plane 
let* the height of Ibe plant' In proportion to IU length, or 
the lew the angle u( inclination, the greater the mechan- 
ical effect. By the Inclined plane a given weight may he 
ralxd to a given elevation with lew expense of force than 
would be required to raise It perpendicularly to the same 
elevation. The name ineiine<l tane it sometimes loosely 
applied to a ihort railroad of steep grade, where the can 
are drawn up the incline by means of a wire rope moved 
by a stationary engine at the top of the slope, or where 
special forms of rail and engine are used to overcome the 
grade. The Inclined plane of Mahanoy, I'ennsylvanla, is 
an example of the first, the Mount Washington Railroad, 
New Hampshire, of the second. Inclined pUtnes have been 
used to lift canal l>oaU from one level to another, and more 
receutly, as at Cincinnati and at Hoboken, New Jersey, for 
lifting street-can and passengers. Index of a plane. 
See <M<*. Meckel'8 Plane, the plancoftheanricnlar and 
alveolar point*. Median, mesial plane. See the adjec- 
tives. - Merkel's plane, the plane of the auricular points 
and the lower lx,rdrr of the orbits. Metatatlc plane, 
a plane which contains two metatatic principal axes. 
Naso-iniac plane, the plane of the nasion and the Inlon, 
perpendicular to the median plane. Naao-opisthiac 
plane, the plane of the nasion and the opisthion, perpen- 
dicular to the median plane. Nuchal plane, the surface 
of the occipital bone between the superior curved line and 
the foramen magnum. Objective, oblique, original 
plane. See the adjectives. Occipital plane, the sur- 
face of the occipital bone above the superior curved line. 
Orbital plane, the orbital surface of the superior max- 
illary bone. Osculating plane. See oKulate. Pala- 
tine plane of Barclay, in craniom., the plane tangent 
U> the arch of the palate along the middle line. Pencil 
of planes. Seepraeai. Perspective plane. See per- 
nxctive. Pitch of a plane, see pilch i . Plane at In- 
finity. See infinity, 8. Plane of Aeby, the plane of the 
nasion and the basion, perpendicular to the median plane. 
Plane of Baer, in cranium. , the plane determined by 
the superior border of the zygomatlc arches. Plane Of 
Blumenbach. in craniom., the horizontal plane upon 
which the skull, without the mandible, rests. Plane Of 
Busk, the plane of the bregma and the auricular points. 
Plane of comparison, in fart., a datum-plane; a hori- 
zontal plane pawing through the highest or lowest part 
of a fortification or its site, Plane of Daubenton, the 
plane of the opisthlon and the inferior border of the orbits. 
Plane Of defilade, in ton., a plane passing through the 
interior crest or the highest point of a work, and paral- 
lel to the plane of site. Plane Of flotation. See flotation. 
Plane of mastication, the plane tangent to the mas- 
ticating surface of the teeth of the upper jaw. Plane of 
Morton, the plane passing through the most prominent 
points of the occipital and parietal protuberances. Plane 
of polarization. See polarization. Plane of projec- 
tion. Same as perspective, plant. Plane of Rolle, the 
plane of the auricular and the alveolar points. Plane Of 
the ischium, in obetet., the lateral wall of the true pelvis, 
extending from the Iliopectineal line to the end of the is- 
chlal tulierosity, and including small partsof the ilium ami 
puhis. Plane Of the picture. Ssaneaaperxpectivf plane. 
Polar curve of a plane. See polar. Polar plane of 
a point. See polar. Pole of a plane. See jwfea. 
Popliteal plane, the popliteal surface of the femur. 
Primitive plane. See prnnitive. Prismatic planes. 
See priimatie. Sagittal plane, the median longitudinal 
and vertical plane of bilateral animals: so called because 
the sagittal suture of the skull lies in this plane. Tem- 
poral plane, the temporal surface of the cranium. TO 
detail on the plane. See detail. Twinning-plane. 
See ttrin. =8yn. 1. See plaint, n. 
plane 1 (plan), r. t. ; pret. and pp. planed, ppr. 
jilaning. [<.plane^,a. Cf.jrffiinf andj>?fiiic>,r., 
ult. tho same word.] To make plane or smooth ; 
make clear. 
What student came but that you leaned her path 
To Lady Psyche? Tmnywn, Princess, iv. 
plane 2 (plan), r. t. ; pret. and pp. planed, ppr. 
planing. [< ME.nfcmen, < OF. (and F.) planer 
= It. pianare, < LL. planare, plane (with n cut- 
ting-tool), make level, < L. planx.i, level: see 
planei.] 1. To make smooth, especially by 
the use of a plane : as, to plane wood. 2f. To 
rub out ; erase. 
He planed awey the names cverichon 
That he blforn had wrlten hi his tables. 
Chaucer, Summoncr's Tale, 1. SO. 
plane 2 (plan), w. [< F. plane, a carpenters' 
tool, < ML. plana, a carpenters' tool, < LL. 
planare, plane (with a cutting-tool), make 
level: see plane?, r.] 1. A tool for paring, 
smoothing, truing, and finishing woodwork. 
The essential parts of a plane are a stock or frame of 
wood or metal, having a smooth, concave, or convex base 
or sole, and a throat In which is placed a steel cutter called 
the plant-iron orbit. Various devices are used to keep the 
bit in position in the stock, the most simple and common 
being a wedge of wood. Planes are made In a great variety 
of shapes and sizes, and range from 1 to 72 Inches in length. 
Nearly all are distinguished by names having reference to 
the particular kind of work for which they are designed, as 
the edge-plane, mohtinff.plane,tuvinmoothing-plane. Ilanes 
are also used for truing soft metal surfaces. Plane Irons are 
Inserted In their stocks at various pitches or angle*, ac- 
cording to the duty they are to perform. Common pitch, 
or 46* from the horizontal line. Is used In all bench-planes 
for soft woods. The pitch Is Increased with the hanlm >i 
of the material to be worked. See jwteAl and plane itock, 
and cut In next column. 
2. A metallic gage or test for a true surface; 
a t rue plane or plane surface ; a surface-plate. 
3. An instrument, resembling a plasterers' 
trowel, u sed by brickmakers for striking off clay 
projecting above the top of the mold. Box- 
llipped plane. :i plane provided with slips of l,\,-,,i 
U) afford a inure durable wearing surface. Circular 
I.VJS 
Planes. 
a. plane-iron; A, wooden wedge for front of iron as used in t and <r"; 
r. fore-plane: <t, smoother-plane ; e, jointer-plane; .A Iron jack -plane; 
e, iron block-plane ; A, wooden Jack-plane ; ,', wooden block-plane. 
plane, a plane having a steel sole which is flexible and can 
be adjusted to the required arc. Alsocalledrounrf.pfanr'and 
rounding-plane. Combination plane. See combination. 
Concave plane. Same as compatt-plane. Coopers' 
plane, a long plane set obliquely, with the sole upward, 
used for jointing staves. Also called jointer. Dovetail- 
plane, a side rabbet-plane having a very narrow sole, so 
that it can be used to dress the sides of dovetail-tenons or 
-mortises. Pork-staff plane, a plane used by joiners for 
working convex or cylindrical surfaces. Hollow plane, & 
molding-plane with a convex sole. Joiners' plane. See 
joiner. Long plane, a joiners' plane 27 inches long, used 
when a piece of stuff is to be planed very true. E. H. 
Knight. Mouth of a plane. See mouth. Round- 
nosed plane, in joinery, a bench-plane with a rounded 
sole, used for coarse work. Round plane, a round-soled 
plane used for making beads, stair-rafls, and other rounded 
work. Also called rounding-plane. Scale-board plane, 
a plane for splitting off from a block the wide, thin cnips or 
sheets of wood for making a usual form of hat-box, etc. 
It is either pulled or driven over the stuff, the thickness of 
each shaving or scale-board depending upon the projection 
of the iron. Sometimes the iron is fixed and the wood is 
drawn over it, the scale-board dropping down through an 
opening in the bench. Also called ncabbard-plane. (See 
also bench-plane, block-plane, fore-plane, jack-plane, rabbet- 
iilane, trying plane.) 
ane 3 (plan), n. [< ME. plane, < OF. plane, 
"F. plane, also platane = Sp. pldtaHo = Pg. It. 
platano, < ii.platanus, < Gr. Kt.aravo^, the plane- 
tree/ jr/ari'f, broad: see plat 3 .] The plane-tree. 
In serve and peche, in plane and popule. 
Palladiwt, HuslKmdrie (E. E. T. S.\ p. 92. 
Hock-plane, the sycamore maple, Acer Pteudo-platanui, 
whose leaves resemble those of the plane-tree. Nee under 
maple. 
plane-bit (plan'bit), n. The cutter of a plane ; 
a plane-iron. E. H. Knight Plane-bit bolder, 
a device for holding a plane-bit to the stone while it is 
ground. 
plane-guide (plan'gid), n. In joinery, an ad- 
justable guide or attachment to a plane-stock, 
used in beveling the edges of boards. 
plane-iron (plan'I'ern), . The cutting-iron of 
a plane. Plane-irons are made either double 
or single, and are armed with a steel cutting 
edge. 
planeness (plan'nes), n. The condition of being 
or having a plane surface. 
On pulling the plates apart the bloom was found to be 
burnished practically all over both surfaces, showing, of 
course, that the platinating had not sensibly altered the 
plaiifnew of the surfaces. 
Philomphical Mag., 5Ui ser., XXVin. 454. 
plane-plane (plan'plan), . Having two plane 
surfaces perfectly parallel to each other. 
plane-polarized (plau'po'lar-izd), a. See po- 
lnri:ation, 
planer (pla'ner), . [< plane*, v., + -!.] 1. 
A tool for planing wood ; a plane ; also, a plan- 
ing-machine. 2t. A utensil for smoothing or 
leveling salt in salt-cellars. 
Than loke your salte be why t r and dryc, the planer made 
of luory, two Inches brode A thre Inches longe. 
liabeet Boot (E. E. T. S.\ p. 266. 
3. In printing, a block of wood, about 9 inches 
long, 3J wide, and 3 high, on the top of which is 
a strip of leather, by means of which the project- 
ing types of a form are beaten down to a level by 
blows of a mallet Compound planer, a machine- 
tool which combines two planes in one. E. II. Km rtit, 
Diagonal planer, a machine for wood-planing In 
which th, planlng-cyllnder Is placed obliquely t<> tl<> 
line of motion of the stuff which Is tx) be planed. Planer 
knife-grinder. See kntfe-frrinder. Snow-planer, an 
implement for removing snow from the surface of ice. 
Planera (planV-rii). n. [M.. iiunelin, 1791), 
i.Miiii-il after J.' J."/'/ir (1743-89), a German 
Irolunist.] A genus of plants of the order 
plane-table 
I'rlicarea and tribe I'lmete. It Is characterized by 
the fruit, which Is wingless, ovoid, nut-like, keeled, and 
roughened, thick and coriaceous or somewhat fleshy, and 
containing one cell and one seed. There Is but one spe- 
cies, native of North America. See planer-tree. 
planer-bar (pla'ner-bar), n. An attachment to 
a planer to enable it to perform within certain 
limits the work of a slotting- or shaping-ma- 
chine. /.'. H. Knight. 
planer-center (pla'ner-sen'ter), . A device, 
similar to a lathe-center, used to support small 
work on a planing-machine. /.. //. knight. 
planer-chuck (pla'ner-chuk), n. A device 
bolted or keyed to a planer-table, and serving 
to dog an object under the action of the plane. 
E. B. K>ii</lit. 
planer-head (pla'ner-bed), . The slide-rest of 
a planing-machine. 
planerite (plan'er-it), n. [After D. J. Planer, 
director of mines in the Ural mountains.] A 
hydrous phosphate of aluminium, allied to wa- 
vellit*. 
planer-tree (pla'ner-tre), n. A tree of the 
southern United States, Planera aquatica. it U 
a small tree, with alternate two-ranked toothed leaves, 
preceded by small axillary clusters of polygamous flowers 
with bell-shaped calyx and four or flve slender projecting 
stamens. It is most common along the Ked River and in 
southern Arkansas. It resembles the elm, requires wet 
situations, grows about 80 feet high, and produces a haul 
compact light-brown wood. 
planer-vise (pla'ner-vis), . A device to hold 
work on the bed of a plauiug-machine by means 
of a movable jaw. 
plane-sailing (plan'sa'ling), H. In nor., the art 
of determining a ship's place on the supposi- 
tion that she is moving on a plane, or that the 
surface of the ocean is plane instead of being 
spherical. This supposition may be adopted for short 
distances without leading to great errors ; and It affords 
great facilities in calculation, as the place of the ship Is 
found by the solution of a right-angled plane triangle. In 
plane-sailing the principal terms made use of are the 
foune, distance, departure, and difference of latitude, any 
two of which being given the others can be found. See 
failing. 
plane-Stock (plan'stok), . The body of a 
plane, in which the cutting-iron is fitted, its 
under surface, which in use is against the work, is called 
the *olr or face; the cutting-blade Is the iron; the device 
which holds the iron upon the Inclined bed Is the wedge ; 
the opening through which the plane-iron passes is the 
mmtth ; a projecting portion at the front end Is the horn; 
and the pushing-handle which projects above the back 
end Is the toot. 
planet (plan'et), n. [< ME. planete = D.pla- 
neet = MHG. planete, G. Sw. Dan. plane t, < OF. 
planete, F. planete = Sp. Pg. planeta = It. pta- 
neta, < LL. planeta, rarely planetes, a planet, < 
Gr. irtavijTiK, a wanderer, a wandering star, a 
planet, lengthened form of jr?.dj>r;f, pi. n'i.avrrref, 
a wanderer, a planet, cf. -'/<n-m-. cause to wan- 
der, pass. nfavdoOat, wander, < wl.avy, a wander- 
ing, perhaps for *ira\vri, akin to L. palari, wan- 
der.] 1. A star other than a fixed star; a star 
revolving in an orbit. The sun was formerly consid- 
ered as a planet, but is now known to be a fixed star. By 
planet is ordinarily meant a primary planet of the solar 
system, or body revolving round the sun In a nearly 
circular orbit. Of these eight are major planet* being. 
In their order from the sun, Mercury, Venus, the Earth, 
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. There are be- 
sides about 30Q minor planett known. (Hee planetoid.) The 
periodic comets are not regarded as planets. A secondary 
planet Is a satellite, or small body revolving round a pri- 
mary planet: thus, the moon Is a secondary planet. See 
tolar tyttem (under eolar\ gravitation, Kepler'ilam(nnaer 
law), and the names of the major planets. 
The planet earth, so steadfast though she seem, 
Insensibly three different motions move. 
Milton, P. I.., viii. 129. 
2. Same as plantta, 2 interior planets. See in- 
terior. Limit of a planet. See limit. - Osculating ele- 
ments of a planet. See otntlate. Perturbations of 
the planets. See perturbation, 4.- Superior planets. 
See superior. 
planeta (pla-ne'ta),.; pl.;)?niifte(-t). [ML.] 
1. Originally, an ample mantle, usually of cost- 
ly material, similar to the pfenula, or chasuble 
in its earlier or circular form. It was worn by the 
wealthy, and especially by senators, officials, and nonles. 
In Home and other parts of the West during the fifth anil 
sixth centuries. 
Hence 2. A chasuble. The name planrta (appa- 
rently unknown to the Greek Church) seems to have been 
especially used during the seventh and eighth centuries. 
After this the vestment was usually called a carulit or 
chatuble; but planeta is still the official term In the Ro- 
man Catholic Church. At certain penitential seasons 
(Advent, Lent, etc.) the deacon and subdeacon In cathe- 
drals and some other churchen wear a folded plnnrta i ;/- 
neta plicata), except in reading the epistle and gospel. 
The planeta was worn by bishops as well OB by presby 
ten. Kncyc. Brit., VI. 4111. 
plane-table (plnn'ta'bl), n. 1. An important 
instrument of topographical surveying. coiiMct- 
ing of a drawing-board inoiiiiteil upon a tripoil. 
anil cupttblc nf beini; levi led ;IMI| turned in 
