Aileron

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈeɪləɹɒn/

Definitions

1. A hinged section on the trailing edge of a wing that regulates roll and aids in lateral navigation during flight
2. A control surface attached to the wing of an aircraft, responsible for managing its rolling motion and turning capabilities
3. A movable hinged part located on the wings of an aircraft that helps control its roll and assists in steering during flight

Etymology: The aileron, the small hinged flap on an aircraft wing that banks the plane, is named for a bird. In French, "aileron" is a diminutive of "aile", "wing", and originally referred to the tips of a bird's wings that it used to steer in flight. The word then looked for a new home in the sky. Its first recorded appearance in print was in the seventh edition of Cassell's French-English Dictionary in 1877, where its lead meaning was simply "small wing". The modern sense arrived with powered flight. Around 1908 it turns up in print in "L'Aérophile", a French aviation journal, applied to the movable flaps on the trailing edge of an aeroplane's wing. The engineers reached for a word that already meant a wing's working extremity, and the diminutive ending suited a small surface that controls a much larger one.