airplane

A1 Topic:Aviation & Flight

Also spelled aeroplane

US /ˈɛɹˌpleɪ̯n/ UK /ˈɛəˌpleɪ̯n/ See IPA manual

Freq #5176

Meanings

1

noun
A powered flying vehicle with fixed wings.

The flight arrived early thanks to a newer, faster airplane.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a powered flying vehicle... plane

Word family

Forms aeroplanesairplanes

Derived forms airplanefulairplanelikeairplanisthydro-airplane

Related forms aircraftflycraftgliderhelicopter

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

airplane propeller
a rotating set of blades that moves an airplane through the air

Noun + noun

Simplified etymology

Aeroplane was formed in the mid-19th century from French aéro-, “air,” and Greek -planos, “wandering,” giving the literal sense “air wanderer.” The shortened form plane appeared in the early 20th century.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews- Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewsér Proto-Hellenic *auhḗr Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ήρ (āḗr)bor. Latin āēr Old French airbor. Middle English aire English air ▲ Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ήρ (āḗr) Ancient Greek πλανάω (planáō) Ancient Greek πλάνος (plános) Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ερόπλᾰνος (āeróplănos)der. French aéroplanebor. English aeroplaneclip. English plane English airplane From air + plane as an alteration of aeroplane.

Topics

Aviation & Flight Transportation

External links

# airplane

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈɛɹˌpleɪ̯n/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈɛəˌpleɪ̯n/
**Frequency rank:** 5176

## Meanings
1. A powered flying vehicle with fixed wings.

## Examples
- The flight arrived early thanks to a newer, faster airplane.

## Derived Forms
- airplaneful
- airplanelike
- airplanist
- hydro-airplane

## Related Forms
- aircraft
- flycraft
- glider
- helicopter

## Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews- Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewsér Proto-Hellenic *auhḗr Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ήρ (āḗr)bor. Latin āēr Old French airbor. Middle English aire English air ▲ Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ήρ (āḗr) Ancient Greek πλανάω (planáō) Ancient Greek πλάνος (plános) Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ερόπλᾰνος (āeróplănos)der. French aéroplanebor. English aeroplaneclip. English plane English airplane From air + plane as an alteration of aeroplane.

## AI Etymology
Airplane is from air plus plane as an alteration of aeroplane. The formation is semantically transparent: the parts remain visible, while the compound or affix fixes the grammatical role and narrows the modern meaning. In use as a noun, airplane denotes a powered flying vehicle with fixed wings. The same word family continues in derived forms such as airplaneful, airplanelike, airplanist, and hydro-airplane and related entries such as aircraft, flycraft, glider, and helicopter.

## Topics
- Aviation & Flight
- Transportation

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