tailhook

noun

tail·​hook ˈtāl-ˌhu̇k 

variants or tail hook

: a retractable hook on the underside of the tail of a carrier-based airplane extended in landing to engage an arresting-gear cable on the deck of the carrier

Examples of tailhook in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After appealing to the base chaplain during basic training for a transfer to a less perilous job than catching the tailhook of planes landing on an aircraft carrier, he was assigned as a journalist to the Navy News Service in Vietnam. —Sam Roberts, New York Times, 15 Nov. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above