or antennas
Erich Segal
Did you know?
The Latin word antenna meant “sail yard,” which is the long spar that supports and spreads the sail on a sailing vessel. The Greek word for a sail yard was keraia, but that was only one meaning of this word. The primary meaning was “horn.” The philosopher Aristotle used keraiai to describe the feelers of insects, probably because of their resemblance to the horns of some larger animals. In a Latin translation of Aristotle’s work made during the Renaissance, the word antennae was used for Greek keraiai. In English we still use antennae for insects’ feelers. And now we also use antenna for the metal rods that pick up radio waves and seem to “feel the air” like the antennae of an insect.
Examples of antenna in a Sentence
Chris Morris, Fortune, 31 Dec. 2023
That means hours hiking around the valley with an antenna, following signals from a target’s GPS collar.
—Cheryl Katz, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Nov. 2023
No network of antennas exists yet for optical lasers, so NASA needs new dedicated infrastructure on Earth.
—Ramin Skibba, WIRED, 13 Oct. 2023
A certain radio antenna, for one, and also the distinctive cable connecting the antenna to the building where the Russian operators apparently had set up shop.
—David Axe, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
The best way to do so for free on a big screen is with a good HD antenna.
—Bychris Morris, Fortune, 26 Nov. 2023
By 1974, he was promoted to head of the laboratory’s electronic warfare systems branch, leading research in areas including advanced miniature antenna and receiver programs, intelligence collection and processing systems, and high-speed signal sorting.
—IEEE Spectrum, 21 Nov. 2023
After disconnecting the display from the device, Mokhtari folds back the 5G mmWave antenna cable and unscrews the main frame.
—Emma Roth, The Verge, 20 Oct. 2023
From there, Thales Alenia says this electrical energy is converted into high energy beams of microwaves that are pointed back to ground-based receiving antennas.
—Bruce Dorminey, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'antenna.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Medieval Latin, from Latin, sail yard
1698, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing antenna
Dictionary Entries Near antenna
Cite this Entry
“Antenna.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antenna. Accessed 9 Jan. 2024.
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Kids Definition
antenna
noun
or antennas
More from Merriam-Webster on antenna
Nglish: Translation of antenna for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of antenna for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about antenna
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