Meaning
The compartment that holds passengers on a dirigible, hot-air balloon, or other aerostat; a gondola.
Etymology
Origin: Latin
PIE word *néh₂us Borrowed from French nacelle (“rowing boat, skiff; gondola (of a hot-air balloon, etc.); structure on an aircraft to house an engine”), Middle French nacelle (“rowing boat, skiff”), from Old French nacele, from Late Latin naucella, nāvicella (“small boat or ship”), from Latin nāvis (“a ship”) (from Proto-Indo-European *néh₂us (“a boat”)) + -ella (diminutive suffix). Cognates * Anglo-Norman naucele, naucle (“small boat”) * Late Latin nacella (“small boat”)
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
aeroplaneairplaneparts
NYT Puzzle Appearances
Accepted in 6 recorded puzzles: