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Webster 1913 Edition

Plane

Plane

,
Noun.
[F., fr. L.
platanus
, Gr. [GREEK], fr. [GREEK] broad; – so called on account of its broad leaves and spreading form. See
Place
, and cf.
Platane
,
Plantain
the tree.]
(Bot.)
Any tree of the genus
Platanus
.
☞ The Oriental plane (
Platanus orientalis
) is a native of Asia. It rises with a straight, smooth, branching stem to a great height, with palmated leaves, and long pendulous peduncles, sustaining several heads of small close-sitting flowers. The seeds are downy, and collected into round, rough, hard balls. The Occidental plane (
Platanus occidentalis
), which grows to a great height, is a native of North America, where it is popularly called
sycamore
,
buttonwood
, and
buttonball
, names also applied to the California species (
Platanus racemosa
).

Plane

,
Adj.
[L.
planus
: cf. F.
plan
. See
Plan
,
Adj.
]
Without elevations or depressions; even; level; flat; lying in, or constituting, a plane;
as, a
plane
surface
.
☞ In science, this word (instead of plain) is almost exclusively used to designate a flat or level surface.
Plane angle
,
the angle included between two straight lines in a plane.
–
Plane chart
,
Plane curve
.
See under
Chart
and
Curve
.
–
Plane figure
,
a figure all points of which lie in the same plane. If bounded by straight lines it is a rectilinear plane figure, if by curved lines it is a curvilinear plane figure.
–
Plane geometry
,
that part of geometry which treats of the relations and properties of plane figures.
–
Plane problem
,
a problem which can be solved geometrically by the aid of the right line and circle only.
–
Plane sailing
(Naut.)
,
the method of computing a ship’s place and course on the supposition that the earth's surface is a plane.
–
Plane scale
(Naut.)
,
a scale for the use of navigators, on which are graduated chords, sines, tangents, secants, rhumbs, geographical miles, etc.
–
Plane surveying
,
surveying in which the curvature of the earth is disregarded; ordinary field and topographical surveying of tracts of moderate extent.
–
Plane table
,
an instrument used for plotting the lines of a survey on paper in the field.
–
Plane trigonometry
,
the branch of trigonometry in which its principles are applied to plane triangles.

Plane

,
Noun.
[F.
plane
, L.
plana
. See
Plane
,
Verb.
&
Adj.
]
1.
(Geom.)
A surface, real or imaginary, in which, if any two points are taken, the straight line which joins them lies wholly in that surface; or a surface, any section of which by a like surface is a straight line; a surface without curvature.
2.
(Astron.)
An ideal surface, conceived as coinciding with, or containing, some designated astronomical line, circle, or other curve;
as, the
plane
of an orbit; the
plane
of the ecliptic, or of the equator.
3.
(Mech.)
A block or plate having a perfectly flat surface, used as a standard of flatness; a surface plate.
4.
(Joinery)
A tool for smoothing boards or other surfaces of wood, for forming moldings, etc. It consists of a smooth-soled stock, usually of wood, from the under side or face of which projects slightly the steel cutting edge of a chisel, called the iron, which inclines backward, with an apperture in front for the escape of shavings;
as, the jack
plane
; the smoothing
plane
; the molding
plane
, etc.
Objective plane
(Surv.)
,
the horizontal plane upon which the object which is to be delineated, or whose place is to be determined, is supposed to stand.
–
Perspective plane
.
See
Perspective
.
–
Plane at infinity
(Geom.)
,
a plane in which points infinitely distant are conceived as situated.
–
Plane iron
,
the cutting chisel of a joiner's plane.
–
Plane of polarization
.
(Opt.)
See
Polarization
.
–
Plane of projection
.
(a)
The plane on which the projection is made, corresponding to the perspective plane in perspective; – called also principal plane.
(b)
(Descriptive Geom.)
One of the planes to which points are referred for the purpose of determining their relative position in space.
–
Plane of refraction
or
Plane of reflection
(Opt.)
,
the plane in which lie both the incident ray and the refracted or reflected ray.

Plane

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Planed
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Planing
.]
[Cf. F.
planer
, L.
planare
, fr.
planus
. See
Plane
,
Adj.
,
Plain
,
Adj.
, and cf.
Planish
.]
1.
To make smooth; to level; to pare off the inequalities of the surface of, as of a board or other piece of wood, by the use of a plane;
as, to
plane
a plank
.
2.
To efface or remove.
He
planed
away the names . . . written on his tables.
Chaucer.
3.
Figuratively, to make plain or smooth.
[R.]
What student came but that you
planed
her path.
Tennyson.

Webster 1828 Edition

Plane

PLANE

,
Noun.
[from L. planus. See Plain.] In geometry, an even or level surface, like plain in popular language.
1.
In astronomy, an imaginary surface supposed to pass through any of the curves described on the celestial sphere; as the plane of the ecliptic; the plane of a planet's orbit; the plane of a great circle.
2.
In mechanics. [See Plain figure.]
3.
In joinery and cabinet work, an instrument consisting of a smooth piece of wood, with an aperture, through which passes obliquely a piece of edged steel or chisel, used in paring or smoothing boards or wood of any kind.

PLANE

,
Verb.
T.
To make smooth; to pare off the inequalities of the surface of a board or other piece of wood by the use of a plane.
1.
To free from inequalities of surface.

Definition 2024

Plane

Plane

See also: plane, pláne, plané, plañe, and Pläne

German

Noun

Plane f ‎(genitive Plane, plural Planen)

  1. tarpaulin
  2. awning

Synonyms

  • Abdeckplane
  • Wagenplane
  • Zeltplane

plane

plane

See also: Plane, pláne, plané, plañe, and Pläne

English

Adjective

plane ‎(comparative planer, superlative planest)

  1. Of a surface: flat or level.
Translations

Noun

plane ‎(plural planes)

  1. A level or flat surface.
  2. (geometry) A flat surface extending infinitely in all directions (e.g. horizontal or vertical plane).
  3. A level of existence or development. (eg, astral plane)
  4. A roughly flat, thin, often moveable structure used to create lateral force by the flow of air or water over its surface, found on aircraft, submarines, etc.
  5. (computing, Unicode) Any of a number of designated ranges of sequential code points.
  6. (anatomy) An imaginary plane which divides the body into two portions.
Hyponyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French, from Late Latin plana ‎(“planing tool”), from plano ‎(“to level”)

Noun

a rebate plane

plane ‎(plural planes)

  1. (countable) A tool for smoothing wood by removing thin layers from the surface.
Translations
See also

Verb

plane ‎(third-person singular simple present planes, present participle planing, simple past and past participle planed)

  1. (transitive) To smooth (wood) with a plane.
Translations

Etymology 3

Abbreviated from aeroplane.

Noun

plane ‎(plural planes)

  1. An airplane; an aeroplane.
    • 2013 September 6, Tom Cheshire, “Solar-powered travel”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 13, page 34:
      The plane is travelling impossibly slowly – 30km an hour – when it gently noses up and leaves the ground. With air beneath them, the rangy wings seem to gain strength; the fuselage that on the ground seemed flimsy becomes elegant, like a crane vaunting in flight. It seems not to fly, though, so much as float.
Derived terms
Translations

Verb

plane ‎(third-person singular simple present planes, present participle planing, simple past and past participle planed)

  1. (nautical) To move in a way that lifts the bow of a boat out of the water.
  2. To glide or soar.
Translations

Etymology 4

From Old French plane, from Latin platanus, from Ancient Greek πλάτανος ‎(plátanos), from πλατύς ‎(platús, “wide, broad”).

Noun

plane ‎(plural planes)

  1. (countable) A deciduous tree of the genus Platanus.
  2. (Northern UK) A sycamore.
Translations
Derived terms

Anagrams

French

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /plan/
  • Homophone: planes

Adjective

plane

  1. feminine singular of plan

Verb

plane

  1. first-person singular present indicative of planer
  2. third-person singular present indicative of planer
  3. first-person singular present subjunctive of planer
  4. first-person singular present subjunctive of planer
  5. second-person singular imperative of planer

Anagrams

German

Verb

plane

  1. First-person singular present of planen.
  2. First-person singular subjunctive I of planen.
  3. Third-person singular subjunctive I of planen.
  4. Imperative singular of planen.

Latin

Etymology

From plānus ‎(“intelligible, clear”).

Pronunciation

  • (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈplaː.neː/, [ˈpɫaː.neː]

Adverb

plānē ‎(not comparable)

  1. distinctly, intelligibly
  2. wholly, quite, thoroughly
  3. (in answering) certainly, absolutely, by all reason, beyond a doubt

Related terms

Descendants

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

plane

  1. singular definite of plan
  2. plural of plan

Portuguese

Verb

plane

  1. first-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of planar
  2. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present subjunctive of planar
  3. third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of planar
  4. third-person singular (você) negative imperative of planar

Swedish

Adjective

plane

  1. absolute definite natural masculine form of plan.

Pronunciation

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