lighter-than-air


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light·er-than-air

(lī′tər-thən-âr′)
adj.
Having a weight less than that of the air displaced. Used of certain aircraft such as balloons and dirigibles.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

light′er-than-air′



adj.
1. (of an aircraft) weighing less than the air it displaces, hence obtaining lift from aerostatic buoyancy.
2. of or pertaining to lighter-than-air craft.
[1900–05]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adj.1.lighter-than-air - relating to a balloon or other aircraft that flies because it weighs less than the air it displaces
aircraft - a vehicle that can fly
light - of comparatively little physical weight or density; "a light load"; "magnesium is a light metal--having a specific gravity of 1.74 at 20 degrees C"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
References in periodicals archive ?
Raven Industries is in precision agriculture, high-performance specialty films, and lighter-than-air technologies.
After his stint at SpaceX, and time spent at MIT's Gas Turbine Lab, Glass reimagined the possibilities of lighter-than-air technology -- otherwise known as blimps and airships.
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Liner notes: "What are we running after?" asks this intoxicating epic, which consists of a lush wave of guitars, soaring male and female voices, and lighter-than-air beats.
Arctic Mission, which is in effect a third, revised edition of the book originally published by the Lighter-Than-Air Institute in 1999, relates in exhaustive detail and beautiful illustrations the story of two historic U.S.
For the Beijing outpost of the high-end Chinese boutique Shang Xia, architect Kengo Kuma referenced the serried walls of the ancient city to create semi-solid, lighter-than-air partitions made out of brick patterns of masonry, aluminum, tea, and wood.
The trouble with The Oranges - the name of the characters' New Jersey municipality - is that the unsettling romance is treated as a lighter-than-air comedy, complete with a perky score and the sense that nobody's bothered about the creepiness unfolding on their doorsteps.
Which inert inflammable gas is used in balloons as a safe alternative to other lighter-than-air gases?
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They are regularly pictured as frothy, lighter-than-air beings whose ample clothing, rather than constricting their movements, often hangs elegantly in gravity-defying folds.
The United States military as well as private companies are building hybrid airships that fly using both lift from their aerodynamic shapes and the buoyancy of lighter-than-air helium filling their hulls.