dropping zone
- noun
- Jargon
:
zona de lanzamiento
- The pilot ensured a safe approach to the dropping zone to deliver the equipment.
Examples
-
The commander marked the dropping zone on the map to guide the aircraft.
-
The trouble is, the Germans have over-run the dropping zones.
-
Soldiers waited near the dropping zone for supplies to be airlifted in.
Synonyms
35
2.2
A place to leave people or things
9
6.0
An area where supplies or soldiers are dropped from a plane by parachute
How Big
79
3.8
- Jargon
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly built from 'dropping' (the act of falling or being dropped) and 'zone' (an area), so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes an area where objects or personnel are dropped. Although it is a specific military term, the compositional logic is transparent and parallels similar constructions in other languages, making it accessible to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Dropping zone comes from military practice of marking an open zone on the ground where crates or people are dropped from an airplane or helicopter, so soldiers below can collect them. That's why it now means 'an area set aside for supplies, equipment, or people to be dropped by aircraft'.