Nearby Words
Synonyms

airlift

[air-lift] Origin

air·lift

[air-lift]
noun Also, air lift.
1.
a system for transporting persons or cargo by aircraft, especially in an emergency.
2.
the persons or cargo so transported.
3.
the act or process of transporting such a load.
4.
a pump for raising liquids by the pressure of air forced into the pump chamber.
verb (used with object)
5.
to transport (persons or cargo) by airlift.

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Airlift is one of our favorite verbs.
So is bowdlerise. Does it mean:
to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.
to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle.
adjective
6.
of or pertaining to an airlift or airlifts: to increase the army's airlift capacity.

Origin:
1940–45; air1 + lift
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
airlift (ˈɛəˌlɪft)
 
n
1.  the transportation by air of passengers, troops, cargo, etc, esp when other routes are blocked
 
vb
2.  (tr) to transport by an airlift

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

airlift
"transportation of supplies by air," 1945, from air (1) + lift.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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