Plane Is Four Words Wearing One Spelling
A plane is an aircraft, a flat surface, a woodworking tool and a tree. All four share a root meaning flat.
A plane is an aircraft, a perfectly flat surface, a tool for smoothing wood, and a large broad-leaved tree. Flatness runs through all four: Latin *planus* means level, the carpenter's plane makes wood level, geometry's plane is a level surface, the plane tree is named for its broad flat leaves, and *aeroplane* was coined for the flat lifting surface of a wing. *Plain*, meaning simple or a flat stretch of country, is the same Latin word arriving by a different route.
- An aircraft. *Catch a plane.*
- A flat surface. *The plane of the table.*
- A smoothing tool. *A carpenter's plane.*
- A broad-leaved tree. *A London plane.*
- Latin — *planus*, level. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | plane | A plane. |
| Verb | plane | Plane the wood. |
| Adjective | planar | Planar. |
| Full form | aeroplane | Aeroplane. |
| Homophone | plain | Plain. |
- The plane landed on time.Aircraft.
- Two lines meet in a plane.Geometry.
- He planed the door to fit.Tool.
The planus family
- Plane — flat, in every sense above
- Plain — simple, or a flat stretch of land
- Explain — to make plain
- Piano — Italian, from the sense of smooth and even
- Esplanade — a levelled open walkway
Latin *planus*, flat or level. *Aeroplane* was coined in French in the 1800s from Greek *aero*, air, plus *plane*.
Plane or plain?
Plane is an aircraft, a flat surface or a tool. Plain means simple, or a flat stretch of open country.
Why is a tree called a plane?
For its broad flat leaves. Greek platanos comes from a root meaning broad, matching the same idea.