Where does “sailplane” come from?

sailplane (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.

sailplane (English): A glider that is optimised for soaring and is...

Definitions

  1. A glider that is optimised for soaring and is...

Ancestry of “sailplane”, step by step

sailplane traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English plane

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishplaneOf a surface: flat or level; A level or flat...
2Middle Englishplane
3Old Frenchplane
4Latinplatanusplanetree, sycamore
5Greekπλάτανοςplane tree
6Ancient Greekπλάτανοςplanetree
7Ancient Greekπλατύςwide, broad; flat, level; broad-shouldered
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpléth₂usflat, broad
9Proto-Indo-Europeanpleth₂-flat

via English sail

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishsailA piece of fabric attached to a boat and arranged...
2Middle EnglishsaileAlternative form of assailen
3Proto-Germanicsegląsheet; sail
4Proto-Germanicsiglą

Words derived from “sailplane

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pleth₂-