definitions

nacelle

[ nuh-sel ]
/ nəˈsɛl /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR nacelle ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the enclosed part of an airplane, dirigible, etc., in which the engine is housed or in which cargo or passengers are carried.
the car of a balloon.

Nearby words

nabonidus, naboth, nabothian cyst, nabuchodonosor, naca, nacelle, nacho, nacods, nacogdoches, nacre, nacred

Origin of nacelle

1475–85; < French: a small boat < Late Latin nāvicella, for Latin nāvicula, equivalent to nāvi(s) ship (see nave) + -cula -cule1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for nacelle

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

    The Aeroplane Speaks|H. Barber

  • 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

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

    The Aeroplane Speaks|H. Barber

  • 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

British Dictionary definitions for nacelle

nacelle

/ (nəˈsɛl) /

noun

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

Word Origin for nacelle

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