Aileron Definition
ālə-rŏn
ailerons
noun
Either of two movable flaps on the wings of an airplane that can be used to control the plane's rolling and banking movements.
American Heritage
A pilot-controlled airfoil attached to, in, or near the trailing edge of an airplane wing, for controlling the rolling movements of the airplane.
Webster's New World
Other Word Forms of Aileron
Noun
Singular:
aileron
Plural:
aileronsOrigin of Aileron
-
Borrowing from French aileron, diminutive of aile (“wing”), also refers to the extremities of a bird's wings used to control their flight. It first appeared in print in the 7th edition of Cassell's French-English Dictionary of 1877, with its lead meaning of "small wing". In the context of powered airplanes it appears in print about 1908, in the French aviation journal L'Aérophile.
From Wiktionary
French diminutive of aile wing from Old French from Latin āla
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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