Airplane
/ˈɛrˌpleɪn/noun
A powered aircraft with fixed wings that is propelled through the air.
Did you know?The earlier form “aeroplane” referred to the aircraft’s aerodynamic planes—flat lifting surfaces—before American English shortened it to “airplane.”
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
aēr
“Air; the lower atmosphere”
Classical Latin
Latin
āēr
“Air or atmosphere, borrowed from Greek”
19th Century
French
aéroplane
“An aircraft, literally an air-plane, named for its aerodynamic flat surfaces”
Late 19th Century
English
aeroplane
“A heavier-than-air flying machine with fixed wings”
Early 20th Century
American English
airplane
“A shortened American form of aeroplane”
Modern English
English
airplane
“A powered fixed-wing aircraft”