plane table
- noun
- /pleɪn ˈteɪbəl/
- Specialized
:
mesa de planos
- To prepare for the mapping project, they gathered their plane table and other essential surveying tools.
Examples
-
Hunched over his plane table, his temples pounding as he draws the lateral moraines of the glacier below him, he hears his mother's voice.
Fiction book (1999) -
The surveyor set up his plane table in the field to accurately map the landscape.
-
I have a new plane table, handsome and strong.
Fiction book (1999) -
Using a plane table, the team created detailed topographical maps of the area during their expedition.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound literally combines 'plane' (flat) and 'table' (a board-like surface), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents could infer it is some kind of flat board or table. However, the specific technical function — a surveying instrument for sighting and mapping — is specialized and not predictable from the parts alone, making the overall meaning only partially transparent.
Etymology
The noun plane table comes from the simple tool it is: a flat drawing board placed on a stand so surveyors could look at the land and draw maps on the spot. Here, plane means 'flat' and table means 'a board to draw on', so the name describes the instrument and its use.
