As April 12 approaches, here’s a quick space and language fact.
According to Merriam-Webster, a cosmonaut is an astronaut of the Soviet or Russian space program.
Both cosmonaut and astronaut mean space traveler, just from different languages and traditions:
- Cosmonaut comes from Russian: космос (cosmos) + навт (sailor)
- Astronaut comes from Greek: astron (star) + nautes (sailor)
April 12 marks the historic flight of Yuri Gagarin in 1961, celebrated as Yuri’s Night around the world.
Russian cosmonauts American, Canadian, European, and Japanese astronauts. A small word, a big piece of history and culture and a great way to connect language with real meaning.
Study Russian language online and connect with stories that go far beyond vocabulary! 🌍