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plane tree

See more synonyms for plane tree on Thesaurus.com
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