Sycamore and Sycomore

Sycamore is the plane-tree of the maple family (Acer pseudo-platănus, or greater maple). The sycomore is the Egyptian fig-tree (Greek, sukomoros, sukos, a fig). The tree into which Zacchæus climbed (Luke xix. 4) to see Christ pass is wrongly called a sycamore or maple, as it was the sycomore or wild fig. The French have translated the word correctly—“[Il] montait sur un sycomore pour le voir.”