Aeronautic

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˌɛəɹəˈnɔːtɪk/

Definitions

1. Concerned with the principles and techniques associated with flight in the atmosphere
2. Involving the design, construction, and operation of flying machines and technologies used in air navigation
3. Pertaining to the study and practice of achieving flight through the air and managing aircraft systems

Etymology: "Aeronautic" is simply "aeronaut" with the adjectival ending "-ic" attached. The noun "aeronaut" is the older and more important word: it was formed from Greek roots, "aēr" meaning air and "nautēs" meaning sailor, so an aeronaut was literally an air-sailor, someone who travelled through the sky much as a sailor travelled the sea. The "-ic" ending comes ultimately from Latin "-icus" (via Old French and Middle English), and it is the familiar suffix that turns a noun into a related adjective, as in "heroic" or "public." The modern sense of the word, relating to flight in aircraft or balloons, rests on the same picture. The sea-sailor comparison is built into the word itself, so "aeronautic" describes anything connected with navigating the air rather than the water.

Synonyms: aviation, aerospace, flight, airborne, aviatory