'airport' originates from the combination of 'air' and 'port', where 'air' refers to the atmosphere and 'port' refers to a place where ships dock.

'airport' was coined in the early 20th century as aviation became more common, combining the existing words 'air' and 'port'.

Initially, it referred to any place where aircraft could land and take off, but now it specifically refers to larger complexes with passenger facilities.