English
planche
Planche comes from French planche ‘board’, from Old French planche ‘plank’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰelǵ-1‘beam, plank’uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφάλαγξ2‘line of battle, battle-array’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEphalanga2
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CEpalanca2‘slat, plank or stake’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CEplanca2‘slat, plank’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400planche2‘plank’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentplanche3‘board’
- Englishtodayplanche3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek φάλαγξ
- 2 Wiktionary, French planche
- 3 Wiktionary, English planche
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰelǵ-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek φάλαγξ‘beam, plank’uncertain
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEφάλαγξWiktionary, French planche‘line of battle, battle-array’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEphalangaWiktionary, French planche
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CEpalancaWiktionary, French planche‘slat, plank or stake’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CEplancaWiktionary, French planche‘slat, plank’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400plancheWiktionary, French planche‘plank’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentplancheWiktionary, English planche‘board’
- EnglishtodayplancheWiktionary, English planche
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵ- ‘beam, plank’
block, bulk, balcony, fulcrum, balk, phalanx, phalanges, 14 more
through Vulgar Latin planca ‘slat, plank’
Today it means
noun A position where the gymnast is horizontal and face-down, using only the hands as support.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “planche”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek φάλαγξ, French planche. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵ- / planche