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empennage

 - 2 dictionary results

em⋅pen⋅nage

  [ahm-puh-nahzh, em-; Fr. ahn-pe-nazh]
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–noun, plural -nag⋅es  [-nah-zhiz; Fr. -nazh] .
the rear part of an airplane or airship, usually comprising the stabilizer, elevator, vertical fin, and rudder.
Origin:
1905–10; < F: lit., feathering, equiv. to empenn(er) to feather an arrow (em- em- 1 + -penner, deriv. of penne feather; see pen 1 ) + -age -age
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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em·pen·nage   (ěm'pə-nĭj)   
n.  The tail assembly of an aircraft, including the horizontal and vertical stabilizers, elevators, and rudder.

[French, feathers on an arrow, empennage, from empenner, to feather an arrow : en-, in; see en-1 + penne, feather (from Latin penna; see pet- in Indo-European roots).]
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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