sycamore
noun
Simple meaning
A large tree bearing edible fruit, Ficus sycomorus, allied to the common fig, found in Egypt and Syria.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
sikuhmawrSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈsɪkəmɔɹ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
british
A large British and European species of maple, Acer pseudoplatanus, known in North America as the sycamore maple.
originally
A large tree bearing edible fruit, Ficus sycomorus, allied to the common fig, found in Egypt and Syria.
A number of places in the United States
A number of townships in the United States, listed under Sycamore Township.
A minor city in Turner County, Georgia.
A minor city in Jefferson County, Kentucky.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A large British and European species of maple, Acer pseudoplatanus, known in North America as the sycamore maple.
Used this way, sycamore is a word tied to one variety of English that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a scientific use: it names something precisely within a field of study, so it appears in research and teaching more than in conversation.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Regional
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Science
- Academic writing
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
Mainly used in British English, so it may read as unusual elsewhere.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Thick-branched wide-spreading tree of Africa and adjacent southwestern Asia often buttressed with branches rising from near the ground.
Very large spreading plane tree of eastern and central North America to Mexico.
Medium-sized tree of Arizona and adjacent regions having deeply lobed leaves and collective fruits in groups of 3 to 5.
Tall tree of Baja California having deciduous bark and large alternate palmately lobed leaves and ball-shaped clusters of flowers.
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.