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unidentified flying object

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UFO

[yoo-ef-oh or, sometimes, yoo-foh]
–noun, plural UFO's, UFOs.
any unexplained moving object observed in the sky, esp. one assumed by some observers to be of extraterrestrial origin.
Compare flying saucer.


Origin:
1950–55; u(nidentified) f(lying) o(bject)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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un·i·den·ti·fied flying object   (ŭn'ī-děn'tə-fīd')   
n.  
  1. A flying or apparently flying object of an unknown nature, especially one suspected to have been sent by extraterrestrial beings.

  2. A flying saucer.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

UFO [(yooh-ef-oh)]

The abbreviation for unidentified flying object. Sometimes referred to colloquially as “flying saucers.” Most UFO sightings have prosaic explanations; there is no hard evidence that extraterrestrial beings are visiting Earth.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

UFO 
1953, abbreviation of Unidentified Flying Object, which is attested from 1950. Ufology is first attested 1959.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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