nacelle

[ nuh-sel ]
See synonyms for nacelle on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the enclosed part of an airplane, dirigible, etc., in which the engine is housed or in which cargo or passengers are carried.

  2. the car of a balloon.

Origin of nacelle

1
1475–85; <French: a small boat <Late Latin nāvicella, for Latin nāvicula, equivalent to nāvi(s) ship (see nave) + -cula-cule1

Words Nearby nacelle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use nacelle in a sentence

  • The point C is the centre of the propeller, or, in the case of a "pusher" aeroplane, the centre of the nacelle.

  • nacelle—That part of an aeroplane containing the engine and pilot and passenger, and to which the tail plane is not fixed.

  • Then his glances fell upon the aviator just on the point of stepping from the nacelle, or cockpit.

    Don Hale with the Flying Squadron | W. Crispin Sheppard
  • The Astra-Torres type are also non-rigid, but of trefoil section with a short nacelle.

  • The blood from his wound spurted all over the nacelle, obscuring the instruments, and in addition his machine caught fire.

    Sixty Squadron R.A.F. | Group-Captain A. J. L. Scott

British Dictionary definitions for nacelle

nacelle

/ (nəˈsɛl) /


noun
  1. a streamlined enclosure on an aircraft, not part of the fuselage, to accommodate an engine, passengers, crew, etc

Origin of nacelle

1
C20: from French: small boat, from Late Latin nāvicella, a diminutive of Latin nāvis ship

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