aériennes

Aériennes is the feminine plural form of the adjective aérien in French, and can also function as a feminine plural noun in certain contexts. It designates things relating to air or the atmosphere, or pertaining to aviation and airborne phenomena. The term governs feminine plural nouns, for example: lignes aériennes, conditions aériennes, plantes aériennes.

Etymology traces aérien to the Latin element aër- (air), from Greek aēr, with the usual French suffixes -ien/-ienne that form adjectives and nouns. The word is used across diverse domains to emphasize an air-related or aviation-related aspect.

Common uses and examples include:

- Aviation and transport: compagnies aériennes (airlines), sécurité aérienne (air safety), navigation aérienne (air navigation).

- Geography and imagery: photographies aériennes (aerial photographs), cartes aériennes (aerial maps).

- Botany and horticulture: plantes aériennes (air plants or epiphytes that grow in the air rather than in soil).

- Architecture and infrastructure: passerelles aériennes (aerial walkways) and autres structures aériennes that span spaces above ground level.

- Meteorology and atmosphere: conditions aériennes (air conditions) affecting flight or weather.

Grammatical note: aérien is masculine; aérienne is feminine singular; aériennes is feminine plural. Agreement follows the gender and number of the head noun. While the term is often encountered in technical or descriptive language, its meaning remains anchored in the notion of air, atmosphere, or aviation-related contexts.

See also: aérien, aérodynamique, aviation, aéronautique.