dirigible

[dir-i-juh-buhl, dih-rij-uh-]

noun

1. an airship.

adjective

1. designed for or capable of being directed, controlled, or steered.

dirigible

/ dɪˈrɪdʒɪbəl /

adjective

1. able to be steered or directed

noun

1. another name for airship

Other Word Forms

• dirigibility noun
• nondirigibility noun
• nondirigible adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dirigible¹

First recorded in 1580–90 for the adjective and in 1885–90 for the noun; from Latin dīrigere, dēregere “to arrange, align, straighten, direct” + English adjective suffix -ible; direct, -ible

Word History and Origins

Origin of dirigible¹

C16: from Latin dīrigere to _direct

Example Sentences

“Let’s Fly” exhibition, are striped, spotted, shaped like doughnuts and light up in the night sky like condensed, dirigible versions of Ugo Rondinone’s “Seven Magic Mountains” sculpture.

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The huge, slow-moving dirigibles were later replaced by more reliable long-range airplanes, such as the German Gotha bombers that carried out daylight raids on London.

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Striped balloons and plump golden dirigibles clustered in the center with baskets ready to receive parcels and packages.

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Located just across Fairfax from where the airfield once stood, the eye-catching spherical building’s design is, according to my Times colleague Carolina Miranda, “inspired by the dirigibles that used to touch down in the area.”

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The federal government began to hoard the gas 100 years ago to ensure supplies for military dirigibles and later, the space program.

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