Etymologically
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spaceship

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 22:55. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈspeɪsʃɪp/, /ˈspeɪʃʃɪp/[1]
  • US: /ˈspeɪsʃɪp/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English space + ship,[2][3][4] after airship.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A manned spacecraft: first recorded in 1880, in the Pall Mall Gazette.[2][5] Etymonline dates the word to 1894,[3] and Dictionary.com to 1940–45.[6]

Semantic evolution

The word has kept its single meaning, a spacecraft, especially one carrying a crew who control it.[4][2] The phrase spaceship earth is recorded from 1966.[3][4]

Timeline

  • 1880 – a manned spacecraft.[2][5] Etymonline dates the word to 1894.[3]
  • 1966 – spaceship earth.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A spacecraft, especially one carrying a crew, built to travel beyond the earth's atmosphere: The film follows the crew of a spaceship bound for Mars.[7][5][4]

References

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