English
elephant walk
From elephant + walk.
Ancient Greek ἐλέφᾱς
Latin elephantus ‘an elephant’
Old French elefant
Middle English elefant
English elephant
Proto-Indo-European *welH- ‘to roll’
Proto-Germanic *walkaną ‘to roll, toss, turn; to walk’
Proto-West Germanic *walkan
Old English wealcan ‘to move around, roll’
Middle English walken ‘to roll, toss; to walk’
English walk
The story
Coined in the United States Air Force during World War 2, in reference to the appearance of large numbers of taxiing heavy bombers.
Today it means
noun The taxiing of multiple aircraft in close formation before a mass take-off.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / elephant walk