cosmonaut

[ koz-muh-nawt, -not ]

noun

1. a Russian or Soviet astronaut.

cosmonaut

/ ˈkɒzməˌnɔːt /

noun

1. an astronaut, esp in the former Soviet Union

cosmonaut

1. A crew member of a space mission launched by the former Soviet Union .

Other Words From

• cosmo·nautic adjective
• cosmo·nauti·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of cosmonaut¹

1955–60; cosmo- + (aero)naut, representing Russian kosmonávt

Word History and Origins

Origin of cosmonaut¹

C20: from Russian kosmonavt, from cosmo- + Greek nautēs sailor; compare Argonaut

Example Sentences

Perhaps not coincidentally, that’s the same year Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to venture into space.

From Los Angeles Times

Under a contract between Nasa and Roscosmos, the Russian federal space agency, three-seat Russian Soyuz spacecraft carry one Nasa astronaut on each flight to the ISS and a cosmonaut flies on each four-seat Dragon.

From BBC

A 59-year-old Russian cosmonaut has become the first person to spend 1,000 days in space, Russian space agency Roscosmos said Wednesday.

From Seattle Times

The first man in space, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, squeezed beef and liver paste into his mouth from an aluminum tube.

From Seattle Times

In the interview, he described how the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s flight into outer space in 1961 — the first for a human and “the first major event of my life” — inspired him to write the piano work “Kosmos” when he was 17.

From New York Times

Related Words

• pilot