autogiro

or au·to·gy·ro

[ aw-tuh-jahy-roh ]
/ ˌɔ təˈdʒaɪ roʊ /

noun, plural au·to·gi·ros.

an aircraft with an unpowered, horizontally rotating propeller on a shaft above the fuselage that provides lift for the machine, with forward propulsion being provided by a conventional propeller: superseded in most applications by the helicopter.
Also called gyrocopter, gyroplane.

Origin of autogiro

First recorded in 1920–25; formerly a trademark

Example sentences from the Web for autogiro

British Dictionary definitions for autogiro

autogiro

autogyro

/ (ˌɔːtəʊˈdʒaɪrəʊ) /

noun plural -ros

a self-propelled aircraft supported in flight mainly by unpowered rotating horizontal blades Also called: gyroplane Compare helicopter

Word Origin for autogiro

C20: originally a trademark