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Glite Dictionary
🪂 A steerable parachute 🪁 A soft kite
parafoil

parafoil

8.1
A soft kite without a frame that fills with air to pull you
  • noun
  • /ˈpɛrəˌfɔɪl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : cometa de tracción
  • Modern kitesurfers often prefer a parafoil because it packs down small and is easy to transport.
  • parafoil kite

Examples

  • He launched his parafoil from the hill, letting the wind fill it and lift him into the air.

  • The parafoil soared high in the sky.

  • The athlete used a large parafoil to power his buggy across the open field.

  • She learned to control the parafoil before trying it on the water for the first time.

  • Have you ever tried flying a parafoil?

  • The parafoil soared gracefully above the beach as kitesurfers enjoyed their day on the waves.

  • During their vacation, they used their parafoil to glide smoothly over the coastline.

Synonyms

kite
vsparafoil
54 1.0

A light frame with paper or cloth that flies on a string

is frameless and inflatable, made for traction and sport use

How Powerful

parafoil
  • Specialized
8.1

Surface Forms

parafoil singular
parafoils plural

Morphology

parafoil = foil (opaque) = para + foil

The word is a technical formation based on clipped para- plus foil, but the specialized kite meaning is not predictable from the everyday sense of either component.

Etymology

Parafoil combines para-, from 'parachute', and foil, a word for a thin wing shape like airfoil. That's why a parafoil is used as a soft kite you pull to power a buggy or move across water.