launch

Meanings

Verb

• To throw (a projectile such as a lance, dart or ball); to hurl; to propel with force.
• To pierce with, or as with, a lance.
• To cause (a vessel) to move or slide from the land or a larger vessel into the water; to set afloat.
• To cause (a rocket, balloon, etc., or the payload thereof) to begin its flight upward from the ground.
• To send out; to start (someone) on a mission or project; to give a start to (something); to put in operation
• To start (a program or feature); to execute or bring into operation.
• To release; to put onto the market for sale
• Of a ship, rocket, balloon, etc.: to depart on a voyage; to take off.
• To move with force and swiftness like a sliding from the stocks into the water; to plunge; to begin.
• To start to operate.

Noun

• The movement of a vessel from land into the water; especially, the sliding on ways from the stocks on which it is built. (Compare: to splash a ship.)
• The act or fact of launching (a ship/vessel, a project, a new book, etc.).
• An event held to celebrate the launch of a ship/vessel, project, a new book, etc.; a launch party.
• The boat of the largest size and/or of most importance belonging to a ship of war, and often called the "captain's boat" or "captain's launch".
• A boat used to convey guests to and from a yacht.
• An open boat of any size powered by steam, petrol, electricity, etc.

Related

Narrower meaning words

• cold launch
• hard launch
• hot launch
• soft launch

Origin

• From Middle English launchen ("to throw as a lance"), Old French lanchier, another form (Old Northern French/Norman variant, compare Jèrriais lanchi) of lancier, French lancer, from lance.
• From Portuguese lancha ("barge, launch"), apparently from Malay lancar ("quick, agile"). Spelling influenced by the verb above.