Rocket
/ˈrɒk.ɪt/noun
A cylindrical projectile or vehicle propelled by the expulsion of gas, or a leafy edible plant in the mustard family.
Did you know?The English word for a rocket likely came through French from Italian rocchetto, a diminutive related to a spindle or bobbin, showing how a word for a winding tool became the name of a blazing projectile.
Etymological Timeline
Late Latin
LL
roccus
“A spindle or distaff-related object, likely a source form behind later Romance words”
Old Italian
It
rocchetto
“A small spindle or bobbin; also a little wheel or reel”
Old French
OF
roquette
“A spindle-shaped object; later also the name of the plant”
16th Century
English
rocket
“A firework or missile, borrowed from French/Italian forms”
Modern English
English
rocket
“A projectile or spacecraft propelled by reaction thrust; also the leafy plant arugula/roquette”