dirigible

[ dir-i-juh-buhl, dih-rij-uh- ]

noun

1. an airship.

adjective

1. designed for or capable of being directed, controlled, or steered.

dirigible

/ dɪˈrɪdʒɪbəl /

adjective

1. able to be steered or directed

noun

1. another name for airship

Derived Forms

• ˌdirigiˈbility, noun

Other Words From

• dir·i·gi·bil·i·ty noun
• non·dir·i·gi·bili·ty noun
• non·dir·i·gi·ble adjective noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dirigible¹

First recorded in 1580–90 for the adjective and in 1885–90 for the noun; from Latin dīrigere, dēregere “to arrange, align, straighten, direct” + English adjective suffix -ible; direct, -ible

Word History and Origins

Origin of dirigible¹

C16: from Latin dīrigere to direct

Example Sentences

“Let’s Fly” exhibition, are striped, spotted, shaped like doughnuts and light up in the night sky like condensed, dirigible versions of Ugo Rondinone’s “Seven Magic Mountains” sculpture.

From Los Angeles Times

In 1915, Germany’s lighter-than-air dirigible balloons, called Zeppelins after their designer, Count Ferdinand Zeppelin, began nighttime bombing raids over southern England, causing widespread panic and killing or wounding several thousand people.

From Literature

Striped balloons and plump golden dirigibles clustered in the center with baskets ready to receive parcels and packages.

From Literature

Located just across Fairfax from where the airfield once stood, the eye-catching spherical building’s design is, according to my Times colleague Carolina Miranda, “inspired by the dirigibles that used to touch down in the area.”

From Los Angeles Times

The federal government began to hoard the gas 100 years ago to ensure supplies for military dirigibles and later, the space program.

From Science Magazine