monocoque

[mon-uh-kohk, -kok]

noun

a type of boat, aircraft, or rocket construction in which the shell carries most of the stresses.

Automotive. a type of vehicular construction in which the body is combined with the chassis as a single unit.

adjective

of, relating to, or being a monocoque.

Origin of monocoque

1910–15; < French, equivalent to mono- mono- + coque shell, eggshell (of uncertain origin)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for monocoque

Historical Examples of monocoque

The monocoque has coque body, the others ordinary rectangular section.
Jane's All the World's Aircraft
Various

British Dictionary definitions for monocoque

monocoque

noun

a type of aircraft fuselage, car body, etc, in which all or most of the loads are taken by the skin

a type of racing-car, racing-cycle, or powerboat design with no separate chassis and body

adjective

of or relating to the design characteristic of a monocoque

Word Origin for monocoque

C20: from French, from mono- + coque shell

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