Sidebar: You Say Aeroplane and I Say Airplane

The words “aeroplane” and “airplane” have a linguistic and cultural history. The term “aeroplane” originates from the French word "aéroplane," itself a blend of "aéro-" (air) and "-plane", derived from the Greek "planos", meaning wandering or gliding. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, “aeroplane” was the standard term in British English. It was defined as powered flying machines and emphasized the concept of a winged structure gliding through the air.

By contrast, American English chose to use the phonetic term “airplane.” This term is a simple compound of “air” (which refers to the medium in which the vehicle flies through) and “plane” (which means flat wing surface that enables flight). The Wright brothers—the first successful aviation pioneers—helped to further the use of the term airplane in technical writings during the development of their airplane. This word choice soon reflected broader cultural differences between British and American English, like "elevator" versus "lift" or "truck" versus "lorry".

By the 1920s, "airplane" had become the dominant term in the U.S., especially as both commercial and military aviation expanded. In contrast, British usage of "aeroplane" continued for decades. Today, though, "airplane" is now commonly recognized as the preferred term around the world.

Ironically, "airplane" and "aeroplane," with their shared suffix "-plane," refer to the flat surface of the wings, not the geometric concept of a plane that we may picture in our minds. So, while "airplane" may sound more modern, either term refers to the same thing aerodynamically.