helicopter
n. countablen. a type of aircraft with large blades on top that spin very fast to lift it into the air. It can fly straight up, stay in one place, or move in any direction.
n. a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This configuration allows for vertical takeoff and landing, hovering, and multi-directional flight.
The helicopter lands on the hospital roof.
Rescue teams used a helicopter to reach the hikers who were stranded on the steep mountain ledge.
While fixed-wing aircraft require runways for momentum, the helicopter's ability to hover makes it indispensable for urban emergency services and remote geological surveys.
Borrowed from French hélicoptère, from Ancient Greek ἕλιξ (hélix, “spiral”) + πτερόν (pterón, “wing”). Doublet of helicopteron. By surface analysis, helico- + -pter. The dragonfly sense is from a dragonfly's ability to hover and fly in any direction, like the flying machine.