sputnik
[ spoo t-nik, spuht-; Russian spoot-nyik ]
/ ˈspʊt nɪk, ˈspʌt-; Russian ˈsput nyɪk /
noun
(sometimes initial capital letter)
any of a series of Soviet earth-orbiting satellites: Sputnik I was the world's first space satellite.
Origin of sputnik
1957; < Russian
spútnik satellite, traveling companion, equivalent to
s- together, with +
put’ way, route +
-nik agent suffix (cf.
-nik)
Words nearby sputnik
spurrey,
spurrier,
spurry,
spurt,
spurtle,
sputnik,
sputniks,
sputter,
sputtering,
sputum,
spuyten duyvil creek
Example sentences from the Web for sputniks
I can almost remember the atomic bomb, and I sure as hell remember the sputniks.
This Crowded Earth |Robert Bloch
British Dictionary definitions for sputniks
Sputnik
/ (ˈspʊtnɪk, ˈspʌt-) /
noun
any of a series of unmanned Soviet satellites, Sputnik 1 (launched in 1957) being the first man-made satellite to orbit the earth
Word Origin for Sputnik
C20: from Russian, literally: fellow traveller, from
s- with +
put path +
-nik suffix indicating agent
Cultural definitions for sputniks
Sputniks
[ (spoot-niks, sput-niks) ]
A series of Soviet satellites launched in 1957 and in following years. These were the first artificial satellites.
notes for Sputniks
The appearance of Sputnik stimulated a great deal of effort in the education of scientists and engineers in the United States. This period is now referred to as the post-Sputnik boom.