pla (Catalan)
Where does "pla" come from?
The Catalan word 'pla' traces its roots back to the Proto-Indo-European root '*pleh₂-', which meant 'flat.' It evolved through the Latin 'plānus' into Old Catalan 'plan,' eventually shedding its final consonant to become the modern term meaning 'flat' or 'even.'
Full etymology tree
- pla (Catalan), 'flat, even, level'
- inherited plan (Old Catalan)
- inherited plānus (Latin), 'level, flat, even'
- inherited *plānos (Proto-Italic)
- inherited *pleh₂-no-s (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *pleh₂- (Proto-Indo-European), 'flat'
- inherited *pleh₂-no-s (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *plānos (Proto-Italic)
- inherited plānus (Latin), 'level, flat, even'
- inherited plan (Old Catalan)
Ancestors
- planus (Latin)
- *pleh₂- (Proto-Indo-European)
Cognates and doublets
- plain (French)
- plan (Occitan)
- llano (Spanish)
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris