winglet

American  

[wing-lit] / ˈwɪŋ lɪt /

noun

1. a little wing.

2. Zoology. alula.

3. Aeronautics.

   1. a small wing used mainly to carry external loads or to connect struts or gears to the fuselage.

   2. a short, near-vertical projection on a wing tip that reduces drag and improves fuel efficiency.

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winglet British  

/ ˈwɪŋlɪt /

noun

1. a small wing, esp the bastard wing of a bird

2. a small wing placed at the tip of the main wing of an aircraft and perpendicular to it designed to reduce the aircraft's vortex drag

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Etymology

Origin of winglet

First recorded in 1605–15; wing + -let

Example Sentences

The portion of the 757’s wingtip that points up, the winglet, was snapped off, reported New York’s WNBC-TV.

From Washington Times • Feb. 8, 2023

The drone was mislabeled on a winglet as a Geran-2 Russian-made drone, Colonel Kulagin said.

From New York Times • Sep. 18, 2022

The FAA said the left winglet of the moving plane clipped the horizontal stabilizer of the other.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 13, 2022

Key to their concept appears to be the winglet in front of the bodywork, which has a series of smaller winglets on the top surface, and which also supports the mirror.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2022

In vain the gray Prophet lifts up to his god his winglet of prayer for peace; The tempest of war has broke over the plain, and his altars can bring no surcease.

From Montezuma An Epic on the Origin and Fate of the Aztec Nation by Richmond, Hiram Hoyt