: any of a genus (Platanus of the family Platanaceae, the plane-tree family) of chiefly deciduous trees with large palmately lobed leaves, flowers in globose heads, and usually scaling bark
level, flat, plane, even, smooth mean having a surface without bends, curves, or irregularities.
level applies to a horizontal surface that lies on a line parallel with the horizon.
the vast prairies are nearly level
flat applies to a surface devoid of noticeable curvatures, prominences, or depressions.
the work surface must be flat
plane applies to any real or imaginary flat surface in which a straight line between any two points on it lies wholly within that surface.
the plane sides of a crystal
even applies to a surface that is noticeably flat or level or to a line that is observably straight.
trim the hedge so it is even
smooth applies especially to a polished surface free of irregularities.
a smooth skating rink
Examples of plane in a Sentence
Noun (1)
a plane flew overhead Verb (1)planed the wood for the picnic table perfectly smooth so that no one would get splintersVerb (2)
an eagle planed effortlessly overhead, gliding on an air current Adjective
you can do these tracings on any plane surface
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Those without legal permission to remain in Mexico were then transported, some by bus and others by plane, to a migrant station in Tabasco in southern Mexico, Mexican officials said.—Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 June 2024 Anders was piloting a Beechcraft plane that plummeted into the waters off the San Juan Islands in Washington state on Friday morning, authorities said.—Riley Hoffman, ABC News, 8 June 2024
Verb
The team of workers were just planing to clean a section of Ta Prohm temple and catalog some of the stones scattered nearby, APSARA National Authority said in an April 30 news release.—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 1 May 2024 Check Aircraft Alternatives Seats and amenities can vary dramatically, even from plane to plane within a single family of jets in a particular airline's fleet.—Eric Rosen, Travel + Leisure, 22 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Plus this episode also delivers peak unhinged Lex while he's stranded on an island post-plane crash and suffering from malaria, which leads to a moment that teases his natural killer instincts that he's kept so well hidden from Clark, and the world, so far.—Christian Holub, EW.com, 16 Oct. 2021 But those cars were powered by pushrod engines with conventional cross-plane cranks.—Rich Ceppos, Car and Driver, 2 Oct. 2022 See all Example Sentences for plane
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'plane.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
Latin planum, from neuter of planus level
Verb (1)
Middle English, from Anglo-French planer, from Late Latin planare, from Latin planus level — more at floor
Noun (2)
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin plana, from planare
Noun (3)
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin platanus, from Greek platanos; probably akin to Greek platys broad — more at place
Verb (2)
Middle English, from Middle French planer, from plain level, plain
Middle English planen "to make smooth or level," from early French planer (same meaning), derived from Latin planus "level" — related to plainentry 1
Adjective
from Latin planus "level"
Verb
from French planer "to fly while keeping the wings motionless," from plain "level, plain"; so called from the fact that the wings of a soaring bird form a level surface
: a surface that contains at least three points not all in a straight line and is such that a line drawn through any two points in it lies wholly in the surface
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