7 Stupidly Useless Facts That Will Live in Your Head Rent-Free

“Helicopter” Has Nothing to Do With “Copter”

You’ve probably divided “helicopter” into “heli” and “copter” your whole life. Wrong. It comes from “helico” (meaning spiral) and “pter” (meaning wing—like pterodactyl). So next time you say “copter,” you’re technically butchering ancient Greek.