astronaut

[as-truh-nawt, -not]

noun

1. a person engaged in or trained for spaceflight.

astronaut

/ ˈæstrəˌnɔːt /

noun

1. a person trained for travelling in space See also cosmonaut

astronaut

1. A crew member of a space mission launched by the United States. (See Apollo program and Mercury program.)

Word History and Origins

Origin of astronaut¹

1925–30; astro- + (aero)naut, probably via French astronaute; astronautical

Word History and Origins

Origin of astronaut¹

C20: from _astro- + -naut from Greek nautēs sailor, on the model of aeronaut

Example Sentences

NASA’s Artemis program to return astronauts to the moon relies on a version of the Starship upper stage called the Human Landing System that SpaceX is building.

From Los Angeles Times

Mission specialist Christina Koch explained that the astronauts would be able to study the lunar surface in exquisite detail for a full three hours.

From BBC

Nasa has said it hopes to send astronauts on a trip around the Moon as soon as February to prepare for landing there as early as 2027.

From BBC

“You need a vehicle to launch, because current rockets simply don’t have enough throw-weight. They’re testing the lander to carry astronauts to the surface,” Cheng said.

From Los Angeles Times

Now McArthur, 54, is retiring from NASA, where she has served for more than two decades as an astronaut and senior leader at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Houston.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cosmonaut 
• pilot