sycamore

What it means

1. UScountableuncountableAny 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

   1 more example

   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)

   Synonyms: planetree, plane

2. UKcountableuncountableA 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. countableuncountableoriginallyA large tree bearing edible fruit, Ficus sycomorus, allied to the common fig, found in Egypt and Syria.

   Synonyms: sycomore, sycomore fig, fig-mulberry

In a sentence

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)

Where it comes from

1. Ancient Greekσῡκόμορος
2. Latinsȳcomorus
3. Old Frenchsicamor
4. Middle Englishsicamour
5. Englishsycamore

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.