plane tree

noun

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

plane tree

noun

1. 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 calledplatan

Word History and Origins

Origin of plane tree¹

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50

Word History and Origins

Origin of plane tree¹

C14 plane, from Old French, from Latin platanus, from Greek platanos, from platos wide, referring to the leaves

Example Sentences

For reasons that are not fully understood, several hundred parrots seek evening accommodations each night in the limbs of fig and London plane trees lining a bustling stretch of Rosemead Boulevard in Temple City.

From Los Angeles Times

To this day, a magnificent plane tree crop still surrounds Artemis’ temple at Karyes.

From Salon

The design’s path, meandering downhill beneath a canopy of London plane trees and crisscrossing a stream, led viewers into a sunken oval bowl teeming with a luxurious planted garden.

From Los Angeles Times

The work began at a wrinkled grayish London plane tree next to the Walla Walla High School football field.

From Seattle Times

Not far away on the Avenue Georges Clemenceau, lined with plane trees, the préfet who heads the Hauts-de-Seine department has come to survey the wreckage that was the front of the local tax office.

From BBC