empennage
[ ahm-puh-nahzh, em-; French ahn-pe-nazh ]
/ ˌɑm pəˈnɑʒ, ˌɛm-; French ɑ̃ pɛˈnaʒ /
Save This Word!
noun, plural em·pen·nag·es [ahm-puh-nah-zhiz, em-; French ahn-pe-nazh]. /ˌɑm pəˈnɑ ʒɪz, ˌɛm-; French ɑ̃ pɛˈnaʒ/.
the rear part of an airplane or airship, usually comprising the stabilizer, elevator, vertical fin, and rudder.
QUIZZES
THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?
Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.
Question 1 of 8
Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?
Words nearby empennage
empathetic, empathic, empathize, empathy, Empedocles, empennage, emperipolesis, emperor, emperor butterfly, emperor moth, emperor penguin
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for empennage
The loose end of his leggin was caught in the wires of the empennage.
Bill Bruce on Forest Patrol|Henry Harley ArnoldBill gave him a lift and Breene was soon sitting on the empennage almost entirely out of the water.
Bill Bruce on Forest Patrol|Henry Harley Arnold
British Dictionary definitions for empennage
empennage
/ (ɛmˈpɛnɪdʒ, French ɑ̃pɛnaʒ) /
noun
the rear part of an aircraft, comprising the fin, rudder, and tailplane
Word Origin for empennage
C20: from French: feathering, from empenner to feather an arrow, from penne feather, from Latin pinna
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