French Conversation · Level 58
75 words
French word
planer
Pronunciation
IPA/plane/
Meaning
- verbfloat
Example
La poussière plane dans la lumière.
The dust floats in the light.
More examples
Pendant la réunion, il planait dans les nuages.
During the meeting, he had his head in the clouds.
Core concept
A feather drifting level through a sunbeam, with no visible effort.
Common phrases
planer dans les nuages
have one's head in the clouds
Similar words
flotter: To stay afloat in air or liquid with very little effort.
rêvasser: To drift into absent-minded thoughts instead of focusing on the outside world.
Definition in French
Se maintenir en suspension dans l'air ou se déplacer en glissant sans effort apparent.
Word origin
Planer is formed from French plane, related to plan and ultimately Latin planus, meaning 'flat', linking the verb to level movement.
Usage tips
- With a person as subject, planer often suggests dreamy detachment or euphoria and can sound judgmental when directed at someone.
Other meanings
- glideverb
- daydreamverb
Opposites
- tomberfallverb
- se concentrerfocusverb
Related words
- planeurglidernoun
- planantdreamlikeadjective