Prefix · element · air
Means "air" or relating to flight: aerobic, aerosol, aerospace, aerodynamic, aeronautics.
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
Aero- comes from Greek "aer/aeros" (air) and appears in scientific, sporting, and aviation vocabulary. Aerobic = requiring air/oxygen; aerosol = particles suspended in the air; aerospace = the air and space environment; aerodynamic = designed to move efficiently through air; aeronautics = the science of flight. Spanish uses the same prefix: aeróbico, aerosol, aeroespacial, aerodinámico, aeronáutica.
Aero- spans very different contexts: in fitness (aerobics = air-requiring exercise), the bathroom (aerosol spray), technology (aerospace, aerodynamics), and transport (aeronautics, aerodrome). All share the root "air." Spanish cognates are direct in every case: aeróbico, aeronáutica, aeroespacial, aerodinámico, aeródromo.
Combines with Greek and Latin roots in scientific, sporting, and aviation contexts:
Pronunciation: /ˈeər.oʊ/. Spanish cognates: aerodinámico (aerodynamic), aeronáutica (aeronautics), aeróbico (aerobic), aerosol, aeroespacial (aerospace). The prefix aero- works identically in both languages.
aero-/ˈeər.oʊ/
Tap the button to hear how the prefix sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.
The similar English word "air" (Old English) can lead to the incorrect "airobics" or "airodrome". Always use the "aero-" form: aerobic, aerosol, aerospace, aerodynamic. These are Greek-origin technical words and always follow the aero- spelling.
A trick to remember it
Aero- = air, flight. Direct Spanish cognates: aerodinámico (aerodynamic), aeronáutica (aeronautics), aeróbico (aerobic), aerosol, aeroespacial (aerospace). The same prefix works in both languages with the same meanings.
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
What does aeronautics study?
The prefix aero- means "air" or relating to flight: aerobic, aerosol, aerospace, aerodynamic, aeronautics. In Spanish it usually maps to aero-.
The prefix aero- is pronounced /ˈeər.oʊ/. For example, "aerobic".
"bic" becomes "aerobic". It is a typical example of the aero- prefix.
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