Where does “mailplane” come from?
mailplane (English) comes from English plane, from Middle English plane, from Old French plane, from Latin platanus, from Greek πλάτανος, from Ancient Greek πλάτανος, from Ancient Greek πλατύς, from Proto-Indo-European pléth₂us — flat.
mailplane (English): An aircraft that delivers mail
Definitions
- An aircraft that delivers mail
Ancestry of “mailplane”, step by step
mailplane traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English plane
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | plane | Of a surface: flat or level; A level or flat... |
| 2 | Middle English | plane | — |
| 3 | Old French | plane | — |
| 4 | Latin | platanus | planetree, sycamore |
| 5 | Greek | πλάτανος | plane tree |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | πλάτανος | planetree |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | πλατύς | wide, broad; flat, level; broad-shouldered |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pléth₂us | flat, broad |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pleth₂- | flat |
via English mail
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | A bag or wallet; A bag containing letters to be... | |
| 2 | Middle English | mal | — |
| 3 | Old English | māl | speech, contract, agreement; suit, case, action,... |
| 4 | Old Norse | mál | language; speech; matter, affair |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | mēlą | measure, measurement; time, occasion; point in... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | melh₂- | to grind, to crush |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |