afterbody

American

[af-ter-bod-ee, ahf-] / ˈæf tərˌbɒd i, ˈɑf- /

noun

PLURAL

afterbodies

Nautical. the portion of a ship's hull aft of the middle body.
Aeronautics. the rear part of an aircraft's fuselage.
Rocketry. the part of a guided missile behind the nose cone, usually unprotected against reentry heat.

afterbody British

/ ˈɑːftəˌbɒdɪ /

noun

any discarded part that continues to trail a satellite, rocket, etc, in orbit

"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

Etymology

Origin of afterbody

after + body

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The bow and stern remain the same, but the afterbody has been made fuller with the addition of plastic molding.

From Time Magazine Archive

The changes that Chance made on Intrepid�shorter keel, rounder bow, fuller afterbody �have obviously made the white-hulled sloop swifter than ever.

From Time Magazine Archive

Stabilization and trim are provided by oversized trim tabs, large area sections of the afterbody, driven by a Quantum hydraulic control system.

From Time Magazine Archive

The last pygmy in line, whose afterbody was a bloated tank, gurgled as it jolted by, and trailed an aroma of looted fuel.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023