aerial [adjective air -ee-uh l, ey-eer -ee-uh l; noun air -ee-uh l]
Examples Word Origin
See more synonyms for aerial on Thesaurus.com of, in, or produced by the air : aerial currents. inhabiting or frequenting the air: aerial creatures. operating on a track or cable elevated above the ground: an aerial ski lift up the mountainside. reaching far into the air; high; lofty: aerial spires. partaking of the nature of air; airy. unsubstantial; visionary: aerial fancies. having a light and graceful beauty; ethereal: aerial music. Biology growing in the air, as the adventitious roots of some trees. pertaining to or used for, against, or in aircraft. supplied or performed by means of aircraft: aerial support; aerial reconnaissance. Show More
Origin of aerial 1595–1605; 1900–05 for def 11 ; <
Latin āeri(us ) of the air (<
Greek āérios, equivalent to
āer- (stem of
āḗr air1 ) +
-ios adj. suffix) +
-al1 Related forms aer·i·al·ly , adverb aer·i·al·ness , noun su·per·aer·i·al , adjective su·per·aer·i·al·ly , adverb Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for aerial Contemporary Examples of aerial What the people of Mosul now fear most is aerial bombardment of their own city.
An aerial image shows what appears to be a spa, roiling water apparently carrying no nasty connotations.
The crime-fighting penguins, says the trailer, are “masters of the skies, espionage, and aerial assault.”
And even that aerial effort is being shortchanged, military insiders tell The Daily Beast.
This one, for instance, opens with aerial video of Kobani shot from an “Islamic State drone.”
Historical Examples of aerial This is another of the peculiarities of aerial construction and navigation.
Lovers of aerial navigation have otherwise not much left to wish for.
An aerial lattice spread about a portion of a six-mile hemisphere.
The "grid" is connected to the aerial wire to intercept the radio waves.
"Now let us see the aerial ," he said, and led the way outside.
British Dictionary definitions for aerial of, relating to, or resembling air existing, occurring, moving, or operating in the air aerial cable car ; aerial roots of a plant ethereal; light and delicate imaginary; visionary extending high into the air; lofty of or relating to aircraft aerial combat Show More
Also called: antenna the part of a radio or television system having any of various shapes, such as a dipole, Yagi, long-wire, or vertical aerial, by means of which radio waves are transmitted or received Show More
Word Origin for aerial C17: via Latin from Greek aērios, from aēr air
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for aerial adj. c.1600, from Latin aerius "airy, aerial, lofty, high" (from Greek aerios "of the air, pertaining to air," from aer "air;" see air (n.1)) + adjectival suffix -al (1).
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n. 1902 (short for aerial antenna , etc.); see aerial (adj.).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
