airframe

[ air-freym ]

/ ˈɛərˌfreɪm /

noun

the framework and external covering of an airplane, rocket, etc.

Nearby words

airedale, airfare, airfield, airflow, airfoil, airframe, airfreight, airglow, airhead, airhose, airily

Origin of airframe

First recorded in 1930–35; air(plane) + frame

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for airframe

Both a rocket engine with a temperamental record and an airframe of revolutionary design and construction had to be proved safe.
Virgin Galactic’s Flight Path to Disaster: A Clash of High Risk and Hyperbole|Clive Irving|November 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The tests took place in a 1960s vintage Boeing 727 airframe.
Passenger Flights Must Stop Carrying Lithium-Ion Batteries as Cargo|Clive Irving|May 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for airframe

airframe

/ (ˈɛəˌfreɪm) /

noun

the body of an aircraft, excluding its engines

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