✈️ A plane trip 🏃 An escape 🏐 Path in air 🪜 A set of stairs 💭 Creative idea 🛩️ A group of aircraft 🦅 A group flying 🧪 Test rollout 🏹 To add feathers

to flight

9.4

To put feathers on an arrow to help it fly straight

verb
/flaɪt/

Archaic

: emplumar

To enhance the performance of his arrows, he decided to flight them with lightweight feathers.
fully flighted arrows

Examples

In archery, it is essential to flight your arrows properly for accuracy during competition.
The archer carefully began to flight the arrow with colorful feathers to improve its flight stability.
"We flight-test PACER SKY at the Strategic Warfare Center in a couple of weeks," Elliott said, "but ground tests have gone really well."

Fiction book (1991)
The acid test is coming this autumn, when they flight-test the Ares-IX test vehicle... ask me again after it flies or flops.

Blog text (20)

Synonyms

to fletch

vsto flight

Specialized

1 9.9

To attach feathers to an arrow so it flies straight

emphasizes decoration or general equipping rather than aerodynamic purpose

to fledge

vsto flight

Archaic

9.8

Add feathers to an arrow or a costume

is identical in meaning but is the preferred main entry

to plume

vsto flight

6.4

To fasten decorative feathers to clothing or a hat

is used mainly for arrows rather than general decorative use

Idioms

in flight

48 2.6

Moving through the air like birds or insects

Phrasal Verbs

to take flight

23 3.5

Leave quickly to escape danger, often by flying

to miss a flight

1 2.7

To fail to get on a plane because you arrive late

Compounds

flight attendant

101 3.2

A person who looks after passengers on an airplane and keeps them safe and comfortable

flight of stairs

41 1.6

A set of steps between two floors of a building

flight deck

24 5.8

Top deck of an aircraft carrier where planes take off and land

flight path

Specialized

20 3.9

The route a plane or rocket follows through the sky

in-flight

17 3.4

Things offered on a plane during a flight, like meals or entertainment

international flight

12 2.3

A plane trip that goes from one country to another

connecting flight

10 3.4

A flight with a stop where you change planes to reach your final destination

direct flight

9 2.1

A plane journey between two places that may stop but uses the same plane

top-flight

8 6.2

Of very high quality and among the best in its field

flight of fancy

Informal

8 7.4

An imaginative idea that is unlikely to be true or useful

domestic flight

6 2.7

A plane trip within the same country that does not cross borders

flight simulator

Specialized

6 3.5

A machine on the ground that copies the feeling of flying a plane for training

mid-flight

6 4.2

The period when a plane is in the air

flight control

Specialized

5 4.1

A computer system on a plane or drone that automatically keeps it steady and guides it

flight of steps

5 3.0

A set of stairs between two floors

flight engineer

Specialized

5 4.8

A crew member who checks and runs a plane's engines and systems during a trip

flight surgeon

Specialized

4 6.5

A doctor who cares for the health of pilots and astronauts

nonstop flight

3 2.7

A flight that goes directly from one place to another without stopping

flight control

Specialized

3 4.2

People on the ground who guide aircraft by radio while they fly

flight line

Specialized

3 6.0

An area at an airport where planes are parked and worked on before flying

maiden flight

1 5.7

The first time a new plane, rocket, or vehicle goes into the air

low-level flight

1 5.8

A plane or helicopter flying very low above the ground

mid-flight

1 4.0

While a plane is in the air

flight feather

Specialized

1 4.5

A large stiff feather on a bird's wing or tail that helps it fly

flight maneuver

Specialized

1 6.3

An action by a plane to change its path or angle in the air

line of flight

Specialized

1 7.0

The path something moves along through the air

redeye flight

1 4.2

A late night plane trip that arrives the next morning and leaves you tired

white-knuckle flight

Informal

1 8.6

A very frightening plane trip that makes people on board feel scared

flight strip

Specialized

1 7.2

A simple place where planes land without airport buildings for emergencies or military landings

flight indicator

Specialized

6.5

An instrument that shows a plane's tilt compared to the ground

terrain flight

Jargon

8.6

A very low pass by a helicopter near the ground to avoid being seen

Surface Forms

flight infinitive

flying present participle

flights third person singular

flew past

flown past participle

Etymology

To flight an arrow means to put feathers on it so it will fly straight, and the word comes from the same root fly because the feathers help the arrow's flight.