(TY.koh.nawt)
n.
A Chinese astronaut.
Example Citation:
The Chinese astronaut who streaked into orbit Wednesday and became an instant national hero is a diminutive fighter pilot with two decades of experience who has promised not to "disappoint the motherland."
Lt. Col. Yang Liwei, 38, a pilot for the People's Liberation Army air force since 1983, clambered into Shenzhou 5 with a tentative smile and a wave as technicians gently pushed down on his helmet so he wouldn't hit his head. ...
The identity of China's first "taikonaut" — after "taikong," the Chinese word for space — was kept closely guarded until the launch took place. ...
Chinese astronauts are known as "yuhangyuan," or "travelers of the universe." "Taikonaut" is their English nickname.
— Ted Anthony, "China's first astronaut," The Associated Press, October 15, 2003
Earliest Citation:
Wu and Li already have a moniker — taikonauts — that appears on a Web site run by a Chinese software engineer in Singapore named Chen Lan.
The term, Chen explains, comes from the Chinese word "taikong," which means space or cosmos.
— Paul Hoversten, "China looks to blast off into the Space Age elite," USA Today, June 28, 1999
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New words. 2013.