Quadcopter

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkwɒdkɒptə(ɹ)/

Definitions

1. A flying gadget featuring four rotor propellers that enables stable flight for various activities like photography and recreational use
2. An aerial vehicle operated remotely with four rotating blades, widely utilized for both leisure and commercial purposes
3. A type of unmanned aerial vehicle characterized by its four rotors, designed for stable flight and used in tasks such as aerial filming and surveying

Etymology: The quadcopter is a helicopter with a shorter name, and the shortening happened in English. Its two halves come from two separate ancient roots: "quad-" is the Latin-derived prefix meaning four, and "-copter" is clipped from "helicopter," which combined the Greek "helix" (a spiral or twisting thing) with "pteron" (wing). So the word reads, roughly, as "four-winged spiral-maker," a name that describes a machine lifting by rotating blades. The chain runs through French. The French "hélicoptère" gave English "helicopter," and English speakers then clipped that to "copter," a form that stands on its own as an informal name for helicopters. Attaching "quad-" to it produced a compound describing a craft with four rotors instead of the single main rotor of a traditional helicopter.

Synonyms: drone, multirotor