contrail

American  

[kon-treyl] / ˈkɒn treɪl /

noun

1. a visible condensation of water droplets or ice crystals from the atmosphere, occurring in the wake of an aircraft, rocket, or missile under certain conditions.

---

contrail British  

/ ˈkɒntreɪl /

noun

1. another name for vapour trail

---

Etymology

Origin of contrail

First recorded in 1940–45; con(densation) trail

Example Sentences

Another user, @wesleybrennan87, posted a photo of two airplane contrails crisscrossing the sky through a break in the fog.

From Los Angeles Times

While contrails may linger for hours, they don’t signal the dispersion of harmful chemicals, the EPA said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Environmental Protection Agency launched two new websites to “address public questions and concerns “ about weather modification, geoengineering, and contrails, or the thin clouds that form behind aircraft at high altitudes.

From Los Angeles Times

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the two sites, which focus on the topics of geoengineering and airplane contrails, in a video shared on Thursday.

From Salon

Aryan loved the roaring sound of the engine fill the air and then grow louder as the plane cruised above him, leaving behind chalky threads of contrail in the sky,

From BBC