chemtrail
verbEtymology Blend of chemical + trail, modelled on contrail, late 1990s.
1
To spray a contrail of this kind.
chemtrail
noun/ˈkɛmtɹeɪl/
Etymology Blend of chemical + trail, modelled on contrail, late 1990s.
1
In plural, Often A contrail consisting of chemicals or biological agents deliberately sprayed at high altitudes, according to certain conspiracy theories.
- You and me watching / Chemtrails is where we belong / That's what I mean when we talk in this jetstream2008, Beck, “Chemtrails”, in Modern Guilt:
- “We are going to stop this crime,” Kennedy [RFK Jr], who is known for his contrarian stances on vaccines and offshore wind farms, wrote about chemtrails on X in August.[…] Now, scientists are faced with a resurgent focus on chemtrails amid a related, more substantive, debate over whether actual modifications to the Earth’s atmosphere should be made in a desperate attempt to slow global heating.2024 December 26, Oliver Milman, “Chemtrail conspiracy theories: why RFK Jr is watching the skies”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
1 more example
- Conspiracy theories have become so mainstream that they are even prompting nonsensical legislation. Earlier this month, Louisiana lawmakers sent a bill to the state’s governor seeking to ban “chemtrails” – which don’t actually exist. […] Lawmakers in at least 11 other states are trying to advance similar “chemtrail” bans.2025 June 17, Arwa Mahdawi, “What SJP’s selfie trick tells us about the terrifying rise of conspiracy theories”, in The Guardian, →ISSN: