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tailfin

tailfin

1 5.4
A vertical fin at the back of an airplane that keeps it flying straight
  • noun
  • /ˈteɪlˌfɪn/
  • Specialized
: aleta de cola
  • When inspecting the aircraft, she noticed that the tailfin was perfectly aligned with the fuselage.

Examples

  • And my one tailfin...

  • The tailfin of the aircraft was damaged during the storm, causing it to require extensive repairs.

  • Robotic arms place the tailfin and the wings on the plane and then add the engines.

    Academic text (2007)
  • A great black hole gaped open, a perfect oval sliced cleanly across the curve of a tailfin.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • The easiest way to distinguish early P-51s from P-40s (for me) is to look at the tailfin.

    Blog text (34)
  • He traveled American-flag carriers mainly for that reason, certainly not because he liked the sight of the Stars and Stripes on the tailfins of the aircraft.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Engineers carefully designed the tailfin to enhance the plane's stability in flight.

Synonyms

vertical stabilizer
vstailfin
  • Specialized
1 5.9

Upright part of an airplane tail that helps keep the plane pointing straight during flight

is a fin at the tail rear stressing stabilizing function rather than general part
tail fin
vstailfin
  • Specialized
1 4.2

A vertical surface at the plane's tail that helps keep it steady in flight

is the single word modern form rather than the spaced variant
vertical tail
vstailfin
  • Specialized
1 6.0

The upright fin on a plane's tail that keeps it pointed straight

is focused on the fin as a rear stabilizer rather than the aerodynamic term
vertical fin
vstailfin
  • Specialized
1 4.3

A flat upright part on an airplane tail that keeps the plane pointing straight

is specifically the rear stabilizing fin forming part of the tail structure

Surface Forms

tailfin singular
tailfins plural

Morphology

tailfin = tail + fin (transparent) = tail + fin

A direct compound of 'tail' (rear) + 'fin' (projecting stabilizing surface); the meaning is literal and easily inferable.

Etymology

Tailfin comes from the simple parts tail and fin, where tail means 'the back part' and fin means 'a flat part like a fish fin'. So an airplane tailfin is a fin at the rear that helps keep the plane steady and pointing straight.