helicopter

Meaning

Noun

1. An aircraft that is borne along by one or more sets of long rotating blades which allow it to hover, move in any direction including reverse, or land; and typically having a smaller set of blades on its tail to stabilize the aircraft.
2. A powered troweling machine with spinning blades used to spread concrete.
3. The winged fruit of certain trees, such as ash, elm, and maple.
4. (slang) A dragonfly; so named due to its resemblance to a helicopter (sense 1).
5. A whirling trick performed with devil sticks.
6. A breakdance move in which the dancer spins on the floor while extending the legs to resemble the blades of a helicopter.

Verb

1. (transitive) To transport by helicopter.
2. (intransitive) To travel by helicopter.
3. To rotate like a helicopter blade.
4. To overprotect one's children, as a helicopter parent does.

Synonyms

chopper

whirlybird

autogiro

copter

eggbeater

airplane

✈️

aeroplane

✈️

verticraft

vertiplane

egg-beater

double leg circle

rotor plane

whirly-bird

egg beater flying windmill

gyrodyne aircraft

spinning thing

autogyro

glider

plane

wasp

rotorcraft

heliogyro

Translations

hélicoptère

🚁

elicottero

🚁

helicóptero

🚁

Hubschrauber

🚁

ελικόπτερο

helicóptero

🚁

helicòpter

🚁

helikopter

🚁

Helikopter

🚁

helikopter

🚁

hefschroefvliegtuig

هليكوبتر

wentelwiek

🚁

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈheliˌkɔptə(ɹ)/

Etymology

Borrowed from French hélicoptère, from Ancient Greek ἕλιξ (hélix, “spiral”) + πτερόν (pterón, “wing”). Doublet of helicopteron. By surface analysis, helico- + -pter. The dragonfly sense is from a dragonfly's ability to hover and fly in any direction, like the flying machine.