Where does “plane” come from?
plane (Middle English) comes from Old French plane, from Latin platanus, from Greek πλάτανος, from Ancient Greek πλάτανος, from Ancient Greek πλατύς, from Proto-Indo-European pléth₂us, from Proto-Indo-European pleth₂- — flat.
Ancestry of “plane”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | plane | — |
| 2 | Latin | platanus | planetree, sycamore |
| 3 | Greek | πλάτανος | plane tree |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | πλάτανος | planetree |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | πλατύς | wide, broad; flat, level; broad-shouldered |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | pléth₂us | flat, broad |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pleth₂- | flat |