Etymologically
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spacecraft

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 22 October 2026 at 21:53. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • US: /ˈspeɪsˌkɹæft/[1]

Etymology

It is a compound from English space + craft,[2][3][4] formed after the model of aircraft.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A vehicle designed to travel in outer space: Etymonline dates the word to 1928,[2] the OED's first quotation is from the New York Times of 13 October 1929,[3] and Merriam-Webster's first known use is 1930.[5] Dictionary.com gives the much later 1955–60.[4]

Semantic evolution

The word was coined decades before any vehicle left the atmosphere, and its meaning has stayed the same; it now covers both crewed vehicles and unmanned probes, and like aircraft it has the same form in the plural.[3][6]

Timeline

  • 1928 – a vehicle for travel in space.[2]
  • 1929 – first OED quotation (New York Times).[3]
  • 1930 – Merriam-Webster's first known use.[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A vehicle, crewed or unmanned, designed to travel in outer space, to orbit the earth or to reach other celestial bodies; a spaceship: The probe was the first spacecraft to land on a comet.

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins