Airworthy

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Able to be operated safely in flight, indicating that the aircraft is compliant with safety regulations and is ready for aviation use
2. Describing an aircraft that meets the necessary criteria for safe operation in the air, thus ensuring its capability to fly without hazards
3. Suitable for flight by meeting all safety and operational standards required for air travel

Etymology: "Airworthy" is a plain compound: "air" joined to the suffix "-worthy," which means fit for or deserving of something. The "-worthy" element goes back to Old English roots meaning worth or value, so the whole word means fit for the air, or fit to fly. The first half traces a long road. "Air" descends from ancient Greek "āḗr," which passed into Latin as "āēr," then into Old French, and reached Middle English as "aire" before becoming modern "air." Ancient Greeks would have recognised the sense of the stem, though not the aviation compound, which is a modern formation. Put together, "airworthy" applies to an aircraft that has been checked and certified as safe to be flown. The word carries the same logic as "seaworthy" for ships, a pattern that tells you what the term is built to judge.

Synonyms: flyable, airworthy, operable

Antonyms: unfit, damaged, unsafe