'aviatrix' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'aviātor' (related to 'avis'), where 'avis' meant 'bird' and the suffix '-trix' was a Latin feminine agent suffix.

'aviatrix' developed as the feminine form of 'aviator' in New Latin and was borrowed into English in the early 20th century as a term for a female pilot.

Initially it meant 'a female who flies (a pilot)', but over time its use has declined in favor of the gender-neutral term 'pilot' or 'aviator'.