AERIAL

aeriform, aerial, airy, aery, ethereal

(adjective) characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; as impalpable or intangible as air; “figures light and aeriform come unlooked for and melt away”- Thomas Carlyle; “aerial fancies”; “an airy apparition”; “physical rather than ethereal forms”

aerial

(adjective) existing or living or growing or operating in the air; “aerial roots of a philodendron”; “aerial particles”; “small aerial creatures such as butterflies”; “aerial warfare”; “aerial photography”; “aerial cable cars”

antenna, aerial, transmitting aerial

(noun) an electrical device that sends or receives radio or television signals

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Adjective

aerial (comparative more aerial, superlative most aerial)

Living or taking place in the air. [from 16th c.]

(now literary or historical) Made up of air or gas; gaseous. [from 16th c.]

Positioned high up; elevated. [from 16th c.]

Ethereal, insubstantial; imaginary. [from 16th c.]

Pertaining to the air or atmosphere; atmospheric. [from 17th c.]

(aviation) Pertaining to a vehicle which travels through the air; airborne; relating to or conducted by means of aircraft. [from 17th c.]

(botany) Above the ground

Noun

aerial (plural aerials)

(chiefly UK) A rod, wire, or other structure for receiving or transmitting radio, television signals etc.

A move, as in dancing or skateboarding, involving one or both feet leaving the ground.

(photography) Aerial photography.

Usage notes

Some make a distinction between an antenna and an aerial, with the former used to indicate a rigid structure, and the latter consisting of a wire strung in the air. For those who do not make a distinction, antenna is more commonly used in the United States and aerial is more commonly used in the United Kingdom.

Synonyms

• (device for receiving or transmitting): antenna

• (dance move involving one or both feet leaving the ground): air step, acrobatic

Anagrams

• realia

Source: Wiktionary

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A*ë"ri*al, a. Etym: [L. aërius. See Air.]

1. Of or pertaining to the air, or atmosphere; inhabiting or frequenting the air; produced by or found in the air; performed in the air; as, aërial regions or currents. "Aërial spirits." Milton. "Aërial voyages." Darwin.

2. Consisting of air; resembling, or partaking of the nature of air. Hence: Unsubstantial; unreal.

3. Rising aloft in air; high; lofty; as, aërial spires.

4. Growing, forming, or existing in the air, as opposed to growing or existing in earth or water, or underground; as, aërial rootlets, aërial plants. Gray.

5. Light as air; ethereal. Aërial acid, carbonic acid. [Obs.] Ure.

– Aërial perspective. See Perspective.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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