Etymology Explorer › Old French

Where does “plain” come from?

plain (Old French) comes from Latin plēnus, from Proto-Italic plēnos, from Proto-Indo-European pl̥h₁nós, from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- — to fill.

plain (Old French): full; plain; flat

Definitions

  1. full; plain; flat

Ancestry of “plain”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinplēnus—
2Proto-Italicplēnosfull
3Proto-Indo-Europeanpl̥h₁nósfull
4Proto-Indo-Europeanpleh₁-to fill

Words derived from “plain”

  • plan
  • planning
  • plain
  • plainly
  • plains
  • planner
  • floodplain
  • plainness
  • plainchant
  • preplanning
  • plainsman
  • plainspoken
  • plainsong
  • counterplan
  • planform
  • peneplain
  • planless
  • planful
  • floorplanning
  • preplan
  • groundplan
  • replan
  • subplan
  • planfulness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pleh₁- →