A platform of a staircase where the stair turns back in
exactly the reverse direction of the lower flight. See
Quarterpace.
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Note: This term and quarterpace are rare or unknown in the
United States, platform or landing being used
instead.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Platform \Plat"form`\, n. [Plat, a. + -form: cf. F. plateforme.]
1. A plat; a plan; a sketch; a model; a pattern. Used also
figuratively. [Obs.] --Bacon.
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2. A place laid out after a model. [Obs.]
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lf the platform just reflects the order. --Pope.
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3. Any flat or horizontal surface; especially, one that is
raised above some particular level, as a framework of
timber or boards horizontally joined so as to form a roof,
or a raised floor, or portion of a floor; a landing; a
dais; a stage, for speakers, performers, or workmen; a
standing place.
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4. A declaration of the principles upon which a person, a
sect, or a party proposes to stand; a declared policy or
system; as, the Saybrook platform; a political platform.
"The platform of Geneva." --Hooker.
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5. (Naut.) A light deck, usually placed in a section of the
hold or over the floor of the magazine. See Orlop.
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Platform car, a railway car without permanent raised sides
or covering; a f?at.
Platform scale, a weighing machine, with a flat platform on
which objects are weighed.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Platform \Plat"form`\, v. t.
1. To place on a platform. [R.]
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2. To form a plan of; to model; to lay out. [Obs.]
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Church discipline is platformed in the Bible.
--Milton.
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From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (19 Sep 2003) [foldoc]:
platform
Specific computer hardware, as in the phrase
"platform-independent". It may also refer to a specific
combination of hardware and operating system and/or
compiler, as in "this program has been ported to several
platforms". It is also used to refer to support software for
a particular activity, as in "This program provides a platform
for research into routing protocols".
(1994-12-07)