aviation

aviation — noun

1. everything to do with planes and helicopters — flying them, building them, plann

1.nounB2
Definition

everything to do with planes and helicopters — flying them, building them, planning their routes, and looking after them so they stay safe to use.

Example

Saoirse has worked in aviation for twenty years, mostly as a flight engineer.

collocation: work in aviation

The aviation industry was hit hard when fuel prices doubled last spring.

collocation: the aviation industry

Common collocations
  • civil aviation
  • commercial aviation
  • military aviation
  • aviation fuel
  • aviation safety
Synonyms
  • flying

    more general; covers any kind of flight, including birds and balloons

  • aeronautics

    technical; the science behind flight rather than the whole industry

  • air travel

    narrower; only the passenger side of aviation

Grammar Patterns

aviation industry

in aviation

Usage Note

Almost always uncountable and used without an article (say 'work in aviation', not 'work in an aviation'). Often forms compound phrases such as 'aviation industry', 'aviation fuel', 'aviation safety', and 'civil aviation'.

Common Mistakes

She studies an aviation at university.
She studies aviation at university.
'aviation' is uncountable and takes no article.
My uncle works as an aviation.
My uncle works in aviation.
the noun names a field, not a job; use 'work in aviation' for the field, or a job title like 'pilot' or 'engineer'.

Word family

  • aviator
    nounC1
  • aviatrix
    nounC2
  • aviate
    verbC2
  • avionics
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These four words all touch on flight, but each sits in a different place. 'Aviation' is the broad professional field — pilots, mechanics, airlines, airports, and the rules that hold the system together. 'Aeronautics' is more academic; it names the science and engineering that make flight possible, so a university course on lift and drag would use this word, not 'aviation'. 'Flying' is the everyday verb-noun for the act itself, suitable for hobby pilots or passengers describing the experience. 'Air travel' zooms in on passengers moving from city to city. Compare: 'She studies aeronautics' (engineering theory), 'She works in aviation' (a job in the industry), 'She is afraid of flying' (the personal experience), 'Air travel has become cheaper this decade' (the passenger market).

aviation ↗aeronauticsflying ↗air travel

Common collocations

Nouns

  • aviation industry
  • aviation sector
  • aviation safety
  • aviation fuel
  • aviation history
  • aviation school
  • civil aviation
  • commercial aviation
  • military aviation

Phrases

  • a career in aviation
  • the future of aviation

Prepositions

  • in aviation
  • into aviation

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

'Aviation' came into English in the 1860s from French 'aviation', a word coined by the French writer Guillaume de La Landelle in 1863 from the Latin 'avis', meaning 'bird'. At first it referred to early experiments with gliders and balloons; only after the Wright brothers' powered flight in 1903 did it take on its modern sense covering aircraft of every kind. The Latin root 'avis' also gives English 'aviary' (a place to keep birds) and 'aviator' (someone who flies).