A Plan Was a Flat Drawing Before It Was an Intention
A plan is a scheme for doing something. The word first meant a ground-level drawing.
A plan is a scheme for achieving something, and also a drawing seen from above. The drawing came first: French *plan* meant a ground plan, from Latin *planum*, a flat surface, and the sense of an intention grew from the architect's sheet. That is why we still speak of a *floor plan* and of something being *planned out*, both borrowing the image of laying an idea flat where it can be seen whole. The same root gives *plain*, *plane* and *explain*, which means to make flat or smooth out.
- An intention. *A plan of action.*
- A drawing from above. *A floor plan.*
- To arrange in advance. *Planning a trip.*
- Planner — one who plans. *A planner.*
- Latin — *planum*, flat. *The root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | plan | A plan. |
| Verb | plan | Planning. |
| Agent | planner | A planner. |
| Related | plain | Plain. |
| Latin | planum | A flat surface. |
- We made a plan.Intention.
- The architect drew a plan.Drawing.
- Planum means flat.Etymology.
The planum family
- Plan — a flat drawing, then a scheme
- Plain — flat open country, and unadorned
- Plane — a flat surface, and a tool for flattening
- Explain — to make flat, to smooth out
- Esplanade — a level open walk
French *plan*, a ground plan, from Latin *planum*, a flat surface, from *planus*, flat.
Which sense of plan came first?
The drawing. A plan was a ground-level view, and the sense of an intention grew out of it.
Is explain related to plan?
Yes. It comes from the same root and literally means to make flat or smooth out.