downed
UK: daʊnd | US: daʊnd
adj. (of an aircraft) forced to land or crash
vt. past tense of "down" (to bring or knock something to the ground)
The word "downed" combines "down," derived from Old English dūne (from a higher to a lower position), with the suffix "-ed," indicating past tense or completed action. Originally used literally (e.g., felling trees), it later extended to aviation contexts (e.g., downed aircraft). The morpheme "down" retains its core meaning of descent, while "-ed" marks the action's completion.
The pilot downed the enemy jet during the dogfight.
Strong winds downed power lines across the city.
The hunter downed a deer with a single shot.
The storm downed several trees in the park.
Reports confirmed that two helicopters were downed in the conflict zone.