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Glite Dictionary
ballonet

ballonet

1 9.9
A bag of air inside an airship that people fill or empty to control how it floats and its shape
  • noun
  • /ˈbælənɛt/
  • Specialized
: balonete
  • In airships, the ballonet can be adjusted to manage buoyancy and stability.

Examples

  • The ballonet helps maintain the airship's shape.

  • If a ballonet fails, the airship may lose its proper shape and stability.

  • The pilot adjusted the ballonet to maintain the airship's altitude during the flight.

  • Technicians inspected each ballonet before the airship took off to ensure safety.

  • Each ballonet is crucial for proper buoyancy.

  • The engineer explained how the ballonet system helps maintain the airship's shape during flight.

  • By inflating the ballonet, the pilot was able to control the altitude of the airship.

Surface Forms

ballonet singular
ballonets plural

Etymology

Ballonet comes from the French word ballon ('balloon') with the small ending -et ('little'), so it literally means a 'little balloon' inside a bigger craft. That's why a ballonet is a small internal airbag used to control an airship's shape and buoyancy.