An Entry Monday, April 13, 2026
The Thiccctionary
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Hot air balloon in flight.

Plate II. Hot air balloon in flight.

Photo by Scott May on Unsplash

Hot Air Balloon

/hot AIR buh-LOON/  n.
  1. 1. An unpowered aircraft consisting of a large inflated envelope suspended above a wicker basket, and distinguished by a silhouette that is widest at its middle, widest at its sides, and widest at its back. The envelope is the vehicle. The rest is administrative.
  2. 2. colloq. Wide from every angle and rising anyway. She ascends at her own pace, and her circumference is not a limitation but a specification.
In a sentence:

"The thiccc hot air balloon drifted over the Napa Valley at dawn, its envelope catching the raking light like a cathedral that had decided to float. The vineyards below simply adjusted their expectations."

Etymology:

From French ballon, augmentative of balle (ball), from Old Italian palla, of Germanic origin. First practical manned flight achieved by the Montgolfier brothers, Annonay, France, 1783. They built a bag, filled it with hot air, and sent it into the sky. The fact that it is shaped exactly like what it is called has never stopped being correct.

From the desk

Filed by

Margie Whitmore-HessianEditor-in-Chief

My personal shopper in Milan once refused to wrap one. Said the proportions defeated the tissue paper.

Ruling ADMITTED UNDER PROTEST

Bart PrussSenior Cataloguer

The example sentence contains the phrase 'cathedral that had decided to float.' This is not a measurement. The envelope profile clears the threshold. Admitted.

Frequently asked

Is a hot air balloon thiccc?

Yes. Hot Air Balloon was admitted to the Thiccctionary on April 13, 2026 and filed in the Vehicles & Transport section. The ruling on file: Admitted under protest. Every subject in the catalogue is judged on its curves, not its size.

What makes a hot air balloon thiccc?

Wide from every angle and rising anyway. She ascends at her own pace, and her circumference is not a limitation but a specification.

Is "thiccc" spelled with three c's?

Yes. The Thiccctionary house spelling uses three c's, distinguishing the editorial register from the colloquial "thicc" (two c's) and standard "thick" (one c).

Sources

  1. Photograph by Scott May, via Unsplash. Catalogued under plate II.
  2. Direct ruling URL: thiccctionary.com/is/hot-air-balloon-thiccc/, the shareable "Is a hot air balloon thiccc?" page.
  3. Cross-reference: Thiccctionary A-Z, H.
  4. Catalogued under: Vehicles & Transport. See related entries below.
  5. Editorial review: ruled admitted under protest by the desk. Objections on file.

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