zeppelin

¹ American  

[zep-uh-lin] / ˈzɛp ə lɪn /

noun

1. (often initial capital letter) a large dirigible balloon consisting of a long, cylindrical, covered framework containing compartments or cells filled with gas, and of various structures for holding the engines, passengers, etc.

2. any rigid airship or dirigible.

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Zeppelin ² American  

[tsep-uh-leen, tsep-uh-leen, zep-uh-lin] / ˌtsɛp əˈlin, ˈtsɛp əˌlin, ˈzɛp ə lɪn /

noun

1. Count Ferdinand von 1838–1917, German general and aeronaut: designer and manufacturer of the zeppelin.

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Zeppelin ¹ British  

/ ˈtsɛpəliːn /

noun

1. Count Ferdinand von (ˈfɛrdinant fɔn). 1838–1917, German aeronautical pioneer, who designed and manufactured airships (zeppelins)

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zeppelin ² British  

/ ˈzɛpəlɪn /

noun

1. (sometimes capital) a large cylindrical rigid airship built from 1900 to carry passengers, and used in World War I for bombing and reconnaissance

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Etymology

Origin of zeppelin

First recorded in 1900; after Count von Zeppelin

Explanation

A zeppelin is a kind of airship that was used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Zeppelins were flown by the German military during World War I. While Germany found many military uses for zeppelins during the first World War, they were also used for commercial air travel by both Germany and the United States. Zeppelins were typically made from an aluminum-like metal, and shaped like a long cylinder. The zeppelin was named after the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, one of the airship's inventors.

Example Sentences

Celmins’ 1968 drawings of old black-and-white photographs torn from history books — a 1930s zeppelin airship, Hiroshima’s nearly obliterated 1945 landscape — begin with a sheet of paper prepared with a ground of snow-white acrylic.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2024

In groundbreaking work published last year, the Harvard team deduced that the stellar halo is tilted and elliptical in shape, like a zeppelin or football.

From Science Daily • Oct. 10, 2023

And Harper asks viewers to hurt themselves suspending their disbelief, most notably in an action sequence where Rachel jumps out of a plane and lands on a zeppelin called The Locker.

From Salon • Aug. 14, 2023

Arooj Aftab is an intriguing pick to close the weekend inside McCurdy Pavilion — an old zeppelin hangar converted into an auditorium — which tells you a lot about THING’s intentions.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 25, 2022

In Germany, the first zeppelin had just taken flight.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

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