Relating to space travel, astronauts, or the exploration of space beyond Earth's atmosphere.
From Russian kosmos (universe, from Greek) + Greek nautes (sailor). The term was coined by Russians and reflects the Soviet space program's innovations; 'cosmonaut' literally means 'universe sailor.'
The word 'cosmonautic' is actually a linguistic victory for Russia—they branded their space explorers with a poetic term meaning 'universe sailors,' which sounds far more adventurous than the Greek-derived 'astronaut' that English speakers use.
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