plage
noun
ˈpläzh 
1
: the beach of a seaside resort
2
: a bright region on the sun caused by the light emitted by clouds of calcium or hydrogen and often associated with a sunspot
Did you know?
The history of plage begins with the Greek word plagios, meaning "sideways" or "oblique," and then moves over to Late Latin as plagia. It arrived on the shores of southern Italy in the form of Italian piaggia and was used of the beaches there. It became plage in French and coasted into the English language in 1888. The word acquired its "bright region of the sun" sense in the mid-20th century.
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Just weeks after Paris hosted it’s annual Open, models and IT girls have been sporting distinctly Francophile hair accessories fit for a weekend a la plage. 
Jenna Rennert, Vogue, 1 July 2017
Jenna Rennert, Vogue, 1 July 2017 Word History
Etymology
French, beach, luminous surface, from Italian piaggia beach, from Late Latin plagia, from Greek plagios oblique
First Known Use
1888, in the meaning defined at sense 1
plage
noun
as in littoral
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- littoral
- lido
- esplanade
- beach
- coast
- riverside
- shore
- seaside
- shoreline
- riverbank
- seashore
- waterfront
- coastline
- oceanfront
- riverfront
- strand
- bank
- shorefront
- seacoast
- beachfront
- coastland
- seaboard
- sand(s)