planus

See also: plānus

Latin

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *pleth₂-?

Proto-Indo-European *pel-?

Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂-

Proto-Indo-European *-nós

Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₂nós

Proto-Italic *plānos

Latin plānus

From Proto-Italic *plānos, from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₂-nó-s (“flattened”) or *pleh₂-no-s, from *pleh₂- (“flat”). Between *pl̥h₂-nó-s or *pleh₂-no-s, the former option is preferable as it contains the expected ablaut grade and is fully phonologically regular. However, there are comparable Baltic forms—such as Lithuanian plónas (“thin, slender”)—that seemingly show a different ablaut-grade, though these have inner-Baltic explanations.

Further related to Latin palma, planta, plautus, palam, palātum, and likely pellō.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈpɫaː.nʊs]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈplaː.nus]

Adjective

plānus (feminine plāna, neuter plānum, comparative planior, superlative planissimus, adverb plānē); first/second-declension adjective

1. level, flat, even

   Synonym: aequus

   Antonyms: impār, inīquus

2. intelligible, clear

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

	singular				plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	plānus	plāna	plānum		plānī	plānae	plāna
genitive	plānī	plānae	plānī		plānōrum	plānārum	plānōrum
dative	plānō	plānae	plānō		plānīs
accusative	plānum	plānam	plānum		plānōs	plānās	plāna
ablative	plānō	plānā	plānō		plānīs
vocative	plāne	plāna	plānum		plānī	plānae	plāna

Derived terms

• explānō
• plānē
• plānitās
• plānitūdō
• plānō
• plānum

Descendants

• Insular Romance:
  • Sardinian: pranu
• Italo-Dalmatian:
  • Corsican: pianu
    • Sassarese: pianu
  • Istriot: piàn
  • Italian: piano (see there for further descendants)
  • Neapolitan: chiano
  • Sicilian: chianu
  • Venetan: piàn
• Rhaeto-Romance:
  • Friulian: plan
  • Ladin: plan, pian
  • Romansh: plàn, ⇒ planiv
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Northern:
    • Franco-Provençal: plàn
    • Old French: plain (see there for further descendants)
  • Southern:
    • Catalan: pla
    • Occitan: plan
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Old Leonese: lano
    • Asturian: llanu
    • Leonese: chanu
    • Mirandese: chano
  • Old Galician-Portuguese: chão
    • Galician: chan
    • Portuguese: chão
  • Old Spanish: lano
    • Ladino: yano / ייאנו
    • Spanish: llano (see there for further descendants)
• Borrowings:
  • → Asturian: planu
  • → French: plan
    • → Romanian: plan
  • → Galician: plano
  • → Mirandese: praino (semi-learned)
  • → Portuguese: plano
  • → Proto-Basque: *lanu
    • Basque: lau
  • → Spanish: plano (see there for further descendants)

Etymology 2

From Ancient Greek πλάνος (plános), itself from πλᾰνάω (plănáō, “to wander”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈpɫa.nʊs]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈplaː.nus]

Noun

planus m (genitive planī); second declension

1. a tramp, hobo, vagabond, bum
2. a cheat, impostor

Declension

Second-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	planus	planī
genitive	planī	planōrum
dative	planō	planīs
accusative	planum	planōs
ablative	planō	planīs
vocative	plane	planī

Further reading

• “planus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “planus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• "planus", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• “planus”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • level country; plains: loca plana or simply plana