• launch •
Printable Version Pronunciation: lawnch • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Verb, Noun
Meaning: 1. [Adjective] Appropriate, fitting, relevant to. 2. [Adverb] By the way, along the same lines. 3. [Preposition] Concerning, with regard to.
Notes: Today we have another partially integrated French word: the most common spelling is now anglicized (though some still spell it à propos) but the pronunciation still reflects the French accent on the final syllable. The meaning is easy to remember if we associate it with a word from the same source, appropriate, since it is most often used in that sense.
In Play: With the launch of this, our own new website, the entire former staff of yourDictionary.com welcomes you to our new website, Alpha Dictionary, and the company behind it, The Lexiteria, the word and translation company. Expect a new Good Word in the tradition of Dr. Language (Dr. Robert Beard), formerly of yourDictionary.com, served up every day on a new server system that never crashes.
Word History: This good word comes from Old North French lancher, from Latin lanceare "to wield a lance," based one lancea "a lance." Where this word comes from is one of those etymological mysteries we bump into from time to time. The Romans may have borrowed it from one the Celtic tribes they frequently exchanged lances with.
P.S. - Register for the Daily Good Word E-Mail! - You can get our daily Good Word sent directly to you via e-mail in either HTML or Text format. Go to our Registration Page to sign up today!
