aileron
nounUK /ˈeɪləɹɒn/ · US /ˈeɪləɹɑn/
Etymology Borrowed 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.
1
The hinged part on the trailing edge of an airplane wing, used to control longitudinal turns.
2
Architecture A half gable, as at the end of a penthouse or of the aisle of a church.
- Derived terms
- aileron authority, aileron roll, ailevator, deceleron, elevon, flaperon, Frise aileron, rolleron, rudderon, spoileron, taileron
- Related terms
- spoiler
- Coordinate terms
- elevator, fin, flap, rudder, sharklet, slat, spoiler, strake, variable sweep, vortex generator, wing, wing fence, winglet, wing warping
- Holonyms
- control surface