Where does “vomit comet” come from?
vomit comet (English) comes from English comet, from Middle English comete, from Old French comete, from Latin cometes, from Ancient Greek κομήτης, from Ancient Greek κόμη, from Latin κομεω — to care for.
vomit comet (English): A reduced-gravity aircraft, an airplane that briefly provides a nearly weightless environment by flying on a parabolic flight path; used to train astronauts or conduct research
Definitions
- A reduced-gravity aircraft, an airplane that briefly provides a nearly weightless environment by flying on a parabolic flight path; used to train astronauts or conduct research
Ancestry of “vomit comet”, step by step
vomit comet traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English comet
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | comet | A celestial body consisting mainly of ice, dust... |
| 2 | Middle English | comete | comet |
| 3 | Old French | comete | comet |
| 4 | Latin | cometes | A comet, meteor, shooting star; A portent of... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | κομήτης | long-haired; long-haired; comet; longhaired |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | κόμη | hair of the head |
| 7 | Latin | κομεω | to care for |