naut.

The combining form -naut is used like a suffix indicating a person engaged in the navigation of a vehicle.

The form -naut ultimately comes from the Greek naútēs, meaning “sailor.” The word nautical, meaning “relating to sailors, ships, and navigation,” is closely related to the combining form –naut.

You are likely familiar with the word astronaut, meaning “a person engaged in or trained for spaceflight.”

The first part of the word, astro–, is a combining form that means “related to stars, celestial bodies, and outer space.” The form -naut, as we’ve seen, comes from a Greek root that means “sailor.” Astronaut literally—and very poetically— translates to “star sailor.” Less etherally, astronaut can be literally glossed as a “spacecraft navigator.”

What are some words that use the combining form –naut?

• aeronaut
• aquanaut
• Argonaut (from Greek Argonaútēs)
• cryonaut
• cosmonaut (based on Russian kosmonávt)
• hydronaut
• psychonaut
• taikonaut

What are some other forms that -naut may be commonly confused with?

• aut-

You may be familiar with the form aqua-, which means “water.” With this in mind, where do aquanauts do their navigating?