Paraglider

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who engages in a recreational sport using a lightweight, non-motorized aircraft with an open framework and fabric wing, launched by running or towing before gliding through the air
2. An individual participating in a recreational activity that involves using a fabric wing and harness assembly to soar through the air after running or being towed for launch
3. A person who partakes in an adventure sport that utilizes a lightweight structure with a canopy, requiring initial ground movement or towing for ascent before enjoying aerial flight

Etymology: "Paraglider" is a modern compound, built from "para-" and "glider," and its history is tied to the parachute. The "para-" comes from "parachute," a French coinage from the early 1800s in which "para-" meant "protecting against" (from Italian "parare," to ward off, as in a shield against a fall) and "chute" means "a fall." The sport's lineage runs through the parachute rather than through gliders alone, which explains the name. The modern paraglider developed in the late 1970s and 1980s, when sport pilots began flying steerable parachute canopies that could be launched from hills and gliding for distance. The word "paraglider" for the sport emerged in that period, as the design was recognized as a distinct type of unpowered flying machine, separate from the rigid hang glider it resembles in purpose.

Synonyms: glider, soarer