Aerodynamic

How to spell aerodynamic

11 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce aerodynamic

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does aerodynamic mean?

1. adjectiveDesigned or shaped to move through the air with minimal resistance.

Aerodynamic in a sentence

• The new car has a sleek aerodynamic body that improves fuel economy.

• Cyclists adopt an aerodynamic crouch to cut wind resistance on long descents.

Where does aerodynamic come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word is built from two Greek roots: aer, meaning 'air', and dynamis, meaning 'power' or 'force', the same element that gives us 'dynamo' and 'dynamite'. The combining form 'aerodynamics' was coined in the nineteenth century as the science of forces acting on bodies moving through air, and the adjective 'aerodynamic' followed to describe shapes or qualities that move through air with little resistance. English assembled the term from these classical pieces rather than inheriting it whole, a common pattern for scientific vocabulary. The 'aero-' element, always glossed as 'air', sits behind a whole family of modern words such as 'aeroplane', 'aerosol' and 'aerobics'. The chief spelling trap is that opening 'aero' sequence: the silent run of vowels does not match how the word sounds, so writers are tempted to drop the second vowel or swap the order.

How the word is built

• aero- (air)
• dynam- (power, force)
• -ic (adjective suffix)