aeronaut

noun

aero·​naut ˈer-ə-ˌnȯt How to pronounce aeronaut (audio)
-ˌnät
: one who operates or travels in an airship or balloon

Examples of aeronaut in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web On the way down, the aeronaut, having toasted to freedom, dropped leaflets of the new constitution. Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2023 In its 30 years of life, this champion aeronaut flies more than 2.4 million kilometres - the equivalent of three return journeys to the Moon. Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 15 Jan. 2010 Mandy Johnson, a longtime aeronaut and ballooning teacher in Washington, said her list of new students is bigger this summer than at any time in 25 years, with about two-thirds of them aged 20 to 35. New York Times, 15 Aug. 2021 In a land of promoters and dreamers, Thaddeus Lowe was a standout visionary, a scientific autodidact who came to California more than 20 years after his service as creator and chief aeronaut of the Union Army balloon corps. Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2021 The mystery aeronaut has been spotted at least twice before, in the summer and fall, but now there’s video, posted to the Instagram account of the Sling Pilot Academy, a local aviation school. Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 26 Dec. 2020 Jacques was the son of Auguste, similarly renowned as an aeronaut, inventor and physicist. Cnn Staff; Story By Tom Page, CNN, 2 Oct. 2020 Directed by Tom Harper, the movie is inspired by the true story of Victorian scientist James Glaisher and the aeronaut Henry Coxwell. Jennifer Tucker, Smithsonian, 9 Dec. 2019 Intrepid aeronauts of the past really did make a parachute of the balloon and witness butterflies at surprisingly high altitudes. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 7 Dec. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'aeronaut.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French aéronaute, from aéro- aero- + -naute (as in Argonaute argonaut), borrowed from Greek naútēs "sailor" — more at nautical

First Known Use

1784, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of aeronaut was in 1784

Dictionary Entries Near aeronaut

Cite this Entry

“Aeronaut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aeronaut. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

aeronaut

noun
aero·​naut ˈar-ə-ˌnȯt How to pronounce aeronaut (audio)
ˈer-,
-nät
: a person who operates or travels in an airship or a balloon

More from Merriam-Webster on aeronaut

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