Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “aviation” come from?

Aviation comes from French aviation, derived from Latin avis meaning "bird," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂éwis with the same meaning.

aviation (English): The art or science of making and flying aircraft;...

Definitions

  1. The art or science of making and flying aircraft;...

Ancestry of “aviation”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchaviationaviation
2Latinavisa bird; omen, portent; dative/ablative plural of...
3EnglishavifaunaThe birds, or all the kinds of birds, inhabiting...
4Latinfaunaanimals

Words derived from “aviation”

  • nonaviation
  • aviaco
  • aviacar
  • aviacilo
Every word from Latin fauna →