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avions
'Avion' is the French word for 'airplane' — a powered, fixed-wing aircraft designed for air travel. While not used in everyday English, it appears in English contexts when referring to historic French aircraft (like the Blériot XI avion) or in bilingual/multilingual aviation discussions.
The museum displays a replica of the 1909 Blériot avion, the first aircraft to cross the English Channel.
In early 20th-century France, engineers competed fiercely to build faster and more reliable avions.
Her grandfather flew a vintage French avion during World War I.
The documentary explores how the design of early avions evolved from bicycle mechanics and bird anatomy.
At the Paris Air Show, visitors admired both modern jets and restored antique avions.
avi-
Comes from the Latin noun 'avis' (genitive 'avis'), meaning 'bird'. It entered French via Latin-derived terms like 'aviation' and 'avion', retaining the core concept of flight or bird-like movement through air. Examples include aviation, aviator, aviary, avifauna, and non-English terms like 'avion' (French), 'aeroplano' (Spanish, with Greek 'aero-' prefix), and 'Flugzeug' (German, unrelated root). Core meaning: 'bird' → metaphorically extended to 'flying machine'.