Aqua-Lung
|a-qua-lung|
/ˈækwəˌlʌŋ/
portable underwater breathing device
Etymology
'Aqua-Lung' originates from Latin and English; specifically from Latin 'aqua' where 'aqua' meant 'water', combined with English 'lung' meaning the breathing organ.
'Aqua-Lung' was coined as the trademarked name by the French company La Spirotechnique in the early 1940s for the first commercial open‑circuit scuba apparatus and later entered English usage as the common noun 'aqualung'.
Initially, it meant 'the trademark name for the original SCUBA apparatus', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'any self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (scuba set)'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a brand name originally for the first commercially produced open‑circuit self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA); now used generically for any similar portable underwater breathing device.
He bought an Aqua-Lung before his first diving trip.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/29 10:59