fuselage

noun fu·se·lage \ ˈfyü-sə-ˌläzh , -zə- \

|Updated on: 5 Aug 2018

Definition of fuselage

: the central body portion of an aircraft designed to accommodate the crew and the passengers or cargo — see airplane illustration

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Recent Examples of fuselage from the Web

Engineers press the motor flush against its fuselage, while the crane holds it in place.

— sarah scoles, WIRED, "Inside the Test Chamber for NASA's Astronaut Vehicle Double," 12 July 2018
Officials say a window, the jet's wings, fuselage and one of its engines were all damaged.

— stephen paulsen, Houston Chronicle, "Passenger dies aboard United flight from Houston to Boston," 27 June 2018
Passengers have since said the victim was partially pulled through a plane window when debris from the engine hit the fuselage.

— aubrey nagle, Philly.com, "Philly's eviction crisis, inside Southwest flight's emergency landing | Morning Newsletter," 19 Apr. 2018
Perhaps the most striking example is Saab, Sweden’s defence firm, which created more than 100 agile teams, covering software, hardware and the fuselage, to build its Gripen fighter jet.

— The Economist, "The fashion for agile management is spreading," 5 July 2018
Both share the general delta-wing configuration with dual rear fins, a streamlined fuselage, and a sharp nose.

— eric adams, WIRED, "Boeing’s Proposed Hypersonic Plane Is Really, Really Fast," 28 June 2018
Crews were able to recover a large part of the plane's fuselage, portions of both wings, and the tail section of the plane, Johnson said.

— laurel andrews, Anchorage Daily News, "First findings released in Susitna River fatal midair plane collision," 22 June 2018
For example, Last Rites’ back bar is built from a real airplane fuselage.

— justin phillips, SFChronicle.com, "SF’s tiki bar to end all tiki bars is quietly brooding in Duboce Triangle," 21 June 2018
In April, a fan blade in a Southwest Airlines jet failed and the engine broke apart, sending debris through the fuselage, and a passenger sitting next to the window died after being partly pulled out.

— martin finucane, BostonGlobe.com, "It’s extremely rare to get sucked out of an airplane window. But here’s how it would work," 17 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fuselage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of fuselage

borrowed from French, from fuselé "spindle-shaped" (from past participle of fuseler "to give the shape of a spindle to," going back to Middle French, derivative of fusel "spindle," diminutive of fus "spindle," going back to Latin fūsus, of obscure origin) + -age -age

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1909

in the meaning defined above

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