Launch Comes From the Word for a Lance
To launch is to set something in motion. The root is a lance being thrown, which explains the sense of forceful propulsion.
To launch is to set something in motion, especially forcefully. The origin is a weapon: Old French *lanchier* meant to hurl a lance, from Latin *lancea*. Ships, rockets, products and careers are all launched with the same word, and the sense of propelling something out into the world sits underneath all of them.
- To set in motion. *Launch a rocket.*
- To introduce a product. *Launch a campaign.*
- A boat. *A motor launch.*
- Launch pad — the platform for a rocket. *On the launch pad.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | launch | Launch the appeal. |
| Past | launched | Recently launched. |
| Noun | launch | A product launch. |
| Noun | launcher | A rocket launcher. |
| Related | lance | A knight's lance. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The ship was launched in 1938.Slid into the water.
- They launched the product in May.Introduced it.
- A launch is also a small boat.From a Spanish word, separately.
Words from *lancea*
- Launch — to hurl a lance
- Lance — the weapon
- Lancet — a small blade, and a famous medical journal
- Lancer — a cavalry soldier with a lance
- Freelance — originally a mercenary knight, a free lance
From Old North French *lanchier*, to hurl, from Latin *lancea*, a light spear. The boat sense came separately from Spanish *lancha*.
Where does *freelance* come from?
From the image of a medieval mercenary whose lance was not pledged to any lord. Walter Scott popularised the term in 1820.
Is a launch boat the same word?
No. That sense came from Spanish *lancha*, probably from a Malay word, arriving separately.