autogiro

or au·to·gy·ro

[ aw-tuh-jahy-roh ]

noun

, plural au·to·gi·ros.

1. an aircraft with an unpowered, horizontally rotating propeller on a shaft above the fuselage that provides lift for the machine, with forward propulsion being provided by a conventional propeller: superseded in most applications by the helicopter.

autogiro

/ ˌɔːtəʊˈdʒaɪrəʊ /

noun

1. a self-propelled aircraft supported in flight mainly by unpowered rotating horizontal blades Also calledgyroplane Compare helicopter

Word History and Origins

Origin of autogiro¹

First recorded in 1920–25; formerly a trademark

Word History and Origins

Origin of autogiro¹

C20: originally a trademark

Example Sentences

His father, a onetime farmer with an eighth-grade education, operated a mobile home park and had such mechanical skills that he built autogiros — a combination of airplane and helicopter — from scratch.

From Washington Post

Stuffed with sumo wrestling; trap doors; an autogiro equipped with flamethrowers and missiles; a piranha pool; and, of course, a rocket base hidden inside a volcano, “You Only Live Twice” wasn’t exactly an actor’s breakthrough.

From New York Times

He tells the congregation that he’s planning a trip to Montana to go fishing with his friend Ted Turner, and that he’s going to ride in his son’s autogiro — a sort of mini-helicopter.

From Washington Post

At the World Fly-In Expo, an air show held in the central Chinese city of Wuhan last month, jets, hot air balloons, autogiros and ultralight planes were upstaged by Chinese-made drones.

From New York Times

Related Words

• chopper