What does "sycamore" mean?
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.
Sycamore
/ˈsɪkəmoɹ/ name, noun
name, noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: 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.
- Grammar: sycamore is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: plane tree, sycamore fig, acer pseudoplatanus, american sycamore.
- Useful contrasts: grass, shrubs.
- Usage evidence: She led the way round the house to where tea was spread under the shade of a large sycamore.
How to use "sycamore"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sycamore" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sycamore" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sycamore" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sycamore" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sycamore" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "plane tree" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sycamore", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 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. US, countable, uncountable
"Stars shining bright above you / Night breezes seem to whisper, I love you / Birds singin' in the sycamore trees"
- 2 thick-branched wide-spreading tree of Africa and adjacent southwestern Asia often buttressed with branches rising from near the ground; produces cluster of edible but inferior figs on short leafless twigs; the biblical sycamore wordnet
- 3 A large British and European species of maple, Acer pseudoplatanus, known in North America as the sycamore maple. British, countable, uncountable
"The thronged boughs of the shadowy sycamore / Still bear young leaflets half the summer through"
- 4 Eurasian maple tree with pale grey bark that peels in flakes like that of a sycamore tree; leaves with five ovate lobes yellow in autumn wordnet
- 5 A large tree bearing edible fruit, Ficus sycomorus, allied to the common fig, found in Egypt and Syria. countable, uncountable
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 any of several trees of the genus Platanus having thin pale bark that scales off in small plates and lobed leaves and ball-shaped heads of fruits wordnet
- 7 variably colored and sometimes variegated hard tough elastic wood of a sycamore tree wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Talladega County, Alabama.
- 2 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Colusa County, California.
- 3 A number of places in the United States:; Former name of Herndon, California.
- 4 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Sussex County, Delaware.
- 5 A number of places in the United States:; A minor city in Turner County, Georgia.
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 A number of places in the United States:; A city, the county seat of DeKalb County, Illinois.
- 7 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Jackson Township, Howard County, Indiana.
- 8 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Kansas.
- 9 A number of places in the United States:; A minor city in Jefferson County, Kentucky.
- 10 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Ozark County, Missouri.
- 11 A number of places in the United States:; A village in Wyandot County, Ohio.
- 12 A number of places in the United States:; A census-designated place in Delaware County, Oklahoma.
- 13 A number of places in the United States:; A census-designated place in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma.
- 14 A number of places in the United States:; A town in Allendale County, South Carolina.
- 15 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Calhoun County, West Virginia.
- 16 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Logan County, West Virginia.
- 17 A number of places in the United States:; A number of townships in the United States, listed under Sycamore Township.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"She led the way round the house to where tea was spread under the shade of a large sycamore."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sycamore"?
Common synonyms include: plane tree, sycamore fig, acer pseudoplatanus, american sycamore, ebony, ficus sycomorus.
How do you use "sycamore" in a sentence?
She led the way round the house to where tea was spread under the shade of a large sycamore.
How do you pronounce "sycamore"?
Pronounced /ˈsɪkəmoɹ/.
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.