airborne

Etymology

Attested since the 1640s; air + -borne

adj

1. In or carried by the air.
   Airborne pollen can aggravate allergies.
   A farmer could place an order for a new tractor part by text message and pay for it by mobile money-transfer. A supplier many miles away would then take the part to the local matternet station for airborne dispatch via drone. 2012-12-01, “An internet of airborne things”, in The Economist, volume 405, number 8813, archived from the original on 2018-11-06, page 3 (Technology Quarterly)
2. In flight.
   There goes the siren that warns of the air raid / Then comes the sound of the guns sending flak / Out for the scramble we've got to get airborne / Got to get up for the coming attack. 1984, Steve Harris (lyrics and music), “Aces High”, in Powerslave, performed by Iron Maiden
3. Fitted to an aircraft.
   airborne radar
4. Transported by air in an aircraft.
   airborne troops

noun

1. Military infantry intended to be transported by air and delivered to the battlefield by parachute or helicopter.