What does flighted mean?
Flighted is an adjective describing something equipped for or engaged in aerial movement. Its primary sense applies to birds that have developed complete wings and feathering and are therefore capable of sustained flight — keepers and ornithologists commonly speak of chicks becoming 'fully flighted' when they can leave the nest properly. Its secondary sense belongs to sport: a 'flighted' ball, whether a golf shot, a cricket delivery, or a football pass, is struck with deliberate height and spin so that it arcs through the air rather than travelling flat, often making it harder to judge and control. The word carries connotations of maturity and readiness in its avian sense, and of craft and finesse in its sporting one. Derived from the ancient Germanic root behind both 'fly' and 'flight', it remains a specialised term — rarely encountered outside bird husbandry and sports commentary, but precise and well established within those fields, offering writers an exact alternative to the vaguer 'winged' or 'lofted'.
(Of a bird) having full wings and plumage; capable of flight.
"The aviary was opened once the chicks were fully flighted."
Almost always used in the phrase 'fully flighted' in ornithological contexts.
(Of a ball or projectile) propelled with a high, arcing trajectory.
"He chipped a flighted wedge over the bunker to within a foot of the pin."
Common in golf, cricket, and football commentary, particularly in Britain.
A 'flighted' pheasant is one worth paying for — game shooters pay a premium for fully flighted birds because only birds reared until they can truly fly behave like wild quarry.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of flighted
Flighted derives ultimately from the Old English verb flēogan, meaning 'to fly', which comes from the Proto-Germanic root *fleuganą. The noun 'flight' formed from that verb appeared in Middle English, and flighted arose as an adjectival form by suffixing -ed. The word is thus a native Germanic formation, unrelated to Latin-derived aviation vocabulary, and shares its ancestry with everyday words such as 'fly' and 'flier'.
Related word forms
How flighted is actually used
In ornithological and gamekeeping contexts, 'flighted' most often appears as part of the phrase 'fully flighted', indicating a bird has completed its feather development and can sustain flight. In sporting commentary, especially golf, cricket, and football, 'flighted' describes a ball given extra height and hang-time; this use is common in British sports journalism.
Easily confused with flighted
Alighted means descended or landed (or simply got off a vehicle), whereas flighted describes something as having wings or being capable of flight.
Flightless describes birds incapable of flight, the direct opposite of flighted.