noun ·2 syllables ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A device attached to the empennage of some military fixed-wing aircraft, used to achieve rapid deceleration during landings by catching the arresting gear of a runway or aircraft carrier.

Etymology

From tail + hook.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.