fuselage
FYOO-suh-lahzh
/ˈfjuːzəlɑːʒ/
The main body of an aircraft, which holds the crew, passengers, and cargo.
Excludes the wings, tail assembly, and engines, focusing solely on the central structural tube.
The story behind the word. Early French aviators looked at the central body of their wooden aircraft and noticed it resembled a 'fuseau'—the wooden spindle used in spinning wool, which is thick in the middle and tapered at both ends. The term was adopted into English in the early 1900s.
Word relationships
- body: Body is a generic term, whereas fuselage is the precise aeronautical term for an aircraft's central structure.
Commonly confused with
- chassis: A chassis is the structural frame of a land vehicle, while a fuselage is the enclosed body of an aircraft.
Word family
- fuselages (noun): Plural form of fuselage.
Collocations
- aircraft fuselage
- fuselage section
- composite fuselage
Example sentences
- "The Boeing 787 Dreamliner features a fuselage made primarily of lightweight carbon fiber composite materials rather than traditional aluminum sheets." Aviation manufacturing
- "Investigators recovered the central portion of the fuselage from the ocean floor to examine the structural failure." Accident investigation
Memory hook
A fuselage is shaped like a giant 'fuse' or spindle running down the center of the plane. Spindle of the plane.
When not to use
Do not use to describe the body of a car, ship, or train; use 'chassis', 'hull', or 'carriage' instead.
Fun facts
- Because of the pressure differences at high altitudes, an airplane's fuselage actually expands and contracts slightly during every single flight.
Related words
Explore more words
flight, chassis, structural, load-bearing, locomotive, vessel
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