noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
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"We flew over the city in a helicopter."
"Car drivers were helicoptered to safety from nearby roads. There were photographs of people canoeing down streets."
"helicoptering his jacket, helicoptering his arms"
"Near-synonym: hover"
"A helicopter is able to take off and land straight up and down."
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.
Common synonyms include: chopper, whirlybird, airplane, choppers, copter, copters.
A helicopter is able to take off and land straight up and down.
Pronounced /ˈheliˌkɔptə(ɹ)/.
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.