astronaut
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of astronaut
1925–30; astro- + (aero)naut, probably via French astronaute; astronautical
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Explanation
An astronaut is someone who travels in space. While the term was once reserved for military-trained professionals, recent accessibility of space travel has seen the term astronaut now used to refer to anyone traveling in a spacecraft, including civilians. The word astronaut includes the root naut, from nautes, the Greek word for "sailor." This suffix can be used to create many travel-specific words. For example, the Argonauts were mythical Greek sailors on the ship named the Argo. Astronaut gets the astro from the Greek word astron, meaning "star," making an astronaut a “star sailor.” Russian space explorers took the title cosmonauts, with the cosmo part coming from the Greek for "universe," kosmos, so both have the same meaning.
Vocabulary lists containing astronaut
Occupations
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Elements of the Universe: Aster, Astro ("Star")
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astro, aster
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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.
“I would suggest to you that when you look up here, you’re not looking at us,” said Canadian Space Agency astronaut and Artemis II mission specialist astronaut Jeremy Hansen, back in Houston Saturday.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026
As the Orion approached the moon on April 5, the crew woke up to a message from Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026
Speaking to Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen for the 13 minutes presents: Artemis II podcast while he was in quarantine before the launch really brought this home.
From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026
A team of nearly 50 supported operations during the festival as the astronaut roved the grounds at a speed of less than five miles an hour.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
Jackie Cochran may have thought that she was the obvious choice as the first female astronaut.
From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson
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.
