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

For centuries, a six-story-tall sycamore stood near this slice of land and saw empires come and go.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2025

It had a slow bearing to it, like an enormous sycamore tree.

From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill

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

He previously lived for years in San Diego County, where he ran along waterways teeming with birds among reeds, willows and sycamores.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2026

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

We went down a narrow curving road shrouded by hedges, and parked beside a clump of sycamores.

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

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