fuselage
n. countablen. the main body of an airplane. It is the long, central part where the passengers sit and the cargo is kept.
n. the central body of an aircraft to which the wings, tail, and engines are attached.
The fuselage of the plane is painted white.
Engineers inspected the fuselage for cracks after the aircraft experienced severe turbulence during the flight.
Modern aerospace manufacturing often utilizes carbon-fiber composites for the fuselage to reduce overall weight while maintaining the structural integrity required for high-altitude pressurization.
Etymology tree Latin fūsusder. Old French fusel Proto-Italic *-āzi ▲ Latin -ereinflu. Latin -āre Old French -ier Middle French -er French -er French fuseler Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātus Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Italic *-kos Latin -cus Latin -icus Latin -āticus Latin -āticum Old French -age Middle French -age French -age French fuselagebor. English fuselage Borrowed from French fuselage. Ultimately from Latin fūsus (“spindle, spinning wheel”). For the meaning development, compare rocket, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *rukkô (“spinning wheel, distaff”) (whence also English rock (“distaff, the flax or wool on a distaff”)).
Typically refers to the structural shell of fixed-wing aircraft.