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 strike has added to Boeing’s litany of problems, which were renewed this year after a piece of fuselage fell off a plane in January. —William Gavin, Quartz, 25 Oct. 2024

Airplane fuselages bound for Boeing's 737 Max production facility await shipment on rail sidings at their top supplier, Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc., in Wichita, Kansas, on Dec. 17, 2019. —Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2024

From a freak accident that blew a door-size hole into the fuselage of an airborne 737 Max to revelations of sloppy workmanship and now a crippling strike entering its second month — the icon of US manufacturing hasn’t been able to catch a break since the first days of January. —Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2024

Still buckled into her seat after the fuselage exploded around her, Rebecca would have been eaten alive by the ants if not for the tribesman who rescued her from the rubble and carried the girl back to Christian civilization. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 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