LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective

plānus1

plānus (feminine plāna, neuter plānum, comparative planior, superlative planissimus, adverb plānē)
Classical[ˈpɫaː.nʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈplaː.nus]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. adjectivelevel, flat, even
  2. adjectiveintelligible, clear

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

aequus; in lignō plānō nūlla pars alta est.
plānus -a -um — in Mille Verba, Nāvāle

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Æquus · Planus · Campus

1. Æquum (from εἴκελος) denotes that which is flat, a horizontal flatness, in opposition to that which rises or sinks, to superior, inferior, and acclivis. Cic. Fam. iii. 8. Orat. iii. 6. Tac. Agr. 35. Hist. iv. 23; planum (from πλάξ) denotes ‘evenness,’ in opp. to unevenness, to montosus, saxosus. Cic. Part. 10. Quintil. v. 10, 37. 21. Hence, figuratively, æquum denotes ‘justice,’ as injustice may be considered as beginning when one part is raised above another; in the same way planum denotes clearness and distinctness, where nothing rises to interrupt the view. 2. Æquor and planities denote a flat surface with regard to its form; campus, with regard to its position, as low-lands in opp. to high-lands. (iv. 71.)

Plane · Omnino · Prorsus · Penitus · Utique

Plane means completely, in opp. to pæne, Cic. Brut. 97, 33; or vix, Att. xi. 9; omnino, altogether and generally, in opp. to partly, in some instances, with some exceptions; in opp. also to magna ex parte, Cic. Tusc. i. 1. Fam. ix. 15, or separatim, Plin. Ep. viii. 7, ὁλῶς; prorsus, exactly, in opp. to in some measure, or almost; penitus, thoroughly, deeply, in opp. to in a certain degree, or superficially, πάντως; utique [related to utcunque, as quisque to quicunque: opp. neutiquam], at any rate, in opp. to at all events, or perhaps ὁπωσδήποτε. (v. 260.)

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeplānusplānaplānum
genitiveplānīplānaeplānī
dativeplānōplānaeplānō
accusativeplānumplānamplānum
ablativeplānōplānāplānō
vocativeplāneplānaplānum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativeplānīplānaeplāna
genitiveplānōrumplānārumplānōrum
dativeplānīsplānīsplānīs
accusativeplānōsplānāsplāna
ablativeplānīsplānīsplānīs
vocativeplānīplānaeplāna

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

ut planius dicam
to express myself more plainly.
plane, aperte dicere
to speak openly, straightforwardly.
loca plana or simply plana
level country; plains.
omnem luctum plane abstergere
to banish all sad thoughts.
aliquid planum facere (Ad Herenn. 2. 5)
to demonstrate, make a thing clear.
lex iubet, vetat (dilucide, planissime)
the law orders, forbids (expressly, distinctly).

plānus, a, um, adj. for placnus; root plac-; Gr. πλακοῦς; cf. 2. plaga, planca,
I. even, level, flat, plane (class.; cf. aequor).
I. Lit.: facilis et plana via, Plaut. Trin. 3, 2, 19: cum duae formae praestantes sint, ex solidis globus, ex planis circulus aut orbis, Cic. N. D. 2, 18, 47: planum et aequabile corpus universitatis, id. Univ. 5: planus et aequus locus, id. Caecin. 17, 50: litus, Caes. B. G. 4, 23: carina, id. ib. 3, 13: pisces, flat-fish, Plin. 9, 20, 37, § 73: aedificia, quae plano pede instituuntur, on level ground, Vitr. 6, 11: postquam jacuit planum mare, Juv. 12, 62: planā faciem contundere palmā, flat, id. 13, 128.—Comp.: aditus planior, Liv. 34, 29.— Sup.: planissimus locus, Cic. Agr. 2, 35, 96. —
B. Subst.: plānum, i, n., level ground, a plain: aciem in planum deducit, Sall. J. 49, 6: per planum ire, Ov. A. A. 2, 243: cadere in plano, id. Tr. 3, 4, 17: in planum deferre aliquid, Sen. Tranq. 10, 6: castra in plano erant, Flor. 4, 12, 59: de plano, on level ground, Dig. 13, 6, 5; Aus. Grat. Act. 21: ad planiora, Vulg. Judic. 1, 34.—In partic., jurid. t. t.: e plano or de plano, on level ground, below, not on the bench, i. e. out of court, extrajudicially: aut e plano aut e quaesitoris tribunali, Suet. Tib. 33: custodiae non solum pro tribunali, sed et de plano audiri possunt, Dig. 48, 18, 18; ib. 37, 1, 3.—
II. Trop.
A. Lowly, inconsiderable, humble (post-Aug.): haec magnanimitas melius in tribunali, quam in plano conspicitur, shows better in one of high than of low station, Sen. Clem. 1, 5, 3: fortunam suam in planum deferre, id. Tranq. 10, 6: de plano, without difficulty, easily (poet.): hoc tibi de plano possum promittere, Lucr. 1, 411.—
B. Plain, clear, distinct, intelligible (class.): satin' haec sunt tibi plana et certa! Plaut. Pers. 2, 2, 1: narrationes, Cic. Top. 26, 97: conjectatio, Plin. 2, 7, 5, § 22: pol planum id quidem est, it is plain, clear, evident, Plaut. Capt. 3, 4, 32: planum facere, to make plain, clear, or intelligible, to set forth, Cic. Verr. 1, 18, 56; 2, 1, 10, § 27; 2, 1, 20, § 52; 2, 5, 64, § 165: planum facere multis testibus, id. ib. 1, 14, 40: planum facere atque probare, Lucr. 2, 932.—
C. Easy, free from danger: illam viam vitae, quam ante praecipitem et lubricam esse ducebat, huic planae et stabili praeponendam esse, Cic. Flac. 42, 105.—Hence, adv.: plānē, plainly, evenly; trop., simply, clearly, distinctly, intelligibly.
1. Lit. (class.): videre, Plaut. Trin. 4, 3, 64: scribere, id. As. 4, 1, 10: scire, id. Truc. 2, 6, 9: plane loqui, Plaut. Am. 2, 1, 30: plane et dilucide loqui, Cic. de Or. 1, 32: plane et perspicue expedire aliquid, id. Fin. 3, 5, 19: plane et Latine loqui, to speak plainly, right out, without circumlocution, id. Phil. 7, 6, 17.—Comp.: quo pacto excludi potis est planius, quam, etc., Plaut. Truc. 2, 8, 5: planius dicere (opp. dicere obscurius), Cic. de Or. 2, 80, 329: planius atque apertius dicere, id. Rosc. Com. 14, 43: quid, hoc planius egissem, si, etc., Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 10, § 27: ostendere, Plin. 18, 28, 68, § 273.—Sup.: apertissime planissimeque explicare, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 64, § 156.—
B. Transf., wholly, entirely, completely, quite (class.), Plaut. Ep. 3, 4, 55: perdidisti mulierem, id. Ps. 4, 7, 115: illam plane amo, id. Capt. 3, 4, 6: carere sensu communi, Hor. S. 1, 3, 66: quod reliquos coheredes convenisti, plane bene, you have acted quite right, Cic. Att. 13, 6, 2: illud plane moleste tuli, quod, etc., id. Fam. 3, 10, 11: non plane par, Auct. Her. 4, 20, 28: ex rebus penitus perspectis, planeque cognitis, Cic. de Or. 1, 23, 108: propemodum, vel plane potius, id. Brut. 97, 332: explicari mihi tuum consilium plane volo, ut penitus intellegam, thoroughly, id. Att. 8, 12, 1: planissime perii, Plaut. Truc. 2, 6, 67: plane perfecteque eruditus, Cic. Brut. 81, 282: plane atque omnino rem defuisse, id. ib. 59, 214: plane cum, particularly as, Inscr. Grut. 208; cf.: et plane quid rectum esset diutius cogitare malui, Cic. Att. 8, 12, 3.—
2. By all means, assuredly: eo acrius te rogo ut plane ad nos advoles, Cic. Att. 2, 24, 5 fin.—
3. In partic., in affirmative answers, certainly, to be sure, exactly so (anteclass.): ego et domi privatus sum et perii. Ge. Plane istuc est, Plaut. Truc. 2, 7, 57; id. Ps. 4, 7, 73: De. Etiam argentum est ultro objectum, ut sit, qui vivat, dum aliud aliquid flagitii conficiat Ge. Planissume, Ter. Phorm. 5, 2, 4.—
4. Besides, but (late Lat.), Dig. 9, 2, 7; 32, 1, 52.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*pleth₂-?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*pel-?
  3. Proto-Indo-European*pleh₂-
  4. Proto-Indo-European*pl̥h₂nós
  5. Proto-Italic*plānos
  6. Latinplānus

From Proto-Italic *plānos, from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₂-nó-s (“flattened”) or *pleh₂-no-s, from *pleh₂- (“flat”). Between *pl̥h₂-nó-s or *pleh₂-no-s, the former option is preferable as it contains the expected ablaut grade and is fully phonologically regular. However, there are comparable Baltic forms—such as Lithuanian plónas (“thin, slender”)—that seemingly show a different ablaut-grade, though these have inner-Baltic explanations. Further related to Latin palma, planta, plautus, palam, palātum, and likely pellō.

Borrowings
  • Frenchplan
  • Romanianplanfrom French plan
  • Portugueseplano
  • Spanishplano
  • Asturianplanu
  • Galicianplano
  • Mirandesepraino
  • Basquelaufrom Proto-Basque *lanu
Gallo-Romance
  • Catalanpla
  • Occitanplan
  • Franco-Provençalplàn
  • Old Frenchplain
Ibero-Romance
  • Portuguesechãofrom Old Galician-Portuguese chão
  • Spanishllanofrom Old Spanish lano
  • Asturianllanufrom Old Leonese lano
  • Leonesechanufrom Old Leonese lano
  • Mirandesechanofrom Old Leonese lano
  • Galicianchanfrom Old Galician-Portuguese chão
  • Ladinoyanofrom Old Spanish lano
  • Ladinoייאנוfrom Old Spanish lano
Insular Romance
  • Sardinianpranu
Italo-Dalmatian
  • Italianpiano
  • Sassaresepianufrom Corsican pianu
  • Istriotpiàn
  • Neapolitanchiano
  • Sicilianchianu
  • Venetanpiàn
Rhaeto-Romance
  • Friulianplan
  • Ladinplan
  • Ladinpian
  • Romanshplàn
  • Romanshplaniv
noun · masculinesecond declension
planus2
planus m (genitive planī)
Classical[ˈpɫa.nʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈplaː.nus]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. masculinea tramp, hobo, vagabond, bum
  2. masculinea cheat, impostor

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeplanusplanī
genitiveplanīplanōrum
dativeplanōplanīs
accusativeplanumplanōs
ablativeplanōplanīs
vocativeplaneplanī

plănus, i, m., = πλάνος,
I. a juggler, impostor, cheat (class.; cf. erro): ille planus improbissimus, Cic. Clu. 26, 72: fracto crure planum attollere, Hor. Ep. 1, 17, 59; Petr. 82.

Origins

From Ancient Greek πλάνος (plános), itself from πλᾰνάω (plănáō, “to wander”).

Quick answers

What does plānus mean in Latin?
plānus, a adjective, means “level, flat, even; intelligible, clear”.
How do you pronounce plānus?
In classical Latin, [ˈpɫaː.nʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈplaː.nus].
Where does plānus come from?
Proto-Indo-European *pleth₂-? → Proto-Indo-European *pel-? → Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- → Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₂nós → Proto-Italic *plānos → Latin plānus.