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Sense: 1,3
Date: 1300-1400
Origin: LAUNCH1
Sense: 2
Date: 1600-1700
Language: Spanish
Origin: lancha, from Portuguese, perhaps from Malay lanchar 'quick'

launch

2 noun
     
NEW! See related topics: ASTRONOMYWATER
launch2 [countable]
1 when a new product, book etc is made available or made known
launch of
the launch of a new women's magazine
2TTW a large boat with a motor
3 when a weapon or spacecraft is sent into the sky or into space
WORD FOCUS: space WORD FOCUS: space
vehicles used in space: spaceship, spacecraft, rocket, (space) shuttle, probe, satellite, space station
someone who travels in space: astronaut, cosmonaut Russian
parts of a rocket's journey: countdown, launch, blast-off/take-off/lift-off, leaving the earth's atmosphere, going into orbit, re-entering the earth's atmosphere, splashdown/touchdown
places and things in space: planet, moon, star, sun, satellite, solar system, constellation, galaxy, universe, the cosmos, black hole, quasar, comet, meteor, asteroid
the study of space: astronomyspace

➔ See also space
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
 
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