sycamore
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Circa 1350 as Middle English sicamour, from Old French sicamor, from Latin sȳcomorus, from Ancient Greek σῡκόμορος (sūkómoros, literally “fig-mulberry”), from σῦκον (sûkon, “fig”) + μόρον (móron, “mulberry”). Possibly influenced by Hebrew שִׁקְמָה (shikmá, “fig-mulberry”).
In the 16th c. applied to the European maple (Acer pseudoplatanus), in the early 19th c. to various plane tree species introduced to North America, perhaps in analogy to their shadiness.[1]
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "GA" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈsɪkəmɔɹ/
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "RP" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈsɪkəmɔː/
Audio (US): (file) - Homophone: sycomore
- Hyphenation: syc‧a‧more
Noun
sycamore (countable and uncountable, plural sycamores)
- (US) Any of several North American plane trees, of the genus Platanus, especially Platanus occidentalis (American sycamore), distinguished by its mottled bark which flakes off in large irregular masses.
- Synonyms: planetree, plane
- Hyponym: buttonwood
- 1931, “Dream a Little Dream of Me”, Gus Kahn (lyrics), Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt (music):
- Stars shining bright above you / Night breezes seem to whisper, I love you / Birds singin' in the sycamore trees
- 1975, Saul Bellow, Humboldt's Gift [Avon ed., 1976, p. 408]:
- On his dark face were white sycamore patches.
- (British) A large British and European species of maple, Acer pseudoplatanus, known in North America as the sycamore maple.
- 1899, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, “The Day-Dream”, in Pictures & poems:
- The thronged boughs of the shadowy sycamore / Still bear young leaflets half the summer through
- (originally) A large tree bearing edible fruit, Ficus sycomorus, allied to the common fig, found in Egypt and Syria.
- Synonyms: sycomore, sycomore fig, fig-mulberry
Related terms
Translations
Platanus
|
sycamore maple — see sycamore maple
Ficus sycomorus
| |||||
Further reading
- “sycamore”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “sycamore”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “sycamore”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
sycamore on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
References
- ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “sycamore”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Latin
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English terms with homophones
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- American English
- English terms with quotations
- British English
- en:Fig trees
- en:Maples
- en:Proteales order plants