Etymologically
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airline

Etymology and origin of the English word airline

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1813

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈɛəˌlaɪn/ (UK); /ˈɛɹˌlaɪn/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is a compound of air and line,[2][3][4] also written air-line.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A beeline, a straight line between two points on the earth's surface, as through the air rather than over the terrain: 1813, chiefly North American.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

From 1853 and later in the 19th century it was used especially of American railways that ran directly between big cities instead of meandering from town to town.[2] A regular service of aircraft between places, and a company providing it, is from 1914 in Etymonline;[2][3] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate dates the word to 1901 and the RHWU to 1910–15.[5][4] A hose carrying air under pressure is another sense.[6]

Timeline

  • 1813 – a beeline.[2]
  • 1853 – a direct railway.[2]
  • 1914 – an air transport company.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A company or system providing scheduled flights for passengers or freight.
  2. A hose or tube carrying compressed air.
  3. (chiefly US, archaic) A beeline.

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Airline.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/airline. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·