Sycamore
/ˈsɪk.ə.mɔːr/noun
A large shade tree of the fig or maple family, depending on the species and region.
Did you know?The English word ultimately passed through Greek and Latin from a Semitic name for a fig tree, so ‘sycamore’ is a linguistic traveler, not one single tree identity.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Egyptian / Semitic
Semitic
šiqmā
“A fig-mulberry tree or related fig tree name”
Ancient Greek
Greek
sykómoros
“A fig-mulberry tree”
Latin
Latin
sycomorus
“The sycamore fig tree”
Old French
Old French
sicamore
“Sycamore tree”
Middle English
English
sicamour / sycomore
“A sycamore tree”
Modern English
English
sycamore
“A large shade tree, especially the plane tree in Britain or the American sycamore in North America”