Sycamine
/ˈsɪkəmiːn/noun
A mulberry tree or its fruit, especially in biblical and older literary usage.
Did you know?Sycamine is an old biblical/learned word that ultimately comes from Greek, and its history is tangled with the names of both the mulberry and the sycamore, showing how ancient plant names could drift across languages like spells.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
συκάμινος (sukáminos)
“The mulberry tree; also used for its fruit.”
Late Greek / Hellenistic
Greek
συκομωρέα (sykomōreía)
“A different tree name influenced by Greek words for fig and mulberry.”
Latin
Latin
sycaminus
“A mulberry tree, borrowed from Greek learned usage.”
Old English / Medieval English
English
sycamine
“A learned or biblical term for the mulberry tree.”
Modern English
English
sycamine
“A mulberry tree, chiefly in biblical or literary contexts.”