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aviation

[ ey-vee-ey-shuh n, av-ee- ]
/ ˌeɪ viˈeɪ ʃən, ˌæv i- /
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noun

the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft.
military aircraft.

RELATED WORDS

aeronautics, navigation, flight, aerodynamics, piloting

Nearby words

  1. avianize,
  2. aviarist,
  3. aviary,
  4. aviate,
  5. aviatic,
  6. aviation badge,
  7. aviation cadet,
  8. aviation medicine,
  9. aviator,
  10. aviator glasses

Origin of aviation

From French, dating back to 1865–70; see origin at avi-, -ation
Related formsa·vi·at·ic [ey-vee-at-ik, av-ee-] /ˌeɪ viˈæt ɪk, ˌæv i-/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for aviation

British Dictionary definitions for aviation

aviation

/ (ˌeɪvɪˈeɪʃən) /

noun

  1. the art or science of flying aircraft
  2. the design, production, and maintenance of aircraft
US military aircraft collectively

Word Origin for aviation

C19: from French, from Latin avis bird
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for aviation

aviation

n.

1866, from French aviation, noun of action from stem of Latin avis "bird" (see aviary). Coined 1863 by French aviation pioneer Guillaume Joseph Gabriel de La Landelle (1812-1886) in "Aviation ou Navigation aérienne."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper