sycamore

American  

[sik-uh-mawr, -mohr] / ˈsɪk əˌmɔr, -ˌmoʊr /

noun

• sycamores
  plural

1. Also called buttonwood. any of several North American plane trees, especially Platanus occidentalis, having shallowly lobed ovate leaves, globular seed heads, and wood valued as timber.

2. British. the sycamore maple.

3. a tree, Ficus sycomorus, of the Middle East, related to the common fig, bearing an edible fruit.

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sycamore British  

/ ˈsɪkəˌmɔː /

noun

1. a Eurasian maple tree, Acer pseudoplatanus, naturalized in Britain and North America, having five-lobed leaves, yellow flowers, and two-winged fruits

2. an American plane tree, Platanus occidentalis See plane tree

3. Also: sycomore. a moraceous tree, Ficus sycomorus, of N Africa and W Asia, having an edible figlike fruit

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sycamores
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of sycamore

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English sicomore, from Old French from Latin sȳcomorus from Greek sȳkómoros, equivalent to sŷko ( n ) “fig” + mór ( on ) “mulberry” + -os noun suffix, apparently by folk etymology from Semitic; compare Hebrew shiqmāh “sycamore”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sycamore sycamores

A barred owl hooted and shook its feathers in a sycamore above the creek, and red-bellied cooters sunned themselves on half-submerged logs.

From Slate ● Apr. 27, 2026

Red brick buildings stand alongside towering maple, oak, birch and sycamore trees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026

The land boasts pine, sycamore, pomegranate, citrus, and California pepper trees, the listing notes, and currently features some equestrian amenities for those wishing to bring horses to their home.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 5, 2026

Outside, cantilevered decks and platforms overlook a lap pool, spa, sauna and cabana shrouded in eucalyptus, sycamore, oak and bamboo.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 29, 2026

They acquired big houses on streets named Harvard and Yale that were lined with elm, ash, sycamore, and linden and posted with signs barring all but essential wagon traffic.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Suffering most are trees "we really associate with an English garden or an English landscape", she said: oaks, sycamores, birch, limes.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

I offered my loneliness and heartbreak to the live oaks and sycamores, refuse they could make into something useful the same way they convert carbon dioxide into oxygen.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2025

If a virus or fungus were to sweep through and wipe out birch trees, the overall health of the forest would benefit from having various oaks, ashes, pines, walnuts and sycamores that remained unaffected.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 25, 2024

Today, the young trees planted 22 years ago have grown into mature sycamores and oaks, each shading a sign that bears the name of a firefighter in bold, black print.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 11, 2023

The sycamores formed a solid, tangled bower that kept out the sunlight.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

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