monocoque
Americannoun
-
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
noun
-
a type of aircraft fuselage, car body, etc, in which all or most of the loads are taken by the skin
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a type of racing-car, racing-cycle, or powerboat design with no separate chassis and body
adjective
Etymology
Origin of monocoque
1910–15; < French, equivalent to mono- mono- + coque shell, eggshell (of uncertain origin)
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.
As it is with previous and current Cayennes, the Electric has a steel and aluminum monocoque integrated into the subframe structure that supports the battery and suspension.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
The body had to be shaped to provide the necessary downforce and cooling, while conforming to the requirements of the series and the underlying form of the monocoque chassis.
From New York Times ● Mar. 12, 2020
The trailer’s lightweight rigidity is owed to the more than 5,000 hand-bucked rivets holding the load-bearing skin, the monocoque, to the tubular subframe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2015
The young British driver climbed unhurt from motor racing's first ever carbon fibre monocoque cabin.
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2011
The monocoque has wood, steel and cork construction.
From Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1913 by Various
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