autogiro

American  

[aw-tuh-jahy-roh] / ˌɔ təˈdʒaɪ roʊ /

Or autogyro

noun

plural

autogiros

1. an aircraft with an unpowered, horizontally rotating propeller on a shaft above the fuselage that provides lift for the machine, with forward propulsion being provided by a conventional propeller: superseded in most applications by the helicopter.

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autogiro British  

/ ˌɔːtəʊˈdʒaɪrəʊ /

noun

1. Also called: gyroplane.  a self-propelled aircraft supported in flight mainly by unpowered rotating horizontal blades Compare helicopter

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Etymology

Origin of autogiro

First recorded in 1920–25; formerly a trademark

Example Sentences

Stuffed with sumo wrestling; trap doors; an autogiro equipped with flamethrowers and missiles; a piranha pool; and, of course, a rocket base hidden inside a volcano, “You Only Live Twice” wasn’t exactly an actor’s breakthrough.

From New York Times • Oct. 31, 2020

City officials first gave the park a thorough DDT spraying by autogiro, then counted the survivors.

From Time Magazine Archive

Over Middleburg, Pa. Pennsylvania's 45-year-old Governor George Howard Earle buzzed about alone in his own autogiro to complete the 50 hours of solo flying necessary for a license.

From Time Magazine Archive

Often Governor Earle works at his Harrisburg office in the morning, then climbs into his autogiro after lunch, takes the controls, flies away to speak in a distant part of the State.

From Time Magazine Archive

President Harold F. Pitcairn of Pitcairn Aviation, Inc., has found such promise in Juan de la Cierva's Autogiro that last week he organized Pitcairn-Cierva Autogiro Co. of America to develop the autogiro in this country.

From Time Magazine Archive

Related Words

• chopper