Aviator
/ˈeɪ.vi.eɪ.tər/noun
A person who pilots an aircraft.
Did you know?Aviator comes from Latin *avis* (“bird”), so the word’s deepest root is the same ancient source behind several bird-related terms across Indo-European languages.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂éwis
“bird”
Latin
Latin
avis
“bird”
Latin
Latin
aviātor
“bird-catcher; one who deals with birds”
Late 19th Century
English
aviator
“a person who flies an aircraft”
Modern English
English
aviator
“a pilot or flyer”