ground-effect machine
- noun
- /ˈgraʊnd ɪˈfɛkt məˈʃin/
- Specialized
:
vehículo de efecto suelo
- The ground-effect machine skimmed across the lake, leaving barely a ripple behind it.
Examples
-
Military forces used a ground-effect machine to quickly traverse the marshy terrain.
-
In the 1960s, the invention of the ground-effect machine revolutionized amphibious transportation.
-
The ground-effect machine glided smoothly over the water.
-
Have you ever seen a ground-effect machine in action?
-
The ground-effect machine glided effortlessly over the surface of the water, thanks to the cushion of air generated by its powerful jet engines.
-
Many enthusiasts believe that the ground-effect machine could change the future of transportation by combining the speed of a plane with the versatility of a boat.
-
Unlike traditional boats, a ground-effect machine can travel faster and carry heavier loads while using less fuel, making it an efficient choice for modern transport.
Synonyms
11
6.4
A vehicle that travels over water or land on a layer of air
How Low
- Specialized
- Specialized
11
6.4
759
2.5
- US
877
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
ground-effect + machine
The compound clearly signals a 'machine' associated with a 'ground effect', so a learner can infer it's a device related to some effect involving the ground. However, the specific aerodynamic meaning (riding on a cushion of air/ekranoplan-like behavior) is a technical sense of 'ground effect' not predictable from the basic words 'ground' and 'effect' at B1 level, making the relation only partially transparent.
Etymology
The noun ground-effect machine comes from the idea of ground-effect and the word machine: when a vehicle moves very close to the land or water, air is squeezed under it and makes a 'cushion of air' that lifts the vehicle. That's why a ground-effect machine means a vehicle that 'rides on a cushion of air' and can skim over water or land with little splash.