Where does “spaceplane” come from?

spaceplane (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.

spaceplane (English): A rocket plane designed to pass the edge of...

Definitions

  1. A rocket plane designed to pass the edge of...

Ancestry of “spaceplane”, step by step

spaceplane 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 space

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishspace"Of time."; "Unlimited or generalized extent,...
2Middle Englishspace
3Old Frenchespacespace; room; duration
4LatinspatiumSpace, room, extent; Distance between points; A...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanspéh₁-to succeed, to prosper
6Proto-Indo-Europeanspeh₁-to succeed, to prosper
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pleth₂-