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 ; to hurl; to propel with force; To...
Definitions
- To throw ; to hurl; to propel with force; To...
Ancestry of “launch”, step by step
| 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,... |
Words derived from “launch”