Dictionary

sycamore en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈsɪkəmoɹ/ (General-American)
• /ˈsɪkəmɔː/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio

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.

Meanings

1. (US, countable, uncountable) 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.
   • On his dark face were white sycamore patches. 1976 September, Saul Bellow, Humboldt’s Gift, New York, N.Y.: Avon Books, →ISBN, page 408:
   • Stars shining bright above you / Night breezes seem to whisper, I love you / Birds singin' in the sycamore trees 1931, “Dream a Little Dream of Me”, Gus Kahn (lyrics), Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt (music):
2. (UK, countable, uncountable) A large British and European species of maple, Acer pseudoplatanus, known in North America as the sycamore maple.
   • The thronged boughs of the shadowy sycamore / Still bear young leaflets half the summer through 1899, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, “The Day-Dream”, in Pictures & poems:
3. (countable, qualifier:originally, uncountable) A large tree bearing edible fruit, Ficus sycomorus, allied to the common fig, found in Egypt and Syria.

Forms

Deriveds

California sycamore · Arizona sycamore · sycamore tree · sycamore lace bug · sycamore maple tree

Relateds

sycophant

Synonyms

sycomore fig · sycomore · fig-mulberry · plane · planetree

Translations (85)

et plataan (Ficus sycomorus) · az çinar (Platanus) · es sicómoro (Ficus sycomorus) · fi metsäviikunapuu (Ficus sycomorus) · de Maulbeer-Feige (Ficus sycomorus) · et plaatanid (Platanus) · fi sykomori (Ficus sycomorus) · es sicomoro (Ficus sycomorus) · ru плата́н (Platanus) · it platano (Platanus) · gl sicómoro (Ficus sycomorus) · fr sycomore (Ficus sycomorus) · sw mwela (Platanus) · tr çınar (Platanus) · ru чинар (Platanus) · fr figuier sycomore (Ficus sycomorus) · tt чинар (Platanus) · fr platane (Platanus) · ar جُمَّيْز (Platanus) · gd siocamor (Ficus sycomorus) · ki mũkũyũ (Ficus sycomorus) · et plataanid (Platanus) · pt plátano (Platanus) · sw mkuyu (Ficus sycomorus) · ja エジプトイチジク (Ficus sycomorus) · unm xaxakw (Platanus) · cmn 懸鈴木 /悬铃木 (Platanus) · el πλάτανος (Platanus) · es plátano (Platanus) · pt sicómoro (Ficus sycomorus) · he שִׁקְמָה (Ficus sycomorus) · chr ᎫᏩᏧᏁᎦ (Platanus) · ja プラタナス (Platanus) · et plaatan (Ficus sycomorus) · de Sykomore (Ficus sycomorus) · uk платан (Platanus) · fi lännenplataani (Platanus) · fa چنار (Platanus) · ja スズカケノキ (Platanus) · bg черничева смокиня (Ficus sycomorus) · kmr çinar (Platanus) · ka მთის ბოყვი (Platanus) · grc πλάτανος (Platanus) · enm sicamour (Ficus sycomorus) · sh platan (Platanus) · ro sicomor (Ficus sycomorus) · bg чинар (Platanus) · pl platan (Platanus) · cmn 美桐 (Platanus) · eo sikomoro (Ficus sycomorus) · grc συκόμορος (Ficus sycomorus) · ro platan (Platanus) · he דולב (Platanus) · de Eselsfeige (Ficus sycomorus) · sh platana (Platanus) · rup paltin (Platanus) · cy sycamorwydden (Ficus sycomorus) · ja イチジクグワ (Ficus sycomorus) · ca plàtan (Platanus) · tl sikomoro (Ficus sycomorus) · gd sicamor (Ficus sycomorus) · mi hikamora (Platanus) · de Maulbeerfeige (Ficus sycomorus) · nl plataan (Platanus) · ny mkuyu (Ficus sycomorus) · chr ᎪᏧᏁᎦ (Platanus) · sh sikomora (Ficus sycomorus) · pt sicômoro (Ficus sycomorus) · ml ചിനാർ (Platanus) · nl wilde vijgenboom (Ficus sycomorus) · fi plataani (Platanus) · tr firavun inciri (Ficus sycomorus) · de Platane (Platanus) · mi hikamoa (Platanus) · ota فرعون انجیری (Ficus sycomorus) · egy n:h*t-M1 (Ficus sycomorus) · la platanus (Platanus) · tl sikomoro (Platanus) · cs platan (Platanus) · hy ժանտաթզենի (Ficus sycomorus) · mg mamankona (Platanus) · fi amerikanplataani (Platanus) · bg платан (Platanus) · mi hikamora (Ficus sycomorus) · gl plátano (Platanus)