Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "launch" come from? It comes from Late Latin lanceare, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "launch" come from? It comes from Late Latin lanceare, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).
Launch’s story begins in Late Latin: lanceare meant “to wield a lance.” From 'lancea', lance. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as lancher. Norman French form of 'lancer'. It reached English by 1300s as launch. Ship launches date from the 1700s, rocket launches from the 1940s. Today, launch means to set in motion; to send off.
- Stage 1 · Late Latin · ancient lanceare "to wield a lance", from 'lancea', lance.
- Stage 2 · Old French · medieval lancher "to hurl", Norman French form of 'lancer'.
- Stage 3 · English · 1300s launch "to hurl", ship launches date from the 1700s, rocket launches from the 1940s.