fuselage

noun

fu·​se·​lage ˈfyü-sə-ˌläzh 

-zə-

: the central body portion of an aircraft designed to accommodate the crew and the passengers or cargo see airplane illustration

Examples of fuselage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Flip has a Mode button on its fuselage, on the right side between the two propellers relative to the drone's camera facing you. —PCMAG, 14 Jan. 2025

Then the bucket operator sprays the wings, tail and fuselage with a mixture of hot fluids that melts ice so the jet can take off safely. —Joel Rose, NPR, 8 Jan. 2025

In early 2024, a crucial fuselage panel blew out of an Alaska Airlines jet, its largest union stopped producing airplanes, and problems with its Starliner space capsule have left two astronauts stranded in orbit. —David Hodari, NBC News, 3 Jan. 2025

Bloodied and bruised passengers could be seen stumbling from a piece of the fuselage that had remained intact. —Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 28 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, from fuselé "spindle-shaped" (from past participle of fuseler "to give the shape of a spindle to," going back to Middle French, derivative of fusel "spindle," diminutive of fus "spindle," going back to Latin fūsus, of obscure origin) + -age -age

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

fuselage

noun

fu·​se·​lage ˈfyü-sə-ˌläzh 

ˈfyü-zə-

: the central body portion of an airplane that holds the crew, passengers, and cargo