aterrizaje

landing

noun ah-teh-rree-SAH-heh Rare

Origin: From aterrizar (to land), from a- + tierra (earth).

Usage Note

Aterrizaje refers to the landing of an aircraft. The contrasting term is despegue (takeoff). A smooth landing is aterrizaje suave, an emergency one is aterrizaje forzoso. The verb aterrizar is used both literally (the plane lands) and figuratively (to come down to earth, to arrive somewhere).

Examples

"El aterrizaje fue muy suave esta vez."

Natural Translation

The landing was very smooth this time.

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