Aerial definition |Dictionary.com

Aerial

6 dictionary results for: Aerial

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

aer·i·al

[adj. air-ee-uh

l, ey-eer-ee-uh

l; n. air-ee-uh

l] Pronunciation Key

–adjective

1.	of, in, or produced by the air: aerial currents.

2.	inhabiting or frequenting the air: aerial creatures.

3.	operating on a track or cable elevated above the ground: an aerial ski lift up the mountainside.

4.	reaching far into the air; high; lofty: aerial spires.

5.	partaking of the nature of air; airy.

6.	unsubstantial; visionary: aerial fancies.

7.	having a light and graceful beauty; ethereal: aerial music.

8.	Biology. growing in the air, as the adventitious roots of some trees.

9.	pertaining to or used for, against, or in aircraft.

10.	supplied or performed by means of aircraft: aerial support; aerial reconnaissance.

–noun

11.	a radio or television antenna.

12.	Football. forward pass.

[Origin: 1595–1605; 1900–05 for def. 11; < L āeri(us) of the air (< Gk āérios, equiv. to āer- (s. of ār air¹) + -ios adj. suffix) + -al¹

]

—Related forms

aer·i·al·ly, adverb

aer·i·al·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

aer·i·al (âr'ē-əl, ā-îr'ē-əl) Pronunciation Key
adj.

Of, in, or caused by the air.
Existing or living in the air.
Reaching high into the air; lofty.
Suggestive of air, as in lightness; airy.
Unsubstantial; imaginary.
Of, for, or by means of aircraft: aerial photography.
Botany Growing or borne above the ground or water: aerial roots.

n. (âr'ē-əl)
A radio antenna, especially one suspended in or extending into the air.

[From Latin āerius, from Greek āerios, from āēr, air; see wer-¹ in Indo-European roots.]

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
aerial (adj.)

1604, from L. ærius "airy," from Gk. aerios, from aer "air." The noun is 1902 (short for aerial antenna, etc.).

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

aerial
adjective
1.	existing or living or growing or operating in the air; "aerial roots of a philodendron"; "aerial particles"; "small aerial creatures such as butterflies"; "aerial warfare"; "aerial photography"; "aerial cable cars"
2.	characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; as impalpable or intangible as air; "figures light and aeriform come unlooked for and melt away"- Thomas Carlyle; "aerial fancies"; "an airy apparition"; "physical rather than ethereal forms" [syn: aeriform]
noun
1.	a pass to a receiver downfield from the passer [syn: forward pass]
2.	an electrical device that sends or receives radio or television signals [syn: antenna]

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Aerial

A*["e]"ri*al\, a. [L. a["e]rius. See Air.]

1. Of or pertaining to the air, or atmosphere; inhabiting or frequenting the air; produced by or found in the air; performed in the air; as, a["e]rial regions or currents. "A["e]rial spirits." --Milton. "A["e]rial voyages." --Darwin.

2. Consisting of air; resembling, or partaking of the nature of air. Hence: Unsubstantial; unreal.

3. Rising aloft in air; high; lofty; as, a["e]rial spires.

4. Growing, forming, or existing in the air, as opposed to growing or existing in earth or water, or underground; as, a["e]rial rootlets, a["e]rial plants. --Gray.

5. Light as air; ethereal.

A["e]rial acid, carbonic acid. [Obs.] --Ure.

A["e]rial perspective. See Perspective.

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