Freefalling

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The action of plummeting quickly through the atmosphere without any means of support or stabilization
2. Moving downward rapidly through the air without any support or control over the motion
3. Describes the state of descending through the atmosphere in an uncontrolled, gravity-driven manner

Etymology: "Freefalling" is the present participle of "freefall," a compound built from the plain English words "free" and "fall." The sense of unrestricted descent is what the two parts convey on their own: "free" in the sense of unhindered, unchecked, and "fall" in its ordinary meaning of dropping. A freefall is a descent with nothing to slow or steady it, which is why the term fits the skydiver's stretch of air before the parachute opens, as well as any other uncontrolled drop. The compound is transparent, so there is no hidden history to uncover. Its usefulness lies in how neatly it names a state that would otherwise need a phrase: "falling freely" says the same thing, but the single word packs the idea into one action that can be described as ongoing.

Synonyms: falling, plummeting, descending, dropping, tumbling