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Glite Dictionary
cowling

cowling

1 8.2
A removable metal cover that protects an engine and helps a plane move through the air
  • noun
  • /ˈkaʊlɪŋ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : carcasa
  • After removing the cowling, we could clearly see the engine's crucial components.
  • engine cowling

And I lost my balance and the Cowling was up on top of it and it doesn't float.

Examples

  • The cowling reduced the aerodynamic resistance while maintaining adequate cooling flow and boosted speeds by 19 mph.

    Academic text (2003)

  • The No. 10 cowling cut engine drag by as much as 60 percent.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Better take off the left cowling, Joe.

    Five Came Back (1939)

  • Some aircraft pulled the wheels straight up, often into a cowling behind the engine.

    Academic text (2003)

  • The metal cowling at the top of one building had been torn away.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • You've got a broken cowling latch here.

    Skyjacked (1972)

  • NACA's Cowling No. 10, which completely covered the cylinder heads and engine, cut engine drag by as much as 60 percent.

    Academic text (2003)

  • The doors to the large hangar were open, and Jesse saw someone working under the cowling of a Cessna single-engine airplane.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Besides its retractable landing gear, the Boeing Monomail was notable for being among the first planes to use a cowling over its engine.

    Academic text (2003)

  • The mechanic lifted the cowling to access the engine for maintenance.

Synonyms

hood
vscowling
  • US
106 3.5

A cover over a machine part, like the top of a car engine

is specific to engines and focuses on streamlining as well as protection
nacelle
vscowling
  • Specialized
35 9.9

A smooth cover that holds an airplane engine and helps air move around it

is a removable cover rather than a fixed attached housing
bonnet
vscowling
  • UK
7 4.5

A metal cover that lifts over a car engine

is designed to be removable and to streamline aircraft engines
cowl
vscowling
  • Specialized
1 7.9

A metal cover over a plane or car engine

is removable and shaped to streamline and protect the engine

Surface Forms

cowling singular
cowlings plural

Morphology

cowling = cowl (semi-transparent) = cowl + ing

The word is formed from cowl + -ing, but the aviation sense is a specialized extension of 'cowl' rather than a fully predictable everyday meaning.

Etymology

Cowling comes from cowl, a simple word meaning 'hood' or 'cover', like the hood a monk wears. So a cowling is a hood-like metal cover that protects an engine and helps it move through the air more smoothly.