pitch
pitch
/pɪtʃ/
The up-or-down movement or rotation of an aircraft's nose around its lateral axis.
Controlled primarily by elevators on the tail section, affecting angle of attack and airspeed.
The story behind the word. From Middle English 'pichen', meaning to plunge, set up, or thrust downward. Nautical usage described the plunging motion of a ship's bow in heavy seas, which early aviators adopted for aircraft nose movement.
Word relationships
- tilt: Tilt is a general term for slanting, while pitch specifically denotes rotational motion around a lateral horizontal axis.
Commonly confused with
- yaw: Pitch moves the nose up and down; yaw swings the nose side to side.
Word family
- pitched (adjective): Sloped or inclined.
Collocations
- pitch angle
- pitch attitude
- pitch up
- pitch down
Example sentences
- "The pilot pulled back on the yoke to pitch the nose upward into a climb." Flight control maneuver
- "Sudden updrafts caused the aircraft to pitch violently before the autopilot stabilized it." Turbulence encounter
Memory hook
PITCHing a baseball involves moving your arm UP and DOWN. Nose UP or DOWN.
When not to use
Do not confuse with pitch in music (frequency) or business (sales pitch), though they share historical root ideas of slope or setting.
Fun facts
- Excessive pitch attitude can lead to an aerodynamic stall if airspeed drops too low.
Explore more words
give a presentation, persuade, persuasion, persuasive, oratory, Fundraising
Also appears in
- Business → Sales & Customer Service
- Business → Entrepreneurship & Startups
- Media, Journalism & Publishing → Freelance Journalism & Blogging
- Sports, Athletics & Recreation → Athletic Venues & Facilities
- Physical Sciences & Cosmology → Acoustics & Sound Waves
- Music, Instruments & Performance → Singing & Vocals
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