{"id":4352,"date":"2026-02-21T13:53:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T13:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?p=4352"},"modified":"2026-02-21T13:57:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T13:57:19","slug":"adventures-in-etymology-plain-planes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?p=4352","title":{"rendered":"Adventures in Etymology &#8211; Plain Planes"},"content":{"rendered":"<div itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/AudioObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Adventures in Etymology &amp;#8211; Plain Planes\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2026-02-21T13:53:09+00:00\" \/><meta itemprop=\"encodingFormat\" content=\"audio\/mpeg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT2M28S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"Are the words plain, plane and plan related? Let's find out in this Adventure in Etymology.\n\n\n\nPlain [ple\u026an] as an adjective can mean:\n\n Simple, unaltered, ordinary, unsophisticated.\n Obvious, evident.\n Open, honest, candid.\n Unattractive\n Flat, leve...\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/plain-planes.mp3\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"2.5\" \/><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_7552\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-4352-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/plain-planes.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/plain-planes.mp3\">https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/plain-planes.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/plain-planes.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?powerpress_pinw=4352-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/plain-planes.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"plain-planes.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p>Are the words <strong>plain<\/strong>, <strong>plane<\/strong> and <strong>plan<\/strong> related? Let&#8217;s find out in this Adventure in Etymology.<\/p>\n<p><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/cheshireeastcouncil\/15244758366\/in\/photolist-pe8nxu-oYEqsj-oYF9aL-BhnfLW-oYF63x-atKUFJ-bxg4J5-qeCJMr-PwA3k-PdUjcF-4ujC1d-anyySJ-vLicT7-7YznWz-edWV7e-a72iQA-bHDpBa-5EtX6s-FMiD6U-a8mxBm-4Jed6U-4JebpW-6t3uBG-6xLzwr-25qa2t-6sYrUT-6xLx1v-a3CoZ-XpStB-aaBuNE-odXa4-5jbPQ-4JdRSN-Zy13B-pfTpAP-4JdMnC-4oSzY-wFAXv-dyFgXL-64woRJ-H98nkh-48PQVe-wFAYs-4puyyD-BjYxbS-8Fx2XG-ndRp6Z-EcdVjd-vtT8FL-zGkH3U\" title=\"Cheshire Plains\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/5573\/15244758366_4f90015a26_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Cheshire Plains\"\/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>Plain<\/strong> [ple\u026an] as an adjective can mean:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Simple, unaltered, ordinary, unsophisticated.<\/li>\n<li>Obvious, evident.<\/li>\n<li>Open, honest, candid.<\/li>\n<li>Unattractive<\/li>\n<li>Flat, level (<em>rare, regional<\/em>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It comes from Middle English <em>pleyn<\/em> (clear, unambiguous), from Anglo-Norman <em>pleyn<\/em> (plain), from Old French <em>plain<\/em> (plain [flat area]), from Latin <em>pl\u0101nus<\/em> (level, flat, even, intelligible, clear), from Proto-Italic <em>*pl\u0101nos<\/em>, from PIE <em>*pleh\u2082-no-s<\/em> (flattened) from <em>*pleh\u2082-<\/em> (flat) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/channel#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>As a noun, <strong>plain<\/strong> can mean:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>An expanse of land with relatively low relief and few trees, especially a grassy expanse.<\/li>\n<li>A broad, flat expanse in general, as of water.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This comes from the same roots as the adjective <strong>plain<\/strong>, but directly from Old French <em>plain<\/em> [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/plain#Etymology_2\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Words from the same roots include <strong>plane<\/strong> (flat surface), <strong>explain<\/strong>,  <strong>plan<\/strong>, <strong>palm<\/strong>, <strong>piano<\/strong>, <strong>floor<\/strong>, <strong>flat<\/strong> and maybe <strong>plant<\/strong> and <strong>field<\/strong> in English, <strong>plan<\/strong> (map, plane, plan) in French, <strong>llano<\/strong> (even, flat, level, plain) in Spanish, <strong>flor<\/strong> (thin, transparent fabric) in Swedish, and <strong>llawr<\/strong> (floor, deck, stage, platform, cellar, ground) in Welsh [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/planus#Latin\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>The word <strong>clan<\/strong> (a group of people all descended from a common ancestor; a traditional social group of families in the Scottish Highlands having a common hereditary chieftain) possibly comes from the same roots via Irish <strong>clann<\/strong> (children, clan) or Scottish Gaelic <strong>clann<\/strong> (children, clan, tribe), both of which are from Old Irish <em>cland<\/em> (children, family, plant), from Old Welsh <em>plant<\/em> (children), from Latin <em>planta<\/em> (shoot, offspring), from PIE <em>*pleh\u2082-<\/em> (flat).<\/p>\n<p>If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/uk\/cgi-bin\/webscr?cmd=_flow&amp;SESSION=aLjPfXL-vP_1gQ_U23Iz8_hSWLlhzLHPMFZrt32dIEfG8htoNFLYaPoWkv8&amp;dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8def8934b92a630e40b7fef61ab7e9fe63\">PayPal<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/omniglot\">Patreon<\/a>, or <a href=\"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/donations.htm\">contribute to Omniglot in other ways<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with <a href=\"https:\/\/blubrry.com\/services\/podcast-hosting\/?code=omniglot\">Blubrry Podcast Hosting<\/a>, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code <strong>omniglot<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.japanesepod101.com\/member\/go.php?r=759259&amp;i=b0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/images\/banners\/banner_japanesepod.jpg\" alt=\"The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com\" width=\"630\" height=\"83\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/\">Omniglot Blog<\/a>, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/\">Celtiadur<\/a> blog.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-5001128073855040\"\n   crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Blog horizontal --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n   style=\"display:block\"\n   data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5001128073855040\"\n   data-ad-slot=\"1685480124\"\n   data-ad-format=\"auto\"\n   data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n   (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/AudioObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Adventures in Etymology &amp;#8211; Plain Planes\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2026-02-21T13:53:09+00:00\" \/><meta itemprop=\"encodingFormat\" content=\"audio\/mpeg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT2M28S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"Are the words plain, plane and plan related? Let's find out in this Adventure in Etymology.\n\n\n\nPlain [ple\u026an] as an adjective can mean:\n\n Simple, unaltered, ordinary, unsophisticated.\n Obvious, evident.\n Open, honest, candid.\n Unattractive\n Flat, leve...\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/plain-planes.mp3\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"2.5\" \/><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_7553\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-4352-2\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/plain-planes.mp3?_=2\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/plain-planes.mp3\">https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/plain-planes.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/plain-planes.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?powerpress_pinw=4352-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/etymology\/plain-planes.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"plain-planes.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p>Are the words plain, plane and plan related? Let&#8217;s find out in this Adventure in Etymology. Plain [ple\u026an] as an adjective can mean: Simple, unaltered, ordinary, unsophisticated. Obvious, evident. Open, honest, candid. Unattractive Flat, level (rare, regional) It comes from Middle English pleyn (clear, unambiguous), from Anglo-Norman pleyn (plain), from Old French plain (plain [flat [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[98,124,20,56,23,6,4,50,58,158,11,109,383,1,59,133,5,28,30,7],"tags":[90,9,15,88,387,384,385,8,103],"class_list":["post-4352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventures-in-etymology","category-anglo-norman-norman","category-english","category-etymology","category-french","category-irish","category-language","category-latin","category-middle-english","category-middle-irish-gaoidhealg","category-music","category-old-french-franceis","category-old-welsh-kembraec","category-podcast","category-proto-indo-european","category-proto-italic","category-scottish-gaelic","category-spanish","category-swedish","category-welsh","tag-etymology","tag-language","tag-music","tag-omniglot","tag-piano","tag-plain","tag-plane","tag-podcast","tag-words"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4352"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4352\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4357,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4352\/revisions\/4357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}