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Added 9 October 2026

aeroplane

/ˈɛə̯.ɹə.pleɪ̯n/ noun

First recorded: 1855 Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about aeroplane at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Synonym of airplane. A powered heavier-than-air aircraft with fixed wings.
Synonym of airplane. A game played when spoon-feeding children.
Synonym of airfoil. An aerodynamic surface.

verb

To fly in an aeroplane.
To transport by aeroplane.

Origin

Borrowed from French aéroplane, from Ancient Greek ἀερόπλανος (aeróplanos, “wandering in air”), from ἀήρ (aḗr, “air”) + πλάνος (plános, “wandering”), equivalent to aero- + plane. First used by Joseph Pline in an 1855 patent.https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Aircraft_Design/NeHoahlhCGMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Joseph+Pline+glider&pg=PA3&printsec=frontcover;https://books.google.at/books?id=fSQUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA768&dq=Joseph+Pline+brevet+1855&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjgk5Cz_a_wAhXZhf0HHdjNAJwQ6AEwAnoECAIQAg#v=onepage&q=Joseph%20Pline%20brevet%201855&f=false

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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