Langley

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A location in Virginia known for its association with the Central Intelligence Agency and intelligence activities
2. A proper noun referring to a community or place, notable in American history and culture
3. A surname or given name originating from English heritage, often linked to various notable individuals or families

Etymology: Samuel Pierpont Langley was an American astronomer and physicist who ran the Smithsonian Institution from 1887 until his death in 1906. He was also a pioneer of powered flight, building aircraft models and, in 1896, flying unmanned steam-powered aerodromes that covered useful distances before crashing into the Potomac. When the Central Intelligence Agency needed a name for its headquarters in Virginia in 1947, it chose his. The compound, opened that year just outside Washington, D.C., took the name of the man whose work in aviation and scientific research it was meant to honour. The name stuck to the place rather than the person, so in intelligence circles "Langley" became shorthand for the agency itself, much as "Whitehall" stands for British government or "the Pentagon" for the US military. Newspapers and officials used it this way throughout the Cold War, and the usage has continued since.

Synonyms: unit of solar radiation