nacelle

[ nuh-sel ]
/ nəˈsɛl /

noun

the enclosed part of an airplane, dirigible, etc., in which the engine is housed or in which cargo or passengers are carried.
the car of a balloon.

Origin of nacelle

1475–85; < French: a small boat < Late Latin nāvicella, for Latin nāvicula, equivalent to nāvi(s) ship (see nave) + -cula -cule1

Example sentences from the Web for nacelle

  • The point C is the centre of the propeller, or, in the case of a "pusher" aeroplane, the centre of the nacelle.

  • The blood from his wound spurted all over the nacelle, obscuring the instruments, and in addition his machine caught fire.

    Sixty Squadron R.A.F. |Group-Captain A. J. L. Scott
  • Nacelle—That part of an aeroplane containing the engine and pilot and passenger, and to which the tail plane is not fixed.

  • Then his glances fell upon the aviator just on the point of stepping from the nacelle, or cockpit.

    Don Hale with the Flying Squadron |W. Crispin Sheppard

British Dictionary definitions for nacelle

nacelle
/ (nəˈsɛl) /

noun

a streamlined enclosure on an aircraft, not part of the fuselage, to accommodate an engine, passengers, crew, etc

Word Origin for nacelle

C20: from French: small boat, from Late Latin nāvicella, a diminutive of Latin nāvis ship