Definition
An astronaut or person trained to travel in space; a space explorer or crew member on a spacecraft.
Etymology
From 'space' (outer space, from Latin 'spatium') + 'man.' This compound word became popular in the 1950s-60s alongside space exploration excitement and the Space Race.
Kelly Says
The term 'spaceman' was huge in 1960s culture and toys, but modern scientists prefer 'astronaut' (Greek for 'star-sailor') or 'cosmonaut' (Russian for 'universe-sailor')—showing how language reflects national pride in space programs.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
አየር አስመራ
a-yer as-me-ra
ARالعربية
مُسافر الفضاء
mu-saf-fir al-fa-dāʾ
BNবাংলা
বিমান যাত্রী
bi-man ya-tra-yee
CACatalà
astronauta
as-tro-na-u-ta
CSČeština
kosmonaut
kos-mo-na-ut
DADansk
rumrejser
room-re-jser
DEDeutsch
Astronaut
as-tro-na-ut
ELΕλληνικά
αστροναύτης
as-tro-na-u-tis
ESEspañol
astronauta
as-tro-na-u-ta
FAفارسی
فضانورد
fa-dān-nāvard
FISuomi
avaruuslentäjä
a-va-ruu-slen-ta-jä
FRFrançais
astronaute
as-tro-naute
GUGU
અકાશી સફરકાર
a-ka-shi sa-far-ka-ar
HEעברית
אסטרונאוט
as-tro-na-ot
HIहिन्दी
अंतरिक्ष यात्री
an-tariksh ya-tri
HUMagyar
űrhajós
ur-ha-jo-s
IDBahasa Indonesia
astronot
as-tro-not
IGIG
onye na-egbu oge
o-nye na-e-gbu o-ge
ITItaliano
astronauta
as-tro-na-u-ta
KKKK
көктем адам
kok-tem a-dam
KMKM
ប្រព័ន្ធ អាកាស
pra-po-n-th a-ka-as
KO한국어
우주비행사
u-ju bi-haeng-sa
MRMR
आकाशातील प्रवासक
a-ka-sha-a-ti-l pra-va-sak
MSBahasa Melayu
astronot
as-tro-not
MYမြန်မာ
အကာသ လမ်းမ
a-ka-tha lam-ma
NLNederlands
ruimtevaarder
rooi-te-va-ar-der
NONorsk
romfarer
rom-fa-rer
PAPA
ਅਕਾਸ਼-ਆਧਾਰਤ ਸਫ਼ਰਕਾਰ
a-ka-ash-a-dhaar-t sa-fhar-ka-ar
PLPolski
kosmonauta
kos-mo-na-u-ta
PTPortuguês
astronauta
as-tro-na-u-ta
RORomână
cosmonaut
cos-mo-naut
RUРусский
космонавт
kos-mo-na-vt
SVSvenska
rummresenär
room-res-e-naer
SWKiswahili
mwanasayansi wa nafasi
mwa-na-sa-yan-si wa na-fa-si
TAதமிழ்
வெளிவெளி வானியலா
veli-veli va-ni-ya-la
TEతెలుగు
ఖగోళ ప్రయాణికుడు
kha-go-la pra-ya-ni-ku-du
THไทย
นักบินอวกาศ
nak-bin aw-ka-at
TLTL
taga-espasyo
ta-ga-es-pa-syo
TRTürkçe
uzay insanı
u-zay in-sa-ni
UKУкраїнська
космонавт
kosmonavt
URاردو
فضائی مسافر
fa-dā-ī mu-saf-fir
VITiếng Việt
phi hành gia vũ trụ
phi hanh gia vu tru
YOYO
àwọn àṣọ àgbà
a-won a-so a-gba
ZUZU
umuntu we-space
u-mu-ntu we-space
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
The term 'spaceman' uses masculine default to describe astronauts. Though women entered space programs (Valentina Tereshkova 1963), media and language retained masculine framing, erasing women's contributions.
Inclusive Usage
Use 'astronaut' or 'space explorer' as gender-neutral alternatives. When historical context matters, specify gender: 'female astronaut,' 'male cosmonaut.'
Inclusive Alternatives
["astronaut","cosmonaut","space explorer"]
Empowerment Note
Women astronauts faced discrimination in space programs globally. Valentina Tereshkova, Sally Ride, and others fought for equal access; acknowledge their pioneering roles explicitly.