escadrille

[ es-kuh-dril, es-kuh-dril; French es-ka-dree-yuh ]
See synonyms for escadrille on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural es·ca·drilles [es-kuh-drilz, es-kuh-drilz; French es-ka-dree-yuh]. /ˌɛs kəˈdrɪlz, ˈɛs kəˌdrɪlz; French ɛs kaˈdri yə/.
  1. a squadron or divisional unit of airplanes: the Lafayette Escadrille of World War I.

  2. Obsolete. a small naval squadron.

Origin of escadrille

1
1910–15; <French: flotilla, Middle French <Spanish escuadrilla, diminutive of escuadrasquadron

Words Nearby escadrille

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

How to use escadrille in a sentence

  • Practically every fighting nation has had not only its favorite airman but also its favorite aerial escadrille.

    The Romance of Aircraft | Lawrence Yard Smith
  • In 1916, after much excellent service over the lines, he became a member of the Lafayette escadrille.

    The Romance of Aircraft | Lawrence Yard Smith
  • A legend was current as to the large quantity of "wood broken" by Guynemer in his early days with the escadrille.

    Georges Guynemer | Henry Bordeaux
  • The Storks escadrille, which was the first to arrive, waged battle uninterruptedly for eight months.

    Georges Guynemer | Henry Bordeaux
  • Several weeks passed, during which Don Hale became thoroughly familiar with and accustomed to the work of the escadrille.

    Don Hale with the Flying Squadron | W. Crispin Sheppard

British Dictionary definitions for escadrille

escadrille

/ (ˌɛskəˈdrɪl, French ɛskadrij) /


noun
  1. a French squadron of aircraft, esp in World War I

  2. a small squadron of ships

Origin of escadrille

1
from French: flotilla, from Spanish escuadrilla, from escuadra squadron

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