When a plane leaves the ground and rises into the air, or the beginning phase of something launching into success.
Compound of 'take' (Old English 'tacan') and 'off' (Old English 'of'). Originally used for aircraft in early 20th century aviation, then metaphorically applied to anything beginning rapidly like a business or career.
The word 'takeoff' works for both physical flight and figurative flight—your career 'takes off' just like a plane does—because both involve sudden upward movement and leaving behind your starting point.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.