aerial

Where does the word "aerial" come from? It comes from Latin aerius, and was adopted directly into English (1600s).

Aerial’s story begins in Latin: aerius meant “airy.” From Greek 'aēr', air. It reached English by 1600s as aerial. First recorded around 1545 in the Protestant polemicist John Bale, from Latin 'aerius'; radio 'aerials' date from the 1900s. Today, aerial means existing in the air; an antenna.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient aerius "airy", from Greek 'aēr', air.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1600s aerial "airy", first recorded around 1545 in the Protestant polemicist John Bale, from Latin 'aerius'; radio 'aerials' date from the 1900s.