aileron

[ ey-luh-ron ]
See synonyms for aileron on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Aeronautics. a movable surface, usually near the trailing edge of a wing, that controls the roll of the airframe or effects maneuvers, as banks and the like.

  2. a wall at the end of a roof with a single slope, as that of a church aisle.

Origin of aileron

1
1905–10; <French, equivalent to ail(e) (see aisle) + -eron diminutive suffix

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use aileron in a sentence

  • Frantically Jimmy kicked at his rudder, shifted his ailerons, tried every trick he knew of to get the ship out of the spin.

    The Flying Reporter | Lewis E. (Lewis Edwin) Theiss
  • It will tend to make the aeroplane bank the wrong way, and such effect must be remedied by means of the ailerons.

  • Instead of the wing warping device it made use of movable flaps or ailerons at the rear edges of the wings.

    The Romance of Aircraft | Lawrence Yard Smith
  • Ailerons (also called "righting-tips," "balancing-planes," etc.).

  • Wire, aileron Balance—A wire connecting the right- and left-hand top ailerons.

British Dictionary definitions for aileron

aileron

/ (ˈeɪlərɒn) /


noun
  1. a flap hinged to the trailing edge of an aircraft wing to provide lateral control, as in a bank or roll

Origin of aileron

1
C20: from French, diminutive of aile wing

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for aileron

aileron

[ ālə-rŏn′ ]


  1. A hinged surface that is part of the back edge of each wing on an airplane. The ailerons are moved up or down to create uneven lift on the sides of the plane to control its rolling and tilting movements.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.