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Origin and history of planisphere

planisphere(n.)

"map of the heavens made by projection of a portion of the celestial sphere onto a plane surface," late 14c., planisperie, from Anglo-Latin planispherium, Medieval Latin planisphaerium, from Latin planus "flat, level" (from PIE root *pele- (2) "flat; to spread") + sphaera (see sphere (n.)). Related: Planispheric.

also from late 14c.

Entries linking to planisphere

sphere(n.)

a re-Latinized spelling, attested beginning mid-15c., of Middle English spere (c. 1300) "cosmos; space, conceived as a hollow globe about the world," from Anglo-French espiere, Old French espere (13c., Modern French sphère), from Latin sphaera "globe, ball, celestial sphere" (Medieval Latin spera), from Greek sphaira "globe, ball, playing ball, terrestrial globe," a word of unknown origin.

According to Beekes there are no certain cognates outside Greek, but the Greek word also has been borrowed into Syrian (espero), Ethiopian (spir), Armenian (sp'er), and (non-Indo-European) Georgian (spero).

From late 14c. in reference to any of the supposed concentric, transparent, hollow, crystalline globes of the cosmos believed to revolve around the earth and contain the planets and the fixed stars; the supposed harmonious sound they made rubbing against one another was the music of the spheres (late 14c.), Milton's sphery chime.

Also from late 14c. in the general sense of "a globe; object of spherical form, a ball," and in the geometric sense of "solid figure with all points equidistant from the center." The meaning "range of something, place or scene" of activity, knowledge, etc. is recorded c. 1600 (as in sphere of influence, 1885, originally in reference to Anglo-German colonial rivalry in Africa).

*pele-(2)

*pelə-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "flat; to spread."

It might form all or part of: airplane; dysplasia; ectoplasm; effleurage; esplanade; explain; explanation; feldspar; field; flaneur; floor; llano; palm (n.1) "flat of the hand;" palm (n.2) "tropical tree;" palmy; piano; pianoforte; plain; plan; planar; Planaria; plane (n.1) "flat surface;" plane (n.3) "tool for smoothing surfaces;" plane (v.2) "soar, glide on motionless wings;" planet; plani-; planisphere; plano-; -plasia; plasma; plasmid; plasm; -plasm; -plast; plaster; plastic; plastid; -plasty; Polack; Poland; Pole; polka; protoplasm; veldt.

It might also be the source of: Greek plassein "to mold," plasma "something molded or created;" Latin planus "flat, level, even, plain, clear;" Lithuanian plonas "thin;" Celtic *lanon "plain;" Old Church Slavonic polje "flat land, field," Russian polyi "open;" Old English feld, Middle Dutch veld "field."

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