aeronautics
Americannoun
noun
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The design, construction and operation of aircraft.
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The scientific study of flight through the atmosphere.
Etymology
Origin of aeronautics
1820–25; < New Latin aeronautica or French aéronautique; see aero-, nautical, -ics
Explanation
If you have a passion for airplanes and other aircraft, you might be destined for a career in aeronautics, which is the study and design of flying machines within the atmosphere. Whether your interest lies in building aircraft or flying planes, you can describe your area of interest as aeronautics. The term aviation can also be used, although it typically doesn't include airships or dirigibles, like blimps and zeppelins. The word aeronautics literally means "sailing the air," from the Greek roots aero, "air," and nautikē, "navigation."
Vocabulary lists containing aeronautics
Flying High: Aviation Words
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Elements of the Universe: Aer, Aero ("Air")
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aer, aero
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Emblematic of this is Toulouse in the south-west, home of France's aeronautics industry as well as a big student population and a classic French banlieue of high-rise estates.
From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026
At the same time, work accelerated across a wide range of priorities, including lunar exploration, Earth science, planetary defense, next-generation aeronautics, and technologies intended to support future missions to Mars.
From Science Daily • Jan. 25, 2026
Bertrand Vilmer, an aeronautics expert and consultant at Paris-based Icare Aeronautique, said Athens' largely analog-based systems "are robust, but ones for which there's no longer really any possible maintenance because they're old."
From Barron's • Jan. 13, 2026
Born in Vienna to one of Austria’s wealthiest families, Wittgenstein began his academic studies in mechanical engineering and started a Ph.D. in aeronautics but became captivated by philosophy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 18, 2025
The airship was three days from completing a sensational feat of aeronautics, circumnavigation of the globe.
From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
