Aviation
/ˌeɪ.viˈeɪ.ʃən/noun
The operation or use of aircraft; the science or practice of flying.
Did you know?Aviation ultimately comes from Latin avis, meaning “bird,” so the modern word for powered flight still carries the old image of humans trying to take on a bird’s place in the sky.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂éwis
“bird”
Latin
Latin
avis
“bird”
Late Latin
Latin
aviatio
“a flying or soaring motion; bird-like movement”
19th Century
French
aviation
“the act or practice of flying”
Modern English
English
aviation
“the operation or use of aircraft”