contrail

English

Etymology

Blend of condensation +‎ trail.

Pronunciation

Audio (US): (file)

Noun

contrail (plural contrails)

An artificial cloud made by the exhaust of jet aircraft or wingtip vortices that precipitate a stream of tiny ice crystals in moist, frigid upper air.

Synonyms

condensation trail
vapour trail (UK), vapor trail (US)

Derived terms

chemtrail

Translations

artificial cloud from jet aircraft

Cherokee: ᎤᏔᏃᎸᏔᏅ (utanolvtanv)
Czech: kondenzační stopa f
Finnish: tiivistymisjuova, tiivistymisvana, jättövana
French: traînée de condensation (fr) f, traînée de vapeur f, traînée blanche f
German: Kondensstreifen (de) m
Hungarian: kondenzcsík (hu)
Icelandic: flugslóði m, flugvélarslóði m
Italian: scia di condensazione f
Japanese: 飛行機雲 (ja) (ひこうきぐも, hikōkigumo)
Malay: jejak wap, kontrail
Polish: smuga kondensacyjna
Russian: конденсационный след (kondensacionnyj sled)
Spanish: estela (es) f, estela condensada f
Swedish: kondensationsstrimma c, k-strimma c

Verb

contrail (third-person singular simple present contrails, present participle contrailing, simple past and past participle contrailed)

To produce an artificial cloud of this kind.

Anagrams

Coltrain, cilantro, cortinal, crotalin