Where does “launch” come from?

Launch comes from Portuguese lancha, which derives from Malay lancar, ultimately tracing back through Portuguese and Old Portuguese lançar to Latin lancea, meaning spear.

launch (English): To throw (a projectile such as a lance, dart or ball); to hurl; to propel with force

Definitions

To throw (a projectile such as a lance, dart or ball); to hurl; to propel with force

Ancestry of “launch”, step by step

launch traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Portuguese lancha

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Portuguese	lancha	any small and fast boat; motorboat
2	Malay	lancar	smooth; to launch; fluent
3	Portuguese	lançar	to launch; to throw or shoot
4	Old Portuguese	lançar	to throw
5	Latin	lanceāre	—
6	Latin	lancea	the Roman auxiliaries' short javelin; a light...
7	Proto-Indo-European	pleh₂k-	to beat, strike; to strike, fast; to beat, hit,...

via Middle English launchen

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Middle English	launchen	to throw as a lance
2	Old French	lanchier	—
3	Old French	lancier	—
4	Late Latin	lanceo	I wield or handle a lance; I launch or shoot; I...
5	Latin	-o	forms masculine agent nouns, positive and...
6	Proto-Italic	-ōd	—
7	Proto-Indo-European	-éad	—

via Latin lanceō

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Latin	lanceō	to wield or handle a lance
2	Latin	-ō	suffixed to nouns or adjectives. Originally a-stem nouns. Later extended to nouns with other stems. Forms regular first-conjugation verbs
3	Proto-Indo-European	-ō	Derives nouns from roots

Words derived from “launch”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pleh₂k- →