plane

1 of 2

verb

planed; planing

transitive verb

1

a

: to make smooth or even : level

b

: to make smooth or even by use of a plane

2

: to remove by or as if by planing

—often used with away or off

intransitive verb

1

: to work with a plane

2

: to do the work of a plane

planer noun

planer

2 of 2

noun

plan·​er

ˈplānə(r)

plural -s

: one that planes: such as

a

: a machine tool consisting essentially of a fixed bed, a reciprocating table to which the work is secured, and a device for holding the cutting tool stationary while each cut is taken and for moving the tool in position for the succeeding cut at the end of each cutting stroke, the power for moving the table being usually transmitted to the table from the driving shaft through a train of gears see closed planer, crank plane, openside planer, rotary planer, shaping planer

b

: a power tool for surfacing wood by means of a cutting tool that rotates across the width of the board that is fed under it

c

: a smooth-faced block of wood that is laid on the surface of type and tapped with a mallet to level the type or make a stone proof

d

: a grader with several blades to distribute and smooth earth or pavement material

e

: a worker who planes wood, stone, or metal

Synonyms of plane

Verb

• smooth
• shave

Examples of plane in a Sentence

Verb

planed the wood for the picnic table perfectly smooth so that no one would get splinters

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French planer, from Late Latin planare, from Latin planus level

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing plane

• aerospace plane
• block plane
• Cartesian plane
• complex plane
• equatorial plane
• focal plane
• half plane
• inclined plane
• jack plane
• London plane
• plane angle
• plane geometry
• plane of polarization
• plane-polarized
• plane table
• pontoon plane
• pursuit plane
• rocket plane
• tangent plane

Rhymes for plane

• ane
• bane
• blain
• brain
• cane
• chaine
• cheyne
• deign
• drain
• fain
• fane
• feign

Kids Definition

plane

1 of 5 verb

ˈplān 

planed; planing

1

: to make smooth or level especially with a plane

2

: to remove by planing

—often used with away or off

planer noun

plane

2 of 5 noun

: a tool for smoothing or shaping wood

plane

3 of 5 noun

1

a

: a surface in which a straight line joining any two points on the surface also lies completely on the surface

b

: a flat or level surface

2

: a level of existence or development

on the intellectual plane

3

a

: one of the main supporting surfaces of an airplane

b

: airplane

plane

4 of 5 adjective

1

: having no elevations or depressions : flat

2

a

: of, relating to, or dealing with planes

plane geometry

b

: lying within a plane

a plane curve

plane

5 of 5 verb

planed; planing

1

: to fly while keeping the wings still

2

: to travel by airplane

Etymology

Verb

Middle English planen "to make smooth or level," from early French planer (same meaning), derived from Latin planus "level" — related to plain entry 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

Medical Definition

plane

noun

ˈplān 

1

a

: 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

b

: an imaginary plane used to identify parts of the body or a part of the skull see frankfort horizontal plane, midsagittal plane

2

: a stage in surgical anesthesia

a light plane of anesthesia is maintained with cyclopropane

—The Journal of the American Medical Association