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empennage

[ ahm-puh-nahzh, em-; French ahn-pe-nazh ]
/ ˌɑm pəˈnɑʒ, ˌɛm-; French ɑ̃ pɛˈnaʒ /
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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.

RELATED WORDS

rear, butt, rudder, buttocks, end, reverse, extremity, train, behind, stub, appendage, posterior, tag, tush, rump, conclusion, tailpiece, wagger

Nearby words

  1. empathic,
  2. empathise,
  3. empathize,
  4. empathy,
  5. empedocles,
  6. emperipolesis,
  7. emperor,
  8. emperor butterfly,
  9. emperor jones, the,
  10. emperor moth

Origin of empennage

1905–10; < French: literally, feathering, equivalent to empenn(er) to feather an arrow (em- em-1 + -penner, derivative of penne feather; see pen1) + -age -age
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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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