ornithopter
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈɔrnɪˌθɑptər/
- Specialized
- Birds, beautiful birds—the Society should follow their splendid example, Edward knew, and build an ornithopter with propulsion deriving from the wings.
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Watch on YouTubeThis is of course Ornithopter from the movie Dune.
- This is of course Ornithopter from the movie Dune.
- I mean, in science fiction history, we have a bunch of ornithopters, but the best ones up until now have all been Miyazaki.
Examples
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Edward and his team had completed six more ornithopters before the first significant slowdown.
Fiction book (1999) -
They started pushing the Ornithopter down the tracks for an initial burst of speed.
Fiction book (1999) -
What would you do if your ornithopter went down out here?
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We can use it for your ornithopter.
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The pilots had never seen an ornithopter before.
Fiction book (1999) -
The RAF has asked for a demonstration of the ornithopter.
Fiction book (1999) -
Shouldn't you be flying the ornithopter, Father?
Fiction book (1999) -
Today the people erupted only once, as ornithopters carrying Japanese Prime Minister Fumimaro and General Hideki flapped into view, gliding down to their appointment.
Fiction book (1999) -
The ornithopter soared gracefully above the trees, its wings flapping like those of a bird.
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Engineers are developing a new type of ornithopter that aims to mimic the flight of hawks.
Synonyms
A flying machine that moves by flapping wings like a bird or insect
Surface Forms
Morphology
ornithopter = ornith + pter
Built from Greek combining forms for 'bird' and 'wing' that are not standalone English words, so learners cannot reliably infer the meaning from familiar English bases.
Etymology
Ornithopter comes from parts that mean 'bird' (ornith-) and 'wing' (-pter). So an ornithopter is a 'bird-wing' machine — a flying craft that moves its wings up and down like a bird.