Balloonists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who operate or pilot large fabric-enclosed vessels filled with gas, typically for recreational purposes
2. People engaged in the activity of flying in hot air balloons, often as a hobby or profession
3. Enthusiasts or professionals who navigate or control aerostatic vehicles, enjoying aerial views and adventures in the sky

Etymology: Balloonists are people who fly balloons, and the plural follows from "balloonist," which English built by adding the suffix "-ist" to "balloon." The suffix goes back through Latin "-ista" and Greek "-istēs," and it has long marked a person who practises or works with something. The "-ist" element is the part that carries the agent meaning here, so the word simply names those who handle balloons. The root "balloon" has its own tangled path. It reaches English from French "ballon," which came from Italian "pallone," a large ball, and that Italian word is an augmentative of "palla," meaning ball. The sense of a large ball is the original idea, and the later sense of a bag filled with hot air or gas was added only once people began to fly such bags.

Synonyms: aeronauts, pilots, fliers, aviators, balloon pilots