aerostat

American  

[air-uh-stat] / ˈɛər əˌstæt /

noun

1. any lighter-than-air aircraft, as a balloon or dirigible.

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aerostat British  

/ ˈɛərəˌstæt /

noun

1. a lighter-than-air craft, such as a balloon

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Other Word Forms

• aerostatic adjective

Etymology

Origin of aerostat

First recorded in 1775–85; aero- + -stat

Example Sentences

For instance, at observation stations for remote monitoring devices, like aerostat blimps, troops have to be stationed alongside agents, rather than replacing them, he said, because "they don't know the landmarks."

From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2018

One report said: “Adding a smaller agent-deployed aerostat to the Border Patrol technology toolbox represents an inexpensive solution to provide persistent surveillance and communications.”

From Washington Times • Oct. 17, 2017

The aerostat in Pennsylvania may not have suffered a bullet shot, but its deflation became a scene nonetheless.

From Washington Post • Oct. 28, 2015

A frequent source of displeasure was the millions spent until recently on an aerostat balloon and a plane to try to transmit TV signals to Cuba.

From New York Times • Mar. 24, 2015

This car, which renders the management of the balloon easy, had not then been invented; a circular gallery surrounded the lower part of the aerostat.

From A Voyage in a Balloon (1852) by Verne, Jules