fuselage

Where does the word "fuselage" come from? It comes from Latin fusus, passing through Old French and French before entering English (1909).

Fuselage’s story begins in Latin: fusus meant “a spindle.” A plain word for a spindle. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as fus. Kept the sense of a spindle. From there it passed into French as fusele by 1800s. An adjective describing something tapered like a spindle. It reached English by 1909 as fuselage. Coined for an airplane's tapered central body. Today, fuselage means the main body of an aircraft.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient fusus "a spindle", a plain word for a spindle.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval fus "a spindle", kept the sense of a spindle.
3. Stage 3 · French · 1800s fusele "spindle-shaped", an adjective describing something tapered like a spindle.
4. Stage 4 · English · 1909 fuselage "the main body of an aircraft", coined for an airplane's tapered central body.