Standard Lemma guide

trajectory

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /tɹəˈd͡ʒɛktəɹi/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: T R AH0 JH EH1 K T ER0 IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The path an object takes as it moves.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The path of a body as it travels through space.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: aerospace, astronomy, business, engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, space-science

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The ordered set of intermediate states assumed by a dynamical system as a result of time evolution.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: cybernetics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A course of development, such as that of a war or career.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

the path followed by an object moving through space

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: flight

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: mechanical phenomenon

Narrower terms: ballistics, ballistic trajectory, gravity-assist

History

Etymology

From New Latin trāiectōria f (“trajectory”) (used by Newton), the feminine of trāiectōrius (“of or pertaining to throwing across”), from Latin trāiectus (“thrown over or across”), past participle of trāiciō, from trans- (“across, beyond”) (see trans-) + iaciō (“to throw”) (from Proto-Indo-European *(H)yeh1- (“to throw, impel”)). Middle French and Middle English had trajectorie (“end of a funnel”), from Latin trāiectōrium.

Across languages

Translations

94 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مَسَار (masār) — path of a body
  • Armenian: հետագիծ (hetagic) — path of a body
  • Azerbaijani: trayektoriya — path of a body
  • Basque: traiektoria — path of a body
  • Belarusian: траекто́рыя (trajektóryja) — path of a body
  • Bulgarian: траекто́рия (traektórija) — path of a body
  • Catalan: trajectòria — path of a body
  • Chinese Mandarin: 軌道 /轨道 (guǐdào) — path of a body
  • Chinese Mandarin: 彈道 /弹道 (dàndào) — path of a body
  • Czech: dráha — path of a body
  • Czech: trajektorie — path of a body
  • Danish: bane — path of a body
  • Dutch: baan — path of a body
  • Dutch: traject — path of a body
  • Esperanto: trajektorio — path of a body
  • Estonian: trajektoor — path of a body
  • Finnish: rata — path of a body
  • Finnish: lentorata — path of a body
  • French: trajectoire — path of a body
  • Galician: traxectoria — path of a body
  • Georgian: ტრაექტორია (ṭraekṭoria) — path of a body
  • German: Flugbahn — path of a body
  • German: Bahn — path of a body
  • German: Trajektorie — path of a body
  • Greek: τροχιά (trochiá) — path of a body
  • Hebrew: מַסְלוּל (maslúl) — path of a body
  • Hindi: प्रक्षेपवक्र (prakṣepvakra) — path of a body
  • Hungarian: röppálya — path of a body
  • Hungarian: pálya — path of a body
  • Hungarian: pályagörbe — path of a body
  • Hungarian: út — path of a body
  • Hungarian: útvonal — path of a body
  • Irish: conair — path of a body
  • Irish: ruthag — path of a body
  • Italian: traiettoria — path of a body
  • Japanese: 軌道 (kidō) — path of a body
  • Japanese: 弾道 (dandō) — path of a body
  • Khmer: ចំណរ (cɑmnɑɑ) — path of a body
  • Korean: 궤도 (gwedo) — path of a body
  • Korean: 탄도 (tando) — path of a body
  • Latvian: trajektorija — path of a body
  • Lithuanian: trajektòrija — path of a body
  • Macedonian: траекторија (traektorija) — path of a body
  • Māori: arawhiu — path of a body
  • Norwegian Bokmål: bane — path of a body
  • Persian: مسیر پرتاب (masir-e partâb) — path of a body
  • Polish: trajektoria — path of a body
  • Polish: bieg — path of a body
  • Portuguese: trajetória — path of a body
  • Portuguese: trajectória — path of a body
  • Romanian: traiectorie — path of a body
  • Russian: траекто́рия (traektórija) — path of a body
  • Serbo-Croatian: трајекто̀рија — path of a body
  • Serbo-Croatian: пу̀тања — path of a body
  • Serbo-Croatian: trajektòrija — path of a body
  • Serbo-Croatian: pùtanja — path of a body
  • Slovak: trajektória — path of a body
  • Slovak: dráha — path of a body
  • Slovene: trajektórija — path of a body
  • Spanish: trayectoria — path of a body
  • Swedish: bana — path of a body
  • Tagalog: imbulog — path of a body
  • Tamil: போக்கு (pōkku) — path of a body
  • Thai: วิถี (wí-tǐi) — path of a body
  • Turkish: yörünge — path of a body
  • Ukrainian: траєкто́рія (trajektórija) — path of a body
  • Vietnamese: quỹ đạo — path of a body
  • Welsh: llwybr — path of a body
  • Finnish: kehittyminen — ordered set of intermediate states
  • German: Entwicklung — ordered set of intermediate states
  • Portuguese: trajetória — ordered set of intermediate states
  • Russian: траекто́рия (traektórija) — ordered set of intermediate states
  • Turkish: gelişme — ordered set of intermediate states
  • Finnish: kulku — course of development
  • Finnish: kehittyminen — course of development
  • Galician: traxectoria — course of development
  • German: Entwicklungsverlauf — course of development
  • Greek: τροχιά (trochiá) — course of development
  • Hungarian: ív — course of development
  • Hungarian: menet — course of development
  • Hungarian: kimenetel — course of development
  • Hungarian: lefolyás — course of development
  • Hungarian: lefutás — course of development
  • Hungarian: kifutás — course of development
  • Hungarian: alakulás — course of development
  • Irish: cúrsa — course of development
  • Irish: treocht — course of development
  • Japanese: 戦歴 (senreki) — course of development
  • Polish: bieg — course of development
  • Portuguese: trajetória — course of development
  • Serbo-Croatian: трајекто̀рија — course of development
  • Serbo-Croatian: то̑к — course of development
  • Serbo-Croatian: trajektòrija — course of development
  • Serbo-Croatian: tȏk — course of development
Real reading context

trajectory in complete knowledge articles