helicopter
/ˈhelɪˌkɒptə/HEH-lih-kop-tur
/ˈhɛlɪˌkɑptɚ/HEH-lih-kahp-tur
Meaningspiral wing
Common meaning: an aircraft lifted by spinning blades
- helica coil, spiralLiddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), p. 250 · scan
- ptera feather, wingLiddell & Scott, Greek-English Lexicon (1883), p. 1339 · scan
‘a coil, spiral’ + ‘a feather, wing’ → helicopter
Journey through time
Neither part’s path through time is traced in our sources yet; each root is shown from its dictionary entry.
- helic — Greek ἕλιξ, ἕλικος “a coil, spiral” (dictionary form; path not traced)
- pter — Greek πτερόν “a feather, wing” (dictionary form; path not traced)
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Greek ἕλιξ ‘a coil, spiral’ + Greek πτερόν ‘a feather, wing’.
Did you know: our wording, based on Liddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), entry ἕλιξ, p. 250 · dictionary scan
Roots
- πτερόν Greek “a feather, wing”
- ἕλιξ, ἕλικος Greek “a coil, spiral”
Related words
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