An Aerial Is a British Antenna
Aerial means of the air, and in Britain it is also the thing on your roof. Americans call the same object an antenna.
Aerial means relating to the air. As a noun it splits along national lines: the metal rod that receives broadcasts is an *aerial* in Britain and an *antenna* in America. Antenna also names an insect's feeler, which is where the radio sense came from — Marconi's contemporaries thought the wire resembled one.
- Of or in the air. *An aerial view.*
- A radio or television antenna (British). *Adjust the aerial.*
- Aerial as a modifier. *Aerial photography.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adjective | aerial | Aerial combat. |
| Noun | aerial | A rooftop aerial. |
| American | antenna | A TV antenna. |
| Related | aerobic | Aerobic exercise. |
| Related | aerodrome | A small aerodrome. |
How it is used in a sentence
- An aerial view of the city.From above.
- The aerial blew down in the gale.British noun.
- Aerial roots hang from the branches.Botany: roots above ground.
The *aero-* family
- Aeroplane — British spelling of airplane
- Aerobic — requiring oxygen
- Aerosol — particles suspended in air
- Aeronautics — the science of flight
- Aerodynamic — shaped to move through air
From Latin *aerius*, from Greek *aer*, air. The radio sense is a shortening of *aerial wire*.
Aerial or antenna?
Aerial is British for the receiving device, antenna American. In science and for insect feelers, antenna is universal.
How is it pronounced?
Usually AIR-ee-al, three syllables, with the stress on the first.