noun
astronaut
AST-ruh-nawt
noun
1
A person trained to travel and work in a spacecraft beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
"The astronaut spent six months aboard the space station."
How to Use Astronaut
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA person who travels into space as part of a crew.
UK vs US
American English generally says "astronaut"; Russian-trained space travelers are called "cosmonauts," and China’s program uses "taikonaut."
Easily confused with
Word Forms
astronauts plural
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The _____ spent six months aboard the space station.
Etymology
Coined from Greek ástron ("star") plus nautēs ("sailor") — literally a "star sailor."