English
planish
Planish comes from Latin planus ‘flat’, and perhaps goes back to Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pleh₂-1‘flat’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pl̥h₂nós1reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*plānos1reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEplanus2‘flat’
- Englishearliest quotation 2014planish2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin planus
- 2 Wiktionary, English planish
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2014, P. F. Lye, Metalwork Theory: “Although much of the copperwork done in school workshops…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pleh₂-Wiktionary, Latin planus‘flat’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pl̥h₂nósWiktionary, Latin planusreconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*plānosWiktionary, Latin planusreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEplanusWiktionary, English planish‘flat’
- Englishearliest quotation 2014planishWiktionary, English planish. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2014, P. F. Lye, Metalwork Theory: “Although much of the copperwork done in school workshops…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂- ‘flat’
field, floor, palm, planet, clan, archipelago, fluke, parma, flounder, placenta, playa, palatine, lech, pelagic, placate, implacable, polonium, veld, flay, floe, purdah, plantar, planta, 45 more
through Proto-Italic *plānos
unexplainable, explainable, 10 more
through Latin planus ‘flat’
explain, plane, explanation, plain, explanatory, planar, esplanade, llano, 13 more
Today it means
verb To repeatedly hammer (a sheet of metal) so as to shape and smooth it or create a decorative indented finish.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “planish”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin planus. 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 *pleh₂- / planish