Where does “airspeed” come from?
Airspeed derives from air, from Middle English air, Anglo-Norman eir, and Latin heres, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European roots related to inheritance and distribution of property.
airspeed (English): The speed of an aircraft relative to the air...
Definitions
- The speed of an aircraft relative to the air...
Ancestry of “airspeed”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Speed | — |
| 2 | Middle English | sped | good fortune |
| 3 | Old English | spēd | success; luck, prosperity, success |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | spōdi | hurry, rush; success, prosperity |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | spōan | to succeed, prosper |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | spōaną | to prosper, succeed, be happy |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | spéh₁- | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | speh₁- | to succeed, to prosper |