aileron

[ ey-luh-ron ]
See synonyms for aileron on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Aeronautics. a movable surface, usually near the trailing edge of a wing, that controls the roll of the airframe or effects maneuvers, as banks and the like.

  2. a wall at the end of a roof with a single slope, as that of a church aisle.

Origin of aileron

1
1905–10; <French, equivalent to ail(e) (see aisle) + -eron diminutive suffix

Words Nearby aileron

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use aileron in a sentence

  • Don't slack this, or some gusty day the pilot may unexpectedly find himself minus the aileron control.

  • The aileron which is lowered catches the air currents flowing beneath the wing on that side.

    The Romance of Aircraft | Lawrence Yard Smith
  • Wire, aileron Balance—A wire connecting the right- and left-hand top ailerons.

  • The left aileron, bending upwards, threw the tottering fabric more and more on one side.

    The Dreadnought of the Air | Percy F. Westerman
  • Thus the skin for them is leather, the face un mufle, the mouth un bec, the arm un aileron.

    The Criminal | Havelock Ellis

British Dictionary definitions for aileron

aileron

/ (ˈeɪlərɒn) /


noun
  1. a flap hinged to the trailing edge of an aircraft wing to provide lateral control, as in a bank or roll

Origin of aileron

1
C20: from French, diminutive of aile wing

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for aileron

aileron

[ ālə-rŏn′ ]


  1. A hinged surface that is part of the back edge of each wing on an airplane. The ailerons are moved up or down to create uneven lift on the sides of the plane to control its rolling and tilting movements.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.