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The Government of Canada’s terminology and linguistic data bank.

UAP [2 records]

Filter results by subject field Alphabetical list of terms

Filter results by subject field

Alphabetical list of terms

Record 1 2025-03-14

English

Subject field(s)
  • Interplanetary Space Exploration
  • Surveillance, Detection and Reconnaissance (Military)
DEF

[An] aerial object ... not readily identifiable to the observer.

CONT

The pilot reported seeing a UFO flying over Kansas.

OBS

The terms "UFO"(Unidentified Flying Object) and "UAP"(Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) refer to the same concept but differ in scope and modern usage. "UFO" traditionally refers to any object in the sky that cannot be immediately identified. The term has long been associated with extraterrestrial spacecraft in popular culture, though it technically encompasses any unexplained airborne object. "UAP", on the other hand, is a more recent term adopted by government and scientific agencies to describe unexplained aerial events without the extraterrestrial connotations associated with "UFO. "

French

Domaine(s)
  • Exploration interplanétaire
  • Surveillance, détection et reconnaissance (Militaire)
DEF

[...] objet [...] aperçu dans l'atmosphère et dont les témoins n'ont pu identifier la nature.

CONT

[...] l'acronyme «ovni» [...] désigne des phénomènes vraisemblablement matériels, observés à une distance variable du sol, et dont la nature n'est pas (encore) déterminée. Rien de nécessairement extraterrestre [...]

Spanish

Campo(s) temático(s)
  • Exploración interplanetaria
  • Vigilancia, detección y reconocimiento (Militar)
OBS

objeto volador no identificado; objeto volante no identificado; ovni: El término "ovni", acrónimo de "objeto volador/volante no identificado", ha pasado a ser un sustantivo común, por lo que lo adecuado es escribirlo enteramente con letras minúsculas. [...] Aunque en su origen esta voz era un acrónimo, una sigla que puede pronunciarse como una palabra, ya se ha incorporado al léxico común del idioma y hoy se escribe con todas las letras en minúsculas. [...] Sobre el plural, cabe añadir que, mientras son siglas, lo adecuado es no pluralizar en su forma escrita el término en sí [...] Sin embargo, cuando [las siglas] están ya lexicalizadas, al pasar a ser sustantivos comunes, forman el plural de acuerdo con las normas generales del español ("ovnis", "pymes", "láseres").

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Record 2 2025-03-14

English

Subject field(s)
  • Interplanetary Space Exploration
  • Surveillance, Detection and Reconnaissance (Military)
DEF

A phenomenon not readily identifiable to the observer.

CONT

UAP clearly pose a safety of flight issue and may pose a challenge to U. S. national security. Safety concerns primarily center on aviators contending with an increasingly cluttered air domain. UAP would also represent a national security challenge if they are foreign adversary collection platforms or provide evidence [that] a potential adversary has developed either a breakthrough or disruptive technology.

OBS

The terms "UFO"(unidentified flying object) and "UAP"(unidentified aerial phenomena) refer to the same concept but differ in scope and modern usage.... The term "UAP" is broader, covering not just flying objects but also other phenomena, such as unusual atmospheric events, making it more inclusive and less speculative.... while both terms describe unidentified aerial occurrences, "UAP" is considered a more neutral and scientific term, whereas "UFO" carries a historical association with extraterrestrial speculation.

OBS

Some investigators now prefer to use the broader term unidentified aerial phenomenon(or UAP), to avoid the confusion and speculative associations that have become attached to UFO.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Exploration interplanétaire
  • Surveillance, détection et reconnaissance (Militaire)
OBS

En France, le Centre national d'études spatiales (Cnes) leur préfère d'ailleurs le nom de «PAN» (phénomène aérospatial non identifié), pour tenir compte de la variété des observations qui lui sont rapportées, qui ne renvoient pas toujours à des «objets» qui «volent» [...]

Spanish

Campo(s) temático(s)
  • Exploración interplanetaria
  • Vigilancia, detección y reconocimiento (Militar)
CONT

La NASA [Administración Nacional de Aeronáutica y del Espacio] anunció recientemente que intentará explicar científicamente los "fenómenos aéreos no identificados" (UAPs, por sus siglas en inglés) ... Los UAPs hacen referencia a las observaciones de sucesos en el cielo que no pueden identificarse como [...] fenómenos naturales conocidos.

OBS

UAP: por sus siglas en inglés "unidentified aerial phenomena".

Save record 2

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