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aerial

Syllabification: (aer·i·al)
Pronunciation: /ˈe(ə)rēəl/
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Definition of aerial

adjective

[attributive]
  • existing, happening, or operating in the air:an aerial battle an intrepid aerial adventurer
  • coming or carried out from the air, especially using aircraft:aerial bombardment of civilian targets aerial photography
  • (of part of a plant) growing above ground:knobby sections of aerial roots
  • (of a bird) spending much of its time in flight.
  • of or in the atmosphere; atmospheric.

noun

  • 2 (aerials) a type of maneuver in gymnastics, skiing, or surfing involving freestyle jumps or somersaults.

Derivatives

aerially

adverb

Origin:

late 16th century (in the sense 'thin as air, imaginary'): via Latin aerius from Greek aerios (from aēr 'air') + -al

Aerial is one of a group of words based on Greek aēr 'air' and therefore spelled aer-. Other words that begin with aer- include aerobic, aeroplane, and aerosol.

aerial in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of aerial in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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