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autogiro

 - 3 dictionary results

au⋅to⋅gi⋅ro

[aw-tuh-jahy-roh]
–noun, plural -ros.
an aircraft with an unpowered, horizontally rotating propeller on a shaft above the fuselage that provides lift for the machine, with forward propulsion being provided by a conventional propeller: superseded in most applications by the helicopter.
Also, au⋅to⋅gy⋅ro.
Also called gyrocopter, gyroplane.


Origin:
1920–25; formerly a trademark
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To autogiro
au·to·gi·ro also au·to·gy·ro   (ô'tō-jī'rō)   
n.   pl. au·to·gi·ros also au·to·gy·ros
An aircraft powered by a conventional propeller and supported in flight by a freewheeling, horizontal rotor that provides lift.

[Originally a trademark.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

autogiro

rotary-wing aircraft, superseded after World War II by the more efficient helicopter. It employed a propeller for forward motion and a freely rotating, unmotorized rotor for lift. In searching for an aircraft that could be slowed down in flight and landed vertically, experimenters built many prototypes that were difficult to control in flight

Learn more about autogiro with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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