parachute

[ par-uh-shoot ]

noun

1. a folding, umbrellalike, fabric device with cords supporting a harness or straps for allowing a person, object, package, etc., to float down safely through the air from a great height, especially from an aircraft, rendered effective by the resistance of the air that expands it during the descent and reduces the velocity of its fall.
2. parachute brake.
3. Horology. a shockproofing device for the balance staff of a watch, consisting of a yielding, springlike support for the bearing at either end.
4. Informal.
   1. the aggregate of benefits, as severance pay or vacation pay, given an employee who is dismissed from a company.
   2. golden parachute.

verb (used with object)

, par·a·chut·ed, par·a·chut·ing.

1. to drop or land (troops, equipment, supplies, etc.) by parachute.

verb (used without object)

, par·a·chut·ed, par·a·chut·ing.

1. to descend by parachute.

parachute

/ ˈpærəˌʃuːt /

noun

1. 1. a device used to retard the fall of a man or package from an aircraft, consisting of a large fabric canopy connected to a harness
   2. ( as modifier ) Sometimes shortened tochute See also brake parachute

      parachute troops

verb

1. (of troops, supplies, etc) to land or cause to land by parachute from an aircraft
2. (in an election) to bring in (a candidate, esp someone well known) from outside the constituency

Derived Forms

• ˈparaˌchutist, noun

Other Words From

• para·chutic adjective
• para·chutist para·chuter noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of parachute¹

1775–85; < French, equivalent to para- para- ² + chute fall; chute ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of parachute¹

C18: from French, from para- ² + chute fall

Example Sentences

Above her couch, she has hung her most prized family possessions: photos of her grandmother featured in the Evansville Press in Indiana in 1964 after she learned to skydive and joined a parachute club.

From Los Angeles Times

"They found art to be the parachute that can save them, and they poured themselves into it, and it poured back into them."

From BBC

The landmark legislation will give the regulator powers to assess the impact of the Premier League's controversial 'parachute payments' to relegated clubs as part of a 'State of the Game' review every five years.

From BBC

Mr Bennett, 72, who served with the parachute regiment in Northern Ireland, was speaking ahead of the traditional Armistice Day ceremonies set to take place across Scotland.

From BBC

Eddy said his father landed, hid his parachute and stole a bicycle to get "as far away as possible", ending up in a barn.

From BBC

Related Words

• bounce
• bound
• dive
• drop
• fall
• hop
• plummet
• skip
• surge
• take
• top
• vault