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.
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
During a call with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the astronauts said they shared maple cream cookies while passing the far side of the moon, a nod to astronaut Jeremy Hansen’s home country.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026
Reflecting on the achievement, astronaut Hansen said the moment should "challenge this generation and the next, to make sure this record is not long-lived."
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
For Coachella’s 20th anniversary in 2019, Goldenvoice contacted Poetic Kinetics to bring the astronaut back.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026
If she couldn't be the top astronaut candidate, Jackie decided she would be in charge.
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.
