Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

monocoque

[mon-uh-kohk, -kok]
noun
  1. a type of boat, aircraft, or rocket construction in which the shell carries most of the stresses.
  2. Automotive. a type of vehicular construction in which the body is combined with the chassis as a single unit.
Show More
adjective
  1. of, relating to, or being a monocoque.
Show More

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. 2018

Examples from the Web for monocoque

Historical Examples

  • 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
  1. a type of aircraft fuselage, car body, etc, in which all or most of the loads are taken by the skin
  2. a type of racing-car, racing-cycle, or powerboat design with no separate chassis and body
Show More
adjective
  1. of or relating to the design characteristic of a monocoque
Show More

Word Origin

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