hydrofoil

[ hahy-druh-foil ]

noun

1. Naval Architecture. a surface form creating a thrust against water in a direction perpendicular to the plane approximated by the surface.
2. Nautical.
   1. a winglike member having this form, designed to lift the hull of a moving vessel.
   2. a vessel equipped with hydrofoils.

hydrofoil

/ ˈhaɪdrəˌfɔɪl /

noun

1. a fast light vessel the hull of which is raised out of the water on one or more pairs of fixed vanes
2. any of these vanes

Word History and Origins

Origin of hydrofoil¹

First recorded in 1915–20; hydro- ¹ + foil ²

Example Sentences

The way the IOC explains the difference is that “instead of floating, the board appears to fly” in the iQFoil class because of hydrofoils that lift the board out of the water at certain speeds.

From BBC

If you can catch the hydrofoil out to Iki Island, it’s well worth it.

From Seattle Times

The company wants to build on lessons learned from the launch of their smaller electric hydrofoil leisure boat.

From Seattle Times

For the next six days, Candela intends to showcase its pioneering hydrofoil technology in the U.S.

From Washington Times

"I had to jump over the side of the boat with a knife, like a pirate. We had ropes, fishing nets, pieces of garbage stuck around the hydrofoils."

From BBC