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plane tree

noun
  1. any tree of the genus Platanus, especially P. occidentalis, the buttonwood or sycamore of North America, having palmately lobed leaves and bark that sheds.
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Origin of plane tree

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for plane tree

Historical Examples

  • It is now ten years since Sami entered the plane-tree estate.

    What Sami Sings with the Birds

    Johanna Spyri

  • But let me ask you, friend: have we not reached the plane-tree to which you were conducting us?

  • From his bed he could see Grace's light kiss the plane-tree.

  • We now pass to the neck of the Violin, which is made of sycamore or plane-tree.

    The Violin

    George Hart

  • The leaf of a plane-tree, fluttering down, caught on his sleeve.

    The Dark Flower

    John Galsworthy

British Dictionary definitions for plane tree

plane tree

plane

noun
  1. any tree of the genus Platanus, having ball-shaped heads of fruits and leaves with pointed lobes: family Platanaceae. The hybrid P.  ×  acerifolia (London plane) is frequently planted in townsAlso called: platan
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Word Origin

C14 plane, from Old French, from Latin platanus, from Greek platanos, from platos wide, referring to the leaves
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012