aeroplane

[air-uh-pleyn]

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noun Chiefly British.

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

Related Words for aeroplane

jet, aircraft, plane, cab, ship, airliner, crate, airbus, kite, ramjet, aeroplane, airship, airplane

Examples from the Web for aeroplane

Contemporary Examples of 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

Historical Examples of aeroplane

Air pressure is a big factor in the matter of aeroplane horsepower.
Flying Machines
W.J. Jackman and Thos. H. Russell
The submersible was sighted on July 1, 1915, by a French aeroplane.
The Story of the Great War, Volume III (of VIII)
Various
That kind of aeroplane couldn't have any tire trouble, 'cause it hasn't got any tires.
Shavings
Joseph C. Lincoln
It is a fact that the aeroplane came after, but not a fact that it came from, the motor-car.
Is civilization a disease?
Stanton Coit
He's not in the aeroplane and I can't imagine where he may be!
Boy Scouts Mysterious Signal
G. Harvey Ralphson

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

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).