*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Altair

From the Arabic اَلنَّسْر اَلطَّائِر (an-nasr aṭ-ṭāʔir, “the flying eagle”), from نَسْر (nasr, “eagle”) + طَائِر (ṭāʔir, “flying”).

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
name

The brightest star in the constellation Aquila; Alpha (α) Aquilae. It is the twelfth brightest star in the sky, and forms one corner of the Summer Triangle.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From the Arabic اَلنَّسْر اَلطَّائِر (an-nasr aṭ-ṭāʔir, “the flying eagle”), from نَسْر (nasr, “eagle”) + طَائِر (ṭāʔir, “flying”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ar",
        "3": "ط ي ر"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ar",
        "3": "اَلنَّسْر اَلطَّائِر",
        "t": "the flying eagle"
      },
      "expansion": "Arabic اَلنَّسْر اَلطَّائِر (an-nasr aṭ-ṭāʔir, “the flying eagle”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "af",
      "args": {
        "1": "ar",
        "2": "نَسْر",
        "3": "طَائِر",
        "t1": "eagle",
        "t2": "flying",
        "nocat": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "نَسْر (nasr, “eagle”) + طَائِر (ṭāʔir, “flying”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "اَلنَّسْر اَلطَّائِر",
      "النسر الطائر#Arabic"
    ],
    [
      "نَسْر",
      "نسر#Arabic"
    ],
    [
      "طَائِر",
      "طائر#Arabic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "The brightest star in the constellation Aquila; Alpha (α) Aquilae. It is the twelfth brightest star in the sky, and forms one corner of the Summer Triangle."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "1fd4ef742c57dba92d460a7f977fc7e9f1bacd389291744a401b4cde2b4fe8cc",
      "rawRecordSha256": "53cd806e57def933815810f35bf715385a8b0115ab3e31563d401425a989d8a7",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 453680
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Altair →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-QWx0YWly