Airbound

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to or traveling through the air ; confined or transported only by air travel
2. Pertaining to functioning or existing in the atmosphere ; limited to movement or shipment by aircraft
3. Describing something airborne or in the atmosphere ; dependent solely on air transport for movement

Etymology: "Airbound" is a plain compound of "air" and "bound," with "bound" in the sense of "confined to or restricted by something." Its meaning follows directly from that: a thing that is airbound is held up in the air or restricted to air travel. The second element comes from the old sense of "bound" as "tied" or "constrained," the same root that gives "bound" in "housebound" or "snowbound." The most useful comparison is "snowbound," which means cut off by snow. "Airbound" works the same way, so an airbound aircraft is one held in the air or grounded for want of air transport, and an airbound traveller is one who can only move by plane. The pattern is productive, and the word stays transparent: anyone who knows "air" and "bound" can read it at once.

Synonyms: aerated, airborne, suspended, in the air

Antonyms: waterbound, grounded, submerged