TERMIUM Plus®

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

OVNI [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").

Save record 1

Record 2 1997-11-11

English

Subject field(s)
  • Names of Special Years, Weeks, Days
  • Astronautics
OBS

1978.

OBS

UFO: Unidentified Flying Object.

Key term(s)
  • International Year of UFOs

French

Domaine(s)
  • Désignations d'années, de semaines et de jours spéciaux
  • Astronautique
OBS

OVNI : objet volant non identifié.

Key term(s)
  • Année internationale des OVNI

Spanish

Campo(s) temático(s)
  • Designaciones de años, semanas y días especiales
  • Astronáutica
OBS

OVNI: objeto volador no identificado.

Key term(s)
  • Año Internacional de los OVNI
Save record 2

Copyright notice for the TERMIUM Plus® data bank

© Public Services and Procurement Canada, 2025
TERMIUM Plus®, the Government of Canada's terminology and linguistic data bank
A product of the Translation Bureau

Display options

Change the order of display of the official languages of Canada
Option to display the non-official languages (Spanish or Portuguese)
Display definitions, contexts, etc., on records

Features

Language Portal of Canada

Access a collection of Canadian resources on all aspects of English and French, including quizzes.

Writing tools

The Language Portal’s writing tools have a new look! Easy to consult, they give you access to a wealth of information that will help you write better in English and French.

Glossaries and vocabularies

Access Translation Bureau glossaries and vocabularies.

Date Modified: