Geometry. a surface generated by a straight line moving at a constant velocity with respect to a fixed point.
3.
Fine Arts. an area of a two-dimensional surface having determinate extension and spatial direction or position: oblique plane; horizontal plane.
4.
a level of dignity, character, existence, development, or the like: a high moral plane.
5.
Aeronautics.
a.
an airplane or a hydroplane: to take a plane to Dallas.
b.
a thin, flat or curved, extended section of an airplane or a hydroplane, affording a supporting surface.
6.
Architecture. a longitudinal section through the axis of a column.
–adjective
7.
flat or level, as a surface.
8.
of or pertaining to planes or plane figures.
–verb (used without object)
9.
to glide or soar.
10.
(of a boat) to rise partly out of the water when moving at high speed.
11.
Informal. to fly or travel in an airplane: We'll drive to Detroit and plane to Los Angeles.
[Origin: 1400–50 for sense “to soar”; 1640–50 for n. and adj. senses; (n.) < L plānum flat surface (n. use of plānus flat); (adj.) < L plānus; first used to distinguish the geometrical senses formerly belonging to plain1; in def. 5, shortened form of airplane, aeroplane, or hydroplane; (v.) late ME planen (of a bird) to soar (cf. MF planer); akin to plain1]
Carpentry. any of various woodworking instruments for paring, truing, or smoothing, or for forming moldings, chamfers, rabbets, grooves, etc., by means of an inclined, adjustable blade moved along and against the piece being worked.
2.
a trowellike tool for smoothing the surface of clay in a brick mold.
–verb (used with object)
3.
to smooth or dress with or as if with a plane or a planer.
4.
to remove by or as if by means of a plane (usually fol. by away or off).
–verb (used without object)
5.
to work with a plane.
6.
to function as a plane.
[Origin: 1275–1325; (n.) ME (< MF) < LL plāna, deriv. of plānāre to smooth, itself deriv. of L plānusplain1; (v.) ME planen (< MF planer) < LL plānāre]
[Latin plānum, flat surface, from neuter of plānus, flat; see pelə-2 in Indo-European roots. N., sense 4, short for aeroplane.]
plane'ness n.
Word History: The plane in which we fly is properly named for a very important element of its structure—the wing that keeps it in the air. But the story behind this name is slightly complicated. To begin with, plane in the sense of "winged vehicle," first recorded in April 1908, is a shortened form of aeroplane. In June of that year plane appeared in a quotation from the London Times that mentioned one of the Wright brothers. Aeroplane, first recorded in 1866, is made up of the prefix aero-, "air, aviation," and the word plane, referring to the structure designed to keep an air vehicle aloft. Originally the plane in such contexts was imagined as flat, hence the choice of the word plane; in practice this surface must curve slightly in order to work. The word aeroplane for the vehicle is first found in 1873. The first recorded appearance of the form airplane in our current sense, which uses air- instead of aero-, is found in 1907. An American flies in an airplane while a Briton still travels in an aeroplane, but both can catch a plane.
"flat surface," 1604, from L. plantum "flat surface," properly neut. of adj. planus "flat, level, plain, clear," from PIE *pla-no- (cf. Lith. plonas "thin;" Celtic *lanon "plain;" perhaps also Gk. pelanos "sacrificial cake, a mixture offered to the gods, offering (of meal, honey, and oil) poured or spread"), suffixed form of base *pele- "to spread out, broad, flat" (cf. O.C.S. polje "flat land, field," Rus. polyi "open;" O.E., O.H.G. feld, M.Du. veld "field"). Fig. sense is attested from 1850. The verb meaning "soar, glide on motionless wings" is first recorded 1611, from M.Fr. planer (16c.), from L. planum on notion of bird gliding with flattened wings. Of boats, etc., "to skim over the surface of water" it is first found 1913.
"tool for smoothing surfaces," 1349, from O.Fr. plane, earlier plaine (14c.), from L.L. plana, from planare "make level," from L. planus "level, flat" (see plane (1)). The verb meaning "to make smooth" is c.1320, from O.Fr. planer (12c.), from L.L. planare.
"tree of the genus Platanus," 1382, from O.Fr. plane, earlier plasne (14c.), from L. platanus, from Gk. platanos, earlier platanistos "plane tree," a species from Asia Minor, associated with platys "broad," in reference to its leaves (see place (n.)). Applied since 1778 in Scotland and northern England to the sycamore, whose leaves somewhat resemble those of the true plane tree.
having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another; "a flat desk"; "acres of level farmland"; "a plane surface"; "skirts sewn with fine flat seams" [syn: flat]
noun
1.
an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets; "the flight was delayed due to trouble with the airplane" [syn: airplane]
2.
(mathematics) an unbounded two-dimensional shape; "we will refer to the plane of the graph as the X-Y plane"; "any line joining two points on a plane lies wholly on that plane"
3.
a level of existence or development; "he lived on a worldly plane"
4.
a power tool for smoothing or shaping wood
5.
a carpenter's hand tool with an adjustable blade for smoothing or shaping wood; "the cabinetmaker used a plane for the finish work"
verb
1.
cut or remove with or as if with a plane; "The machine shaved off fine layers from the piece of wood"
2.
travel on the surface of water
3.
make even or smooth, with or as with a carpenter's plane; "plane the top of the door"
planeAudio Help (plān) Pronunciation Key
Noun
A two-dimensional surface, any two of whose points can be joined by a straight line that lies entirely in the surface.
Main Entry: plane Pronunciation: 'plAn Function: noun 1 a: a surface that contains at least three points not all in a straight line and is such that
a line drawn through any two points in it lies wholly in the surface b: an imaginary plane used to identify parts of the body or a part of the skull —see FRANKFORT HORIZONTAL PLANE, MIDSAGITTAL
PLANE 2: a stage in surgical anesthesia <a light plane of anesthesia is maintained with cyclopropane —Journal of the American Medical
Association>
Flo*ta"tion\, n. [Cf. F. flottation a floating, flottaison water line, fr. flotter to float. See Flotilla.]1. The act, process, or state of floating. 2. The science of floating bodies. Center of flotation. (Shipbuilding) (a) The center of any given plane of flotation. (b) More commonly, the middle of the length of the load water line. --Rankine. Plane, or Line, of flotation, the plane or line in which the horizontal surface of a fluid cuts a body floating in it. See Bearing, n., 9 (c) . Surface of flotation (Shipbuilding), the imaginary surface which all the planes of flotation touch when a vessel rolls or pitches; the envelope of all such planes.
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Audio Help [pleyn] Pronunciation Key noun, adjective, verb, planed, plan·ing. 
