Definition of aeroplane in English:
aeroplane
noun ˈɛːrəpleɪnˈɛrəˌpleɪn
British A powered flying vehicle with fixed wings and a weight greater than that of the air it displaces.
North American term airplane
Example sentencesExamples
- I am, of course, fully aware of the very significant differences between aeroplanes and helicopters.
- They then went on to ransack a hangar belonging to the property, which houses an aeroplane, helicopter and car.
- Some sprays were even applied from the air, using aeroplanes or helicopters.
- The fighter aeroplane, of course, was essentially a short-range defensive weapon.
- By then the real embodiment of air power - the aeroplane - was not quite five years old.
Synonyms
aircraft, craft, flying machine
Origin
Late 19th century: from French aéroplane, from aéro- 'air' + Greek -planos 'wandering'.
An aeroplane is literally an ‘air wanderer’. Coined in the late 19th century, the word is from French aéro- ‘air’ and Greek -planos ‘wandering’, and so the short form plane has the less-than-reassuring meaning of ‘wanderer’. See also plain, planet