aeroplane

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English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
An aeroplane (Airbus A330)

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French aéroplane, from Ancient Greek ἀερόπλανος (aeróplanos, wandering in air), from ἀήρ (aḗr, air) + πλάνος (plános, wandering). First used by Joseph Pline in an 1855 patent.[1];[2]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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aeroplane (plural aeroplanes)

  1. (aviation, Commonwealth) Synonym of airplane. A powered heavier-than-air aircraft with fixed wings.
  2. (aeronautics, archaic, obsolete) Synonym of airfoil. An aerodynamic surface.
  3. Any of various nymphalid butterflies, of various genera, having a slow gliding flight. Also called planes.

Usage notes

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  • Aeroplane was the predominant spelling in the US until the 1920s, and is still used idiolectally among some American speakers.
  • Canada officially uses aeroplane, but the spelling airplane has become much more common as a result of US influence.
  • Airplane has also become a usual variant in most other areas, but is considered informal.

Derived terms

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airfoil
airplane
aviation, aeronautics

Translations

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Verb

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aeroplane (third-person singular simple present aeroplanes, present participle aeroplaning, simple past and past participle aeroplaned)

  1. (intransitive) To fly in an aeroplane.
  2. (transitive) To transport by aeroplane.
    • 1919, The American Angler, volume 4, page 221:
      The rod was discarded, and then, hand over hand, the prize of them all was aeroplaned to the top of the cliff.

See also

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