Where does “cruise missile” come from?
cruise missile (English) comes from English cruise, from Dutch kruisen, from Middle Dutch cruce, from Old Dutch *krūci, from Latin crux, from Proto-Italic *kruks, from Proto-Indo-European sḱer- — to caw, crow.
cruise missile (English): A missile designed for guided flight over the full course of its path
Definitions
- A missile designed for guided flight over the full course of its path
Ancestry of “cruise missile”, step by step
cruise missile traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English cruise
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | cruise | A sea or lake voyage, especially one taken for... |
| 2 | Dutch | kruisen | to cross, intersect; to breed |
| 3 | Middle Dutch | cruce | — |
| 4 | Old Dutch | *krūci | — |
| 5 | Latin | crux | wooden frame on which criminals were crucified,... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | *kruks | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sḱer- | to caw, crow |
via English missile
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | missile | Any object used as a weapon by being thrown or... |
| 2 | Latin | missile | a thrown weapon, such as a javelin; presents from... |
| 3 | Latin | missilis | That may be thrown |
| 4 | Latin | mittere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | meyth₂- | to hurt; to exchange, remove; to replace, to... |