English
propulsor
Propulsor comes from Latin prōpellō ‘propel’, from pellō ‘push, drive’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pelh₂- ‘to approach’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pelh₂-1‘to approach’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pl̥-né-h₂-ti ~ *pl̥-n-h₂-énti1uncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pelnō2‘to approach’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpellō2‘push, drive’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprōpellō3‘propel’
- Englishtodaypropulsor3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Italic *pelnō
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin propello
- 3 Wiktionary, English propulsor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pelh₂-Wiktionary, Proto-Italic *pelnō‘to approach’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pl̥-né-h₂-ti ~ *pl̥-n-h₂-éntiWiktionary, Proto-Italic *pelnōuncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pelnōWiktionary, Latin propello‘to approach’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpellōWiktionary, Latin propello‘push, drive’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprōpellōWiktionary, English propulsor‘propel’
- EnglishtodaypropulsorWiktionary, English propulsor
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *pelh₂- ‘to approach’
through Proto-Italic *pelnō ‘to approach’
impulse, repellent, repulse, 10 more
through Latin pellō ‘push, drive’
appeal, repeal, pulse, appellate, compel, expel, repel, dispel, compulsory, expulsion, pelt, compulsive, impel, rappel, 16 more
through Latin prōpellō ‘propel’
Today it means
noun A propellor enclosed in a short cylinder, that can typically be swivelled to change the angle of thrust.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “propulsor”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Italic *pelnō, Latin propello. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *pelh₂- / propulsor