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

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”

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

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

Participants spend months learning how to plant orchards, raise free-range livestock and tap syrup from the thickets of maple and sycamore trees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 17, 2025

After all, the proposed new measures might not have saved the famous sycamore: its felling involved trespass onto land owned by the Northumberland National Park.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2025

Except, if they weren’t friends anymore, how did Madeline know about the journal in the sycamore hollow?

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

By arborist Rebecca Latta’s estimate, thousands of trees in Altadena have been tagged for removal: oaks, pines, sycamores, deodar cedars — trees that have canopied the town for decades.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 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 trees in question include mature cedars, maples, oaks and sycamores.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2023

A block beyond the synagogue where my father and I prayed, we made a right turn into a narrow street crowded with brownstones and sycamores.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok