rotary wing
1
6.9
- noun
- /ˈroʊtəri wɪŋ/
- Specialized
:
ala rotativa
- The rescue team utilized a rotary wing helicopter to reach the stranded hikers on the mountain.
Some aircraft, fixed wing or Rotary wing, were socked into weather.
- Some aircraft, fixed wing or Rotary wing, were socked into weather.
- Rotary, Rotary wing and fixed wing.
Examples
-
Many military operations depend on rotary wing aircraft for swift troop transport.
-
Artillery would have to be supplemented by fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.
Academic text (1991) -
"Suspect rotary-wing aircraft.
Fiction book (1991) -
The Guard also has 198 light/medium and four heavy-lift rotary-wing aircraft available for reconnaissance and personnel/cargo carrying missions.
Blog text (13) -
During natural disasters, rotary wing vehicles are crucial for delivering supplies and rescuing people.
Synonyms
23
5.4
A set of blades that turns to move air or make electricity, like on a helicopter
3
4.4
A long blade that turns to lift a helicopter
1
4.5
A large set of spinning blades on a helicopter that lifts it into the air
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is compositionally transparent: 'rotary' means rotating and 'wing' is the lift-producing surface, so a learner who knows both words can infer a wing that rotates to provide lift (i.e., a helicopter rotor). This adjectival + noun structure is a straightforward, literal formation and is cross-linguistically predictable, so it should be understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituents.
Etymology
The noun rotary wing comes from the simple idea of a rotary (something that turns) and a wing (a part that gives lift). Imagine a wing that turns like a big fan to 'lift' and let a helicopter 'hover', so rotary wing refers to the turning blades that hold the helicopter up.