plane tree

noun

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

Origin of plane tree

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

Words Nearby plane tree

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use plane tree in a sentence

The sequestered spot, a seat beneath a plane tree, with a lonesome arc-lamp shining full upon it, was occupied.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol | William J. Locke
Besides the oath of Socrates, “by the dog,” he is reported to have sworn variously by the goose and by the plane-tree.
A Cursory History of Swearing | Julian Sharman
It looked altogether different now in the chequered sunlight of the plane tree.
Sinister Street, vol. 1 | Compton Mackenzie
There was a certain species of tree which grew in these countries called the plane-tree.
Xerxes | Jacob Abbott
In the plane-tree, or sycamore, this inner wrapping of the bud is a little pelisse of soft yellow or tawny fur.
A Year in the Fields | John Burroughs

British Dictionary definitions for plane tree

plane tree

noun

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 towns: Also called: platan

Origin of plane tree

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

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