sycamore

• sycomore

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.[1]

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈsɪkəmɔɹ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈsɪkəmɔː/

• Audio (US)

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• Homophone: sycomore
• Hyphenation: syc‧a‧more

sycamore (countable and uncountable, plural sycamores)

1. (US) 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.

   Synonyms: planetree, plane

   Hyponym: buttonwood

   • 1931, Gus Kahn (lyrics), Fabian Andre; Wilbur Schwandt (music), “Dream a Little Dream of Me”:

     Stars shining bright above you / Night breezes seem to whisper, I love you / Birds singin' in the sycamore trees

   • 1976, Saul Bellow, Humboldt's Gift, New York: Avon, →ISBN, page 408:

     On his dark face were white sycamore patches.

2. (Britain) A large British and European species of maple, Acer pseudoplatanus, known in North America as the sycamore maple.
   • 1899, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, “The Day-Dream”, in Pictures & poems:

     The thronged boughs of the shadowy sycamore / Still bear young leaflets half the summer through

3. (originally) A large tree bearing edible fruit, Ficus sycomorus, allied to the common fig, found in Egypt and Syria.

   Synonyms: sycomore, sycomore fig, fig-mulberry

• sycophant

• sycamore in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• sycamore in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
• sycamore at OneLook Dictionary Search
• sycamore on Wikipedia.Wikipedia