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.
Spirit built the fuselage of the Alaska Airlines plane where the door plug blew off midflight.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
An investigation found that Boeing had improperly fitted the outsourced fuselage and door plug parts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
January 5: A 737 MAX 9 operated by Alaska Airlines makes an emergency landing after a fuselage panel blows out mid-flight, plunging Boeing back into crisis mode.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
A follow-up photographic survey confirmed the wreckage was of the Clipper Endeavor, providing images that revealed the Pan Am logo and aircraft's name were still visible on the fuselage.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
A squiggle of turbulence, or a crewman walking inside the fuselage, would tip the plane off its axis.
From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
