plane

¹

[ pleyn ]

noun

1. a flat or level surface.
2. Geometry. a surface generated by a straight line moving at a constant velocity with respect to a fixed point.
3. Fine Arts. an area of a two-dimensional surface having determinate extension and spatial direction or position:

   oblique plane; horizontal plane.

4. a level of dignity, character, existence, development, or the like:

   a high moral plane.

   Synonyms: stage, stratum

5. Aeronautics.
   1. an airplane or a hydroplane:

      to take a plane to Dallas.

   2. a thin, flat or curved, extended section of an airplane or a hydroplane, affording a supporting surface.
6. Architecture. a longitudinal section through the axis of a column.

adjective

1. flat or level, as a surface.

   Synonyms: flush, even, smooth

2. of or relating to planes or plane figures.

verb (used without object)

, planed, plan·ing.

1. to glide or soar.
2. (of a boat) to rise partly out of the water when moving at high speed.
3. Informal. to fly or travel in an airplane:

   We'll drive to Detroit and plane to Los Angeles.

plane

²

[ pleyn ]

noun

1. Carpentry. any of various woodworking instruments for paring, truing, or smoothing, or for forming moldings, chamfers, rabbets, grooves, etc., by means of an inclined, adjustable blade moved along and against the piece being worked.
2. a trowellike tool for smoothing the surface of clay in a brick mold.

verb (used with object)

, planed, plan·ing.

1. to smooth or dress with or as if with a plane or a planer.
2. to remove by or as if by means of a plane (usually followed by away or off ).

verb (used without object)

, planed, plan·ing.

1. to work with a plane.
2. to function as a plane.

plane

³

[ pleyn ]

noun

1. plane tree.

plane

¹

/ pleɪn /

noun

1. maths a flat surface in which a straight line joining any two of its points lies entirely on that surface
2. a flat or level surface
3. a level of existence, performance, attainment, etc
4. 1. short for aeroplane
   2. a wing or supporting surface of an aircraft or hydroplane

adjective

1. level or flat
2. maths (of a curve, figure, etc) lying entirely in one plane

verb

1. to fly without moving wings or using engines; glide
2. (of a boat) to rise partly and skim over the water when moving at a certain speed
3. to travel by aeroplane

plane

²

/ pleɪn /

noun

1. See plane tree

plane

³

/ pleɪn /

noun

1. a tool with an adjustable sharpened steel blade set obliquely in a wooden or iron body, for levelling or smoothing timber surfaces, cutting mouldings or grooves, etc
2. a flat tool, usually metal, for smoothing the surface of clay or plaster in a mould

verb

1. to level, smooth, or cut (timber, wooden articles, etc) using a plane or similar tool
2. often foll by off to remove using a plane

plane

/ plān /

Noun

1. A two-dimensional surface, any two of whose points can be joined by a straight line that lies entirely in the surface.

Adjective

1. Lying in a plane:

plane

1. A geometrical location having only two dimensions — length and width (no height). ( See coordinates and plane geometry .)

Derived Forms

• ˈplaneness, noun

Other Words From

• planeness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of plane¹

First recorded in 1400–50 plane ¹( fordef 9 ) (in the sense “to soar”); 1640–50 for noun and adjective senses; (noun) from Latin plānum “flat surface” (noun use of plānus “flat”); (adjective) from Latin plānus; first used to distinguish the geometrical senses formerly belonging to plain ¹; plane ¹( indef 5 ), shortened form of airplane, aeroplane, or hydroplane; (verb) late Middle English planen “(of a bird) to soar” (compare Middle French planer ); akin to plain ¹

Origin of plane²

First recorded in 1375–1425; Middle English noun plane, plaine, pleine, from Middle French plan(n)e, Old French plaine, plane or directly from Late Latin plāna “plane, adze,” derivative of plānāre “to smooth,” itself derivative of Latin plānus plain ¹; Middle English verb plane(n), plaine, pleine, from Middle French planer or directly from Late Latin plānāre

Origin of plane³

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English plane, plaine, from Middle French plane, Old French pleine, plane, from Latin platanus, from Greek plátanos, derivative of platýs “wide, broad, flat” (with reference to the leaves)

Word History and Origins

Origin of plane¹

C17: from Latin plānum level surface

Origin of plane²

C14: via Old French from Late Latin plāna plane, from plānāre to level

Example Sentences

The authors released a heap of the seeds down an inclined plane while a camera recorded their descent to analyze their speed and the dynamics of their movement.

From Science Daily

When John Folkes was 19 years old, he was on board a plane ordered to fly through four atomic bomb mushroom clouds.

From BBC

The plane hit multiple vehicles and a camper.

From Los Angeles Times

About 60 campaigners gathered to meet the plane when it landed at Stornoway.

From BBC

When Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash last year, Russia’s defence ministry took over recruitment in prisons.

From BBC

More About Plane

What does plane mean?

In geometry, a plane  is a flat, two-dimensional surface with an infinite height and width. It’s one of the basic concepts of geometry.

Think of a flat sheet of paper. A physical sheet of paper has three dimensions: length, width, and (a small) height. If that sheet of paper had zero height and its length and width extended forever, it would be a plane. Obviously, such a shape is theoretical—it’s used as a basis for geometric calculations.

A plane is one of several basic concepts students need to begin to understand geometry. Another is a point. Unlike a plane, it has no dimensions, such as length or width. It is found by using coordinates. A third concept is a line. Like a plane, a line also extends forever but only in two directions.

Understanding what a plane is matters because angles and two-dimensional shapes, such as squares, triangles, and circles, are represented as points, lines, and line segments on a plane. It also helps you understand three-dimensional space and three-dimensional objects, which have height as well as length and width. Plane has several other meanings, some of which have different roots. More generally, it can refer to any flat or level surface.

Why is plane important?

The first records of the word plane in a mathematical sense come from the early 1600s. It comes from the Latin plānum, meaning “flat surface,” which is a noun formed from the Latin adjective plānus, meaning “flat.”

Planes and many other basics of geometry are often credited to the Greek mathematician Euclid, who lived around the year 300 B.C. Euclid developed the idea of a plane, along with other fundamental concepts of geometry, such as points, lines, and two-dimensional shapes. All two-dimensional geometry exists on a plane. Because of this, geometry that deals with two-dimensional shapes is called plane geometry.

The other major type of geometry is solid geometry, which involves three-dimensional space and shapes, such as cubes and cylinders.

Did you know ... ?

Euclid’s conception of geometry, known as Euclidean geometry, provided almost the entire foundation of geometry for over 2,000 years until mathematicians explored non-Euclidean geometry in the 1800s.

What are real-life examples of plane?

We encounter planes all the time in everyday life, even though we might not use geometric terms to describe them.

Should I continue studying statistics or should I study plane geometry? pic.twitter.com/SxfFKgRL2i

— aq lang to si joysan (@luciengf__) May 23, 2020

Very cool moment in Plane Geometry today when some of my students starting investigating the Golden Ratio with their own proportions! They started measuring the proportion of their hand to their forearm to discover the Golden Ratio in human anatomy for themselves. #207Learn pic.twitter.com/goEYAMOSrc

— Sarah Kendeigh (@KendeighSarah) January 30, 2020

Learning Three.js by recreating Matt Shlian's sculptures. https://t.co/XKRXY1R0FE

Process so far:
Start with a plane geometry.
Subdivide it to create sculpture like geometry.
Compute normals.
Use normals to colour the faces. pic.twitter.com/JuJxKJZtaP

— Varun Vachhar (@winkerVSbecks) June 7, 2020

 

 

What other words are related to plane?

• geometry
• math
• two-dimensional
• point
• line
• axis
• coordinate

Quiz yourself!

In geometry, a plane is a two-dimensional surface with:

A. infinite width and height.
B. infinite width and length.
C. infinite length and height.
D. infinite width, length, and height.