# sycamore
## English
### Alternative forms

* sycomore

### 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.

### Pronunciation

* (General American) IPA: /ˈsɪkəmoɹ/
* (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˈsɪkəmɔː/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Homophone: sycomore
* Hyphenation: syc‧a‧more

### Noun

sycamore (countable and uncountable, plural sycamores)
* (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, “Dream a Little Dream of Me”, Gus Kahn (lyrics), Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt (music):Stars shining bright above you / Night breezes seem to whisper, I love you / Birds singin' in the sycamore trees
** 1976 September, Saul Bellow, Humboldt’s Gift, New York, N.Y.: Avon Books, →ISBN, page 408:On his dark face were white sycamore patches.
* (British) 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
* (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

#### Derived terms

* Arizona sycamore
* California sycamore
* sycamore lace bug
* sycamore maple tree
* sycamore tree

#### Related terms

* sycophant

#### Translations

Armenian: ժանտաթզենի (hy) (žantatʻzeni)
Bulgarian: черничева смокиня f (černičeva smokinja)
Egyptian: (nht f)
Esperanto: sikomoro
Estonian: plataan, plaatan (et) (archaic)
Finnish: sykomori, metsäviikunapuu
French: sycomore (fr) m, figuier sycomore (fr) m
Galician: sicómoro (gl) m
German: Maulbeerfeige f, Maulbeer-Feige f, Sykomore f, Eselsfeige f
Greek:
Ancient: συκόμορος f (sukómoros)
Hebrew: שִׁקְמָה (he) f (shiqmá)
Japanese: エジプトイチジク (Ejiputo-ichijiku), イチジクグワ (ichijikuguwa)
Kikuyu: mũkũyũ class 3
Maori: hikamora
Middle English: sicamour
Ottoman Turkish: فرعون انجیری (firʼavun inciri)
Portuguese: sicómoro m (Portugal), sicômoro m (Brazil)
Romanian: sicomor (ro) m
Serbo-Croatian: sikomora (sh) f
Swahili: mkuyu (sw)
Tagalog: sikomoro
Turkish: firavun inciri
Welsh: sycamorwydden f :

### References

* ↑ Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “sycamore”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

### Further reading

* “sycamore”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
* “sycamore”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
* “sycamore”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
* sycamore on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
* Sycamore Gap Tree on Wikipedia.Wikipedia