STOL

American  

[es-tawl] / ˈɛsˌtɔl /

noun

1. a convertiplane that can become airborne after a short takeoff run and has forward speeds comparable to those of conventional aircraft.

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STOL British  

/ stɒl /

noun

1. a system in which an aircraft can take off and land in a short distance

2. an aircraft using this system Compare VTOL

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Etymology

Origin of STOL

s(hort) t(ake)o(ff and) l(anding)

Example Sentences

As often happens, the situation in the North evoked the Irish saying idir dhá stól, a shorthand for falling between two stools, neither here nor there.

From The Guardian

It’s what’s known as a V/STOL aircraft, capable of vertical/short takeoffs and landings.

From Washington Post

He sits on the floor in the hallway of his communal apartment, in a dark and hopeless mood—he appears doomed to the repeated frustrations of an author who can only “pisat’ v stol,” as the Russian saying goes, “to write for the desk,” or toil over stories that won’t end up anywhere but a desk drawer.

From The New Yorker

Writers who would not adjust to the state’s ideological constraints were forced to write v stol—“into the desk,” not for publication.

From The New Yorker

Stolid, stol′id, adj. dull: heavy: stupid: foolish.—n.

From Project Gutenberg