trimotor

[ trahy-moh-ter ]

noun

1. an airplane or other vehicle that has three motors.

Other Words From

• tri·motored adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of trimotor¹

First recorded in 1920–25; tri- + motor

Example Sentences

He became enthralled with planes when he saw a Ford Trimotor at a nearby airport and flew solo in a Piper Cub at 17.

From New York Times

The renovated wing is packed with glorious old standards — the 1929 Ford TriMotor, nicknamed the “Tin Goose”; the sleek gray Boeing 247-D airliner from 1933; and the shiny twin-engine Douglas DC-3, which flew from the 1930s to the 1950s.

From Washington Post

Cooley’s book “Trimotor and Trail,” published in 1984, included the most detailed study of the Mann Gulch fire and its aftermath until Norman Maclean’s “Young Men and Fire” was published in 1992, two years after Maclean’s death.

From Washington Times

He persuaded his father to let him take a ride on a Ford Trimotor.

From Washington Post

Princess Xenia of Greece arrived in a TriMotor in time to hear the rumor that Al Capone had placed a large bet on Dempsey, the consummate pressure fighter.

From New York Times