Volitations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act or process of flying or hovering in the air; instances of movement through the air using wings or other means; instances of fluttering or light flying motion
2. Actions involving aerial movement or the ability to float and fly; instances where creatures or objects move by flapping or sustaining flight; examples of hovering or gliding motions in air
3. The performance or state of flying or soaring through the air; occurrences of airborne motion by means of flight apparatus; episodes of fluttering or gentle airborne movement

Etymology: "Volitations" is the plural of "volitation", so it names several instances of flying or fluttering rather than a single act. The singular "volitation" came into English from Medieval Latin "volitātiō", a noun built on the Latin verb "volitāre", meaning to fly about or flit repeatedly. That verb is a frequentative, a form signalling repeated or continued action, of "volare", to fly, so the core idea is flying back and forth rather than one clean flight. The Latin verb "volitāre" reveals the sense it carried: a bird or insect that keeps darting about, never settling. That restless, repeated quality is what the English word keeps, which is why it suits descriptions of birds, insects, or leaves caught in air currents. The word is a learned borrowing, so it is typically found in literary or scientific writing rather than everyday speech.

Synonyms: flights, flutters, hoverings, glidings, flyings

Antonyms: landings, descents, drop-offs, falls, plummets