airborne

English

Etymology

Attested since the 1640s; air +‎ borne

Adjective

airborne (not comparable)

1. In or carried by the air.

   Airborne pollen can aggravate allergies.

   • 2012 December 1, “An internet of airborne things”, The Economist, volume 405, number 8813, page 3 (Technology Quarterly): 

     A farmer could place an order for a new tractor part by text message and pay for it by mobile money-transfer. A supplier many miles away would then take the part to the local matternet station for airborne dispatch via drone.

1. In flight.

Translations

carried by the air

• Catalan: transportat per l'aire (ca)
• Finnish: ilmassa leijuva, ilma-
• German: über die Luft transportiert (de)
• Greek: αερομεταφερόμενος (el) (aerometaferomenos)

• Indonesian: lintas udara (id)
• Italian: trasportato dall'aria (it), aviotrasportato (it)
• Spanish: transportado por el aire (es), aerotransportado (es)
• Turkish: havadaki (tr)

in flight

• Arabic: في الجو (ar)
• Polish: w trakcie lotu (pl)

• Spanish: volando (es)

Noun

airborne (plural airbornes or airborne)

Wikipedia

1. Military infantry intended to be transported by air and delivered to the battlefield by parachute or helicopter.

References

• “airborne” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary (2001).