# aeroplane

> English word · Noun · IPA [ˈɛə̯.ɹə.pleɪ̯n] · frequency rank #22,882

## Definitions
1. Synonym of airplane. A powered heavier-than-air aircraft with fixed wings.
2. Synonym of airfoil. An aerodynamic surface.
3. Any of various nymphalid butterflies, of various genera, having a slow gliding flight. Also called planes.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews-
Proto-Indo-European *h₂ewsér
Proto-Hellenic *auhḗr
Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ήρ (āḗr)
Ancient Greek πλανάω (planáō)
Ancient Greek πλάνος (plános)
Ancient Greek ᾱ̓ερόπλᾰνος (āeróplănos)der.
French aéroplanebor.
English aeroplane
Borrowed from French aéroplane, from Ancient Greek ἀερόπλανος (aeróplanos, “wandering in air”), from ἀήρ (aḗr, “air”) + πλάνος (plános, “wandering”). First used by Joseph Pline in an 1855 patent.https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Aircraft_Design/NeHoahlhCGMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Joseph+Pline+glider&pg=PA3&printsec=frontcover;https://books.google.at/books?id=fSQUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA768&dq=Joseph+Pline+brevet+1855&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjgk5Cz_a_wAhXZhf0HHdjNAJwQ6AEwAnoECAIQAg#v=onepage&q=Joseph%20Pline%20brevet%201855&f=false

## Easily confused with
- **airplane** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/aeroplane-vs-airplane)
- **aeroplanes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/aeroplane-vs-aeroplanes)

## Common misspellings (12)
`aeorplane`, `aerolpane`, `aeropalne`, `aeroplaen`, `aeroplanne`, `aeropllane`, `aeroplnae`, `aeropplane`, `aerpolane`, `aerroplane`, `areoplane`, `earoplane`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/aeroplane