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

Aircraft landing or taxiing Landing lights: These are powerful white lights on the nose, wings or under the fuselage that are turned on when the aircraft is landing to light up the runway. —George Petras, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024

The carbon fiber fuselage accommodates the wider side-by-side seating arrangement, and the craft stands just over 9 feet (2.7 m) tall. —New Atlas, 11 Dec. 2024

Boeing boomerang Boeing 737 Max fuselages sit on railcars during an ongoing strike by the company’s factory workers in Seattle, Washington, U.S., October 30, 2024. —Michele Luhn, CNBC, 6 Dec. 2024

Spirit Aero, which produces the fuselage for the MAX, was not immediately available for comment. —Reuters, CNN, 5 Nov. 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