What does parachute mean?
A parachute is a device that slows descent through the air, allowing a person or object to fall safely from an aircraft or another high point. The word is also used as a verb: someone parachutes when they jump from an aircraft with a parachute, and supplies are parachuted when they are dropped by parachute. In aviation and emergency contexts, “parachute” can refer more generally to a sudden descent, as in “the aircraft went into a parachute.” The term is standard in British and American English and is distinct from “parasol,” a sunshade, although both involve fabric equipment spread in the air. “Chute” is a broader, sometimes informal alternative, but it can also mean a channel or slide. Etymologically, “parachute” combines a Greek prefix meaning “against” with a French word ultimately related to falling, making its basic sense “that which resists falling.”
A lightweight fabric device, opened to slow descent through the air, especially from an aircraft.
"Her parachute opened seconds after she jumped."
The noun also names the action or manner of descending by parachute.
To descend by parachute, or to drop an object from an aircraft using a parachute.
"The supplies were parachuted into the designated drop zone."
The verb is commonly used in aviation, military, and emergency-response contexts.
Use the plural when referring to more than one parachute or to a collection of parachutes.
"The pilots checked their parachutes before boarding the aircraft."
The word “parachute” literally means “against falling,” joining the Greek para- (“against”) with a French word rooted in the Latin for “to fall.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of parachute
The word entered English in the late 18th century from French parachute, a term formed from Greek para- (“against” or “beside”) and chute, which comes from Latin cadere, “to fall.” The original sense was a device intended to make falling slower and safer. The modern verb meaning developed from the noun by analogy with other action verbs.
Related word forms
How parachute is actually used
“Parachute” is standard in formal and technical contexts. “Chute” is broader and often informal, while “brolly” is chiefly British informal and normally refers to an umbrella rather than an aviation parachute.
Easily confused with parachute
A parachute is specifically a device designed to slow descent from an aircraft or other height, whereas a chute is a more general term for any sloping passage or channel.
A parachute is an aerial descent device, while a parasol is a sunshade carried over a person or attached to a table.