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launch 1 (lônch, länch)
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v. launched, launch·ing, launch·es
v.tr.
1.
a. To throw or propel with force; hurl: launch a spear.
b. To set or thrust (a self-propelled craft or projectile) in motion: launch a rocket; launch a torpedo.
2. Nautical To put (a boat) into the water in readiness for use.
3. To set going; initiate: launch a career; launch a business venture. See Synonyms at begin.
4. To introduce to the public or to a market: launched the new perfume with prime-time commercials on the major networks.
5. To give (someone) a start, as in a career or vocation.
v.intr.
1. To begin a new venture or phase; embark: launch forth on a dangerous mission; launched out on her own after college.
2. To enter enthusiastically into something; plunge: launched into a description of the movie.
n.
The act of launching.

[Middle English launchen, from Old North French lancher, from Latin lanceāre, to wield a lance, from lancea, lance; see LANCE.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
launch 2 (lônch, länch)
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n.
1. A large ship's boat.
2. A large, open motorboat.

[Alteration (possibly influenced by LAUNCH1) of Early Modern English lanch, ultimately (possibly partly via Spanish lancha) from Portuguese lancha, perhaps alteration of lancara, a kind of small swift Asian oared boat, from Malay lancaran : lancar, swift + -an, nominalizing suffix.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.