aeroplane

[air-uh-pleyn] /ˈɛər əˌpleɪn/

noun, Chiefly British

Origin

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

Examples from the web for aeroplane

Smashed to pieces in an aeroplane, acting as a stretcher-bearer, or digging a trench.
The aeroplane and the radio have brought us closer together.
The idea of mounting the aeroplane upon runners and testing it upon the ice seems to be an excellent one.
All the same, if you're seeking the perfect aeroplane meal, it's best to stick to something with a particularly strong taste.
They have even been seen to travel along aeroplane aisles in mid-flight.
Hundreds of them were employed by big companies that needed to do a lot of number-crunching, such as aeroplane manufacturers.
aeroplane cargo faces even tighter restrictions on shape and size, not to mention the need for runways.
In an aeroplane tyre that figure can be more than four-fifths.
Films and compact discs cost little to transport, even by aeroplane.
Simple chairs, for instance, become train carriages or aeroplane seats.

British Dictionary definitions for aeroplane

aeroplane

/ˈɛərəˌpleɪn/

noun

a heavier-than-air powered flying vehicle with fixed wings

Word Origin

C19: from French aéroplane, from aero- + Greek -planos wandering, related to planet

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).