aeroplane

[air-uh-pleyn]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR aeroplane ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Chiefly British.

Nearby words

Origin of aeroplane

1870–75; < French aéroplane, equivalent to aéro- aero- + -plane, apparently feminine of plan flat, level (< Latin plānus; cf. plain¹), perhaps by association with forme plane; apparently coined and first used by French sculptor and inventor Joseph Pline in 1855

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for aeroplane

I do not recall what sort of aeroplane Mr. Hughes had at the time; however, it was quite comfortable, as I recall.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The lights are used both by the aeroplane and the battery of artillery.
Aeroplanes and Dirigibles of War|Frederick A. Talbot
Why the beggars in our own battery, when they see an aeroplane overhead in their excitement let fly.
The Sequel|George A. Taylor
The airship, although in use before the aeroplane, has developed more slowly, and is even to-day in a crude form.
The Aeroplane|Claude Grahame-White and Harry Harper

By the rules of the manoeuvres the Red aeroplane was out of action as soon as the Puck rose vertically above her.
Round the World in Seven Days|Herbert Strang
The wing of the bird does a double duty: it is an aeroplane and a propeller combined.
The Library of Work and Play: Mechanics, Indoors and Out|Fred T. Hodgson

British Dictionary definitions for aeroplane

aeroplane

US and Canadian airplane (ˈɛəˌpleɪn)

noun

a heavier-than-air powered flying vehicle with fixed wings

Word Origin for aeroplane

C19: from French aéroplane, from aero- + Greek -planos wandering, related to planet

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for aeroplane

aeroplane

1866, from French aéroplane (1855), from Greek aero- "air" (see air (n.1)) + stem of French planer "to soar," from Latin planus "level, flat" (see plane (n.1)). Originally in reference to surfaces (such as the protective shell casings of beetles' wings); meaning "heavier than air flying machine" first attested 1873, probably an independent English coinage (see airplane).

aeroplane

noun Chiefly British.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of aeroplane

Examples from the Web for aeroplane

aeroplane

US and Canadian airplane (ˈɛəˌpleɪn)

noun

Word Origin for aeroplane

aeroplane