fuselage
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of fuselage
1905–10; < French, equivalent to fusel ( é ) spindle-shaped (derivative of fuseau spindle; see fusee) + -age -age
Explanation
The main part of an airplane — the part in which you sit as a passenger — is called the fuselage. Your luggage rides in the fuselage, too. The word fuselage comes from the Latin fusus, or "spindle," which describes the tube shape of the central part of an airplane. Wings, tails, engines — these are all extra parts of the plane that attach to the fuselage. Different kinds of airplanes have different types of fuselages, depending on how fast they need to travel and what they carry, but a fuselage is always hollow and always has a cockpit at the front.
Vocabulary lists containing fuselage
Flying High: Aviation Words
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A Spelling Bee for Fun
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Hatchet
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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 plane continued down the runway as sparks and fire wrapped around the rear fuselage, before it slowed to a stop.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
The separated fan blade resulted in damage to portions of the engine’s cover and sent engine fragments flying, striking the airplane’s fuselage and its horizontal stabilizer, according to the report.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Last month, explorers discovered the ruins of the Douglas DC-4 aircraft using an autonomous sonar drone that detected the aircraft's fuselage and tail.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Arms researchers shown images and videos of the smaller drone’s components say its fuselage has been copied by dozens of Chinese companies even now selling similar models on China’s equivalent of Amazon, AliExpress.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2026
It had short wings and a fat, stubby fuselage with a huge engine in front.
From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
