leading edge
4
5.3
- noun
- /ˈliːdɪŋ ɛdʒ/
- Specialized
:
bisel delantero
- The general design is flat or U-shaped with an upturned leading edge.
- leading edge of the wing
- blade's leading edge
Examples
-
By sharpening the leading edges of the wing-root extensions, NASA engineers intensified the vortices that were generated, increasing lift.
Academic text (2003) -
The wings were regular deltas with the leading edge angled inward halfway back, the tips bent up ninety degrees.
Fiction book (2001) -
This could represent the leading edge of some warmer air.
-
To preserve jobs, engineers must remain on the leading edge of technology.
Academic text (2004) -
All the cutting force of the wind passes into the interior of the leading edge.
Academic text (2003) -
The front of the wing is called the leading edge and then the back is the trailing edge.
-
Some fishermen have replaced the pipe with a flat steel plate but have retained the beveled leading edge.
Academic text (1995) -
Short tungsten carbide blades line up along the leading edge of rubber backing.
Academic text (2001) -
The NACA laminar-flow airfoils were shaped with a relatively thin leading edge and maximum thickness as far back as possible.
Academic text (2003) -
The front of the wing is called the leading edge and then the back is the trailing edge.
Synonyms
4
3.6
The part at the forward side of something that you meet first, like a car's nose
How Forward
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense of 'leading edge' is directly derivable from 'leading' (ahead/forward) + 'edge' (outer boundary), yielding the forward-most boundary of an object. Although it is a technical term in aerodynamics, the composition follows common English patterns (and similar constructions in other languages), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would understand the meaning.
Etymology
Leading edge is the very front part of a wing that first meets the 'air'. The word leading shows it 'leads' the way and the edge is the front line, so the phrase means the forward edge that faces the air.