ballooners
|ba-loon-ers|
🇺🇸
/bəˈluːnərz/
🇬🇧
/bəˈluːnəz/
(ballooner)
one who operates or works with balloons
Etymology
'ballooner' originates from the noun 'balloon' + agent suffix '-er'. 'Balloon' comes into English via French 'ballon' and Italian 'ballone', where the root meant 'large ball'. The suffix '-er' is an English agent-forming ending meaning 'one who does'.
'balloon' entered English in the 17th century from French 'ballon' (from Italian 'ballone', augmentative of Latin 'palla'/'palla' via Italian 'palla' meaning 'ball'). The modern English noun 'balloon' combined with the agent suffix '-er' produced 'ballooner' meaning 'one who uses or operates a balloon', and the plural form became 'ballooners'.
Initially related to the physical object 'balloon' (a large inflated ball), the derived term came to mean 'one who operates or rides in a balloon'; figurative uses later extended the sense to agents that cause rapid expansion ('ballooners' as causes of ballooning).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
people who operate, pilot, or ride in hot-air balloons; balloon pilots and enthusiasts.
Ballooners gathered at dawn to prepare their baskets and burners for the festival launch.
Synonyms
Noun 2
(Informal, figurative) Agents or factors that cause something to balloon (increase or expand rapidly).
Rising material costs became the main ballooners of the project's budget.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/07 03:36