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
Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 4 Nov. 2024
There’s support for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 with two antennas for robust reception.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
Beam-Forming Each antenna in your router emits a Wi-Fi signal in all directions.
—Simon Hill, WIRED, 2 Nov. 2024
An acronym for buildings, antennas, spans and earth, BASE jumping is considered highly dangerous, with many jumpers having been killed over the years.
—Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 30 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Antenna.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antenna. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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antenna
noun
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