Airfields

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Enclosed areas designated for landing and takeoff of aircraft; locations equipped with necessary facilities for the support of aviation activities; regions where planes can be parked, maintained, or serviced during operations
2. Spaces specifically designed for the landing and takeoff of various types of aircraft; installations that provide infrastructure for flight operations and aircraft management; zones where aviation-related activities, including refueling and maintenance, are conducted
3. Areas established for aviation purposes, including runways and hangars for aircraft; sites that facilitate air traffic operations and support services for flying vehicles; locations designated for both commercial and military aviation activities

Etymology: "Airfields" is simply the plural of "airfield," a compound of "air" and "field." The pairing is about as transparent as English compounds get: "field" in its older sense of an open tract of cleared or level ground, here made into a place for aircraft to take off and land. The word works the same way as older compounds like "battlefield" or "ballfield," naming a piece of open ground by the activity that happens on it. The first element, "air," traces back through Latin "aer" and Greek "aēr" to a word for the lower atmosphere, which is why the compound tells you exactly what the ground is for. "Field" comes from Old English "feld," meaning open country, a sense it kept long before any flying machine existed.

Synonyms: airports, airstrips, runways