landing
noun
Landing — the act of coming safely to land after travel by sea or air
Definition
The act of coming to land after a voyage
In depth
Landing is the act of coming to land after a voyage, whether by ship returning to shore or, in its now far more common modern usage, an aircraft descending safely onto a runway. The word marks the conclusion of a journey through an element, water or air, that does not naturally support permanent habitation, the relief of solid ground finally reached.
Origin
The word descends from Old English lendan, related to land, the ground or earth itself. Its semantic shift from primarily describing the coming of ships to shore, toward its now-dominant association with aircraft, reflects the relatively recent rise of aviation as the more common context for the modern reader, even as the word's older nautical sense remains entirely valid.
Usage examples
"The pilot's landing was smooth despite the turbulent weather that had plagued the entire flight."
"Historians still debate the precise site of the original landing, the records too fragmentary to settle the question."
"Her landing back in her home country, after years abroad, felt stranger than she had ever anticipated."
How to use it
Landing is broadly useful across aviation, maritime, and figurative writing about returning from any extended journey or undertaking, valued for the inherent relief and finality the word carries.
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