autogiro

noun

au·​to·​gi·​ro ˌȯ-tō-ˈjī-(ˌ)rō 

variants or autogyro

plural autogiros

: a rotary-wing aircraft that employs a propeller for forward motion and a freely rotating rotor for lift

Illustration of autogiro

Examples of autogiro in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The first that went into mass production was the autogiro, developed in 1923 by Juan de la Cierva in Spain. —Edward C. Smith, Discover Magazine, 18 July 2024

In 1938, Congress approved legislation intended to rescue the autogiro industry. —Alice George, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Jan. 2023

Two years after the autogiro’s 1931 triumphs, its commercial market collapsed. —Alice George, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Jan. 2023

Gyrocopters: 1939 to 1940s The autogiro, a single-person helicopter-ish vehicle, was invented in the early 1920s by a Spanish engineer named Juan de law Cierva. —Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, 18 Jan. 2019

The Autogyro Spanish engineer Juan de la Cierva invented and first flew his autogiro in Madrid in January 1923. —Alex Davies, WIRED, 3 July 2014

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Spanish, from auto- auto- + giro "turn, rotation," going back to Latin gyrus "circular course, circle, ring" — more at gyre entry 1

Note: The first practical rotorcraft, dubbed in Spanish the autogiro, was developed by the self-taught aeronautical engineer Juan de la Cierva (1895-1936) in 1923. The name was later registered as a trademark in the U.S. by the Pitcairn Aircraft Company.

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined above