Where does “plane tree” come from?
plane tree (English) comes from English plane, from Middle English plane, from Old French plane, from Latin platanus, from Greek πλάτανος, from Ancient Greek πλάτανος, from Ancient Greek πλατύς, from Proto-Indo-European pléth₂us — flat.
plane tree (English): Any of various trees of the genus Platanus
Definitions
- Any of various trees of the genus Platanus
Ancestry of “plane tree”, step by step
plane tree traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English plane
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | plane | Of a surface: flat or level; A level or flat... |
| 2 | Middle English | plane | — |
| 3 | Old French | plane | — |
| 4 | Latin | platanus | planetree, sycamore |
| 5 | Greek | πλάτανος | plane tree |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | πλάτανος | planetree |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | πλατύς | wide, broad; flat, level; broad-shouldered |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pléth₂us | flat, broad |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pleth₂- | flat |