Spinning blades that push a plane, boat, or ship through air or water; devices that propel things forward.
From Latin 'propellere': 'pro-' (forward) plus 'pellere' (to push). Adding '-er' makes it a device. The word emerged with mechanical inventions.
Propellers on planes and boats look different but work the same way—they're screws that push through their medium, which is why they're based on one of humanity's oldest inventions: the Archimedean screw.
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