aer-

1. variant of aero- before a vowel:

   aerate.

aer-

combining_form

1. a variant of aero-

Example Sentences

Dozens of flights were also cancelled at Belfast City Airport and Dublin Airport, mainly impacting Aer Lingus flights.

From BBC

The cancellations mainly affect Aer Lingus flights.

From BBC

If you’ve flown with Aer Lingus, British Airways or Lufthansa, imagine the kick of taking off in one of those planes.

From BBC

Andy Allen, an Ulster Unionist Party MLA, told BBC News NI he was due to get on an Aer Lingus flight to Belfast City on Sunday but could not board.

From BBC

Aer Lingus pilots have moved closer to a possible strike after voting overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action.

From BBC

Words That Use aer-

What does aer- mean?

Aer– is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “air.” It is often used in scientific terms, especially in biology.

Aer– comes from Greek āḗr, meaning “air.”

What are variants of aer-?

Aer– is a variant of aero–, which loses its –o– when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. When combined with word elements of Latin origin, aero– becomes aeri–, as in aeriferous. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for aer– and aeri-.

Examples of aer-

One example of a scientific term that features the form aer– is aerobe, “an organism, especially a bacterium, that requires air or free oxygen for life.”

The aer– part of the word means “air,” as we have seen. The –obe portion of the word comes from a shortening of microbe, meaning “a microorganism.” Aerobe literally means “a microorganism [that needs] air.”

What are some words that use the combining form aer-?

• aerate
• aeration
• aerenchyma (using the equivalent form of aer– in Latin)
• aerobics

What are some other forms that aer– may be commonly confused with?

• aesthesio-
• agri-
• agro-

Not every word that begins with the exact letters aer– or aeri-, such as aerie, is necessarily using the combining form aer– to denote “air.” Learn why aerie means “bird’s nest” at our entry for the word.

Break it down!

The combining form –enchyma denotes cellular tissue. With this in mind, what does the scientific term aerenchyma literally mean?